Kevin Parker got back behind a drum kit for Pond on 16 September, joining his former band at The Mohawk in Austin for the last song of the night. The song was Makeout Party Girls, and it did not come from either group's catalogue.
It came from Mink Mussel Creek, the Perth psychedelic rock band that predates both of them. Parker played in it alongside Nick Allbrook, now Pond's frontman, and the guitarist Shiny Joe Ryan, so a song from that band is the one piece of repertoire that genuinely belongs to all three men on stage rather than to one of their later projects.
Parker's own history with Pond is the part most listeners have forgotten. He drummed with the band from 2009 through 2011 before Tame Impala took over his schedule, and the two groups have stayed tangled ever since. Allbrook and Ryan were early members of Tame Impala's live band, and Pond's Jay Watson, who records as GUM, is still part of Parker's touring outfit.
The rest of the set was built for people who have been paying attention that long. Pond opened with a bust-out of Whatever Happened To The Million Head Collide, which had not been played since 2020 and comes from the 2013 album Hobo Rocket, a record Parker co-produced. They worked through Skyworks, Through The Heather and the title track of their new album Terrestrials, with Paint Me Silver, Sweep Me Off My Feet, The Weather and Giant Tortoise also in the running order.
What JamBase does not say is whether this is a one-off. No further appearances are announced, and Parker joining for a single song at the end of the night reads more like a friend in the building than a booked guest spot.
Tame Impala's own 2027 is already filling up, with the band confirmed to close Rock Werchter and reported in talks to headline Coachella alongside Dua Lipa, which makes a small Austin club stage an unusually low-key place to find him. More rock coverage is on the hub.
The facts
- Kevin Parker joined Pond on drums at The Mohawk in Austin on 16 September 2026.
- He played the last song of the night, Mink Mussel Creek's Makeout Party Girls.
- Parker drummed with Pond from 2009 to 2011.
- Mink Mussel Creek was an earlier Perth band featuring Parker, Nick Allbrook and Shiny Joe Ryan.
- Allbrook and Ryan were early members of Tame Impala's live band.
- Pond's Jay Watson, who records as GUM, still tours with Parker.
- Pond opened with Whatever Happened To The Million Head Collide, unplayed since 2020.
- No further appearances by Parker are announced.
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