The solo project of multi-instrumentalist Charles Prest of the cosmic carnival and live juggeranturs that is Flamingods, Noon Garden has dropped another fun-laden banger with Decca Divine.
The tropical rollercoaster odyssey that is Decca Divine by Noon Garden is a motley of sounds mixed to create a frenetic floor-filled delving between psychedelia, funk and disco. Fans of Flamingods as well as the likes of The Mauskovic Dance Band, Yin Yin, Los Bitchos, L’Eclair and all that good stuff of new outfits drawing influences from all across the world will be right at home here.
On the single itself, Noon Garden explains:
“Sonically this is the most I’ve ever drawn on my African heritage and love for African music. I was obsessed with Charly Kingson’s track ‘Nimele Bolo’ for a time which has such an infectious, repetitive bass line and groove that I wanted to explore something similar myself. Musicians like Nigerian funk master William Onyeabor influenced all the bright synth work and I even named the song after a popular recording studio in Lagos called Decca Studios where a lot of my favourite African artists like the Lijadu Sisters, Obenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade recorded albums. Lyrically it’s a celebration of ambition and determination and a call to exorcise one’s self-doubt”
Noon Garden has also announced details of a solo album set for release later in the year as well as announcing a show set for May 18 (which looks to already be sold out).
Hailing from Parma, Italy, comes Upupayāma. Psychedelia meets acid-folk, the sounds of Upupayāma is a trippy ride that’s sonic cuisine for the mind, body and soul.
Sharing the self-titled EP, Upupayāma, the psychedelic-folk soloist creates an enchanting psychedelic garden for the pastoral nomad. Fans of modern-day contemporaries Kikagaku Moyo as well as Ultimate Spinach, Country Joe and The Fish will be at home with this four-track psychedelic pilgrimage that falls through the feints sounds of forest -folk to the fuzzed out psychedelic-rock.
Listen to the incredible EP below and lose your mind during this heavy time that we all live in.
Yes, 2020 has been awful, but it has also seen a united music industry come together as one during this time of uncertainty, and the industry itself has shown once again, why it’s such a vital part of our lives with releasing such incredible pieces of art across the year. With that being said, let’s celebrate some of the finest albums this year has had to offer.
Also please note, whilst some albums nearer the top might be my favourites, I have omitted from putting them in numerical order in terms of ranking, as I’d rather this be a celebration of greatness and unity, as opposed to any form of competition. This list is purely to share the amazing output from so many artists and labels.
BANANAGUN – THE TRUE STORY OF BANANAGUN A cocktail of kaleidoscopic psychedelia meets Afrobeat inspired tropical rhymes to create the sound of summer paradise, Bananagun’s debut LP is one of the best things that has been released in a few years. If you haven’t listened yet, get on it right away.
ANGEL OLSEN – WHOLE NEW MESS The brilliant follow up to the spellbinding and modern-day masterpiece that is ‘All Mirrors’ – ‘A Whole New Mess’ is all about simplicity with Angel Olsen plus guitar and it truly cuts to the bone. I know this is Fuzzy Sun, but I’m sure the most ardent purveyors of noise could appreciate the beauty of this record.
KELLY LEE OWENS – INNERSONG One of the best live shows on the planet, Kelly Lee Owens’ sonic euphoria is encapsulated stunningly on record with the immense intergalactic fairy tale that is ‘Innersong’. The ethereal dreamy soundscapes of Kelly Lee Owens and vocals from a heavenly realm enthused with techno, UK bass and experimental is a spiritual odyssey and an accession into the heavenly plains.
WINTER – ENDLESS SPACE (BETWEEN YOU & I) Winter’s Endless Space (Between You & I) is like one gliding through a star system. Cosmic-psychedelic dream pop sounds for the late nights. If you’re a fan of Jacco Gardner, Crumb and Melody’s Echo Chamber, then this will be up your street.
PET GROTESQUE – FEMALE SYNTH PLAYER Pet Grotesque’s sophomore album is a cocktail of anthems for the late summer evenings scouting for wine bars on neon tinted streets, suited and booted. FFO Ariel Pink, Tame Impala, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and current Growlers.
Y BÜLBÜL – FEVER Fantastic debut album that came out of nowhere, delving between psychedelia and space-funk. Glorious stuff and an absolute must-listen/ purchase.
OSEES – PANTHER ROTATE It’s fair to say despite 2020 being a shambles, that OSees absolutely smashed it and this year might well belong to them. The last album of 2020 that they released was a bonkers, skittish krautrock and experimental-art-rock affair. What a year for the greatest band in the world.
