The Perth psychedelic scene has given the world another band to watch in POND who opened proceedings on Friday night. It’s almost impossible for Tame Impala not to come up in a conversation about the band due to the two groups sharing some key members. However, they are very much a band in their own right earning a big nod from NME last year when they were named the ‘Hottest New Band in the World’.
Their music is raw and dirty but not muddied as each layer of sound is intricately placed on top of the others. The heavily-laden psych sounds are mesmerising while bassist/singer Nick Allbrook steals attention with his imp-like dancing. He’s a bit of a loose unit bobbing in and out of the shadows, contorting his limbs in strange patterns and at times looking like an acid freak Jesus with his arms stretched out to the sides.
It’s really been eight years since Arctic Monkeys first spat themselves out into the world and I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor became the ubiquitous track of 2006. Back then they were all pimples, scruffy hair and shitty clothes but five albums and a good wringing through the music industry has developed the Monkeys into an entirely different beast. Dapper and debonair in their well-cut rockabilly suits, they’ve become some of the slickest cads around with a live act to match.
The roar that went up as singer/guitarist Alex Turner, guitarist Jamie Cook, drummer Matt Helders and bassist Nick O’Malley took their places felt like it could rupture a bowel. The Sheffield lads hit the ground at pace, opening with runaway single Do I Wanna Know off their latest release AM. Their transformation over the years is pretty astonishing with the show acting as a bit of a retrospective. The set list was AM heavy, as you would expect, but songs from most of their albums appeared in the 90-minute slot including 505, Brianstorm and I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor. It’s good to know even though they’ve made huge leaps stylistically they’re still not forgoing their past, giving the punters what they need and deserve.
There’s a few folk spouting Turner as the coolest cat since Miles Davis but at times he just came off like a bit of a wanker. The comb he kept in his pocket to slick back his hair after rocking out a bit too hard reminded me of the lyrics in Shania Twain’s Don’t Impress Me Much. He also finished every second sentence with the word ‘baby’ like Johnny Bravo. This is all probably just jealousy seeping into the writing and those eccentricities will forever be forgiven as long as he’s penning his prose over all those foot-stomping classics.
BY RHYS MCRAE
Photos by Charles Newsbury (full gallery here)
Loved: Nick Allbrook’s flailing limbs.
Hated: Sitting in the same row as Andy Lee and all the people bumping past to get selfies with him.
Drank: The blood of my enemies.
