Lisbon Psych Fest – Words by Leanne Crowley
Lisbon Psych Fest is back for its second installment, with proceedings commencing on 14 April 2016. The festival itself will take place at Teatro do Bairro, a gig venue housed in a former printing press in the heart of the Bairro Alto district.
The festival made its debut in 2015 and saw the bringing together of acts such as The Vacant Lots, Dreamweapon, Desert Mountain Tribe and Black Market Karma. Now with such a weighty introduction, the 2016 version has a lot to live up to and by looking at the line up I don’t think its likely disappoint.
There is a warm up event on the Thursday evening for those in the city early enough with no less an act than Jacco Gardner. The Dutchman went down a storm at Eindhoven Psych Lab and Liverpool Psych Fest last year and is a nice bonus to the event.
Day One looks set to offer a heady cocktail of the unknown, such as Sun Blossoms and Chui Wan, alongside those who need no introduction – The Underground Youth and 10 000 Russos. The inclusion of Chileans Chicos de Nazca is most welcome and they are the most anticipated band of the day, purely based on the fact they do not grace European shores very often.
The Underground Youth having recently relocated to Berlin are always a pleasure to experience live and having seen them recently both in London and Manchester, they are certain to entertain and it will be interesting to see how they are received by a European audience. Their LP Mademoiselle has recently been released on vinyl by Fuzz Club Records. Porto lads 10 000 Russos are sure to go down a storm and are another band who have got better and better every time I have seen them recently.
Day Two offers an equally interesting mix with big names such as Irish band The Altered Hours and local enigmas Gnod. TAU are an intriguing addition with their blend of shamanistic chanting and then there is a step into the less known with Alek Rein and Twin Transistors.
Gnod can be described as nothing less than an intense experience and with their new album Mirror out on 01 April, they are hotly anticipated and it will be interesting to see which direction the band have taken now in their ever-changing soundscape. TAU burst on to the scene last year with their debut EP Wirikuta which was so refreshing and unique to this scene that it took most people by surprise. They played to a full room at Liverpool Psych Fest in September last year and so I am keen to enjoy their sound live once more.
Overall, a varied and intriguing line-up with lots of possibilities to discover new sounds and experiences, as well as enough of the familiar to draw the fans close.
