Hate jam bands? You’re not alone. Opinions about the never-ending, often self-aggrandizing style are highly polarizing — most of us either love or hate them.

Australia’s Tame Impala plays a mixture of psychedlia, math rock and dream pop that forms a more than comfortable middle ground — they’re a jam band that’s tailored for those that hate them. The group brought that unique style to the Bluebird on Saturday night and played in front of a full house for about 80 minutes, offering up a guilty pleasure that everyone seemed to enjoy.

The original members — guitarist, leader and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker and guitarist/keyboardist Dominic Simper stood at opposite sides of the stage, both barefoot (a habit they’ve been known for since they began playing out). They traded complex chords and neck-traversing licks as drummer Jay Watson and touring bassist Paisley Adams formed a strong, ultra-psychedelic rhythm section. Parker added smooth vocals that often became a kind of second thought rather than main focus behind all the instrumentation.

They played a slew of tunes from their latest record “Innerspeaker,” including “It’s Not Meant To Be,” “Solitude Is Bliss,” “Desire Be Desire Go,” “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind” as well as the current hit “Lucidity.” They channeled disparate influences like Pink Floyd, the mathematics of Adrian Belew and the deep psychedelia of Loop and easily melded them into their own satisfying mix. Parker’s guitar antics stand the chance of becoming legendary, while Simper’s play between guitar and keys looked much easier than its ensuing sound.

The complex compositions had the venue alternately bouncing and swaying, or outright dancing in trances for the entire performance. Parker’s legs became barometers of the music’s intensity, wrapping themselves tightly as he raced through seemingly impossible chord changes and lightning-fast fretwork.

A band on the tips of many critics’ lips currently, Star Death and White Dwarfs, was originally scheduled to open, but canceled at the last minute. Local band Achille Lauro took up the mantle and played a satisfying set in their place. The fact that the band is fronted by Dennis Coyne, nephew of the Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, explains why the elder uncle was in the crowd, and spent the evening at a local hangout after the show. According to Coyne, the band had to cancel due to family illness — which in itself is unfortunate of course. Having to miss them, however, created a double-downer for Denver fans.

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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at DenverThread.com, and his giglist at Gigbot.

Nathan Iverson is a Denver photographer and regular contributor to Reverb.

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