Messed!Up
The hype around Tame Impala had been building for weeks—if not months. Within the fandom, there was constant speculation, theories, and deep dives into social posts that might hint at new music or a tour. So when it finally materialized, it felt less like a surprise and more like the inevitable payoff: so here we are.
At the center of it all is Kevin Parker, musician and producer from Perth, whose singular vision continues to define the project. The current run follows the 2025 album Deadbeat featuring Dracula and My Old Ways, now brought to life on the Deadbeat Tour.
Support came from RIP Magic, nominated for an Anchor Award at Reeperbahn Festival, already setting a tone that leaned toward the experimental and forward-thinking.
From the moment Parker steps on stage, he shares his synesthesia with the crowd—it feels like a rare chance to experience a tiny fragment of his brain. Exploding into Apocalypse Dreams, the show unfolds like a psychedelic trip, a (pleasurable) fever dream. I can’t say much because I’ve never used recreational drugs, but this is what I imagine being on a psychedelic trip must look—and feel—like. The soundscape alone covers the entirety of Barclays, dense and all-encompassing. LED walls, lasers—electric.
During Afterthought, the multi-instrumentalist walks down into the pit, flirts with the camera, and high-fives fans. A fan in the front row holds up a sign reading “Kevin Parker gave me a tattoo before it was cool”.
Musically, there are moments of striking fidelity: Feels Like We Only Go Backwards sounds exactly like on record. Dracula plays out fittingly in deep red lighting.
After No Reply, the cameraman follows Parker backstage into the bathroom as he takes a leak (much to the crowd’s amusement), the camera frame resting discreetly on his shoes.
Once business is taken care of, he reappears on the B stage in the middle of the crowd for a DJ set. While the A stage is built as a circle, the tiny B stage is dressed in vintage lamps, creating a contrast between futuristic spectacle and intimate detail.
Here, in the middle of the crowd, Parker performs Ethereal Connection and Not My World. During the former, the crowd gradually joins in with their phone lights, waving them around to the hectic beat while Parker is sitting amidst mixing boards, almost as if we’re joining him in a remote bedroom. Usually, phone lights are reserved for slow songs—for the emo highlights of the show—but not in this case. Tonight they create a twinkling techno party, because why not—we’re in Germany after all.
When the lasers kick in for the synth riff of Let It Happen, it hits like a shock to the system—immediate, physical—triggering a massive crowd singalong. Confetti and lasers combine into something almost absurdly spectacular, like an electrocuted UFO that just devoured a magical unicorn, the stage itself resembling a spaceship. Elaborate lighting rigs are raised and lowered, slanted and skewed, constantly reshaping the space.
Obsolete lands as a key moment, followed by Expectation, an indie rock-leaning track that shifts the energy again. Notably, the acoustic drum kit sounds better—more suitable—than the electronic one, grounding parts of the set in something more tactile. Afterwards, we’re treated to Yes I’m Changing, which should land lyrically with pretty much everyone in the venue, although I’ve got to admit I would have preferred Piece of Heaven off the latest album for the slow song.
Before heading into the encore, Parker adds: “Apparently this is our first show in Hamburg in like 10 years. I don’t know why it took us so long. I apologize to the Hamburgians.” He then does a quick survey of the audience—turns out most people are not from Hamburg, and a lot of them aren’t even from Germany and have travelled. I’d like to think they got their money’s worth.
The encore leans into variety: My Old Ways begins on piano with raw vocals before the beat kicks in, followed by The Less I Know the Better, accompanied by the most colorful lighting yet and Parker encouraging the crowd to sing along. The set closer, End of Summer, starts with sizzling red lights and, for the grand confetti finale, our retinas take in all colors of the rainbow—and for a moment I like to believe this must be similar to the inside of Parker’s brain.
In the end, it’s less a traditional concert and more an exercise in perception—an attempt to translate something internal into a shared, overwhelming external experience.
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Photographer: Sophie Dobschall
