Live Review: Tame Impala, Midnight Juggernauts

There are several rebels hastily downing their travellers (and butting out blunts) on dodgerama corner en route to 'the House Of Stoush'. Inside the venue, Midnight Juggernauts open with a track full of sequenced, Simple Minds-esque synth. They're travelling as a four-piece these days and they wear it well. “We have new equipment,” towering frontman Vincent Vendetta shares. “We're just working it out.” The genetically blessed singer/multi-instrumentalist rips out some positively unholy sounds such as the intro Shadows bellow. They may have been a bit AWOL over the last three years, but even the oldest Juggers material sounds as relevant as if it were composed yesterday. Andrew Szekeres' basslines are a message for the munted. The new material previewed tonight is stellar and closer Into The Galaxy makes us all feel “Bred supersonic”. A welcome return to the touring scene.

Fresh from Coachella (and backstage hang-out photo opps with Danny DeVito), this is the first night of Tame Impala's Australian tour. The band's mastermind/songwriter/frontman Kevin Parker is sincere when he tells us he's happy to be breathing Australian air once more. His voice sounds tired and cracks mid-note a few times tonight, which is not like him at all. The bleating lamb quality of Parker's vocal is endearing and ever-present, but one usually feels completely relaxed and confident he'll nail every soaring high note. This evening, not so much. Man is this band tight, though. Arrangements that fly away on delightful tangents at the three-quarter mark are what make us heart Tame Impala live. The records are flawless, but live they are a different beast entirely; one that bucks and snarls like a schizophrenic Hippogriff. Elephant is off the chain. A jazz interlude (yes, seriously!) invades the scene and then a couple of bars of that marauding beast of a melody charges back in to conclude and then, cut! Jaws on floor. At the time of writing, this scribe still hasn't recovered from the thrill.

When all band members are up on stage nodding their long locks in unison, they call to mind Dr Teeth & The Electric Mayhem (The Muppets band). Feels Like We Only Go Backwards twists and turns and takes you on a fantastic voyage. If you were hearing these songs for the first time tonight, they'd sound familiar yet oh-so current. Half Full Glass Of Wine pours elephantine portions live and that riff could give you whiplash. Parker earnestly acknowledges that when his band supported MGMT at this very venue back in 2008, they never imagined in their wildest dreams they would be headlining on this same stage a few short years later.

A genuine encore features a massively extended jam that makes us feel as if we're witnessing Tame Impala in their natural habitat. Psychedelic rock'n'roll magic has been cast and there's no way we're going straight home.