It’s that time of the year again as Edinburgh turns into a sea of obscure band t-shirts and tote bags for its annual Edinburgh Psych Fest. 6 venues, more than 35 acts, plenty of beer and a whole lot of walking (seriously, there’s so much walking) underpin one of the best alternative UK festivals of the year.
Also, one day festivals are fucking great, as there’s no need to camp. At 35, I am much too old for that.
Anyway, here’s all the bands we saw at Edinburgh Psych Fest this year.
GHOSTWOMAN
Starting the day off strongly, Canadian two-piece GHOSTWOMAN got us into the swing of things with their distinct instrumental psych-grunge, garage rock flavoured slice of Americana.
As someone who’s been in multiple two-piece bands, I’m always excited and intrigued to see how bands solve the dynamic shortcomings that inevitably come with being a band member down. While they were probably one of the slowest bands of the day tempo wise, they certainly packed a punch in terms of dynamics.
Vocalist and guitarist Evan Uschenko and drummer Ille van Desse take center stage, facing one another as they play through a lot of their most recent album – Welcome To The Civilized World. There’s a deliberateness to their sound that’s refreshing to experience live. Where the majority of two-piece bands feel the need to go hard, fast and fill the space with noise GHOSTWOMAN are more reserved.
Together the pair build a soundscape live, taking the audience on a journey through guitar solos, controlled distortion, husky vocals and bass so loud that it made my hair vibrate. GHOSTWOMAN were one of the most distinct bands I heard at Edinburgh Psych Fest and I would recommend checking them out if you get a chance.
Songs you should check out:
Angine De Piotrine
After GHOSTWOMAN it was straight onto the band that everyone wanted to see, Angine De Poitrine. We’ve already written about our experience with the polka-dotted Canadian Rock duo, but if you haven’t had a chance to read that yet, just know that they put on a wonderfully fun and impressive show. You should definitely go read that after you’ve finished reading this!
Songs you should check out:
Adult DVD
Next up was Adult DVD, a Leeds based dance-punk six piece that remind me of early Kasabian – back when they were called Saracuse and leaned a lot more heavily on synths. The band were already well into it when we arrived, having packed La Belle wall-to-wall with people.
I was surprised right off the bat by just how tight they are. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and while there’s almost certainly a click track underpinning everything, I’ve got to give the drummer Jonathan Newell props for keeping everyone together. That tightness really emphasises the electronic sound the band are going for, tying together grungy guitar riffs with 2000s era synth sounds and four to the floor syncopated hi hat drum rhythms.
Watching Adult DVD live took me back to the late 2000s, specifically the window of time in which I discovered how fun live music, house parties and copious amounts of alcohol were. I also want to shout out just how much Cowboy On Aisle 3 absolutely slaps live – the bass synth was stuck in my head for days after.
Songs you should check out:
Water Machine
Following a short walk from La Belle’s, it was time for Water Machine at Sneaky Pete’s. The Manchester five-piece (originally from Glasgow) are a fun mix of indie rock, pop and jangly guitar sounds. Walking towards the stage I honestly couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea to book a five member band on what was easily the smallest stage at the festival.
Equipment Tetris aside, Water Machine’s set was one of the most enjoyable of the day. Despite it being a small, warm and sweaty venue, the entire band put their all into the performance, smashing their way through a set filled with tongue-in-cheek lyricism, fast-paced pop punk riffs and plenty of danceable moments. Lead singer Hando Morice also deserves a special shout out for not only incorporating violin during songs, but playing it with an injured hand as well
The on-stage chemistry and friendship between each member was one of the elements that made them stand out most during the day for me. The songs, interactions and ad-hoc moments between it all were elevated by the sense that the band were all sincerely happy to be there. Prior to going, Water Machine wouldn’t have typically been the kind of band I’d have listened to, but their set won me over.
Songs you should check out:
Bleech 9:3
It was now time to head back to La Belle for Bleech 9:3, an alternative-grunge four piece from Ireland. Having been born in the 90s, I knew I was in for a good time the moment I spotted beach-blonde dyed hair, red Adidas tracksuit trousers and trouser chains.
This was immediately evident as the band jumped straight into Jacky, a nu-metal stomper complete with scratchy guitars, rap-like vocal delivery and a punchy chorus. This set the tone for the next fourty-five minutes, as the band belted their way through a 90s inspired grunge set that took from all the best bits of that era whilst making it authentically their own.
