I saw Tame Impala a couple years ago at the Paradise, while they were touring for their debut album ‘Innerspeaker’. I loved (and still do love) their sound, a mixture of old and new psychedelia with classic rock and roll structures and cadences. And while that first show was good, it wasn’t great. However two years and a new album later, Tame Impala have come back stronger than ever.
I arrived at the Royale just in time for the first song of the headlining set, and recognized immediately that this wasn’t the same band I had seen at the Paradise. Their sound seemed more focused and clean – every sound rang out clearly and there was definitely a better sense of sonic placement throughout the set. I expected them to focus on songs from their latest album Lonerism, but they did a good job of playing a balance of old and new throughout. I especially enjoyed hearing some of the older cuts from Innerspeaker, like ‘It’s Not Meant to Be’ and ‘Alter Ego’ because it felt as though I was hearing these songs again for the first time. It was also interesting to hear them experiment with song structure a lot more than they had previously, going off into musical tangents only to bring it back to the main riff at the end. The band closed the show with an extended version of ‘Half Full Glass of Wine,’ that carried through despite the wave of stage-diving thrill-seekers whom I can not speak of with acceptable language.
All in all it was a great show. Tame Impala is just one of those bands that are both (mostly) original, and instantly likable. If you’re looking for a great musical experience, go see them the next time they’re in town.
By: Sid Vashi