When Tame Impala played ‘The Moment’ after Kevin spoke of how incredible and blessed they were to be playing outside the Sydney Opera House, his awe and disbelief washed over the crowd too. It was a special moment in an all round treat of a concert.
Tame Impala played Tuesday and Wednesday night this week and the lingering feedback from the Tuesday night concert was that the volume levels were disappointingly low — low enough to hear the crowd move from chanting “Kevin!” to “Turn it up!”.
Tame Impala is a polished and tight live act, their music dispels the crowd with some good-old vibes. However, what became the most notable quality of the Currents album was the palpability of the tracks. They seemed to leap to life and fill a room — unfortunately this was not the case live.
Expectations tether to a band like Tame Impala, especially after the reception of Currents and so the concert felt flatter than it should have been. While it was a relaxing and groove filled show, complete with hipsters clad in Woodstock-esque festival gear, it did not “leap” very far from the stage.
Long-time fans would have been pleased to hear all of the old favourites from InnerSpeaker and Lonerism, and that was particularly evident when Impala closed with ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backyards’ for their encore. Fresher tracks from Currents were also well received, songs like ’Cause I’m A Man’ and ‘The Less I Know The Better’ producing a fair bit of sing-along from the crowd.
It can’t be said the concert was bad or average; even just considering the surrounds of the glittery harbour and the imposing Opera House makes for a great night. As for the sound, even though the quality was crisp and clear, it was just not loud enough.
Rating: ★★★
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