This weekend, Manchester Psych fest returned to the city, taking over a host of different venues to showcase the best new Psych, Rock, Garage, Dance-Punk and Folk music from the UK and beyond.
Headline performances from the likes of Baxter Drury, BC Camplight and Altin Gun may have stole the headlines yet the best moments of the festival for us came in the form of some of the smaller acts who packed out the cosier venues and announced themselves to the scene with unforgettable sets. Here's our top 5 that blew us away!
Photo Credit: Cal Moores
Georgian
Manchester Desert-Psych sextet Georgian opened up our Psych Fest weekend in style in the 02 Ritz basement. Despite their opening remarks of how nervous they were, this didn't show one bit. They expertly navigated between swooping Western serenades, expansive Psychedelic cinematics and bursts of angst-ridden Rock.
Photo Credit: Cal Moores
The commanding vocals of their frontwoman Georgia were truly captivating, delivering intimate sentiments and huge, dramatic expression with equal finesse. The soaring chorus lines of their track 'Big Lips in Leather' highlight just how striking her voice is. The dense instrumentation, topped by a rich Saxophone sound created a wonderfully immersive concoction that started our day perfectly.
TTSSFU
TTSSFU, the solo project of Manchester songwriter Tasmin Nicole Stephens, is quickly becoming one of the most hotly talked about acts in the North-West. This was evident by the fact that they had Gorilla full to the brim at the only mid-afternoon. Their performance certainly lived up to the hype as they delivered an expressive set, leaning into the heavier side of Shoegaze, combining elements of 90s acts such as Sonic Youth and the grittier Wolf Alice sounds.
Often, the track would be guided by Tasmin's moody, vocal commands before kicking into an outburst of instrumental fury that had the room rocking. The appropriately aggressive finale of 'I Hope You Die' saw the set reach a fever pitch and come to an end with the whole room wanting more. Expect to see TTSSFU on the bigger stages at Psych Fest 2025.
Fat Dog
Undoubtedly our highlight of the festival was the electrifying performance from Fat Dog, one of the most exciting new acts in the UK. Just ahead of their debut album release, they took to Projekts Skate Park to deliver their twisted, Funk-Rock, Electro-Punk madness. The setting of the skate park played into the performance beautifully, as the bowl provided the perfect mosh-pit arena that people made good use of while others were perched on the ramps, standing high above on shipping containers or balancing against rails, adding to the beautifully chaotic nature of their show. The wild frenzies of 'King of the Slugs' and 'Running' were infectious and the blend of synths, brass and layered percussion in songs like 'All The Same' were hypnotic.
Their unique blend is like nothing we heard at the rest of the festival and it was one of our favourite live performances of the year. We saw some of the most impressive crowd-surfing techniques we've ever seen and saw the next great band in the UK truly emerge. These are not to be missed.
Wine Lips
Wine Lips are the definition of what this festival is. Good old fashioned Psych-Rock intensity to get crowds bouncing. The Canadian outfit tore up the Bread Shed, barreling through fan classics as well as hits from their furious new album 'Super Mega Ultra'. Bigs riffs clash with smashing drum sounds that swirl amid waves of distortion and fuzzy vocal calls.
The highlight came in the form of their new album-ending anthem 'Cash Man' that drew the whole room into a moshpit with an Acid-Psych magnetism. For any who were claiming the line up lacked traditional Psych...you clearly didn't see this set!
O
We've never seen something quite like O. The Manchester duo took to The Deaf Institute for a late night performance. Following the days proceedings everyone was thirsty for more and O brought just what the doctored ordered...non-stop Dance-Punk grooves to test the make up of that wobbly Deaf Institute floor.
Made up of just drums and Sax, the tonal range that the pair manage to create is astounding. The gargantuan pedal board of Saxophonist Joe acts like another member of the band as he switched between crisp brass hooks and filthy, dense sounds. This allowed his Sax to act almost as a bass, sax and guitar all at once. The drumming was fabulous too. Tash never relented, speeding through countless Funk beats, playing with the texture of the cymbals and harshness of the toms to build a wide range of tones just like Joe. a unique performance that showcased what the festival is all about.
A special mention has to be given to the secret sets that took place at Bundobust that allowed festival-goers to experience some of the festivals most exciting acts in a completely different setting and format. This reimagined Psych Fest experience meant you could dip in from some tasty, discounted scran while still taking in the music. Billie Marten's stripped back set was a Bundo highlight!
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