Fresh off their festival performance at Governors Ball last weekend, Australian psych-rockers POND headed down south this week, making an unforgettable stop at The Loft on Monday night.
Those who arrived at show time were treated to the phenomenal sounds of opening act, Fascinator— a genre-melding, kaftan-wearing two-piece from New York City, whose contemporary electro-psych tunes were frequently interlaced with classical stringed instruments like violin and oud.
Despite living in NYC, the two radiated a west coast coolness, evoking thoughts of a glitzier Ariel Pink with a touch of Beck. The crowd embraced them with open arms and dancing feet, and by the time the duo left the stage, the room was primed for the main event.
At just a quarter past 9 p.m., POND took the stage to uproarious applause and launched directly into the epic opening track from 2017’s The Weather, “30000 Megatons”— a song whose ominous progression and uninhibited crescendo certainly does justice to the innate power of its namesake. “I look out at the mirror, look out at the world / 30000 megatons is just what we deserve,” sang Nick Allbrook, the band’s messy-blond lead vocalist, eventually pleading for someone to, “push the button now,” amidst a frenzied layering of synth, drums and distorted guitars.
The cynicism wouldn’t last though, as the group next broke out poppy dance number, “Waiting Around For Grace,” whose synth-based melody wouldn’t at all have felt out of place on Tame Impala’s Currents LP. Kevin Parker (by the way) is POND’s current producer and was a former member of the band, and Allbrook and Jay Watson were both touring members of Tame Impala. But don’t be fooled into thinking POND is just some lesser sibling of Parker’s pet project. The four-piece from Perth (plus touring drummer, James Ireland) definitely more than hold their own, and Monday night’s show is a perfect testament to that.
“…Grace” was followed by the up-beat love song, “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” and Allbrook, face adorned in glitter, spent the first half of the song guitar-free and dancing, arms outstretched. POND’s live shows are somewhat renowned for the showmanship and antics of their lead vocalist, who has not inaccurately been compared to the likes of Sid Vicious and David Bowie.
There was a short respite after “Sweep…” in which Nick addressed the crowd and mentioned how much he and the band enjoyed visiting Atlanta, and how he admired the greenery in the city. The audience loved the compliment and cheered the group into the fourth number of the evening, “Fire In the Water,” with its pedal-influenced, vocoder-like vocals, and bouncy dance beat. If the crowd wasn’t mobile before, they were now— and the band was digging it.
Next up was “Zen Automation,” led by Allbrook on his flute (of all things); and it’s moments like this that separate POND from their neo-psych contemporaries— they aren’t afraid to wander from the expected, whether it be through the use of classical instruments or the handful of glam rock-inspired tunes on their more recent releases. From the audience’s perspective, attending one of POND’s shows is more like being at a refined punk concert than it is a guitar band gig. The energy is simply fantastic.
For the following song, the band pulled from their back catalog and brought out an extended version of, “Don’t Look At The Sun Or You’ll Go Blind,” from their debut record, Psychedelic Mango. This long-time favorite was surely appreciated by the more seasoned fans in the crowd, as was (I’m sure) the short tribute to local Atlanta artist, Future, about mid-way through.
“Don’t Look…” led into a string of more recent tunes, beginning with “Sitting Up On Our Crane” from 2015’s much-acclaimed Man It Feels Like Space Again, and then into “Paint Me Silver” and “Edge Of The World (Pts. 1 & 2)” from The Weather, the latter being a fanciful yet ambitious slow burner that features nods both to the stadium rock of the late 70s and progressive rock masterpieces like Dark Side of the Moon. The crowd was entranced.
“Giant Tortoise,” a classic psychedelic guitar rocker, turned out to be the penultimate song of the set, and returned the audience to the terrestrial plane for some good old-fashioned headbanging.
The set was bookended by The Weather’s title track and album closer, an ideal culmination to all that had come before it. Opening peacefully and with mysterious affect, the song gradually progressed into a space-like mixture of augmented vocals, guitars, bass, synth, and a drumbeat that marched all in attendance toward the end of the evening. When the last chord was struck, the room erupted with cheers, and the band, all smiles and full of gratitude, exited the stage.
Several minutes passed, and the house lights remained low, with continuous clapping and cheering all about before POND re-took their positions for an encore. For the first song, “Midnight Mass (At The Market Street Payphone),” the band invited Jesse from Fascinator to join them with his violin, and then proceeded to rock the house with an eight-minute jam session before segueing into “Holding Out For You.”
The evening came to a head with a striking rendition of “Man It Feels Like Space Again,” and everyone in the place danced along under the multi-colored lights, soaking in the atmosphere of psychedelia. Allbrook sang from the heart with everything he had left, and the band followed suit with pure emotion, elevating the room one last time to an otherworldly state before taking their final bows and waving their goodbyes.
With six records under their belt and another on the horizon, POND don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. But regardless of what the future may hold, those in attendance Monday night were left with a lasting impression of a band that knows how to put on a great show.
Written by Kyler McCoy. All photos by Katrina Merto.
Check out more of Kat’s photos from the show:
POND Online:
Website // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram
Upcoming POND Tour Dates:
JUN 07 | Saturn |Birmingham, AL
JUN 08 | Mercy Lounge | Nashville, TN
JUN 09 | Bonnaroo | Manchester, TN
OCT 13 | Middle Harbor Shoreline Park | Oakland, CA
Fascinator Online:
Website // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram
POND Setlist 6/4/18
30000 Megatons
Waiting Around For Grace
Sweep Me Off My Feet
Fire In The Water
Zen Automation
Don’t Look At The Sun Or You’ll Go Blind
Sitting Up On Our Crane
Paint Me Silver
Edge Of The World Pt. 1
Edge Of The World Pt. 2
Giant Tortoise
The Weather
-encore-
Midnight Mass (At The Market Street Payphone)
Holding Out For You – MIFLSA
Man It Feels Like Space Again
