Tame Impala @ Sydney OperaHouse (1/6/11)

Thu 2nd Jun, 2011 in Gig Reviews

As Kevin Parker remarked between songs the inclusion of Tame Impala on this year’s Vivid LIVE live festival marked the first time that the band had been inside the Sydney Opera House. And indeed, performing on such hallowed turf as this seemed to throw the four of them, what with the polite applause after each song rather than the more energised and animated crowds Tame Impala are used to. The other factor preventing this from becoming a night for the annals for Tame Impala was the fact that the Opera Theatre had a few conspicuous empty seats.

The band, however, were mostly pleasantly oblivious to anything detracting from the atmosphere, as they faithfully careered through the set they have been touring pretty much ever since the release of Innerspeaker last year. This was their last show in Australia for a little while, what with them jetting off to take advantage of the festival season in Europe very soon.

And indeed, while they were instrumentally inch-perfect throughout, there was a feeling the foursome were honing something for more intense challenges ahead. Opening with Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind, they immediately set about exploring the outer reaches of what might be possible with its typically Hawkwind-esque riffage and structure, yet there was a mild feeling of ‘planned’ improvisation, if there can be such a thing.

Despite the cloying civility of it all, if nothing else Tame Impala can fall back on to the strength of these songs – a fusion of majestic psychedelia with melody that, in this department anyway, some of their heroes like Cream or Blue Cheer would have struggled to match. This is of course best exemplified on staple tracks Solitude Is Bliss and especially Lucidity, both enjoying more soulful guises than on Innerspeaker, and both massive highlights tonight. A word of praise must also go to Jeremy’s Storm, that seemingly innocuous little instrumental that has taken on a life of its own in a live setting recently, Parker’s little guitar phrasing giving way to some enormous rushes of heady space rock, all done with perfect simplicity.

Expectation and Desire Be, Desire Go were also on the mark, but to their many fans these songs may be becoming a little too familiar, and surely when they return from overseas they may start to work on new material and indeed evolve their live show somewhat. Any possible shortcomings, however, are forgiven when they do two things: end with their stunning Half Full Glass Of Wine, and drop their awful cover of Remember Me from their setlist.