Tame Impala: Tiny Desk Concert

Bobby Carter | October 17, 2025
Kevin Parker's team came back with two words: "all acoustic." I was dumbfounded, not only by the notion of an acoustic Tame Impala set but also by the idea of the band playing the real Tiny Desk. In 2020, Tame Impala was able to toe and, by some standards, cross the line for its Tiny Desk (home) concert. Here at NPR headquarters, Parker and the crew had to relinquish a certain level of control. "Let's just try it and see what happens," Parker told me.

From a production standpoint, it feels like Tame Impala has done everything but this. Granted, there are plenty of moments throughout the catalog and a few on the new album, Deadbeat, that translate seamlessly into our space. "Loser" is pretty much all guitar. The live debut of "Dracula" is brilliantly reimagined, highlighting the band's harmonies and Parker's signature falsetto, which we never hear without at least a touch of reverb. This one took me back to the simpler Tiny Desk days of old, when less was more.

SET LIST
"Borderline"
"Loser"
"Dracula"
"New Person, Same Old Mistakes"

MUSICIANS
Kevin Parker: vocals, guitar
Dominic Simper: guitar
Jay Watson: guitar, background vocals
James Ireland: ukulele, percussion
Julien Barbagallo: percussion
Cameron Avery: bass, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Dhanika Pineda
Photographer: Catie Dull
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #tameimpala

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