Live Review: Bardo Pond, Dreamtime, Pale Earth

Don't forget your lighter and make sure that ziplock bag is sealed, as US psych legends Bardo Pond have made their way Down Under for their first headline tour. Opening up the night, Pale Earth are a weird choice on paper and also in practice. While the former Rational Academy frontman Benjamin Thompson's hip hop/electronic soundscapes are quite good in their own right and the performance itself is an interesting exploration with the choice of sounds and instruments, it fails to resonate with an audience here to see guitars, not experimental beats.

Dreamtime, however, are the perfect support slot for tonight. The band open with new track Serpent's Tongue which finds them reinventing themselves musically, embracing a significantly darker tone on perhaps their best work to date which translates to the live stage perfectly. The set then wanders a bit as poor sound and technical issues ruin the intended atmosphere of tracks such as Centre Of Mind and Baphomet, which is a shame as the group are clearly humbled by tonight's opportunity. Things pull together for the end as Sun's building tempos and intensity crush the skull of all whom watch as the band play off each other in perfect harmony.

Then come the almighty Bardo Pond, with the 'almighty' tag being reaffirmed simply by the group's impressive backline. Things are loud – so loud in fact that the sound is once again an issue, with the mix becoming muddy, and in turn it feels as if a wall of sound is hitting you in the face as opposed to the generally immersive experience that you receive on record. The band are naturally tight, though, drawing primarily from their latest self-titled record and not venturing much into their back catalogue. Don't Know About You is pure sludge led by the amazing Michael Gibbons and it's as grimy as it is on record. Just Once, however, being a quieter outing doesn't work due to the poor mix and it's clearly the low point of the night. When the band spread their wings and get into improv territory it returns to the high quality that the group are renowned for, although noticeably absent are the trippy visuals which the group often work with and this also doesn't aid the environment for the tracks. Isobel Sollenberger's performance is top notch, with her voice sounding perfect (despite unwanted feedback from the mic regularly making an appearance) and she's also a pretty bad-arse flautist. The night ends with everyone holding an instrument on the ground fiddling with effects pedals as the audience generally marvel at the band's technical prowess, which as a whole is great although in could possibly have been aided by a more suitable environment. This doesn't stop the more colourful members of the audience from treating tonight's performance as akin to Jesus' second coming.