By DONNA BALANCIA
It’s Sydney vs. Perth in Los Angeles as Australian powerhouse bands Gang of Youths and POND play their contrasting brands of music tonight and tomorrow.
All of the shows in LA are sold out for both bands with Sydney-based Gang of Youths playing two nights at the Moroccan Lounge and Perth’s POND playing tonight at the Teragram Ballroom and tomorrow night at Zebulon.
The two bands could not be further apart, not only because they’re from opposite sides of their continent, but also because of their contrasting approach to music.
Gang of Youths: Rock and Roll
The new Gang of Youths record is the multiple ARIA award-winning Go Farther in Lightness, a sophisticated collection of songs that talk about the human condition, with titles like the hit “Let Me Down Easy,” “Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane,” “Perservere,” and “Our Time Is Short.”
The music is guitar-driven rock that features the deep voice and sexy dancing of frontman David Le’Aupepe, along with high energy work of Max Dunn, Jung Kim, Joji Malani and Donnie Borzestowski. The music is based solidly in the here and now with traditional beats, high-energy drive and almost a U2 sound to the work, mainly because of Le’Aupepe’s voice. The guys met in church.
POND: Trippy Psychedelics
POND, featuring Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson and the revolving crew of shared Tame Impala players, continues to push the psychedelic synth fantasy realm. Expect Pond to break out darkly innovative new songs like “Paint Me Silver, “30000 Megatons,” “Fire in the Water,” and “Sweep Me Off My Feet” off their seventh album The Weather.
Amazingly, Pond has been around for 10 years now and the guys have amassed a huge international following, equally for the curiosity factor of what they’ll do next as for their trippy tunes. Pond’s music juxtaposes a love for the fantastic and outer worldly with the stark reality of coping with life on an ever-overly populated planet.
Pond fans can expect Allbrook, Watson, Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry and possibly even frequent guest star Kirin Callinan to do their wild thing, dusting off some golden oldies from records like their early Psychedelic Mango and Corridors of Blissterday to hits off the latest album, The Weather. POND band members did not meet in church.
Check out the video for the surreal and controversial “Colder Than Ice.”