Gig Review: Tame Impala return to Glasgow with a powerful musical odyssey at the Hydro

These gigs aren’t too regular for the Australian psychedelic rock band who had previously only performed in the city on three occasions. It seemed to have remained with them though as Parker asked the crowd who was at their gig at the Barrowlands over a decade ago and if there was anyone who has saw them play The Arches back in 2009 before the release of their debut album InnerSpeaker.

Walking along the tunnel that connects Exhibition Centre railway station to the Hydro, you could tell we were in for quite the spectacle with the amount of kit Tame Impala had brought with them, and the excitement from the crowd as they filtered into the venue. In the end, the band did not disappoint.

Early on, laser beams propelled across the Hydro before shooting towards the sky as revolving lights began to flash. This was no ordinary gig, nor was it an ordinary Monday night in Glasgow, and marked somewhat of a departure from their previous lo-fi shows in the city as we were greeted by a sci-fi, spaceship-esque stage.

Although hit single “Dracula” and its remix by K-pop star Jennie has further enhanced the band’s reputation, Tame Impala has a dense an delightful back catalogue to work their way through. Songs from Deadbeat, which was released in October last year, blend in superbly well throughout the setlist alongside tunes from their records InnerSpeaker, Lonerism, Currents and The Slow Rush.

Although these albums are all written, recorded and produced by Parker, for this gig to work he is of course joined by a band of exceptional musicians on their improvised spaceship. There is one point in the show that Parker takes a step back from the main stage and heads to the back of the arena to a more stripped back B-stage where he performs “Ethereal Connection” and “Not My World”.

This gig was a powerful musical odyssey, an uplifting experience, and I really hope we don’t need to wait another decade before Kevin Parker returns to Glasgow.