MINT FIELD – SENTIMIENTO MUNDIAL Mint Field’s ‘Sentimiento Mundial’ is a fever dream for the shoegaze and psychedelia fan. Shimmering and reverb-drenched sounds that delves between drowsy and frenetic, ‘Sentimiento Mundial’ is perfect for those after a Spacemen 3 or MBV fix.
THE WANTS – CONTAINER Motorik post-punk meets krautrock for a beast of a sprawling and criminally underrated record from the immense New York natives and one of the most exciting bands on the planet, right now. Pulsating, electronic rhythms for the metropolitan underground nightclubs, ‘Container’ is a brilliantly addictive modern-day gem.
OSEES – METAMORPHOSED Yep, it’s OSees again! Blistering and frenzied psychedelic-space rock Metamorphosed, is a dizzying, brain-melter of an album. The fuzz- storm that is ‘Metamorphosed’ is OSees at their most wildest. What a year for the band…
SAULT – UNTITLED (BLACK IS) One of the most universally loved albums of 2020, and for very good reason. Afrobeat, funk, psychedelia, electronica, soul and everything else in between, ‘Untitled (Black Is)’ is a wonderful tapestry of sensational sonic sounds and deserves all the plaudits.
MONG TONG – MYSTERY Released via Kikagaku Moyo’s Guruguru Brain label, Mong Tong’s mystery is a psychedelic journey delving into funk-laden goodness. Combining the throwback sounds of the sixties with what feels like at times, 90’s retro games, ‘Mystery’ is utterly splendid.
SLIFT – UMMON Released via the ever-great Bristol label Stolen Body Records, Slift’s Ummon is OSees and King Gizzard rolled into one bit fat cauldron, and the stew is laced with steroids and acid. An absolute beast of a record delving into cataclysmic psychedelic-rock and space-rock sounds from the darkest regions of the universe.
SONG SUNG – THE ASCENSION IS OURS A criminally underrated album, Song Sung’s ‘The Ascension is Ours’ is gothic-tinged, woozy electronic-dream pop meets shoegaze. Breathtakingly atmospheric, Song Sung delivered with an album perfect for the late-night walks in the rain-soaked streets.
AK/DK – SHARED PARTICLES One of the finest live bands you can ever witness, the mind-boggling synth/drum duo, AK/DK returned with ‘Shared Particles’. Glitchy- frenetic, pulsing krautrock and space-sounds, ‘Shared Particles’ is a stunner. If you’re into the bombastic sounds of Snapped Ankles, then this will be one of your new favourite records.
ALEX MAAS – LUCA The Black Angels front person recently released their debut solo album and it was glorious. The shamanic, spell-binding brooding psychedelia that the Texan psych royalty are known for was left at the door, and Maas instead delved into the more whimsical. ‘Luca’ is less Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, and more Syd Barrett ‘Madcap Laughs’ and also evoking the soft-psych sounds of Country Joe & The Fish. Great stuff once again.
JULIÁN MAYORGA – CUANDO TENGO FIEBRE VEO LA CABEZA DE UN LEOPARDO MAGNÍFICO Julián Mayorga’s ‘Cuando tengo fiebre veo la cabeza de un leopardo magnífico’ is a super fun album of glitchy-sci-fi funk-laden cumbia. If you’re a fan of Meridian Brothers or The Mauskovic Dance Band, you’ll love this.
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD – K.G Psych royalty King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard returned with their sixteenth studio. Delving across multiple genres, K.G is one of their more radical releases delving from 80’s pop-funk meets Eastern Disco, acoustic, Western-tinged to their signature sounding fuzz. Possibly the best studio record from King Gizz since their Mild High Club collab and that is of course saying something. This is another special one from the lords of modern-day psychedelia.
MERIDIAN BROTHERS – CUMBIA SIGLO XXL Meridian Brothers ’Cumbia Siglo xxl’ is another glorious slice of their futuristic sci-fi psychedelic-cumbia that sounds like a UFO from the realm of Super Nintendo has crash landed in South America. Stupidly fun. Stupidly good.
OSEES – LIVE AT LEVITATION It’s the greatest live band (and band in general) in the world (maybe of all time?) playing live and putting it on record? I’m not really sure what more can really be said? Anything more and we’re just wasting your time, and mine.
OSEES – PROTEIN THREAT ‘Protein Threat’ is an assault of prog, psychedelia and art-rock. No band should be able to make as much great music as OSees, especially in one single year, but OSees can and that’s why actually, I am going to just say it, OSees are indeed the greatest band to ever walk this planet. Ever. Probably forever.
