The Lodge Room is a tucked away hide-out for the bizarre and eclectic. A Masonic Lodge turned art stage, the energy of the space screams of the occult. From murals of Egyptian pyramids and the Parthenon to panels that flip to reveal an expansive green room, the Lodge Room was built for Pond to take over. With a rotating cast of characters, Pond is more a project than a mere band—it’s a drugged-out roller-coaster ride. Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, and Joe Ryan have been the anchor of the group since 2008. With the help of long-time collaborators (including Kevin Parker), the group’s vision pushed the psych-rock behemoth to meteoric success with the release of The Weather in 2017. With a diverse portfolio borrowing from OutKast’s spacy funk bass-lines and Brian Eno’s wandering yet inspired melodies, Pond is not afraid of experimentation. Looking forward to their upcoming album, Stung!, which came to Nick Allbrook while he was mowing the lawn, the group seems to be embracing a garage sound that celebrates the spirit of rock heralded by Fleetwood Mac and Prince. Safe to say I was not prepared for what was about to transpire that night at the Lodge Room.
The show started on a different foot though. When we arrived at the stage, Erica Goodwin and her ensemble were already lost in the music. Utah-based 26fix, imagined by Goodwin herself, is a concept project seeking to share stories that bring the audience together in humor and absurdity. In fact, their performance of “Just go with it”, a bubbly track unafraid of authenticity—opening as “Lana was right / I am a flightless lover”. 26fix takes advantage of sounds across the entire rock landscape. Goodwin even snuck out a tambourine during her performance, molding a jingling and hollow rhythm that imbued character into the music. The insanity didn’t stop here though—after an odyssey of gutsy riffs and springy bass-lines, the band got to their magnum opus: “A Pickle”. The song, carefully laid over a mesh of rumbling bass and drums, is a story of a malicious pickle that kills a girl by causing her to choke on it. Underneath 26fix’s levity is an exploration of the existentialism that comes with living in the modern world: “I’m sorry Mom and Dad that I ever let you down / I’m sorry girls you’ll grow and I won’t be around”. I certainly didn’t expect to get emotional over a homicidal pickle.
The night was yet to get to unbridled chaos. After an electrifying set and roaring cheers for 26fix, Nick Allbrook and his crew barreled onto the stage. Popular for their unfiltered performances and memorable antics on stage, I was excited to see how the band was going to embrace their new sound. As should have been expected, they saved no time tumbling into “Daisy”, a wandering psych-rock anthem dotted with vivid pop lines delivered by an anarchic Allbrook. The crowd ebbed with excitement as the set was just getting started.
The energy skyrocketed as the band plunged into their recently released singles, “I’m Stung” and “Neon River”, with Allbrook contorting like a ragdoll across the stage. The music seemed to reverberate through his bones, with the crowd following suit. Everyone was dancing, grooving, and rocking out to the infectious guitar riffs and choruses. As a rock-forward banger, the band was welcoming an intensity that seemed to be missing from some of their other strolling psychedelic tracks – one which made for an unforgettable performance.
While the fire was turned up for the performance, it only got brighter when the band played the fan favorite “Sweep Me Off My Feet” from The Weather. An anthem made for a sunny day walking through the town, the track was a switch-up in intensity but the crowd roared even harder. With a diverse set of sounds across the rock landscape, the band had a sound for everyone. With undeniable creative artistry and talent, every person on that stage made it clear that they deserved to be on that stage, playing for the insatiable crowd of the Lodge Room.
The night somehow sustained the same vigor throughout the winding journey of songs from Pond’s catalog. The crowd really turned up when Allbrook announced a song they were working on for their new album, “Black Lung”. Expecting a track in the same vein as the lead singles from Stung!, I was immediately thrown back by the visceral emotion and screaming melodies that bounded from the stage. Allbrook was genuinely possessed by the spirit of rock-n-roll, as he injected excitement into the crowd with fury. “Black Lung” is exciting, catchy, and new—a strong omen of the fresh sound Stung! promises to bring. And of course, the frontman had no shortage of exhilaration as he screamed the lyrics, running towards fans and reaching out to high-five them or show them love.
Some of Allbrook’s other antics include grabbing the mic stand and swaying it in the air (even pointing it at the fans?), jumping into a frenzied audience, and dramatically collapsing outstretched on stage. And of course, by the time the band reached the climax of the night with “Giant Tortoise”, Allbrook jumped at the opportunity to sprawl and surf out onto the crowd. Allbrook is in every sense a contemporary rock star, made for the niche of stardom that demands eccentricity. His charisma immerses the band with a personality that makes them unforgettable to watch live.
Ending their main set with “Toast”, having the audience swing back and forth submerged by angelic melodies, the band said their premature goodbye. With rumbling anticipation, the crowd shouted out “One more!” into the void on stage. Turns out, the band just needed a quick beer break.
Taking the stage back once more, the band began their encore with “Hang A Cross on Me”, a seemingly simultaneous celebration and condemnation of sin. The hypnotic track quenched the crowd’s thirst for their encore, shrieking amidst the waterfall of melodies. Moving along to “don’t look at the sun or you’ll go blind” and “Medicine Man”, Allbrook found another opportunity to crowdsurf in ecstasy, bringing the crowd together in an intimate commemoration of a love of psychedelia and chaos. In a mind-bending performance, the band has convinced me that Pond is eternal, stamping their influence on psych-rock for years to come.
