Manchester Psych Fest returned for its twelfth year, expanding to its biggest format yet with a lineup spread across twelve venues, including the 3,500-capacity Apollo. The one-day festival, which has grown to resemble a weekend-long alt-rock event, saw packed crowds and a diverse range of acts, from experimental Swedish electronica to the meteoric rise of masked Canadian duo Angine de Poitrine.
Expansion and Early Highlights
The festival's expansion included new venues such as the Academy, The Ritz, Projekts Skatepark, YES, and the Apollo. Proceedings at the Apollo opened with a set by Mercury Prize nominee Gwenno, who showcased songs from her acclaimed album Utopia in both Welsh and Cornish. Highlights included the title track and the closer 'Dancing on Volcanoes'.
One of the most notable performances came from Angine de Poitrine, who drew a near-capacity crowd at the Apollo. The Canadian duo, known for their absurd masks and invented language, delivered a set of off-kilter math rock that elicited a screaming reaction not heard since Taylor Swift at Anfield two years ago. Guitarist Khn de Poitrine used a loop pedal on a double-necked microtonal guitar, while drummer Klek de Poitrine showcased mastery of strange time signatures.
Genre-Fluid Afternoon Sets
The early evening offered a range of options, with the festival becoming increasingly genre-fluid. At The Deaf Institute, Bristol four-piece Dreamwave delivered a set blending garage rock and dream pop. Meanwhile, Leeds six-piece Adult DVD played one of the standout shows at Projekts, a relentless hour of punk-meets-electro that bodes well for their debut album arriving later this month.
The Beta Band, one of the festival's headliners, played at the Apollo for the second time in eleven months. Their set included epic space rock ('It's Not Too Beautiful'), atmospheric trip hop ('Squares'), and a singalong for 'Dry the Rain', made famous by a scene in High Fidelity.
Closing with Mandy, Indiana
As midnight approached, festival-goers faced difficult choices between Working Men's Club at the Academy, Martial Arts at The Deaf Institute's Lodge, and Mandy, Indiana at the Ritz. The latter delivered a searing set of experimental noise rock, with vocalist Valentine Caulfield powerfully calling for a free Palestine and railing against toxic masculinity on 'I'll Ask Her', the only song she has written in English.
The set felt like an exorcism of the world's ills, with Caulfield jumping into a chaotic crowd still dancing twelve hours after picking up their wristbands, rounding off another triumphant year for the festival.
