Live Review: Pond, Body Type, Reef Prince

19 September 2017 | 4:14 pm | Mark Beresford

"It was clear that this was the world of Pond. We were merely invited into it for a moment."

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Perhaps it was because all major Fremantle venues were booked already or maybe it was a conscious decision, either way, the setting for the evening in the Fremantle Prison yards felt like brilliant and unique place to capture some bands for the night.

After a Koi Child DJ set to warm up the early arrivals, local trap rapper and Doctopus band member Stephen Bellair aka Reef Prince set about creating the divisive nature that he does so well. Instantly creating two camps of 'I can dig this' and 'What the fuck am I listening to?', his banter and outright enjoyment of the tracks was infectious enough to carry most of the latter into the fan base. Those who seemed to abstain from both were easily reeled in by some guest vocals.

Sydney four-piece Body Type may still be building their catalogue, but it definitely holds nothing back in its stylistic exploration. Each track seemed to feed off a different influence, from the warm tempo and starry melody of the opening Break Down to the almost dream-pop garage clashing of Silver. Their live performance strived for attention, with subtle fills and nuances grabbing listeners while the band, still visibly excited by scoring the evening's support slot, let their music do the talking for the most part.

From the instant the vibrations of 30000 Megatons zapped the lawn full of punters into life, it was clear that this was the world of Pond. We were merely invited into it for a moment.

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Completely in sync yet not feeling over-rehearsed, Pond may not be a guitar band per say, but the wild hooks Elvis' Flaming Star and Waiting Around For Grace certainly proved that they are every bit capable of flirting with the concept. With spiralling chaotic instrumentation and a complete immersion from the band, each song was led into a depth that almost abruptly thumped the listeners when it stopped. Vocalist Nick Allbrook was borderline manic in invigorating the crowd. Stalking foldbacks and jumping the barrier, he still managed to spot the overzealous nature of security guards and did his best to combat it.

The 90-minute set felt like it was gone in a flash under the rich setlist of Giant Tortoise, Edge Of The World, Pt1 and Pt 2 and All I Want For Xmas (Is A Tascam 388). The main performance having set the bar so high, it was going to take something epic to close out the set, yet the rollercoaster ride of Man It Feels Like Space Again not only hit that mark, but left everyone already anticipating the next return of Pond.