6 Must sees at Liverpool Psych Fest this weekend

There’s a whole load of weird, wonderful and immersive activity going on across the city this weekend, here’s our top picks.

When the word ‘psychedelic’ is used, you’d be forgiven for thinking of Lennon and the rest of the gang in their brightly coloured costumes, Grateful Dead fans swaying in a festival field or even just tie-dye. However, you’d be wrong and Liverpool Psych Fest 2017 is proving just how much this sub-culture has moved on.

The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia has been pulling up tress and pushing boundaries in The Baltic Triangle for years now and this years festivities, taking place this weekend, look top-notch. With so much to squeeze in to 2 days, we’ve lined up some of our top picks for a memorable weekend in the city.

Here’s 6 must sees at Liverpool Psych Fest 2017…..

1 – PZYK, Camp & Furnace

There’s plenty more otherworldly action to indulge in at this year’s festival aside from the bands. The 2017 edition brings us PZYK COLONY – a late-night, immersive 360° audio-visual realm, PZYK SKAN – an experimental AV environment playing host to large-scale audio-visual installations and PZYK PRYZM – three new virtual reality artworks commissioned especially for the festival. Sound intriguing? Just take a look at the pic to be really sucked in. This is the kind of thing that you’ll be reminiscing about in years to come, don’t miss it.

2 – PRYZM + CINEMA

PYZK PRYZM is an immersive area located in a standalone space in the upstairs gallery of Camp and Furnace. An experimental AV environment playing host to large scale audio-visual installations, a limited set of exclusive live performances and bespoke virtual reality zone. There is a daily programme to be announced for what is being shown in the PRYZM, but there are some planned performances that are peaking out interest. The big one that turned our heads is ‘Musings In Drone’ – Audint presents ‘A Century of Zombie Sounds’. The fusion of trance lighting with the familiar warehouse aesthetic makes for the perfect setting for this fascinatingly frightening show.

3 – Jane Weaver

Returning to the festival after a highly praised 2015 performance, dazzling psych doyen Jane Weaver brings her genre-melding cosmic pop back to Camp and Furnace this year. Combining synth-pop, acid folks, indie and dark, ambient drones reminiscent of Hollywood soundtracks, her sound is, all together, one sparkling melange of sound. Six solo albums have gained her critical, and cult, acclaim with her latest, Modern Kosmology, being released in May this year. Psych Fest patrons will be able to hear the albums latest material up close and in acid-frying beauty at PZYK 2017.

4 – Baltic Fleet

Playing in the area from which they take their name, local collective, Baltic Fleet is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and DIY producer, Paul Fleming. They are another who returns to the festival following the release of his sense-tingling third album, The Dear One. This ‘psych-tinged’ electronic soundscape underpinned by an insatiable motoric beat sweeps you up like a journey into the cosmos. Drawing inspiration from the likes of New Order, Talking Heads and Tangerine Dream, the record documents a musical imagination of the lives of characters from a diary discovered by Fleming. The story touches upon religion, life, loss and escapism, something that we cannot wait to see brought to the live arena.

5 – DJ Sets

It can be a little tough to keep the energy up at full, weekender festivals, especially when waiting for bands to change over or when you have nothing particular to see in that moment. However, the organisers of this year PYZK Fest have the remedy with their impressive roster of in-house DJs. Some will take to the turntables in between acts such as Bad Vibrations, Upitup and Bernie Connor, whilst others will wow crowds as part of the main event, namely Andy Votel, The Brother’s Grim and Steve Davis. These aren’t just any old DJs spinning the tunes to cover up the silence; these are handpicked to add to what is already a unique atmosphere.

6 – The Black Angels

The celestial mind expansion continues on Saturday with The Black Angels bringing things to a thrilling climax, headlining the second day. This year’s subsonic trip have reignited the psychedelic flame for the PZYK generation. The festival itself proclaims, “It is hard to imagine Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia existing as it does without The Black Angels. It is an honour to have them in our orbit.” Pretty impressive eh? So if you’re heading down to The Triangle this weekend, then this 5-piece are a must as they helped spawn the very event at which you stand.

Whether it’s in the trendy fusion of Indie, Grunge and Psychedelic Pop, or the trance inflected light shows and arty visuals seen in psychedelic cinema and live performance, there has definitely been a retro renaissance and Liverpool Psych Fest brings it to the masses!

To find out more head to www.liverpoolpsychfest.com or follow @LPoolPsychFest on Twitter for updates.

What have you loved most about Liverpool Psych Fest 2017? Tweet us your pics and reviews @TheGuideLpool or email us info@theguideliverpool.com and we’ll share the best on our socials.