With the release of their self-titled EP and supporting MGMT's Australian tour both coinciding in October, Perth-based Tame Impala soared to indie fame almost overnight. The EP, performed in the studio entirely by lead singer and guitarist Kevin Parker, combined with the young band's lack of a touring sound engineer, could lead to understandable scepticism concerning the quality of their live sound. However, the band is reassuring curious fans one city at a time, with some international shows to boot.
Initially, the most striking feature of Tame Impala's live show is their age. The boys appear to be teenagers, but the stage must take off a few years because they say they're in their early 20s. It's difficult to tell whether their disaffected, quiet demeanour is due to their inexperience performing on such a scale, although once they start playing their talent is undeniable. The Oxford Art Factory is relatively intimate venue, and tonight it is sold out.
The EP sounds fantastic live, the songs drawn out into long stretches of ambient instrumental verse, followed by softly spoken vocals interspersed with psychedelic guitar solos imitating the noise a wobble board might make if Rolf had a buzz saw handy. Every so often, a second guitarist wanders onto the stage. There are elements of Cream's fuzz-rock sound, The Black Key's blues-rock (with complementary rolling bass), and playing "Chinese whispers" with the sound Wolfmother revived. Their cover of Blue Boy's '90s hit, 'Remember Me' (sans "geng ge ge ge ge geng") translated surprisingly well - like the original might sound played slowly during an acid trip. The multi-coloured lights and smoke machines were an appropriate touch. It was a night of Woodstock meets Woodford, and not a disappointed face to be seen.
Lawrence Bull
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