Concert Review: Psychedelic Rockers Pond Sweep The Sinclair Off Their Feet
All photos courtesy of Isabella Cubba
Recent concert culture encourages fans to hurriedly camp outside of the venue hours before a show, but Pond fans arrived calm, cool, and collected at The Sinclair in Cambridge right as doors opened. Concerts at The Sinclair are often filled with lively college students, but that was not the case this evening. The psychedelic-rock legends’ millennial-dominated crowd patiently waited for the sold-out show to begin, grabbing drinks and chatting amongst themselves.
Pond is an Australian-based band that consists of vocalist/guitarist Nick Allwood, drummer Jay Watson, guitarist Joseph Ryan, keyboardist Jamie Terry, and bassist James Ireland. The band has long been recognized for their affiliation with Kevin Parker a.k.a. Tame Impala, a former member of Pond, but their mind-blowing performance at The Sinclair proved they are much more than a sister band.
The show opened with Cryogeyser, a three-piece shoegaze/dream pop band from Los Angeles. Vocalist Shawn Marom’s sarcastic personality was evident from the jump when they commented on the venue’s interesting placement of a Guy Fieri cardboard cutout on the balcony. With Marom cracking endless jokes and shamelessly tuning their guitar before each song, Cryogeyser’s performance felt like we had intruded on a soundcheck–in the best way possible. Their misty, Cocteau Twins-esque sound was mesmerizing and the perfect way to begin the night.
At 10:10 p.m., Pond literally arrived fashionably late with Ryan sporting a massive brown fur coat. They began their set with the funky, bass-heavy track, “America’s Cup,” the perfect song to strut down the street to. Donning a sheer, floral blouse, frontman Allwood took the stage, boldly shaking his hips and whipping the microphone around like a cowboy’s lasso. Allwood’s stage presence was a tantalizing combination of David Bowie’s flamboyance and Mick Jagger’s radiating confidence. He was fueled by the crowd’s excitement, yelling “Fuck yeah! Look at all of you!”
Allwood grabbed his heavily scratched and stickered guitar for “Rambo,” an upbeat, syncopated track that discusses the evident generational divide in the world: “I'm terrified of guns / And if ignorance is sexy, then I've got to run.” Even with an instrument in hand, Allwood continued to dance like no one was watching, making it clear that he felt the music with his body. The band multi-tasked to accommodate for their songs’ multiple electronic layers, with Terry utilizing a percussion shaker for “Rambo,” and Allwood playing the flute for “Burnt Out Star.” Allwood even whipped out a janky, voice-altering microphone to replicate the robotic voice in some of their studio songs.
Flinging the mic stand behind him and wrapping the microphone’s cord around his neck, Allwood let loose to the rapid, distorted track, “Human Touch.” Full of grimy guitar licks, this song was a certified head-banger for the audience. In between songs, Allwood couldn’t help but comment on the harsh temperature outside, likely missing the warm weather at home: “It’s freezing in your country, Jesus!”
The crowd fully warmed up during iconic tracks, “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” and “Paint Me Silver,” as Allwood battled to sing over their roaring voices. Essentially losing the screaming fight, Allwood took a moment to soothe his throat by coughing away from the microphone. Terry couldn’t help but grin at the crowd’s receptiveness, revealing his glittering silver tooth. With almost no phones in sight, fans took in every moment of the concert, which didn’t go unnoticed by the band. Each member expressed their gratitude after every song and took moments to connect with fans, such as when Ryan commented on Boston’s Irish-dominated population as a fellow Irish man himself: “You all seem fucking lovely, you got a bit of Irish in you, huh?”
The audience collectively transcended during “Waiting Around For Grace,” and “Daisy,” with the incorporation of bright and velvety synths. Allbrook’s outstanding guitar skills beamed throughout his raucous, grungy solo in “Giant Tortoise,” resulting in thundering cheers from the crowd. “Toast” addressed Australia’s bushfires and wealth inequality over its dreamy instrumentation. All eyes were on Ryan for “Medicine Hat” as he sang the entire indie-folk inspired track and simultaneously executed an epic guitar solo.
Saving the best for last, “Don’t Look At The Sun (Or You’ll Go Blind)” starts off with a chugging bass line that glues the 6-minute track together as each section advances in intensity. The addition of heavenly synths, stellar drums, and flashing strobe lights left audience members in a trance. The last three minutes of the song left the audience waiting in anticipation of the final breakdown. Once the beat dropped, the entire room went bonkers and jumped around (Yes, I clutched onto my notepad and pen and joined them too). Allwood flipped the guitar behind his back and shredded, Ryan flipped off the Guy Fieri cardboard cutout, and Terry leaped off the ground. The energy radiating off the crowd was infectious, especially for Watson–who cracked his first smile of the night. Hopefully, the next Pond show in the Boston area will bring even more energy in an even bigger venue.
