Psych Fest Recap 2011: Part 2

The Seaholm Power Plant played host to psych, prog, indie and noise for three days, we were on hand for two of the three, picking out the best for the ATH faithful. The main stage centering the cavernous interior offered several interesting viewing angles due to the fenced off holes in the floor to the level below. Lighting throughout accentuated the scale of the interior and depth of the catacombs. Stage two was a smaller space set off to the side that remained at human body. Hit the jump for part two of the band summaries and pictures from the festival.

Beaches – My soundtrack to pulling the camera out, mostly female group out of Melbourne, Australia. Mostly instrumental with a solid sound, check out their stuff at their bandcamp page where you can listen to the Eternal Sphere EP.

At this point, I milled about for a bit, taking more pics of Seaholm and the growing crowd. Such a cool place to be, but it was quickly becoming a sauna.  I popped into stage two, packed, hot. Pontiak.

Black Ryder – They were next up on the big stage. A promo guy mentioned they were at a crossroads of The Cult and well, every other band here that flirts with Electro. A duo born of the Morning After Girls, hailing from Sydney, have worked with members of BRMC and Brian Jonestown Massacre. “Gone Without Feeling” had me. Loved this track.

White Hills – Another power trio, but with cool eye makeup. Stage Two was jammed. Pretty sure I walked in on “Radiate”.
More milling about…

Sleepy Sun – They had evening to night transition set duty. Suiting name, the laid back garage rock perfectly paired with the time and crowd mood. The big epic song “Marina”, later identified by recording a bit for post show playback, was the stand out.

Fresh and Onlys – They came to stage as the trio, but were joined mid set by members of Crocodiles’ touring band to eventually get to five piece status. I love the track “Waterfall”. Naturally, I enjoyed it the most. “Summer of Love” was also a stand out. I don’t recall them playing the new track available for download here. I may have been in photog fog.

Crocodiles – It was a pretty quick change out on stage considering a portion of the band was already set up. This was a highlight performance for me. “Sleep Forever” has been a mainstay on the Favorites Playlist off and on since it was released. I remember “Billy Speed” sticking in my head. Dynamic performance out of front man Brandon Welchez in his best mod wares, Misfits t-shirt and all. I enjoyed the set and I am a broader fan of the band now. Time to go back and relisten to a few albums/EPs…

Prefuse 73 – They were the harsh transition gearing up for Black Moth Super Rainbow. The stage version of Scott Herren’s alias was two guys and their laptops and samplers. Bit of an affected electro scat going on under the beats and noise.

Soft Moon – Lighting on Stage Two blow up an hour ago, now limited to a projector and a few occasional strobes. It suited the Soft Moon just fine. “Circles” was simply bad ass. They had separation from other similar acts at the fest. It was just better. A few affected yelps from lead vocals, but perfect anger in synth sawtooth, familiar, yet new again.

Black Moth Super Rainbow – They had fans. Vocal tests from Tom Fec (aka Tobacco) brought cheers. As the short bursts of Vocoder vocals hit, The Seven Fields of Aphelion does her work on the Rhodes piano (google her photography, pretty cool stuff). “Born on the Day the Sun Didn’t Rise”, “Melt Me” and “Sun Lips” were the highlights for me. Crowd was nuts, I got some cool shots from the side of the stage. I’m toast.

Thanks to Psych Fest, couple of glitches early, but there were few lines for beer, plenty of local vendors, lots of helpful staff, couches, fans, water. Nicely done…