‘Freak Show’: The grunge album by Silverchair that transformed Kevin Parker
There was a time, long ago, when Tame Impala were a guitar band. Although it might seem unfathomable to fans who weren’t around to remember it before Kevin Parker and his group became a household name with their heady blend of electronic and psychedelic pop, and he rose meteorically as one of the most in-demand producers out there, they were a guitar-based outfit and a fine one at that.
It might feel like a lifetime ago, but that’s because it essentially was. These days, Parker is known to the masses for his work on the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack, contributing a track to the Barbie movie, and producing for global superstars like Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga. This A-list status is a stark contrast to the days when Tame Impala was a hot commodity among stoners, music magazine devotees, and a generally more alternative crowd.
Their debut album, 2010’s Innerspeaker, is a modern psychedelic rock masterpiece. While it undoubtedly contained clear hints of the dancey, more electronic direction they would head in in the not-too-distant future in tracks such as ‘Alter Ego’, it is the most guitar-oriented body of work in their relatively small oeuvre. It unequivocally demonstrates how great of a guitar band they were. Only one listen to the likes of ‘Lucidity’ and ‘Expectation’ confirms this, with the clear sparkles of the psychedelic period of The Beatles coursing throughout the record, adding an extra bit of vintage sparkle.
What followed was 2012’s Lonerism, on which the guitars were taken down a heavier route in the indomitable ‘Elephant’ and the synths ramped up on cuts such as ‘Apocalypse Dreams’. Because of this, for many, this is their finest effort, with it representing a middle ground between the rock of their early years and the world-beating electronic hybrid of its 2015 successor, Currents.
Although Tame Impala’s sound has evolved since their masterpiece nine years ago, Parker hasn’t forgotten some fundamental guitar albums. This includes the Australian grunge band Silverchair’s 1997 second album, Freak Show, which produced hits such as ‘Freak’ and ‘Abuse Me’. Although this connection is surprising, given that even in their guitar-oriented days, the band never had a particularly grunge or alternative rock-related sound, this famous album by the now-defunct group was pivotal for him as it transformed him and made him want to become a musician.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2013, Parker revealed how Freak Show was a significant record for his young self and how it left him so spellbound that he delved into making music. It might be far removed from the music he makes today, but everyone has to start somewhere, even young prodigies like himself, who would go on to be inspired by the likes of Air and Cream.
“I got into this album because my brothers were into it – they listened to a lot of grunge. That time – I was ten or 11 – was all about discovering rock music and realising how bad-ass it was,” Parker said. “Grunge gave me a sense of identity, and I remember really associating with Silverchair, who were these chilled-out Australian teenagers. The fact that they were teenagers was a big deal for me. It was like: Oh man, you don’t have to be a 30-year-old to do this.”
Parker might now be far removed from grunge and guitar music, but there’s no doubt that Silverchair and Freak Show still hold a special place in his heart. Every notable musician has their formative influences, and whether they like them or not after reaching global fame is a different matter entirely.
