Pond’s Nick Allbrook Works Fine Line Into Frenzy
Nick Allbrook brought so much energy to Minneapolis’ Fine Line, just shy of two years since the band was last in town at First Avenue. PHOTO BY JAVIER SERNA
Pond’s return to Minneapolis Aug. 29 was akin to a big fish making big waves in a small bowl.
It felt like frontman Nick Allbrook might somehow breach the confines of the intimate room, just shy of two years since the Australian psychedelic rock band played Minneapolis’ First Avenue.
It seemed what the band chose to play mattered less than how they played it — Allbrook’s frenetic stage presence energized the fairly packed downtown music club, often into a frenzy.
They did play some of their biggest hits in “America’s Cup,” “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” and “The Weather,” to name a few.
Pond, which formed in the Western Australian city Perth in 2008, reached as far back as their debut 2009 LP Psychedelic Mango, closing the show out with “Don’t Look At The Sun Or You’ll Go Blind,” according to Setlist.fm.
The band is closely tied to Tame Impala, which also has roots in Perth and had packed Target Center the previous night (Aug. 28). Tame’s frontman Kevin Parker is a former member of Pond. Allbrook is a former touring member of the wildly successful psychedelic rock act.
Multi-instrumentalist Jay Watson remains a touring member of both bands, whose schedules are closely aligned on this U.S. tour. Watson also fronts the solo project GUM, which recently collaborated with King Gizzard’s Ambrose Kenny-Smith on 2024’s Ill Times.
Opening for Pond was Minneapolis’ Products Band, which has another gig booked opening, along with Discus, for Packaging at 7th Street Entry on Nov. 18.
Pond played songs off of seven of their 11 studio albums, with the most — four — coming off their latest, Terrestrials, which was released in June, including “Skyworks,” “Causarina,” “Two Hands,” and the self-titled track sprinkled in throughout the show.
They opened with “Black Lung” off 2024’s Stung! and later also played the funky “So Lo” off that album.
The funky, synthy and poppy “America’s Cup” was the second song in the set and one of three played from 2021’s 9, as well as “Human Touch” and, late in the show, “Toast.”
But “’Cup” is not so much about the famous sailing race. Allbrook has said it’s poking at the gentrification that changed Western Australia following Aussie Alan Bond’s bankrolling of Australia II’s 1983 America’s Cup win.
Allbrook didn’t shy away from politics throughout the show, and more than once alluded to the current American president.
Midway through the show, Pond played “Daisy,” the only song covered off of 2019’s Tasmania.
Three of the biggest crowd pleasers came off of 2017’s The Weather, including the aforementioned self-titled track and “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” as well as “Paint Me Silver.”
Late in the set, “Giant Tortoise” off 2013’s Hobo Rocket was pulled out, Allbrook noting that it was an older song.
Allbrook pranced around the stage throughout the show. More than once he motioned an intention to go crowd surfing before pulling back.
But before closing out the show, he brought his pointer finger to his lips and instructed everyone that he’d be doing some “silent” crowd surfing. In fact, there was no music as he was passed from the stage to the middle of the dance floor and back, the silence only being interrupted by an audience member who shouted, “F**k Donald Trump!”
Allbrook did not object.
Nobody seemed to object to this dance party, either.