Beech 9:3 (and I hate this word, but please bear with me) have a stage swagger that really encompasses the 90s alternative aesthetic they’ve committed so strongly to. Lead singer Barry Quinlan stomped confidently across the stage, capturing the engagement of the crowd before jumping into it to sing with them. I always love it when a band manages to truly connect with a crowd, and this was something Beech 9:3 accomplished pretty immediately and throughout the rest of their set.
It’s always interesting seeing how bands convey their inspirations whilst creating a sound that feels distinctly their own. Live the band shifts across numerous clear inspirations, whether it’s the early-Incubus sounding Jacky, the Deftones-like dynamics of Cannonball or the Alice In Chains vocal delivery of Ceiling. The band channels those inspirations clearly, but not in a way that ever feels derivative. Bleach 9:3 perfectly captures everything I love about grunge and alternative rock music, but in a way that feels fresh and exciting to witness live.
Songs you should check out:
Shame
It was time for the last set of the day. And while a good majority of the festival ended the day with the mighty Stereolab, we instead went with the London five-piece Shame. Right from the off, the room is noticeably quiet for a headlining Shame set – especially when you consider that the band have played tours across both Europe and the US over the last 12 months. However, Stereolab are well liked and I can certainly understand the allure of watching them at Usher Hall.
Unperturbed by a smaller crowd, Shame went straight into their regular show starter Axis Of Evil. Even with a smaller crowd than one might have anticipated, Shame and lead singer Charlie Steen were not going to settle for anything less than absolute chaos. As Axis Of Evil reaches its first major build up, Charlie belts out “you want it all, you need it all” and the crowd completely loses it. This set the tone for the rest of the band’s performance, as the five piece went about giving it their absolute all and expected nothing short of the same back from the crowd.
From here, the band went straight into Concrete – a fan favourite and one of their first singles. It was at this point that we collectively witnessed the sheer mayhem of bass player Josh Finerty’s playing, as he started running back and forth across the stage whilst also pulling off the occasional front flip. It’s impressive to watch, and really adds to this give and take between the crowd and the band.
Charlie’s stage presence also needs to be mentioned. As the band headed into Fingers Of Steel, it became quite clear that his vocal delivery, movement around the stage and the way in which he interacts with the crowd are all pretty distinctive. He moves with purpose and confidence that’s captivating. Regularly shifting and marching around the stage, as if delivering a sermon or a keynote speech.
Seemingly not wanting to let the energy drop, the band go straight into Six Pack, an upbeat guitar-heavy song with a marching band-style snare roll that underpins everything. Unsurprisingly the crowd loses it and we start to see the first crowd surfers of the evening alongside a mosh pit. Drummer Charlie Forbes plays with a relentlessness that drives the entire band onwards during Six Pack, at points it feels like they are only just keeping up with him.
From this point onwards the show becomes a bit of a blur. For the first time in more than a decade, I decide to join the mosh pit. The energy between the crowd and the band is exhilarating and I really felt the need to be a part of it. For the next 30 or so minutes, I mosh, I make friends, I end up on the barrier and I even almost end up crowdsurfing.
For the first time in as long as I can remember, I completely lose myself in the music. Any anxiety around how sweaty I am, if I look a bit silly or the myriad of other inner worries we all get whilst in a large crowd are gone.
Instead I’m just there, in the moment. Deeply enjoying one of my favourite bands in play an incredibly intimate show.
My only complaint is that they didn’t play Alibis from Food For Worms, but you can’t have it all.
Songs you should check out:
Edinburgh Psych Fest
This was my first time at Edinburgh Psych Fest, and honestly, I can’t believe I’ve never been before. By the end of the day, the line up had achieved two pretty key things:
- It further embedded my love for bands that I was already a fan of
- It gave me a bunch of new bands to listen to
My only real gripe is that there’s potentially a lot of walking if the bands you want to see are spread across numerous stages. This doesn’t make it the most accessible festival, especially if you aren’t as mobile as other people. I saw a lot of people combating this with pushbikes, however it would be great to see festival-backed transportation between venues.
If you’re into alternative, heavier music and you don’t mind a good walk or cycle, I’d definitely recommend checking out Edinburgh Psych Fest next year!
Words: Thomas Hughes
Images: Angela Canavan
