Over the last fifteen years, Australian indie bands have gradually clawed their way up to the top of the rock and roll food chain. Currently, the Melbourne scene dominates with the success of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and their prolific output, not to mention their touring schedule, and punk outfit Amyl and the Sniffers. But before that came acts like Wolfmater, Tame Impala, and, of course, Pond. What all of these bands have always had in common – and often in stark contrast to their American counterparts – is an unabashed interpretation of a melange of genres and little regard for how hip they will be perceived by blatantly displaying these influences in their music. This lack of pretentiousness makes for deliciously fun music to listen to and, even better, to see live. Such is the case with Pond, who have been going strong (give or take a few members) since 2008. Rooted in psych-rock but never tied down, Pond is constantly evolving and working with fresh influences. On Saturday, November 30th, the band entered the final stretch of their current North American tour with a show that displayed all of those influences at Portland, Oregon’s Revolution Hall.
Before Pond came to blow the roof off this old high school auditorium that now serves as one of Portland’s best venues, New Zealand’s Fazerdaze – the project of Amelia Rahayu Murray – played a brief set that mainly dwelled on songs from the freshly released album Soft Power. Playing as a duo, the set was mellow and, at times, infectious in Murray’s hypnotic vocals and bedroom-meets-psych-pop sounds. The duo succeeded in a few moments with their dreamy combination of guitars and synths but ultimately leaned on the snoozy side.
Earlier this year, Pond released Stung!, their tenth studio album and first since 2021. The band would mix a handful of tunes from that release with the rest of their varied and versatile catalog throughout a set that stretched over an hour. Kicking off with the moody and sensual opening of “Daisy,” it was clear that frontman Nick Allbrook was in fine form as he pranced across the stage in his energetic, Mick Jagger-like fashion. He even busted out a flute to close out “(I’m) Stung” with a lovely little solo before steering the band into “Neon River,” which alternated between quiet, ponderous moments and bombastic craziness before descending into a brilliantly proggy guitar breakdown. “America’s Cup,” with its New Wave-laced synth-pop danceability, and “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” with Joseph Ryan busting out big fuzzy guitar riffs, were both highlights of the set before they were topped by the David Bowie-esque disco funk of “So Lo.”
Any fan paying attention would’ve noticed that Pond’s drummer for the first portion of their set was not James ‘Gin’ Ireland, but rather guitar tech Matt Handley. Allbrook addressed it when he announced to the crowd vaguely that Ireland was gone, and it was fucked up that they would have to replace their drummer again. In the meantime, they relieved Handle,y and Jay Watson handled much of the drumming for the remainder of the set. Luckily, the absence of Ireland hardly dampened their onstage power and charisma as they pushed through the 70s-style heavy rocker “Black Lung,” the bouncy “Human Touch,” and the sludgy Black Sabbath nod “Aloneaflameaflower.” “This is your opportunity to shake your ass,” remarked Allbrook to the audience before launching into the catchy electro-funk of “Paint Me Silver,” only to follow it up by crowd surfing during the jammy, guitar-heavy combo of “Giant Tortoise” and “Torn Asunder.”
You could maybe take issue with any headliner that leaves the stage after a mere hour, but it’s safe to say Pond packed in enough wild rock and roll energy into their performance to more than satiate their fans in Portland. When they returned to the stage for their three-song encore, they provided one last reminder of just how versatile and varied their influences are. From the frenetical and delightfully unhinged rock and roll swagger of “Fantastic Explosion of Time” to the country-esque “Medicine Hat,” and finally a version of “Don’t Look at the Sun or You’ll Go Blind” that brought to mind LCD Soundsystem with its simple beat, Pond did Australia proud in helping to keep its rock and roll crown in Portland.
