It's an interesting crowd that's been drawn by Perth psychedelics Tame Impala.
As a band on the cusp of mainstream acceptance, the punters too seem semi-alternative. Five-day growth, henna tattoos... the 'instahipstas' are out in force. And yes, that is a word I just made up.
Tame Impala traipse on stage appearing not to have washed since leaving the West Coast, and ask the crowd if they like songs by Tame Impala. Uh, yes? "Well you'll like this song, then". Lucky.
For a few horrible seconds I thought they were playing covers of Genesis. A flood of relief washes over me as 'Elephant' began to ooze out from the stage, the crowd beginning to bounce like an AWU cheque.
There is no doubt about it — this is a band that was worth paying to see live. It's amazing a band like Tame Impala can manage to operate as such a tight unit while appearing to be so spaced-out.
Yet while being able to pull off your albums live is generally the key to not sucking, it's the extended breakdowns thrown into songs such as 'Solitude Is Bliss' and 'Lucidity' that really sell these Perthians as a band even Christgau might listen to.
The set winds up with a long, strung-out rendition of 'Half Glass Full Of Wine', a song which feels more like a hint at the future than an encore. The tracks on Tame Impala's next album are going to be long. Very long.
