Pond are back home and set up an epic tour across the country, making Melbourne the biggest stop of them all.

With three shows at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, while the rest of the country was only getting one, Pond settled in and made themselves comfortable to show us what the hype was all about.

We started with full guns blazing, 30000 Megatons getting the crowd buzzing on a Wednesday night. It didn’t take much for the psychedelic vibes to take effect as they continued to take off with Sweep Me Off My Feet. We had singer Nick Allbrook to set the standard in the dance moves department, which was completely captivating to watch. “Lovely people of Melbourne”, they announced, making the intimate space feel that more cosy.

Not leaving a moment to rest they launched into Waiting Around For Grace and Elvis’ Flaming Star. Bouncing base and energetic guitars were layered like a dream and had me owe like ‘how do they bloody do that?’. The interaction between the crowd and the band was on point. Talks of hipster ales, Aussie rules football and even geography on the list of topics covered: “There’s even a suburb called Dog Swamp (in Perth). That’s my favourite name of all the suburbs.”

“Hey this song is called Fire In The Water, and it’s dedicated to Canberra. Continuing the cycle. So much to learn”, started Allbrook with contributions from the rest of the guys. In true Pond style it had all the attributes that make them great. Silky synths and drumbeats were infectious, it got everyone involved. “That was going to go on the album (The Weather), but the mix just wasn’t right”, guitarist Joe Ryan added.

It was when Paint Me Silver, taken from this year’s release The Weather, hit the ether where things got emotional. As requested from guitarist Joe, we won’t discuss such matters on social media, consider that honoured. As a distraction checking in with the audience. “Hey you all okay? You look like it’s a Wednesday night or something”, only followed by a rebuttal in the form of cheers and whistles from the crowd.

We were well and truly cruising through the set as The Weather helped us to start the wind things down. This smooth track full of sultry keys had everyone in a haze that was addictive. Leaving us for a brief moment then coming back to enchant us for one more was the right thing to do.

Man It Feels Like Space Again, an epic journey of a song was the icing on the cake for these Perth lads. Make sure you catch Pond live, you’ll be doing yourself a favour as it was hands down one of the most captivating shows I have ever been to.

Photos: Liz Stephens