11.23.24 – Photos and Review by Dylan Long

First Avenue hosted a vibrant night of live music on Saturday, November 23rd, as Australian psychedelic rock band Pond graced the iconic stage to highlight their latest record, Stung!. However, they could not have done it without a captivating performance from another band traveling from across the globe; the New Zealand duo Fazerdaze. This dream pop-rock band is led by the extremely talented Amelia Rahayu Murray, a singer-songwriter with introspective vocals and glistening guitar melodies. Her bandmate Jonathan Pearce simultaneously adds depth to their sound with masterful keyboard styling and deep background vocals, all while strapped up with his guitar.  

To kick off the night, they began strumming for “Break!,” their 2022 anthem about battling burnout and the need to reclaim individuality. The crowd roared, welcoming the duo to the stage. For a strong thirty minutes, they stood across from each other on stage, harmonizing their vocals with precision, their guitars with chemistry, Murray’s drum pad, and Pearce’s keyboard. Their music kept the audience quiet and reflective with their short dynamic range and mellow, immersive lyrics. They tend to downplay their strong vocal performances and instead, use their natural talent to let their instruments do the talking. The lights kept cool for their moody soundscape, projecting dark blue and purple hues across the stage, holding the calm energy of the room. The two dressed in all black, camouflaging into the shadows while letting their guitars bask in the light. Before closing their set, they addressed the audience with a powerful message about supporting artists and how integral each audience member plays in their success. They followed that statement by dedicating their song “Purple_02,” from their newest record Soft Power, to Prince, resonating deeply with the musical city of Minneapolis. To close the night, Murray got vulnerable with “Bigger,” their tender new song about being caught between chasing her dream and falling in love. This was a touching ending before transitioning into the night’s headlining act.

As the screen began to rise again, Pond kicked off their explosive show at First Avenue with a palpable introduction of “Daisy,” their 2019 hit about the tension between personal identity and societal expectations. Lead singer Nick Allbrook took to the stage with uncontainable fiery, fitting a loose button-down shirt that mirrored his carefree movements, jumping around stage with radiating chaotic bliss as his bandmates began to fill the room with powerful psychedelic rock. This five-man band consists of Allbrook in the center, guitarist Joe Ryan and bassist Jay Watson at his side, as well as James Ireland on drums and Jamie Terry on the keys with a foundational background.  

The crowd took a quick liking to the energy produced by this Australian psychedelic rock group and immediately reflected on it as they played “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” from their 2017 album The Weather, a track with a lush and atmospheric sound, supported by shimmering synths and a groovy bassline. Allbrook’s articulation was precise, and his movement sporadic. His hands would flare frantically as his lungs exhausted themselves, keeping the audience’s eyes glued to him. One moment he flung the microphone in the air, wrapping it around his neck like a lasso. The next moment he was falling onto his back, crawling backwards, feeling the vibrations of his bandmates on stage. The unruly hair in his eyes would not stop him from giving the ultimate performance to a packed Minneapolis crowd. Despite touring their brand-new album Stung!, Pond reached across their discography, playing “Fantastic Explosion of Time” from their debut album in 2012 titled Beard, Wives, Denim, and a few tracks from their sophomore record Hobo Rocket. Throughout each track, Allbrook would travel around the stage to each band member to feed off their energy and amplify it for the crowd. As their music progressed in tempo, the lighting design reflected their wide dynamic range at the latter end of their set with rapidly flashing strobe lights and flashing colors to elevate the energy for songs like their fan-favorite “Paint Me Silver.”

They closed their set with a three-song encore, turning the crowd into a viciously excited bunch, as everyone in attendance euphorically danced and sang “Don’t Look at the Sun or You’ll Go Blind” alongside Allbrook in the closing minutes of their time together, wrapping up such a beautiful night with a wonderful finale.