CARDIFF PSYCH & NOISE FEST
Womanby Street, Cardiff, Fri 24-Sun 26 May
Kind of sneaking up on us this May bank holiday is the Psych & Noise Fest: 60+ acts funnelling down Cardiff’s Womanby Street and into Clwb Ifor Bach, The Moon and Tiny Rebel. In the past, the fest has been a lovely opportunity to dredge up as much alternative and cart it into town as can be, with enough unknowns about for each band to be potentially Psychy-er and Noisier than the next.
You’ll appreciate the type: somewhere at the intersection of heavy and indie, and with all the shades in between. Big kickdrum sounds, free distorted guitar sections, and syrupy synth sounds are the house specials. The event has been known to unearth some leftfield screamers before, and always come with at least a few familiar names attached for those looking for guarantees in their ticket prices. For nervous nellies, the festival opens on Fri 24 with a free welcome party in The Moon for subtle reconnaissance.
For others though, the intimidating act list is a chance to update some of their stagnant playlists. Teeth Of The Sea swerve wildly between glitch-tech and Swans territory (more so than other modern noise acts, anyway), Bruxa Maria take the term ‘hardcore punk’ as some sort of personal challenge, Coventry-based artist Vieon channels Giorgio Moroder with some post-rock edges, and Haiku Salut make nice twinkly ambient-techy songs. Take your musical shopping trolley out, listen to something loud and encouraging, and get an idea of whether the experimental have discovered anything yet.
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard will be one to make sure you catch if you’re about; a Wrexham-raised doom band who went so much further than their piss-take name would imply when they released their album [Yn Ôl I Annwn] in the dark months of this year. Jessica Ball’s soft shoegaze vocals sift through big, chugging guitar and drums for perhaps the most striking sound in Welsh metal in recent years, and the new album complicates things further by being a genuinely minty-fresh retelling of all your favourite doom metal tropes, and something entirely different all at once.
words Jason Machlab
Tickets: £15-£26. Info: www.themooncardiff.com/psych