Tie-Dye and Kaleidoscopes : Tame Impala and Mini Mansions

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Going into the show, I had no idea who the opening band was going to be. I’ve been looking forward to see Tame Impala play for a while now, especially since I missed their show the last time they came to Montreal. Usually, whenever I go see a band play, I inquire beforehand who the opening bands are going to be and listen to a few of their songs in the process so I’ll be able to judge them when they play live. I was going in blind about the opening band at the Tame Impala show.

I was pleasantly surprised when Mini Mansions came on, an L.A. band. I’ve never heard of them before but instantly knew that the next morning I’d be looking up the songs they played. Did you know that the lead singer (and drummer) Michael Shuman of Mini Mansions used to play bass for Queens of the Stone Age? Mini Mansions sound nothing like Queens of the Stone Age.

The first song they played reminded me of a techno-pop-psychedelic version of Vampire Weekend, but maybe that’s just me. They wore these crazy pattern printed suits and in the middle of their set they played their rendition of Blondie’s Heart of Glass, which was not bad at all.

Men in what looked like science lab suits were dragging music equipment off and on stage. I almost thought that another band was going to open before we saw Tame Impala play but I was wrong. Tame Impala came on stage and it was amazing from beginning to end. They had an overhead projection of weird kaleidoscope shapes that moved to their music. A lot of psychedelic vibes could be felt, especially from the crowd. A great number of people were wearing tie-dyed t-shirts and a few were lighting up inside the venue. There were a few crowd surfers as well. I think I saw one unlucky guy land on his head.

Tame Impala played their trademark songs, Be Above It, Elephant, Apocalypse Dreams, Why Don’t They Talk To Me?, leaving Feels Like We Only Go Backwards for the encore. They also played a few songs that are to be released on their new record: Let It Happen, ‘Cause I’m A Man and Eventually. This was their second night in a row performing in Montreal and it wasn’t too shabby.

The atmosphere was amazing. Even though some of the crowd was lacking in concert crowd etiquette, they were a friendly bunch. When the show ended and everyone was moving towards the exit, my friend spotted Stefie Shock hanging around in the crowd. Even Montreal’s own artists came out to see Tame Impala play.

Mini Mansions and Tame Impala were a good pairing. I can’t wait to hear what the rest of Tame Impala’s album has to offer.

Tame Impala and Mini Mansions played at the Metropolis on May 20. Tame Impala has a new album coming out July 17.