NICK CAVE – IDIOT PRAYER (NICK CAVE ALONE AT ALEXANDRA PALACE) Watching the Nick Cave stream via Dice was pretty wonderful. One man and a piano shouldn’t be something that rips through space time, yet the whole thing went by at lightspeed despite going well over the hour mark. The live album captures the beauty of a living god at their most vulnerable, and brilliantly encapsulates the isolation of a world in Covid-19. A truly stunning live record that showcases the sheer loneliness of just Nick Cave in an enormous venue.
PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS – VISCERALS The realms of another dimension are ripped open with Pigs x7 ‘Viscerals’. Perfect for these times of anger-inducing lockdown staring at walls, Lemmy-esque vocals howl across doom-laden riffs for a psychedelic-cyclone that sounds like a frenzied shackled colossal beast ripped from the depths of hell.
LEAH SENIOR – THE PASSING SCENE ‘The Passing Scene’ released via Flightless is a magic-bus ride through a summer-soaked enchanted garden. Baroque pop stylings of Margo Guryan mixed with Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’, ‘The Passing Scene’ from Leah Senior is so joyous.
ADRIANNE LENKER – SONGS Stunning folk sounds for Sunday autumnal walks wandering through a rustic-tinted forest woodland, where one trudges through pools of leaves that flood the trail and crackle under the feet. Gentle and serene, it’s an album that could likely cure a hangover in itself.
VINYL WILLIAMS – AZURE Released via Requiem Pour Un Twister, Vinyl Williams’ ‘Azure’ is gorgeous psychedelia meets glorious sunshine-pop, perfect for when the sun is back out to play. If you’re into Jacco Gardner or Morgan Delt, this splendid spiralling sonic joy-ride is well worth your time.
SAULT UNTITLED (RISE) When people look back at 2020 purely on its musical output, Sault will be at the forefront of the conversation. Releasing not just one, but two gems that will be remembered fondly, the super mysterious Sault have absolutely smashed it this year, and with Untitled (Rise), they’ve created a modern-day masterpiece that delves across multiple genres.
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD – CHUNKY SHRAPNEL Whilst 2020 has been devastating for the live industry itself, it has seen a lot of incredible live albums be released. King Gizzard answered lots of prayers with ‘Chunk Shrapnel’ showcasing why the band are one of the live bands this universe has ever known with live recordings taken from their 2019 tour across Europe.
TROPA MAGICA – TRIPIANDO AL INFINITO EN MI RECÁMARA Los Angeles’ Tropa Magica are here for sun-soaked good times where parties cycle from day-to-night, and with ‘Tripiando al Infinito en Mi Recámara’, they have delivered with an exotic cocktail for the spirit fuelled evenings with their psychedelic-cumbia sounds. If you’re a fan of The Growlers in their more ‘Beach Rats’ days with their more Latin-infused sounds for the chilled out parties on the beach, then this is for you.
PSYCHOTIC MONKS – PRIVATE MEETING FIRST Released via Fat Cat Records, home to Traams, The Psychotic Monks’ ‘Private Meeting First’ is a gut-punching sonic-assault of Girl Band meets A Place To Bury Strangers, visceral and cacophonic post-punk and noise.
SONIC BOOM – ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL Peter Kember of the legendary Spacemen 3 returned in 2020 with the space-rock odyssey that is ‘All Things Being Equal’ and absolutely did not disappoint. A truly beautiful record that sounds as if peace-loving aliens from another galaxy are trying to communicate with us.
YORE – YORE S/T A late to the party entry, Yore aka Callum Brown released his solo album in December featuring an array of UK based musicians and gloriously delves into shoegaze, dreampop and psychedelia. Dreamy goodness.
NADINE SHAH – KITCHEN SINK Nadine Shah returned to fine form with ‘Kitchen Sink’ a splendid cocktail of gothic-rock and barbed post-punk. Some parts being Nick Cave meets fellow PJ Harvey, ‘Kitchen Sink’ is another marvel from the sensational north-east based artist.
OOIOO – NIJIMUSI Jarring, barbed, utterly frantic and truly intense, ‘Nijimusi’ is explosive glitch-coated noise-experimental, avant-garde rock melded into frenzied jazz. Very rare does chaos sound so good, but the insanely talented OOIOO have managed it with this brilliantly bonkers record.
LANDSHAPES – CONTACT Stunning ethereal art-pop delving into psychedelia, Landshapes ‘Contact’ is a truly fun listen, where you have no real idea where each track is going next, and that of course is always a good thing.
