Liverpool Psych Fest 2013

The ascension of an industrial outskirt of Liverpool into the being of a spiritual twin to the legendary Austin Psychedelic Festival may seem like a rather audacious leap but with over four thousand people descending on the Camp and Furnace venues for this year’s Liverpool Psych Fest, they may actually be on to a winner.


Headliners for this second edition of the festival are local heroes/weirdos Clinic but it’s the comparatively lesser known acts, liberally sprinkled throughout the two day event, which beguile and bewitch in vintage psych fashion. With psychedelia morphing into a catch-all term for anything vaguely motorik/shoegaze/wah-wah infested, the crowds witness the brutalising force of Carlton Melton, replete with sprawling, squalling guitar solos stretching out into infinity with nary a hint of indulgence in sight. The Californian duo are only rivalled in sonic intensity by Moon Duo’s near-transcendental marriage of sheer dread and bubblegum pop later that evening.

Unfortunately, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete have their set cut somewhat short which is incredibly disappointing for both audience and band, them having flown from Mexico to perform. Over on the smaller Blade Factory venue, The KVB eke out a strong set that’s marred by Klaus Von Barrel’s guitar getting somewhat lost in the sound mix and the opening night spirals to a close with Eat Lights Become Lights anointing the increasingly mangled throng with their Kosmiche wash.

Saturday sees the unlikely-in-this-company appearance of Bernard Butler, appearing with Yummy Fur/1990s man Jackie McKeown, under the guise of Trans – Butler’s luscious guitar runs almost melting among the propulsive grooves. Leeds’ Hookworms perhaps provide the second day’s highlight, the band described by Julian Cope as the ‘shoegazing Skynyrd’ are utterly punishing, working themselves into a cosmic lather, often teetering on the edge of sheer punk rage.


Mugstar deliver a set that is borderline danceable in the company before the masked-marauders Clinic ostensibly draw the festival to a triumphant close; however, they have stiff competition in the form of the Altered Hours, whose cathartic menace belies an exhilarating immersion in vintage psychedelic drone. Ultimately, the entire festival serves to consecrate Liverpool as a genuine contender for psych capital of the world. Austin had better watch its back.