After taking over the Friday night spot from Come Together this season, Beat & Raw has certainly continued on in a similar format, creating a mix between electronic and live music. Honestly, I'm not all that clued up on some of the DJ's that play these parties, but then this in-house produced party is certainly aimed at the Spanish crowd, which was reflected in the crowd at the event, and so I don't feel so bad.
It had been a great night of live music so far with me taking a trip to see Katy B at We Are Rockstars, then some loud noises for the San An fireworks inbetween, before finally arriving at Space for what I hoped would be a top class gig. Now, you don't get many of these, particularly at Space, and I'm still not 100% convinced the discoteca works as a live music venue. But, it has to be said the The Temper Trap boys looked cool shrouded in smoke and glowing in golden light up on the stage, and honestly, it would be nigh on impossible to point out any note, beat, key and flick of a guitar string that was out of place.
If you want to know what the gig was like, stick their 2009 album 'Conditions' on, sit back, relax, switch a yellow light on and find a way to fill the room with smoke, and then just stare at a poster of them on the wall - boom, thats the gig. Pitch perfect, smoky and golden. Ok, that might sound weird now I read that back, but you get the idea. Feel free anyway, but best you keep it to yourself (or go to one of their gigs).
Dougy Mandagi and the boys of The Temper Trap stated it was their first time in Ibiza, as was the case with Cypress Hill when they played a few weeks back, but promised it wouldn't be their last. I really hope that is the case, as with all bands that have played on the island. The discoteca may not have been packed, which is a sign of the times as the island adjusts through this transitional period of over reliance on electronic music to entertain the island, but it was clearly enough for both the crowd and the band to really enjoy.
Dougy sported some pretty cool dance moves, clearly of tribal influence, whilst Jonathon Aherne on bass was somewhere between making love and doing the tango with his instrument. Whatever was going through their minds they were absolutely loving it, and that always passes on to those watching them perform.
The guys flew through many of their tracks, some of which I'm really surprised didn't do better commercially, but favourites such as 'Sweet Dispositon' (the highest charted of all of TT's singles), 'Soldier On', 'Fader' and 'Love Lost' are all beautiful - amazing harmonies with euphoria on a grand scale. But tracks from their self titles 'The Temper Trap' album, released this year, also saw the golden light of the discoteca, with one I'd not heard before - the typically epic 'Trembling Hands' - coming as a welcome introduction to the gig within the first few tracks.
People know I'm a huge advocate of live music on the island, more the merrier I say, especially if it's from bands such as The Temper Trap. Finishing with 'Sweet Disposition' was, if you'll excuse the pun, a very sweet way to finish the night indeed.