The second wave of psychedelia from Australia apparently shows no signs of letting up with Bananagun, Lazy Eyes, BADGERS, Sunfruits, Dear Doonan, Kimono Drag Queens, Sons of Zoku, Luke Spook and Leah Senior being just a small handful of names that have released some incredible material this year. The latest up to bat and ready to smash it for 6 is new Sydney outfit PEEL.
Released via one of the finest labels at the moment, Third Eye Stimuli, PEEL have unleashed the video to ‘Memory Loop’ paying homage to the 90’s VHS aesthetic.
Musically ‘Memory Loop’ is epic sounding shoegaze akin to Ride and Jesus & The Mary Chain with the distorted sounds of Place to Bury Strangers and Spacemen 3 with almost a hint of modern-day psych gods OSees and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. It’s glorious, reverberated wall-of-noise that will make your eyes pop out.
Today Y Bülbül has shared the video of ‘Heath’ taken off of his debut album ‘Fever’ which is also out today.
The Turkish-born, London-based musician and producer creates a kaleidoscopic cocktail of psychedelia and avant-garde pop sounds and with the trippy and delicate sounds of ‘Heath’, that’s like a funked-out, jazz-tinged Brian Jonestown Massacre, Y Bülbül has created something so perfect for these times of lockdown. Gorgeous and sprawling, ‘Heath’ takes one back to the summer fields and gardens that already seems so-long ago.
The album itself is a wonderful cosmic journey of psychedelia, avant-garde and glitchy, sci-fi pop sounds and is one of the finest albums of 2020. You can purchase the album here and also check ‘Heath’ below.
Mdou Moctar’s backstory is almost unreal and is one for Hollywood itself. The prodigious Tuareg guitar wizard and songwriter based in Agadez, Niger came from a strict religious family, where becoming a musician was not something that would be welcome news. Not to be discouraged at all by the set-back, Mdou Moctar instead built his own guitar with wood and old bike wires. In turn Mdou Moctar taught himself in secrecy; eventually reaching an audience by playing weddings. The outcome in the end? Mdou Moctar has become one of the fiercest and most talented guitarists on the planet and has found himself signed to the esteemed Matador Records.
Sharing the newest single from the ahead of a full LP on Matador, Chismiten” from the prolific Mdou Moctar is shred-laden psychedelic and desert-blues-rock sorcery for the mind to get lost. It’s absolute exquisite stuff.
If you haven’t listened to Mdou Moctar before, then get on that on right now and watched the glorious video as it’s magical stuff. Mdou Moctar is on “I bless the punk and psych down in Africa” too.
2020 has been quite the nightmare, but the return of one of the finest bands in the U.K being TRAAMS is at least one positive to take from this year.
The trio returned recently after a 4 year hiatus with the magnificent 10-minute marathon ‘The Greyhound’ and have since followed swiftly with the release of ‘Intercontinental Radio Waves’ out now on Fat Cat Records. Recorded by Theo Verney of Brighton post-punk outfit Public Body, TRAAMS’ newest offering ‘Intercontinental Radio Waves’ is scuzzy, shamanic post-punk perfection.
$hit & $hine’s on the ever incredible Rocket Recordings have just dropped ‘Devil’s Backbone’ a mind-altering cacophonous chasm taken off of the forthcoming album ‘Malibu Liquor Store’ set for release October 9.
‘Devil’s Backbone’ is like drinking a cocktail of Les Rallizes Dénudés & Place to Bury Strangers whilst being strapped into a rocket and fired into the furthest regions of space itself at lightspeed. Murky acid-like electronica delving into noise and space-rock, ‘Devil’s Backbone’ sounds it’s constructed by a beastly colossus from another dimension.
Absolutely glorious and exhilarating stuff from $hit & $hine, be sure to pre-order the album here as it’s going to be a good one for sure.
Anyway, I’m off for a run as I feel I need to do something with this nervous energy after listening to this maniacal banger…
Mint Field have been dropping a number of ethereal, cacophonous stunning gems in the run up to their second album ‘Sentimiento Mundial’ out 25 September via Felpe records and the Mexico City based duo have just released another great new single with ‘Aterrizar’.
A chunk of frothy shoegaze stew with faint touches of psychedelia, ‘Aterrizar’ – actually recorded in London, is a dreamy ballad that mollifies the current anxiety-fuelled environment that we’re currently living in with its sonic escapism.
Be sure to check out the single below ahead of the album which looks to be an album of the year contender.
It’s been a long four years since Chichester’s finest ever export Traams (Stuart Hopkins – vocals & guitar, Leigh Padley – bass & Adam Stock – drums) have released any music. Since the trio’s ‘House on Fire’ that was released near the tail end of 2016, the world has started to fall apart and thus, there is probably a good argument to be made that one of the finest bands from the UK were in fact holding it all together.
