After such an extraordinary day one, it’s hard to imagine that day two can be any better, but if the crowds who are down for the opening of the doors are anything to go by, expectation is high. Opening are Chilean four piece Vuelveteloca, who blend traditional South American rock with some heavy psychedelic influences to make a sound that attracts attention worldwide. Opening any festival is always difficult, but they more than hold their own with catchy songs such as ‘La Niebla’ from 2017 LP Sonora. Fans have been waiting a while to see them again and they are the perfect band to open today’s proceedings.
Next are Athens’ Acid Baby Jesus, a band who are largely unknown outside of Greece despite their 2017 LP Lilac Days being released on Fuzz Club. However, despite the cavernous room, a steady stream takes their places and they waste no time regaling the audience with tracks such as ‘Vegetable’ which has a punky vibe and more melodic tracks such as ‘Down the Ley Lines’. It’s an eclectic set that keeps people guessing and the dancing bodies indicate people are enjoying themselves
Italian’s JuJu are fronted by Gioele Valenti, whose presence has become a mainstay on the Italian psych scene due to his involvement in numerous bands. They have become very popular in these circles and it is no surprise that the room is full to capacity in no time. Their set is filled with up beat tracks with ridiculously catchy countenances that soon have feet tapping including ‘In A Ghetto’ and ‘James Dean’ from 2017’s Our Mother Was A Plant and ‘Masters and Servants’ and ‘God Is A Rover’ from latest LP Maps and Territory. JuJu are at the level now where you expect them to be good, but today they certainly do not disappoint and are cheered off stage heartily.
Kikagaku Moyo are a band that need no introduction and unsurprisingly, the majority of the crowd are fully expectant when they take the stage. Opening with the appropriately named ‘Entrance’ from 2018 LP Masana Temples and then they move into ‘Dripping Sun’ from the same album. Their ‘Streets of Calcutta’ from 2014 LP Forest of Lost Children always goes down well and here is no exception and they conclude with ‘Tree Smoke’ from 2013 self-titled album. It’s a strong set that traverses their back catalogue and they maintain their status as one of the most polished bands when performing live.
Californian space traverses Lumerians are a huge draw for many on this bill, especially in light of the fact that they don’t grace European shores too often. They take to the stage clad in new costumes, looking very much like space cowboys and waste no time in providing their characteristic sound. Highlights comes from ‘Dogon Genesis’ from 2013’s The High Frontier, new single ‘Yellow Cake’ and ‘Burning Mirrors’ from 2011’s Transmalinnia. There are also some strong tracks from their latest LP Call of the Void and the entire set is captivating from start to finish. You don’t see performances like this often and their seamless blending of genres allows them to appeal to many and the mystique that surrounds them only adds to the appeal.
From one set of masked crusaders to another, this time from the UK side of the Atlantic Ocean, next on the main stage are Snapped Ankles. This trio invoke the spirits of the woodland to bring forth a dance beat laden form of psychedelia that has proved popular and see them cast firmly into the public eye. Tracks such as ‘Tailpipe’ from their latest LP Stunning Luxury sums up exactly what this band are all about. Throughout their set is high octane energy and their unique homemade wood-infused instruments add to the intrigue and the curious crowd edge ever forward and there is more than your average number of grooving bodies as the infectious vibes take hold and don’t let up. There is something for everyone in Snapped Ankles and their presence on this line up was well deserved.
And now for something completely different, in the form of Stockholm’s The Janitors, who state they have been fighting nihilism with fuzz since 2004, making them one of the veteran bands on the billing. Things don’t get much darker than The Janitors and it’s a sound that won’t appeal to all but will make them the favourite band of others. Their set is fuzz and reverberation heavy from start to finish, with instrumental interludes between tracks driving the mood. The two stand out tracks come in the form of ‘Here They Come’ from 2014’s Evil Doings of an Evil Kind and ‘Horn Ur Marken’ from the 2017 release of the same name. For me, music doesn’t get much better than this and live they are sensational, and if the reactions of everyone else around me are anything to go by, I’m not the only one who loves this kind of music.
There aren’t many bands who could step up and follow a band like The Janitors to close things off, but if anyone is up to the task it is Portuguese trio 10000 Russos who have become so intimately woven with this event and Fuzz Club, it wouldn’t be the same without them. The start of their set is made up of new tracks which leave the audience aghast, with hypnotic motorik beats and maniacal laughing to the rear accompanied by mesmeric bass lines and layers of guitar over the top. It’s difficult to sum up how good this is, but the fact that the crowd has been lulled into silence with all eyes on the stage really says it all. They conclude with the heavy duo of ‘Europa Kaputt’ and ‘Radio 1’ from 2017’s Distress Distress LP. It’s all over far too soon and fans as reluctant to leave the venue, despite the gentle prompts from venue staff as everyone knows it’s all over for another year.
After last year, it was hard to imagine how Fuzz Club could make it any better, but somehow that’s not quire describable, they have. The line-up has been an eclectic mix that has appealed to fans from across the psychedelic spectrum. All that’s left to do now, is say thank you to all those involved who made it such an amazing event and wait with baited breathe as to whether there will be another next year…
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