Tame Impala rock right? Signed to Modular Records, the WA rockers have been making waves around the planet, even scoring a whopping 8.5 on music site Pitchfork for their debut album Innerspeaker. It is a great album, and Tame Impala have one of the most authentic new takes on an old genre in music today. The quality of their music totally backs up their groovy, psychedelic image and they seem to pull off both effortlessly.

It's at this point that I'd like to write "and their live show didn't disappoint". But unfortunately, I can't. I found the performance to be really dry and it was hard to stay engaged. Their live sound did not portray the brilliance of their recorded music at all.

My biggest criticism of their sound was in the guitar mix. It was like a brick wall of droning, washed out sound that was quite overbearing. The noticeable lack of dynamics was the main reason the performance was particularly engaging. I’m not convinced it was a sound mixing issue as much as it was the way the band actually wanted it to sound.

A positive point came from the rhythm section, who sounded tight and punchy. The bass cut through the mix underneath the guitars and provided a great counterpoint in the music. 

Another issue was that the band was fairly inanimate throughout the show, resulting in their performance lacking a visual edge. More psychedelic visuals, such as a massive screen projection behind the band, would have contributed to a more engaging performance. 

On a positive note, support act The John Steel Singers played a great set, characterized by the quirky, almost indefinable sound. These guys play a unique brand of indie pop music; it’s mature and intellectual but still fun and exciting. I like the Brisbane 6 piece for this approach – they seem to have fun with their music and it shows live. 

While there were big parts of Tame Impala’s performance that I didn’t like, it couldn’t have been all bad as I spoke to some people who loved it. And for the most part the crowd looked right into it. But for me, I couldn’t get past the way the guitars were presented. It was a shame that such a great album didn’t translate live.