The outfit though after quite sometime, and to much delight have returned with ‘The Greyhound’. Produced and mixed by Public Body maestro Theo Verney, Traams have returned with a glorious cacophonous near-10 minute odyssey. Cataclysmic pulsating krautrock with explosive post-punk, the trio have returned with a hypnotic yet adrenaline fuelled riot that also features Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road on saxophone duties.
The sound of anxiety during this claustrophobic lock down, Traams like their contemporaries Girl Band, black midi and the aforementioned Black Country, New Road have created a whirling labyrinth of gloriously visceral sounds.
Check out the video the ‘The Greyhound’ right now and let’s hope we don’t have to wait so long for new material next time…
English 60’s psychedelic revivalists, The Hanging Stars have just dropped the video to ‘I Woke Up In July’ from their ‘A New Kind Of Sky’ album that was released back in February. A luminous, shamanic pastoral piece of psychedelic-rock, that somewhat evokes the more American side of 60’s psychedelia akin to The Byrds, Kaleidoscope and Ultimate Spinach, ‘I Woke Up In July’ transcends space and time and brings the hippy-freak-out era to the modern day.
The video to ‘I Woke Up In July’ comes from Innerstrings who are famous for their mind-blowing psychedelic light-show carnival at the likes of Liverpool Psych Fest, Lewes Psych Festival, Portsmouth Psych Festival and countless other festivals and events.
Listen to and watch the video to ‘I Woke Up In July’ below for just under 5 minutes of psychoactive, sonic-euphoria.
We’ve featured Tropa Magica before on Fuzzy Sun. If you’re not aware of Tropa Magica though, the outfit is based in Los Angeles and features former members of Thee Commons, who reformed as Tropa Magica to create their signature psychedelic cumbia garage-punk sound and are proving to be one of the most fun bands standing on this planet.
With the instruments being recorded at Boyle Heights at “Total Annihilation” studios engineered by Eddie Rivas and vocals, pianos and percussions being recorded and mixed at “The Shelter Studios” by Cesar Mejia in East Los Angeles, Tropa Magica’s latest offering Chalino y Sus 7 Balazos’ is another dose of their frenzied psychedelic cumbia punk sound with hints of surf-rock. Serving up another party slammer perfect for smashing spirits and having a mad one at a sweat-soaked late night beach party, ‘Chalino y Sus 7 Balazos’ is a sweltering, skittish ripper.
With the likes of Tropa Magica, Los Bitchos and The Mauskovic Dance Band, it seems a new-wave of cumbia is spreading across our shores and that is nothing but a glorious thing.
Anyway get involved below and jump on the Tropa Magica party train.
We’re up to part 8 of this series already with the likes of Los Bitchos, Oh Sees, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Altin Gun, Kikagaku Moyo, Dungen, Wand, The Black Angels, Mdou Moctar, Flamingods, The Black Lips and many others all gracing our previous seven ’16 Live Set To Watch During Isolation’ features. So as a testament to the endless chasm of sensational musical talent that enrich our lovely little planet, here’s another 16 live sets that you need to check out during these times of lockdown.
HABIBI
Habibi take elements of middle eastern soundscapes and incorporate western psychedelia to create a wonderful tapestry of sounds that are perfect for the mind, body and spirit. Absolutely brilliant stuff.
LA LUZ
The incredible La Luz make sun-bleached surf-rock perfect for fun times drinking cans by the beach on warm summer days. You can almost taste the sea air and hear the seagulls swirling around above looking to nick your chips.
THE COMET IS COMING
Striding between jazz, psychedelia, dub, funk and underground UK bass sounds, The Comet is Coming are one of the most exciting bands in the U.K right now. Check out their Boiler Room set below.
DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK
Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek make dancebale Turkish psychedelic-folk music akin to the legendary Barış Manço and Selda Bağcan that’s perfect for the soul. If you ever get a chance to see said band then do so as they’re a wonderful experience.
BANANAGUN
The lockdown isolation live shows regardless of sound or visual quality have been great in these times of quarantine and closure of live venues and pubs helping fill the void of live music. One act with an absolutely ripper of an isolation live set is Nick van Bakel’s from Australian psychedelic outfit Bananagun for Button Pusher.
TINARAWEN
Forming in 1979, Tinariwen hypnotic desert blues and psychedelic-rock is some of the most joyous sounds a human being can hear. Watch their glorious live show below.
