Austin Psych Fest: Levitation - Day 2 Recap

All photos courtesy of Daniel Jackson.

Austin Psych Fest Recaps for Day 1 here and Day 3 here.

By the second day of Levitation (FKA Austin Psych Fest) the wet mud had mostly dried up with the exception of a few patches of still squishy puddles hidden from the sun. The crowd had swelled slightly from the first day but since the the ground was mostly dry more festgoers sprawled out on blankets, towels and chairs across the lawn.

At the Reverberation tent Thee Oh Sees eagerly arrived on stage before their scheduled start time. The psych band from San Francisco led by John Dwyer was beyond impressive. Dueling drummers sat in the middle of the stage with Dwyer and bassist Timothy Hellman on either side. Deep bass lines and crunchy distortion echoed across the lawn as bright technicolor backdrops lit up the band. Dwyer jumped around on stage and his high-pitched screeches pierced the night air. In the middle of their hour plus set was 10 minute long wave of pure fuzz and reverb. Dwyer mentioned how cool it was to run into “Night Beats” “I feel like we always see them in Europe and tonight we saw them at home” speaking volumes in that one line about what Levitation is doing for the psych genre in the states. They ended with an “old one but a good one” to a spastic crowd that would have easily stayed at the stage to listen to every track of their impressively lengthy catalog.

Over at the Levitation tent, prog rock band This Will Destroy You from San Marcos began their dreamy, instrumental soft doom set surrounded by a pool of looming ink drops spreading across the tent ceiling. Their mix of heavy guitar distortion and thudding bass created an atmosphere that was calming and yet invigorating. It was easier to hear influences from bands like Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. Despite being from a city not far away from me, it was my first time seeing the band live. The crowd was quiet and intense, nodding their heads to the ambient wall of sound pulsing inside the tent. The bearded and brooding members said hardly a word until near the end of the set when the lead guitarist thanked everyone for being there and announced their last song.

Back at the Reverberation stage Primal Scream had already begun their set. The psych band from Glasgow who has been around since the 80’s held a captive audience ready and eager to hear the rock linchpins kick off their lengthy set. Vocalist Bobby Gillespie took the stage in a shimmery leopard print jacket and signature bangs. Gillespie shouted “I think this song is appropriate for psych fest” right before starting “Higher Than the Sun.” The band rocked out “Country Girl”, which Gillespie dedicated to the Sir Douglas Quintet and Townes Van Zandt, then went on to play “Swastika Eyes” and “Loaded” eventually closing out their killer set with “Movin on Up” from their 1991 album Screamadelica.

LA noise rockers HEALTH kicked off their aggressive and energetic set with “Die Slow” from 2009’s Get Color. John Famiglietti monopolized my attention, kneeling down to finger knobs while thrashing his long, dark locks around violently. Vocalist Jake Duzsik threw his high-pitched and nasally vocals out into the audience while Benjamin Jared Miller put a single drumstick to a rigorous endurance test, banging it against a single drum with brute force. Their insanely loud, hodge-podge noise filled every corner of the tent imploring every single body to flail their arms or bounce around on the soft ground. Although the band played when the weather had finally started to cool down, I left the set sweaty and flushed, already waiting the next time I would able to see HEALTH live again. Easily my favorite set of the night.

Returning to the main stage, the most anticipated band of Saturday night had taken the stage. The Jesus and Mary Chain, the Scottish alt rock staples were set to play their album “Psychocandy” in its entirety. Priority to diving in however, they played a few stand out tracks like “April Skies” and “Head On.” The audience was captured by their magic of Jim Reid’s vocals as they floated above them.

Closing out the night was new-wave goth rocker from New Zealand Tamaryn. The band experienced some technical delays and didn’t take the stage until about 15 minutes after their set time. Petitie yet brooding Tamaryn glided across the stage in black heeled boots, tights and a short coat dress. Her dark orange hair over her face, she gingerly held the mic to her mouth while crooning dark and seductive coos. She was backed by gritty guitar and blown-out distortion. Although the crowd was small when the band left the stage at their original end time, the audience begged for more. Tamaryn delivered a few more songs and concluded Saturday night at Levitation.