Tame Impala’s spectacular show a kaleidoscope of colour and controlled chaos

Kevin Parker loves a laser. In a 2015 Rolling Stone interview with the Tame Impala doyen, it’s revealed that a bedroom in his Fremantle home – the same house in which he’s then just self-made his brilliant third LP Currents – is filled with dozens of automated stage lights on stands. Parker explains that instead of complaining about a light show he’s not happy with, he decided to teach himself how to design his own.

Checks out. Parker’s meticulousness is all over the spectacular Tame Impala live experience. While he presents as the chill savant who’s wandered onto the spaceship stage at the rave, armed with a casual jumper, floppy hair and a selection of monster hits etched into the universal songbook, an enormous rig of tessellated lights and lasers unfolds in increasingly eye-boggling configurations. It all makes the springy house chords of Breathe Deeper , arena-singalong melody of Feels Like I Only Go Backwards , and mirror-maze of groove feints that propel guitar stomper Elephant feel like the apex of the live music experience. A bedroom producer’s fantasy in full flight.

Grittier electronic tracks from new LP Deadbeat are offset by the sweet tenor of Parker’s voice. Dracula and Afterthought – both with nods to Michael Jackson’s Thriller – are fun highlights, Parker stepping off-stage in pop star mode to slap hands with fans. The squealing crowd skews much younger than the 40-year-old Parker, suggesting his arc from airy psych-rock into a signature DIY-brand of mainstream pop has energised new generations of fans.

Mid-set, Parker ambles backstage, followed by a cameraman who films him appearing to urinate in a bathroom. He re-emerges by the mixing desk on a lamp-lit stage to sip from a can of Melbourne Bitter and sing insular Deadbeat tracks Ethereal Connection and Not My World , surrounded by 14,000 people waving phone torches.

In the shadows, his longtime band chug away in service to a set list that rarely changes and a frontman who lets his lasers do the talking. Where I’m sitting, the sound mix is overwhelmed by shuddering bass frequencies – a disappointment for enjoying the production of a famously meticulous sound nerd. But the annoyance fades as we cascade into mass singalongs Let It Happen, Eventually , and The Less I Know the Better , each exploding with a kaleidoscope of confetti, colour and controlled chaos around this clever Peter Pan from Perth at the centre of it all. Reviewed by Marcus Teague

Someone in the crowd calls out “Macy!” – another yells “Where are you?” The crowd is getting impatient by this point, starting to clap to entice Macy Gray on to the stage. It’s understandable, given they’ve been waiting for more than an hour, including a 15-minute late start to the event and a dynamic performance from support act Emi Secrest.

Eventually the band walks out, all of them wearing a similar afro wig (perhaps it’s a nod to her signature hair?). Gray finally strolls on stage in a bright orange summer dress and red fingerless gloves, launching into her signature raspy tones to cheers.

Gray returns to Australia following a successful 2024 run that celebrated the 25th anniversary of her debut album, On How Life Is .