Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia
Say Psych: Live, Destruction Unit, Liverpool PsychFest, 25/09/15
I dare you to play a Destruction Unit album quietly. 2013’s effort, ‘Deep Trip’ was the sort of full on assault that leaves you pinned to the back wall screaming for more; and it sounds like the band’s new Sacred Bones album, ‘Negative Feedback Resistor’ might just have upped the game even further This is …
Say Psych: Live Review, Dead Sea Apes, Liverpool PsychFest, 26.09.15
Dead Sea Apes are a favourite band of mine who have released a series of ever developing albums on the Cardinal Fuzz label, the latest of which ‘Spectral Domain’ has apparently been flying out of the Cardinal’s lair. The opening track ‘Universal Interrogator’ has, in my view, already become a cornerstone of their live set, and …
Say Psych: Live, Pinkshinyultrablast, Liverpool PsychFest, 25/09/15
St Peterburg’s Pinkshinyultrablast have been causing quite a stir amongst shoegaze fans, and beyond, over the last year or so. Taking their name from an album by the relatively obscure American shoegaze project Astrobrite, the band instantly reveal how much they are embedded into the genre. This could be seen both positively and negatively, something …
Say Psych: Live, Radar Men From The Moon, Liverpool PsychFest, 26/09/15
Radar Men From The Moon (RMFTM) are named after a 1952 series of 12 shorts, directed by Fred C. Brannon who was responsible for a whole string of these low budget movies – and his rapacious output tells you something about the quality of the films themselves. The same could not be said for this …
Say Psych: Live, Dreamweapon, Liverpool PsychFest, 26.09.15
The Portuguese label ‘Lovers and Lollipops’ is one of those that seems to be able to put out a seemingly endless supply of interesting and unusual acts. My two favourite acts from the first day of 2014’s PsychFest, Black Bombaim and Jibóia, were both from that label. So when I saw that another ‘Lovers and …
Say Psych: Live, The Underground Youth, Liverpool PsychFest 25.09.15
Backseat Mafia favourites The Underground Youth made the short trip from Manchester to get things underway on the Camp stage at this year’s Liverpool PsychFest. The post-punk psychedelic band, who at times sound like a mid-era Depeche Mode (and I mean that in a good way), delivered a set that was heavy on drama, a dark and …
Psych Insight: News, Fire Records at the Liverpool PsychFest
It is less than two weeks to go until the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia and I must admit that I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of bands I want to check out before I get there. While I always come away from the event feeling like I have had a brilliant …
News: Cardinal Fuzz Sonic Attack at Liverpool PsychFest 2015
Small independent record labels are hugely important to the development of so much of what is good about the music scene these days. They enable bands to get their product out to people who they would not be able to reach on their own. Conversely they help those of us who want to hear great …
Live Review: Eindhoven Psych Lab – Day 2
Day 2, (see Day 1 here), of Eindhoven Psych Lab commenced with a leisurely breakfast, fit for a king, courtesy of the Hampshire Hotel – Crown Eindhoven. Offered as part of a combined early booking event ticket, it epitomises the organisers’ flawless attention to detail. This is the second year I have had the pleasure of staying in this …
Live Review: Eindhoven Psych Lab, Day 1, Effenaar- 05.06.2015
“psyche/ˈsʌɪki/via Latin from Greek psukhē ‘breath, life, soul”… As the fundamental factors for any psychedelic experience are defined by set, setting and dosage – the anticipation enveloping this sophomore, 2015mg Effenaar event, was tangibly palpable. “The nature of the experience depends almost entirely on set and setting. Set denotes the preparation of the individual, including his personality …