Tame Impala, Alexandra Palace

A band playing psychedelic rock in 2015 can set alarm bells ringing. Accusations of nostalgic self-indulgence and arcane experiments with guitar pedals are never far away. But Tame Impala do an excellent job of dodging these criticisms, turning the genre into something newly vital and accessible.

Without a doubt, there’s a healthy dose of retromania in what the band do. Reverb heavy-vocals, kaleidoscopic guitar loops, and Led Zeppelin citing riffs: these are key components of the Tame Impala toolkit. Much has also been made of singer Kevin Parker’s uncanny vocal resemblance to John Lennon. Apparently even the late singer’s son Sean has been struck by the similarity.

But from these reference points emerges Tame Impala’s singular sound: blissful, intoxicating, and interstellar. This July, they released their third album Currents: an exploratory tour-de-force that secured their status as critical darlings.

They play two back-to-back nights at Alexandra Palace on the 12^th and 13^th February: a sure sign of just how big the band have become.