Tame Impala, Manchester Arena, gig review: Making a cold midweek night feel like a far-removed reality

Closing pairing of “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” was a joyous and surging finale

Such has been the rapid rise of Tame Impala that they now find themselves playing to crowds about five times the size of those on their last album tour. This is not lost on the band’s frontman and architect, Kevin Parker, who remains in a state of amazement and gratitude all night. Confetti cannons blast into the vast space as the group hurtle through “Let It Happen” which is bathed in shimmering synthesisers, the thundering clout of the drums projecting the sound further through the air, leaving no doubt the band are able to make use of such a large space.

“Why Won’t They Talk To Me?” is gloriously sunny in its hazy yet focused swirl whilst “Elephant” almost three years on from its release still sounds monumental and the jackhammer crunch of the guitar and reach-for-the-sky thump of the refrain are some of the evening’s most exhilarating moments, really cementing the indisputability that this lot know their way around a chorus. The closing pairing of “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” is a joyous and surging finale, the squelching synths and sun-baked melodies sounding as rich and cosy as they do explosive and galactic, making a cold midweek night in Manchester feel like a far-removed reality.