Pond @ The Art School, Glasgow, 19 Jun

First, a disclaimer – this review was written by an Aussie expat. If the exuberant legion of Pond fans at The Art School tonight is anything to go by, though, it’s far from a biased appraisal. In terms of international recognition the Aussie group have tended to linger in the shadow of ‘that’ other Western-Australia-based outfit, Tame Impala, but with a show of tonight’s magnitude, that might all be about to change.

30000 Megatons, from their new album The Weather, makes for a commanding opener. With the stage bathed in gold light, frontman Nick Allbrook cocks his guitar to the sky like a shotgun. A slender figure, his vocal delivery is surprisingly imposing, with a haunting gravitas that recalls Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters circa The Final Cut.

Allbrook then leaps up onto an amp for Elvis’ Flaming Star, from 2015's Man It Feels Like Space Again, as the band power along behind him. By song number three, the raucous garage jam Waiting Around For Grace, pints are flying through the air and the crowd is going ballistic.

At the mid-way point, half the group have disrobed – guitarist Joe Ryan goes shirtless, whilst others on stage elect to remove their trousers – Allbrook is crowd surfing with glee, and the temperature in The Art School isn’t far off that of a summer’s day Down Under. From the sweeping synth ballad Sweep Me off My Feet, to the fan-pleasing, rock'n’roll bruiser Don’t Look at the Sun or You’ll Go Blind (introduced by Allbrook as “an old, old song”), to the emphatic funk-laced Paint Me Silver, Pond give everything they’ve got and more.

Coupled with the impressive warm-up from fellow Australian group Methyl Ethel, who close their support slot with the super grooves of Ubu, from their latest release Everything is Forgotten, tonight is a first class showcase of Antipodean psych-rock. Part rock opera, part guitar shred-athon, Pond offer up a powerhouse performance, and appear more than ready and deserving of their own moment in the sun.