SUNWATCHERS
Signed to one of the mightiest record labels on the planet, Brooklyn’s mutant free- jazz, garage-punk war machine Sunwatchers are one of the most thrilling acts around.
GRINDERMAN
One of the multiple projects from the living god that is Nick Cave, Grinderman are (or possibly sadly were) frenzied cacophonous beasts delving between noise-rock, violent garage-rock and doom-laden psychedelia. Nick Cave has reportedly hinted that a third album could be coming, so here’s hoping for that soon.
KHURANGBIN
Texan trio Khruangbin’s spell-binding psychedelic-funk is a cocktail of sounds from across the globe. A soundtrack for the sunset paradise to the sweltering late nights, lose yourself in these times of lockdown to the beguiling rhythms of Khruangbin.
MERIDIAN BROTHERS
If The Clangers crash landed in South America, you’d get Bogota’s Meridian Brothers. A cosmic sci-fi tropical psychedelic toaster, Meridian Brothers are one of the most interesting bands standing in our solar system today.
WOODEN SHJIPS
Delve into the heady-psychedelic space-rock chamber of Wooden Shjips. Like a melting-pot of psychedelic royalty such as Hawkwind, early Pink Floyd, Fifty Foot Hose, The 13th Floor Elevators, etc, etc with elements of Neu! And Can, Wooden Shjips are one of the most mind-melting bands in existence.
TAMIKREST
The exceptional Tureg outfit delve heavily into desert blues and psychedelia that mix traditional African music with Western sounds. Lose yourselves to the groove-laden sounds from Tamikrest.
THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE
The nebulous, pearly magic bus voyage of The Holydrug Couple is a commute across the astral plane. The Chilean psychedelic-pop outfit may well actually be the soundtrack to dopamine itself.
AMEN DUNES
Striding between psychedelic-folk and cosmic space-rock akin to some of Moon Duo’s work, Amen Dunes is sonic nirvana.
MORGAN DELT
Unadulterated sun-baked, fluorescent, psychedelia, step through the archway of the enchanted garden that is Morgan Delt and let yourself float through their garden forest landscape.
SONGHOY BLUES
The Malian desert blues meets psychedelic maestros, Songhoy Blues are perfect listening for these times of isolation. Watch their Primavera Set below.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Honourable mention also go to Yin Yin who we featured before hand in this series, but KEXP have very recently released their killer set from back in December during Trans Musicales 2019 so have a watch of that too. There’s also the incredible ‘Live At The Windmill’ compilation featuring black midi, Black Country, New Road, Rosie Alena, Fontaines D.C, Shame and many others that is worthy of your time that helps support the wonderful venue itself.
Situated in Brixton, The Windmill is one of the most important buildings in the United Kingdom right now. The flat-roofed pub has become a melting-pot of new music, and has become the heart of the flourishing U.K music scene.
Fat White Family, Goat Girl, Shame, Black Country, New Road, HMLTD, etc, etc, The Windmill has become as synonymous as any label out there with bands emerging from inside its beautifully painted walls – and the bands themselves have become synonymous for being ‘Windmill bands’. What that means though is that from day dot, Windmill curator Tim Perry has championed these acts, bringing them back time after time when possible, and when other promoters may not book them, and many of these acts have in turn have continued to fiercely support and fight for their spiritual home. A ‘Windmill band’ is more than a media tagline – it’s an identity, a badge of honour that any act should rightfully be proud to wear.
It’s hard to put into words the spirit of The Windmill, but the recent release of Will Hodgkinson’s excellent ‘Roof Dog: A Short Story Of The Windmill’ available on Rough Trade Books, brilliantly captures the essence of the wonderful venue and is well worth a read in this period of quarantine.
Like all venues though in these uncertain times, The Windmill – a national landmark, an absolute must-visit should you ever find yourself holidaying in London, is sadly currently facing the impending threat of its doors being shut for good due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Due to the period of uncertainty, The Windmill have released an incredible ‘Live At The Windmill’ compilation with an incredible, eclectic array of some of the most exciting acts around at the moment.
Black midi, Black Country, New Road (as well as black midi, New Road where both bands come together), Shame, Goat Girl, Meatraffle, Rosie Alena, Fontaines D.C, PVA and more join the compilation that’s only £5.00 and where all proceeds go towards keeping the venues’ doors open as well as Brixton Soup Kitchen.
Get involved if you can, and help both this iconic institution stay open as well as Brixton Soup Kitchen, whilst also treating yourself to one of the best live compilations you’re likely to hear for a while.
