Early last Thursday night, the Brisbane Convention Centre was humming with the idle chatter of thousands ready for an evening of other-worldly rock. The half-full venue was filled with an ecstatic cheer as a pool of red light flooded the stage and the three members of Midnight Juggernauts took to their instruments.
Beginning with a new song, the Melbourne electro-rock band expel a sound much larger than one would expect from a trio. The ambience is tangible as the duelling vocalists, Vincent Vendetta on keys and Andy Juggernaut on bass, are almost drowned out by their heavy synths. Drummer Daniel Stricker, meanwhile, chooses to stand at his kit and let his wildly-long hair add to the rhythm and performance.
After a number of new songs, the crowd remains mostly immobile but not wholly unappreciative. Vendetta appears to notice the calmness, stating “it’s so silent out there… Good acoustics!” With a bunch of similarly-arranged songs, Midnight Juggernauts have certainly perfected their sound, but one finds it easy to become tranced-out and disengaged in the midst of the invariable chords and tempo. The trio finish their set strongly, however, with hits “Shadows” and “Into The Galaxy” from their 2007 album, Dystopia.
After a short intermission, the arena is now reaching its capacity as the lights dim and return the crowd to a fidgety state of anticipation. Five long-haired figures, known collectively as Tame Impala, traipse onto the stage, greeted by the varied cheers typical of an all-ages crowd.
The undulating, layered opening guitars of “It’s Not Meant To Be”, from the band’s first album, Innerspeaker, appear to ease the eager crowd into the audible odyssey yet to come. On an enormous projector screen behind the band, an atom-like visualisation morphs and pulses to every nuance of the intricate track.
Tame Impala waste no time in bringing out the favourites from their latest album, Lonerism, with a consecutive performance of “Endors Toi” and “Apocalypse Dreams”. The reverberated vocals of lead singer, guitarist and all-round wizard, Kevin Parker, offer an enrapturing layer to the sprawling soundscape.
“Alright, here’s one for ya,” he teases. The psychedelia continues with a smoke machine and deluge of magenta and emerald-coloured lights, as the mosh opens up for the first time during the loner’s anthem, “Solitude Is Bliss”.
The energy is ceaseless as the steady, marching rhythm of “Elephant” inspires every punter in the arena into a steady bounce. Perhaps noticing the extra zeal in many, Parker announces, “This song is dedicated to everyone under the age of 18!” The Perth-based band are at their most entertaining in these moments, radiating an infectious verve sure to reach even the nose-bleed area of the arena.
Relentless with the hits, Tame Impala then slows things down with the sing-along-worthy “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”. It’s difficult not to close your eyes and sway from side-to-side, in an attempt to fully absorb the harmonies of Parker’s wistful vocals entwined with their brand of meandering, measured dream-rock. Unfortunately the track is one of their shortest, and the three-minute reverie ends all too soon.
After a slew of tracks mainly from their last album, including “Be Above It” and “Mind Mischief”, Tame Impala take it back to 2008 with a pre-encore finale from their debut EP.
“Half Full Glass Of Wine” is the perfect jam of raw rock to take those in attendance tonight to an unrestricted higher level of being. “Thank you so much. We love you,” utters Parker sincerely, from behind a sweaty mane.
The encore seems almost unnecessary, yet Tame Impala finish spectacularly in what seems the only way appropriate—with the six-minute epic, “Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control”, and a performance as impressive and extravagant as its track title.
