EDINBURGH PSYCH FEST is back for a second year, expanding out from the curious quarters of Summerhall arts hub to take over the city’s Queen’s Hall, Mash House and Caves.
With 34 acts showcasing their psychedelic meanderings over a nine hour period, I’m stressed before I even get there, trying to figure out who to see, especially given that The Mash House and Caves are bit of trek away from the comfortable surroundings of Summerhall courtyard, most people making it their base for the day. But the organisers entice the punters away from their lazy Sunday afternoon pints with ‘curtain raiser’ Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals / Neon Neon) who kicks off proceedings in the nearby Queen’s Hall, and judging by the large crowd who we spot traipsing back to Summerhall when we arrive, this cunning plan has clearly paid off, not to mention the fact that all reports of his performance are glowing.
DIVORCE
Our first stop is Divorce over at the Queen’s Hall, the Nottingham four-piece stacking country-laced nostalgia up against infectious riffs and soothing pop. It’s a truly bittersweet affair, complete with satirical musings and uplifting harmonies from vocalists Felix Mackenzie-Barrow and Cohen-Towell, thrilled to be airing some unreleased tracks, as well as recent singles Gears and My Room.
HOTWAX
Back over at Summerhall, it’s melting in the Dissection Room as bodies pile in to check out Hastings trio HotWax, who unleash a barrage of blistering basslines and corrosive riffs in to the crowd with grunge-infested numbers such as Treasure, which fuses the rush of the Breeders with the exhilaration of Wolf Alice. Led by vocalist and guitarist Tallulah Sim-Savage, who gloriously stalks the stage alongside bassist Lola Sam, there’s a real buzz around the band, who’ve won the support of Iggy Pop, Karen O and Beck to name but a few, and it’s clear to see why, their raw energy shaking the crowd out of any Sunday stupor that may be lingering. With people queuing down the stairs to gain entry to the Dissection Room, HotWax are undoubtedly one of the top acts of the day.
MELTS
Dublin psych-rockers Melts are another band to grab my attention and well worth the ten minutes or so walk down to the Caves in the Cowgate, though it’s a shame more punters don’t seem to be heading in the same direction. Drenching us in shimmering swathes of synth, driving motorik beats and spun out psychedelic guitar, vocalist Eoin Kenny is truly immersed in the moment as he flings an agitated arm out on every beat on numbers such as Figment, lead single from latest album Field Theory. Calling to mind elements of The Horrors, Working Men’s Club and Joy Division, a cavernous ‘80s dark wave lurks beneath the surface, emerging beautifully on Outlier from debut album Maelstrom, Kenny’s imposing vocals and stage presence making this one of my gigs of the day. Hypnotic!
THE WIFE GUYS OF REDDIT
Along the road and up some stairs in The Mash House, Glasgow’s self-proclaimed ‘purveyors of soupy rock’, The Wife Guys Of Reddit are back in town, vocalist/guitarist Arion Xenos a joy to watch as he hurls his guitar around with majestic ease while dishing out ladlefuls of lyrical mischief from a pot already simmering with gutsy guitar and churning baselines. Tonight’s set includes the wonderfully discordant rollercoaster that is Wife Guys Diss Track, surfy sway of Dude Rocks and quirky cacophony of Bacon Grease. Nice!
NEWDAD
Back up at the Queen’s Hall, Galway’s NewDad take things back down a notch with their mesmerising dream pop, showcasing numbers from this year’s debut Madra including Sickly Sweet and Angel. Led by Julia Dawson’s ethereal vocals, their sound tonight is more vibrant and full-bodied than on record, perhaps in part due to new bassist Cara Joshi’s backing vocals bolstering their output. 2020’s breakthrough single I Don’t Recognise You stirs up the crowd, it’s hazy discordance a gentle nod to their favourite bands of the 80s and 90s, and they keep up momentum with a soothing take on The Cure’s Just Like Heaven.