This Saturday being May 2, one of the most cosmic days in the UK music calendar being Psyched Fest (formerly known as Portsmouth Psych Fest) was due to take place, but due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and a lockdown of all pubs and venues, sadly had to be cancelled. Instead the festival will now be online with live sets streamed via social media to ensure that fun-times are still had.
Previous editions of Psyched Fest have included the likes of Bo Ningen (photo featured in the header image taken by 16 Beasley St), Flamingods, The KVB, Los Bitchos, Black Country, New Road, black midi, Melt Dunes, Madonnatron, Drug Store Romeos, Thee MVPs, Nice Biscuit, The Wytches, Snapped Ankles, Mystic Peach, Yak, Sleep Eaters and many more.
The 2020 edition was also looking like an interstellar line-up once again with Warmduscher, PVA, Silverbacks, bdrmm, Norman, Yowl, Rosie Alena, Home Counties, Lumer, London’s new exciting psychedelic meets cumbia outfit Platypus Complex and many more incredible acts all due to play this years edition across multiple venues on the south-coast, seaside city of Portsmouth.
Playing the online session from 5pm (BST) via Portsmouth Psych Fest’ Facebook page which you can watch here include; grunge noisemakers Lumer, the visceral rave-laden post punk-disco outfit PVA, the incredible Nuha Ruby Ra, psychedelic-folk artist Rosie Alena who’s debut single featured members of black midi, Portsmouth folk soloist Megan Linford and more TBC.
Portsmouth Psych Fest are also raising money for Music Venue Trust #saveourvenues campaign that recently launched to ensure the survival of live music venues across the U.K during this period of lockdown.
You can check out the 2020, 2019 and 2018 Psyched Fest playlists below:
Australia is on one at the moment, exporting some of the finest psychedelic bands standing on the planet right now. Another new outfit from the scorching hot-bed of cosmic sounds is the excellently named quintet Bananagun who hail from Melbourne.
Whilst concurrently announcing the band’s debut album ‘The True Story of Bananagun’ out June 26 this year, Bananagun have shared their latest single ‘People Talk Too Much’ via Full Time Hobby. Sun-soaked psychedelic sounds mixed with Southern American tropical sounds, ‘People Talk Too Much’ is balmy brilliance that delves between the Babe Rainbow-esque hippy-freakout with Os Mutantes and Fela Kuti.
If you need a soundtrack for these sweltering times and want to feel like you’re back by the beach, then give it a listen below as if Bananagun’s output is anything to go by, their debut album looks like it could already be an album of the year contender.
If you thought we were done in our series of live sets, then you were wrong. Following up with part 6, previous entries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) of our live sets to check out during isolation featured Oh Sees, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Kikagaku Moyo, The Black Angels, Bo Ningen, Los Bitchos, Tame Impala, Dungen, Wand, Ty Segall, Pigs x 7, Girl Band, Flamingods, Fat White Family, Black Lips, Moon Duo, black midi and loads more.
Part 6 carries on with another 16 incredible bands to watch during these times of isolation where global lockdown has led to the indefinite closure of live venues and festivals for the foreseeable future.
Once again, go and get out your drink of choice, get some snacks, maybe get a Whats App or Zoom watching party going with like-minded friends and family, and check out another list of live sets that you need to watch if you’re missing live music.
L’ECLAIR
Touching on psychedelia, funk, dub, disco, the groove-laden Swiss outfit L’Eclair sonic soundscapes would fit right at home from those with an appetite for all things psychedelic to the likes of Giles Peterson’s and Benji B’s late night shows.
PREOCCUPATIONS
Brooding and pummeling post-punk coiled with monstrous noise, Preoccupations are relentless and visceral. Check out the roaring outfit below.
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
It’s Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. What more can be said that hasn’t already been said about the living legend? Witness the godly figure playing the festival of gods itself being Glastonbury.
THE OCTOPUS PROJECT
The Octopus Project are a multi-layered, kaleidoscopic circus cyclone. A pool of psychedelia, krautrock, glitch-filled electronica and experimental art-rock, the Austin outfit are from another world. Get your head in the psychedelic microwave that is The Octopus Project’s live show right now….
FEVER THE GHOST
Fever The Ghost are an eccentrically brilliant psychedelic-pop roller coaster. Mind-bending sounds akin to MGMT and The Flaming Lips who released one of 2015’s finest albums and are currently teasing a long-awaited return.
VANISHING TWIN
Releasing one of the finest albums of 2019 with ‘The Age Of Immunology’, London’s otherworldly Vanishing Twin meld psychedelia, ambient, electronica, minimalist jazz, krautrock, experimental space-pop to create a wonderful soundtrack from another realm.
