Pond - Koko, London 10/06/14

What started as a collaborative project for members of Tame Impala and friends, the Perth five piece are successfully smashing their way out of obscurity and into people’s ears - or so it seemed, with a packed show at Camden’s pitch black Koko on the hottest day of the year. The Australians clearly managed to smuggle the sunshine over with them.

Not that missing the outside rays was begrudged at all though, as Pond delivered an epic hour-long set of psychedelic freak-outs and mind jangling guitars. Masterfully loose, it’s the kind of music jammed on the up of an acid trip and accurately recreated to ensure everyone gets off their faces on guitar. Opening with “Whatever Happened To The Million Head Collide”, the band erupted onstage with stroke inducing lighting and obligatorily eccentric hair cuts.

As expected, Pond give off a distinct early Seventies feel, but what the band have especially honed is their guitar driven hooks. Forceful enough to elicit un-ironic air guitars and a bit of crowd surfing, they’re the perfect level of raw to work alongside vocalist Nick Allbrook’s voice. Impish in the frame, as a front man he holds a swagger that’s entirely likable. “Giant Tortoise” saw his vocals pushed to the max as jazzier elements were experimented with.

Despite all this proggy rock, Pond are a lot of fun to watch and lack all pretensio (Allbrook explained that new single “Shart” is in reference to when you fart and poo comes out).Their offbeat comments went down so well with the crowd guitarist Joseph Ryan later expressed approval by saying “I was told London was a tough crowd – bullshit!” With the crowd in their hands, “You Broke My Cool” was a big performance that was eked out to perfection. Allbrook has long lost the jazz flute on the introduction but instead climbed on the speaker stack for added drama when not shredding his guitar.

Sticking to their hatred of encores, “Midnight Mass (At The Market Street Payphone)” from album Hobo Rocket was the closing number, and the band clearly wanted to go with a bang. The rush to the end was as charged as a shot of adrenaline with all the musicians pushing their instruments further each time. With every DIY number, Pond proved they are best when you just let go and dive in.

Setlist

Whatever Happened To The Million Head Collide
Elvis’ Flaming Star
Giant Tortoise
Heroic Shart
Don’t Look At The Sun
Colouring The Streets
Xanman
You Broke My Cool
Midnight Mass (At The Market Street Payphone)

• Photo by Sara Amroussi-Gilissen. See the full gallery here.