WHITELANDS
But the night’s getting on so it’s back to Summerhall to join the Main Hall audience for Whitelands, who showcase their own effect-driven spin on shoegaze, the band supporting one of the genre’s giants, Slowdive earlier in the year. Drummer Jagun and vocalist/guitarist Etienne are on good form and tonight thrash out glimmering layers of guitar on hooky, melodic numbers from debut album, Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day, including Cheer, Setting Sun and How It Feels, though the setting is perhaps too light for their luminescent meanderings.
GURRIERS
Performance of the day for me has got to be Dublin’s Gurriers, who pound the stage of Summerhall’s Old Lab with their unapologetic and turbulent post-punk, commanding a fine moshpit with charismatic frontman Dan Hoff hurling himself into the epicentre a couple of times to egg on the boisterous crowd. Blasting into the searing drills of Nausea, they’re off and never let up for the rest of the set, the siren cry of guitars as urgent as Hoff’s confrontational lyrics. With a relentless energy and raw passion reminiscent of Idles, Shame and Soft Play, comparisons to Fontaines D.C. will also be unavoidable for these guys given their home city, but although they pelt us with potent poetic ponderings, they’ve yet to be held hostage by the fashion police, taps aff as frilly and silly as it gets. With their debut album Come and See out on 13 September, Gurriers deserve to be as huge as the sound they emit, giving tonight’s Queen’s Hall headliners Pigsx7 a run for their money when it comes to battering the living daylights out my ears. They’re playing Glasgow’s Broadcast in November. It’s going to be a sweaty squeeze but catch them if you can!
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS
So it is to the sludgy psych-rock doom of ear-bashers Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, 2018’s GNT opening the set as hypnotic swirls of fuzzed-out fury unravel over an addictive groove as frontman Matt Baty squats and trots the stage, barefoot in his preferred get up of Thai boxer-shorts ’n’ vest combo. Introducing the band as Britain’s “best value for money Oasis tribute act”, Baty confesses that they couldn’t afford to get a Noel Gallagher haircut for their very own Noelalike, guitarist Adam Ian Sykes, but he does offer us the next best thing which is their own “twisted and very psychedelic version of Wonderwall.” Hmm, it sounds very Pig-like to me but I wouldn’t want to ruin Liamalike Baty’s dream of raking in the cash when they announce their next tour so let’s roll with it and get the mosh-pit well and truly underway. Ultimate Hammer, fan favourite from 2023’s Land of Sleeper, roars into focus, its riff rampaging through the Queen’s Hall as the number shifts tempo, Batty pouting his snout as he kicks and punches, the man a blatant exhibitionist and the perfect entertainer. With fans being reprimanded for crowd surfing and one getting onto the stage to take part in a vigorous workout with Sykes’ (or should I say Gallagher’s) guitar, it’s a stupendous end for this year’s Psych Fest at the Queen’s Hall.
LA LUZ
But all is not over as we make a mad dash for the Cowgate to catch some La Luz, headlining the Caves with their deliciously spaced out surf-noir. Vocalist/guitarist Shana Cleveland is the only original member of the band, who formed in Seattle back in 2012, but their sound hasn’t veered too far from the original path, the new songs, from this year’s News Of The Universe, remaining soaked in a melancholic haze of nostalgic space-age psychedelia. Tonight they thrill and chill the crowd as balmy, sanguine harmonies clash against the cool breeze of disembodied chord changes on new numbers like Strange World and Dandelions. They also dip back to some older tracks such as Cicada from 2018’s Floating Features, at once urgent and hypnotic, resulting in a truly meditative listening experience which is soothing but never sickly sweet, and ensuring I’ll get a good night’s sleep after the turmoil of Gurriers and Pigsx7. La La love it!
It’s been a top day and although we’ve inevitably missed some amazing bands, with the only dynamic ticketing being the Early Bird ticket which was a steal at £24.50, it’s maybe, nah on second thoughts, definitely the best value day out of the whole festival season.
Words: Shirley Mack @musingsbymarie
Pictures: Calum Mackintosh @ayecandyphotography