Tame Impala was the latest musical guest on the quarantine edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where the Australian hitmaker performed “Is It True”. The song comes from the Kevin Parker-led project’s new album, The Slow Rush.
While Tame Impala’s live performances include additional members Jay Watson, Dominic Simpler, Julien Barbagallo, and Cam Avery, this Late Night performance featured Parker solo. Much like his studio work, this TV spot showed Parker playing all of the instruments before looping it together in the studio.
Related: Tame Impala Performs Acoustic “On Track” For Virtual COVID-19 Benefit [Watch]
The video finds Kevin Parker at his studio in Western Australia, where he dons all the instruments that make up Tame Impala. This performance of “Is It True” acts as a proper representation of how Tame Impala’s music comes together. In the video, we see three different Parker’s on-screen—one playing bass, another singing, and the third playing guitar. Not only are these three Parkers all dressed in different outfits, but they are all adorned in fluctuating sequences of primary colored lights. One of the elements that adds to this sense of symmetry is the fact that on the left side of the screen, Parker is playing bass left-handed. Meanwhile on the right side of the screen, he is playing guitar right-handed. It is possible that he just reversed the footage on the left in post-production, but it would also support Parker’s multi-talented mystique if he could play an instrument with either hand.
Watch Tame Impala perform “Is It True” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Tame Impala — “Is It True”
[Video: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Tame Impala had begun a stadium tour that included a stop at The Forum in Los Angeles. Partway through that run of shows, however, California instituted a ban on mass gatherings that forced the band to postpone its show at San Francisco’s Chase Center two days before the performance. Those shows have since been moved to the fall, and Tame Impala’s tour of Australia and New Zealand alongside Khruangbin has been pushed to December. Visit Tame Impala’s website for any tour announcements, and stay up to date on live music developments with the Live For Live Music concert cancellation tracker.