Freak flags flew this past weekend at Austin Psych Fest, an event that has since 2008 grown from humble beginnings in a North Austin barn to a sprawling ranch with multiple stages. While the festival hasn’t reached massive status, it has gained a reputation amongst music nerds and hipsters around the world as the preeminent destination for all things drenched in reverb and trippiness. What makes Psych Fest such a standout event is a lineup of bands that often don’t tour much or would be difficult to catch live unless you live in a major metropolitan city. It’s also a festival that, unlike many in Austin, hasn’t been overrun with yuppies and ruined by corporate influence. Making Psych Fest even more interesting is a truly eclectic and strangely dressed crowd of people, many of whom have traveled across the world to catch rare performances by their favorite bands. Out of three days of wildly diverse tunes, here are ten sets that stood out.
Best Trashy Elegance
The Black Lips
The Atlanta band’s sundown set of razor-edged, cantankerous garage rock was ideal for the dusty clouds blowing around the ranch, and these punks proved that even when you get older and (slightly) more professional you can still convey the rowdy, youthful energy that made your fans fall in love with your band in the first place.
Best “Play the Hits!” Set
The Zombies
When seeing a legendary group like the Zombies the best tactic is to enter the performance with no expectations whatsoever. Remember, you will get the hits because that’s why the band is there in the first place. Despite questionable sound, between song banter about all the other famous folks influenced by their music and how many records they’ve sold, as well as an overall shortened set, the Zombies celebrated fifty years and it kind of kicked ass. Of course, we had to sit through a handful of songs off the band’s 2011 album Breath Out, Breath In, but when they got to the “mini set” portion of the show we were given what we came for. Seeing the Zombies ramble through classics like “Time of the Season” and “She’s Not There,” as well as a number of other tunes off their 1968 album Odyssey and Oracle was indeed priceless.
Best Festival Hosts
The Black Angels
Anyone that’s lived in Austin for at least a few years can’t help but feel a sense of pride when it comes to the Black Angels. No matter how many times you see these psychedelic journeymen they are always impressive. Their Friday night set on the main stage was fairly basic with a mix of old and new songs that left nary a soul disappointed. Having been leaders of the modern psych rock scene for the last several years, the Black Angels have become a corner stone of a sound that stands out amidst the landscape of this beast we call rock music. If you walked the festival grounds it was impossible not to come across younger bands influenced by the Angels and their reverb-heavy sound, which is something these Austin heroes should be proud of.
Best Band Who’s Sound Can’t Be Pinpointed
Woods
Looking up the hill at the crowded amphitheater the members of the Brooklyn band Woods appeared properly dazed yet excited to be playing songs off their recently released album, ‘With Light and Love’ (Woodsist), in front of such a large audience. New songs like “Shepard,” “Moving to the Light,” and “Only the Lonely” were charming concoctions of sun-washed, psychedelic power pop with a twang, an ideal set for sitting back and pondering the better things in life.
Best Heavy Duty No Bullshit Set
Kadavar
Earlier in the night Graveyard played the main stage. In a way, Kadavar and Graveyard are peers, as both bands are part of a wave of European groups that embrace the dense, grinding power of 70’s rock ‘n’ roll. However, when it comes to which band is heavier Kadavar, blows Graveyard clear out of the water. While the latter embraces the showmanship and singing of groups like Led Zeppelin, the three members of Kadavar are focused on building mountains of sludgey riffs more along the lines of Black Sabbath and further accentuated by Simon “Dragon” Bouteloup’s bizarre-o Primus-esque bass palying. Whether in a live setting or on their new album, ‘Abra Kadavar’ (Nuclear Blast), this band will without a doubt blow your mind.
Next Big Thing
Temples
Similar to the breakout Australian group Tame Impala, these young Brits are well on their way to becoming a major headlining act with the release of their debut full length album that harkens back to the days of Pink Floyd and the The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper material while still sounding contemporary and new. Personally, I wasn’t as floored by Temples in the live setting as nearly every other music writer present (hype is a powerful thing), but it was impossible not to watch this band without knowing that they have the big, grandiose sound as well as the sex appeal and uniqueness to become huge.
Biggest Cocktease of a Set
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
It goes without saying that a large portion of the bands playing the festival would not exist without modern psych rock pioneers the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Given their status as kings of the scene, as well as a slot closing out the main stage on Saturday night, one would expect the band to reign supreme with a fleshed out set showcasing exactly why they are still the best. Instead, they played a mere eleven songs coming in right around forty-five minutes. Fan favorites like “Who?,” “Jennifer,” and “Sailor” were what the audience wanted, but when the band bid them goodnight after closing with “Oh Lord” there was a sense of confusion at how a main headliner could be done so soon. That being said, the set we did get was thoroughly pleasant and only further evidence that this band of weirdos are still the best in the psych game.
Best Relax and Reflect Set
The War On Drugs
Some bands just know how to touch your soft spot while simultaneously giving you enjoyment from the music itself. With six people onstage, War On Drugs frontman and singer Adam Granduciel took front in center, wearing a denim jacket and long hair that brought to mind Neil Young and an almost Dylan-like vocal delivery and style. Together the band crafted up-tempo soundscapes, providing a continuously complex and catchy groove to back up Granduciel’s heartfelt songs.
Best Candlelight Vigil
Sleepy Sun
Sleepy Sun vocalist Bret Constantino channels that unbridled passion with a strong touch of spirituality akin to past gyrating free spirits like Jim Morrison. The difference is that, unlike Morrison, Constantino and his band are not carried away in bloated hippie gimmicks. As he lit candles and placed them in a triangular formation around himself, Constantino writhed and sang in a vocal style reminiscent of Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon, who he coincidentally bears a physical resemblance to as well. As a whole Sleepy Sun’s set tapped into an element of Pink Floyd circa ‘Meddle’ yet showcased a band capable of carring themselves with their own bluesy swagger.
Best Melt Your Face Off
Earthless
Three guys. One Bass. One guitar. One set of drums. That’s all it took for Earthless to completely annihilate the tent stage and give metal-parched festival-goers a real taste of the good stuff. If you haven’t heard these SoCal shredders the easiest way to describe them is to simply call them a metal jam band. Forget whatever negative preconceptions you have about the term jam band, because what the three members of Earthless do consists of cranking out long – and I mean long – instrumental pieces that, while occasionally drifting off into an almost free form, jazz-influenced space, take you on a fierce rollercoaster of heavy riffing, deep, pulsating basslines, and a relentless barrage of skilled drum work. Headbanging ensued throughout the trio’s Sunday night set, and without ever uttering a lyric, Earthless won over an audience that would have surely let them play all night. Their set very well may have been the best set of music played all weekend.
