Just because you’re one of the hottest bands in the world doesn’t mean that you’re above pitching in when a mate needs help. Just ask Tame Impala ringleader Kevin Parker and newly installed bassist Cam Avery (frontman of fellow Perth band The Growl).
A ‘close friend’ of Tame Impala’s recently had their car stolen, so being the good guys that they are, Parker and Avery set about raising money the best way they knew how: forming another Tame Impala spin-off band to perform a one-off benefit concert in order to raise money for the pinched vehicle, which belonged to fellow Perth musician Felicity Groom.
The news arrived (very) last minute last night (22nd July) on the Australian psych rock band’s Facebook page, with a post (presumably from Kevin) stating they’d put together a new instrumental three-piece for the fundraising charity effort, to be held at Perth live music venue The Bird in Northbridge. The post read:
hey perthian fiends, our good friend the lovely and evidently pregnant felicity groom had her car stolen on saturday morning, so we’re all going to THE BIRD tonight to raise money for a new one! playing is Maurice Flavel, Electric Toad and our new band we made at about 4 o’clock this afternoon: cam, cam and kevin’s groovy groovy funtime disco funk elevator explosion, aka kevin spacey, in an elevator. that’s the band name, all of that. in fact this whole post is the band name. including this.
oh yeah and we didn’t have time to find a vocalist so it’s instrumental, the best kind of -ental.
get down there yo’s!PS sorry about the late notice. see you in about 2 hours!
As the Perth venue posted on their own social media page today, the three-piece with the long-winded name consisted of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and Cam Avery, on drums and bass respectively, and Cam Parkin of local band Cosmo Gets on keys. “Their new fitout called Kevin Spacey blew everyones socks off and almost blew me off the keg I was perched on,” reads the post from the venue.
(Image: Courtney Illfield. Source: The Bird)
The impromptu charity band also made news with NME, who point out that in a recent interview with Uncut, Kevin Parker has said that he’s in no rush to begin making the follow-up to Tame Impala’s critically and commercially acclaimed Lonerism.
“Right now, doing another album doesn’t excite me. There’s something narrow-minded about thinking an album is the only way you can put out music, especially in the world we’re in at the moment,” said Parker. “Anything is possible. There’s so many people doing interesting things with the internet and technology, there could be so many ways of making music and listening to it.”
Lonerism is also a big hit with the vinyl-buying community, with Noise11 reporting that a recent mid-year report from Nielsen SoundScan places Tame Impala’s album as the fifth biggest selling vinyl release in America for the year, shifting 14,000 units – the same amount as Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More and the Thom Yorke-fronted Atoms For Peace – Amok
The huge record sales have likely been helped by Tame Impala’s ongoing international touring duties, most recently checking into the UK’s Glastonbury Festival following headlining Modular’s new Croatian island party-come-music festival FOR, following which came the departure of long-term bassist Nick Allbrook to “screw his head back on,” and focus on his duties with sister band Pond ahead of their new album Hobo Rocket.
UPDATE: YouTube footage of ‘Kevin Spacey’s impromptu gig has been uploaded by a user with the handle ‘sonny7er25’, watch in full below.
