Tame Impala, The John SteelSingers @ Enmore Theatre(14/10/10)

Mon 18th Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

With youthful nonchalance Kevin Parker and friends delivered the critically lauded Innerspeaker album earlier this year, but can they recreate that superb record live? The Enmore Theatre simmered at near capacity as punters waited to find out.

Much like the headliner, The John Steel Singers also issued a dazzling debut EP and has ridden a tsunami wave of acclaim, which will hopefully continue as the band prepares to release the Tangalooma album. Launching from tune to tune like athletes in a beep test, the band played a raucous bag of new and old material. The new-ish single Underpass, assisted by a positively elephantine brass section, was wilder than its comparatively clinical recorded version. Finally, joined by Jay Watson from Tame Impala on a second drumkit, they closed with the blissful onslaught of Rainbow Kraut – a not-so gentle reminder of why this band first appeared on our radar in the first place.

As the dust settled on the front rows, the roadies scrambled to the headliners’ psych lighting rig – an audio interactive laser point that scribbled its way across an enormous projector screen. The lights eventually dimmed and Tame Impala strolled barefoot onstage to open with It’s Not Meant To Be. The band dribbled honeyed layers of guitar and smoke arose from the pit as if on cue, with security flashing torches and snuffing out the ‘vibe’ one punter at a time.

The sound was dense and meticulously considered, as a large portion of Innerspeaker, including Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind and Expectation was dished out. Each track bleeding together seamlessly with a few moments pause in between for Parker to thank their biggest Sydney crowd to date. The crowd pleasing Solitude is Bliss was knocked out within three songs and for the hour and a half cascades of hazy textures and massive grooves were unleashed as the omnipotent laser beam responded in synchronized fits. The apocalyptic Alter Ego traded its bass drum heavy bombast for bludgeoning floor toms in the live setting, with Dom Simper’s leads sounding legitimately cosmic.

There was genuine dissent amongst the faithful when Parker’s “no encore” disclaimer preceded the final two slabs of fuzz laden euphoria. Blue Boy’s Remember Me and the sweating epic Half Glass Full Of Wine. The mosh was in full force until the final chords phased out and Tame Impala mosied offstage as casually as they had arrived.

Check out the photos from the gig