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD
Jazz, post-punk, avant-garde, classic and krautrock, the cerebral sonic assault of one of the most important bands in the U.K right now, Black Country, New Road is a tumultuous racket. Watch their set from one of the U.K’s finest cultural institutions that is The Windmill below:
THE FLAMING LIPS
The most flamboyant, kaleidoscopic, colour-drenched labyrinth of a live show that is nothing but joyous, The Flaming Lips’ truly are a spectacle that need to be on every music fans must-see bucket list. .
VIEUX FARKA TOURE
Son of the Grammy award-winning musician, Ali Farka Touré, Vieux Farka Touré is an incredible Malian singer and guitarist. Delving between blues and folk, Vieux Farka Touré’s sounds are wonderfully heartwarming. Sonic bliss…
DAMO SUZUKI & POND
Pond going krautrock with Tame Impala maestro Kevin Parker on the drums with the legendary Can frontman Damo Suzuki on vocals. It’s sonic surrealism.
TRIPTIDES
Triptides beautifully evoke sixties psychedelic-rock like fellow contemporary outfits Allah Las and Levitation Room. Let yourself drift through the cosmos with the stunning psychedelic haze of Triptides.
LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD
Hailing from the Tuareg region of the Sahara in western Niger, come Les Filles De Illighadad who delve into roots-folk and desert rock feature Fatou Seidi Ghali is the first woman from the region to play guitar professionally. Witness Les Filles De Illighadad’s remarkable live show below.
SUNFRUITS
Hailing from Melbourne, the psychedelic cosmonauts Sunfruits are joyous. Akin to Babe Rainbow and Nice Biscuit, Sunfruits dazzle with their sun-kissed, psychedelic-pop sounds.
MGMT
The electronic-tinged, acid-laden rainbow ride of MGMT is a glorious exploration traversing through multiple dimensions.
SLOWDIVE
There’s something so emotionally raw about celestial shoegazers Slowdive. Cinematic-ally sensational, there’s nothing like standing there and letting the legendary ethereal outfit pilot you through the cosmos for an hour plus.
AMYL & THE SNIFFERS
An absolute punk riot, Amyl and The Sniffers are a relentless, rawkus outfit signed to King Gizz’s own Flightless. Super-charged, rawkus rock n roll at its best.
So once again, there’s another 16 live sets to check out in our on-going series of live sets to watching during isolation.
Hailing from the land locked area of Birmingham come one of the finest scuzzed-out garage rock outfits in the U.K right now being Table Scraps with ‘I Wanna Stay Home With You’ out on the legendary Californian label Burger Records.
Self-produced under the times of quarantine, and with a video featuring countless cameos, ‘I Wanna Stay Home With You’ is a spectacular raw, snotty garage rock meets surf-punk shred-laden party starter.
The delightfully, disheveled garage rock n roll sounds are reminiscent of early Ty Segall, Reatards, Jacuzzi Boys, King Tuff, Tijuana Panthers and all that good stuff so Table Scraps fit perfectly on the seminal Burger Records.
Hailing from the sunny south-coast city of Brighton come gloom-laden, post-punk quartet Public Body (Seb Gilmore – Guitar and Vocals / Theo Verney – Guitar / Joe Stevens – Bass / Thom Mills – Drums) with ‘Naughty On My Bike’. ‘Naughty On My Bike’ is skittish, barbed and pulsating post-punk that also almost weaves into the boundaries of krautrock.
On the single itself that ridicules the ever-abhorrent British public transport system that is always increasing in price, guitarist Theo Verney explains:
“It’s a song dedicated to the humble bicycle. Naughty On My Bike openly criticises the public transport system as being over priced and sluggish. Walking, being the green option, is slower still. In cycling we find balance between speed and convenience.”
If the output so far from the Brightonians proves anything already, it’s not just the capital producing some of the finest post-punk bands in the U.K at the moment.
Listen to ‘Naughty on My Bike’ below and be sure to keep the new noisemakers on your radar.
Hailing from Sydney come psychedelic-pop outfit, The Lazy Eyes who have shared ‘Tangerine’ a summer, sun-kissed scorcher. A kaleidoscopic, otherworldly celestial stunner akin to Tame Impala’s earliest material meets Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, ‘Tangerine’ from the cosmic quartet is nearly 3 minutes of euphoric, sweltering psychedelia.
The follow up to their debut Beatles meets Beach Boys esque ‘Cheesy Long Song’ can be streamed via Spotify, and you can also check out the video to the sweet, psych-glistened single below. Get involved and jump on the marvelous magic carpet ride that is The Lazy Eyes…
Fuzzy Sun 