- Fri, 2012-11-02 21:07
Australian melodic, psychedelic five piece Tame Impala are in town tonight, and it’s sure to be a good one with the show being a sell out.
The project of lead singer Kevin Parker, Tame Impala rose to fame in 2010 with the release of their debut album ‘Innerspeaker’ and the release of new album ‘Lonerism’ has everyone in a spin and the tour is much hyped.
Starting with ‘Be Above It’ the band ease the crowd in gently, before bursting into ‘Solitude is Bliss’. The driving drum beats of Julien Barbagello combined with the rhythmic guitar of Dominic Simper creates a heady mix of psychedelic bliss, and the crowd moves to the beats. The first crowd surfer makes his way overhead and is man handled back into the fray.
Two moody instrumental numbers follow and the bass lines of Nick Allbrook shine through strongly here. Looking on, you see no sense of fame; the band all dressed in jeans and t-shirts looking though success has passed them by, you would probably struggle to recognize them if they passed you in the street.
Next comes my personal favourite, ‘It’s Not Meant To Be’ which begins with a lengthy instrumental then soothes and captivates as the lyrics begin. With swirling synths from keys player Jay Watson you cannot help but be lulled into the magic of this song. Followed up by the lesser known ‘Music To Walk Home By’, the two make for a wonderful ten minutes of music. Images on the screen behind the band remind me of a childhood toy, that of a Spirograph.
“Go wild to this next one if you know the words” Kevin tells the audience, it can only mean that latest single ‘Elephant’ is next up.
The catchy number has the entire audience dancing along. A drum solo bursts out where the song should end, then we have ‘jazz hands’ on the keys and improvised guitar notes before the final chord of ‘Elephant’ is played. This jazz twist puts a fantastic live spin on to the song.
‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’ and ‘Lucidity’ are fired out in rapid succession. Psychedelic synth is at its finest here and the crowd are pulsing to their beat. It also appears that the band have acquired a collection of clothes being thrown on to the stage by eager fans...
Two songs from the latest album offering are next, ‘Alter Ego’ and ‘mind Mischief’ before reverting back to ‘Innerspeaker’ for the fan favourite ‘Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?’. ‘Desire Be Desire Go’ prompts more jamming from the band and it’s clear they’re enjoying themselves now, laughing at the girls on shoulders in the audience.
‘Apocalypse Dreams’ is chosen to close the set, and it becomes a dramatic end when the Ritz’s mirror ball is lit up and coats the crowd in a shiny glow. A warm fuzzy feeling descends as the crowd bow out ever so gracefully.
Synth player Jay returns to the stage first, and throws Skittles out to the crowd; “Taste the rainbow” he shouts into the microphone. ‘Half Full Glass of Wine’ is chosen as the encore song and the heartbeat bass line fills the emptiness whilst Kevin chugs down beer. There is a five minute long psych-style instrumental to finish.
The whole experience of this evening has been very Tame Impala, whatever that may be….
