{"id":5917,"date":"2023-01-19T17:00:28","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T17:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/?p=5917"},"modified":"2023-01-30T18:01:53","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T18:01:53","slug":"barcelona-psych-fest-comes-to-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/?p=5917","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona Psych Fest Comes To London"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tune in, turn on, and save the date: Psych-A-Rella presents Barcelona Psych Fest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Friday 17th Feb, at The Jago<\/strong> in Dalston. Get your ticket HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Poster design Estudio Oscuro – check them out HERE<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get ready for a night of non-stop psychedelic rock on strictly vinyl only, brought to you by the best in the business, our good friends and long time collaborators,\u00a0 <\/span>Psych-A-Rella<\/a><\/strong>. If that wasn\u2019t enough to get your taste buds tingling (or is that the acid kicking in?), we\u2019ll be showcasing Europe\u2019s best kept secret \u2013 <\/span>Barcelona Psych Fest<\/strong>.<\/span><\/a> Wah-wah pedals, distorted guitars, and killer psychedelic sounds, all to get you in the mood for the festival later this year. Six top DJs, from both cities, for one night only<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Needless to say, there\u2019s more to Barcelona than paella and Gaudi. Not that we don\u2019t love a bit of Catalan Modernism, but fitting the Sagrada Familia in a stupidly-sized under-seat bag and bringing it over to London might be a push. Of course, the Barcelona Psych Fest crew will attempt to hide their record cases under their coats, and smile their biggest Cheshire cat smiles at Gary from Airport Security when he asks them “what’s in the box?”<\/span><\/p>\n

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As it turns out, Barcelona has one of most impressive emerging psych scenes in Europe. You\u2019ll find plenty of paisley shirts and Chelsea boots on the city\u2019s dancefloors. Not only is it home to mind-bending new bands like Teana<\/strong> (check out their self-produced EP <\/span>Kill Your Ego<\/span><\/i><\/a>), but if you dare to verge away from the bright neon lights of Primavera Sound, independently-run festivals such as the Barcelona Psych Fest<\/strong> have been selling out for 6 years straight. This 3-day homage to psychedelic rock, and all its post-60s ramifications, has given Barcelona\u2019s lysergic lovers a home of their own \u2013 with regular concerts and monthly allnighters too. A beautiful blend of nostalgic and innovative sounds come through the funktion-one sound system at Sala Upload, where the April festival is held. Over the past few years alone, we\u2019ve seen bands such as Temples, Kikagaku Moyo, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Jacco Gardner, Nightbeats, Sonic Boom,<\/strong> and countless international DJs. Suffice to say, the Spanish are no strangers to swigging down a Larios Gin and Tonic and unwinding to underground music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo by Marta Estell\u00e9s<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Barcelona Psych Fest<\/strong> is like no other festival . What makes it so unique is how it combines two concepts perfectly. There\u2019s an obvious influence from the standard psych fests around the world \u2013 think Levitation<\/strong>, Austin<\/strong> or Liverpool Psych Fest<\/strong> \u2013 where you\u2019ve got bands that play all kinds of psychedelic styles. They keep old sounds alive, while venturing into fresh and dynamic genres that push the meaning of psychedelic rock to new realms, beyond revival bands and repetitive rhythms. Now take this and mix in the love and attention to detail you\u2019ll find at 60’s weekenders such as Purple Weekend<\/strong>, Berlin Beat Invasion<\/strong> and Funtastic Weekend<\/strong>. DJs and dancing take centre stage at these events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo by Marta Estell\u00e9s<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

David, one of the organisers, described it best. \u201cIt\u2019s the best of both worlds. We took the parts we liked the most and made it our own. Expect to hear bands play anything from garage to kraut, folk to post punk, and even electronic music. And when they\u2019re done, DJs will make everyone continue to dance until 6am.\u201d When asked what he thought was the defining characteristic, \u201cThe atmosphere. We\u2019ve created such an amazing community over the years. I\u2019ve met people who have genuinely gone on to be some of my best friends. There\u2019s something about the magical feeling you get when you walk into the festival, it\u2019s indescribable really.\u201d David\u2019s also lucky enough to celebrate his birthday around the festival dates, and having Tess Parks sing happy birthday is something that\u2019s hard to forget.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tess Parks Photo by Marta Estell\u00e9s<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ask any other festival attendee, and they\u2019ll tell you one of the highlights of the past few years is the Magic Cave. To put it simply, it\u2019s a secret room, complete with velvet cushions, candles, and baroque tapestry, hidden inside the festival. There you\u2019ll find analogue projections, intimate sitar shows and more eclectic and introspective sounds played by collectors like Dani Diagonala<\/strong> and Mushroom Machine\u2019s<\/strong> very own Carlos Dorian<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo by Clara Orozco<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arguably the most beautiful set played last year was by Raquel Vazquez<\/strong>, Barcelona-based illustrator, plant lady, and purveyor of heavenly Turkish psychedelia. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in the Magic Cave, time slows down or stops completely.\u201d Rumour has it she\u2019ll be doing her thing there this year too. \u201c2023 is going to be an extra special year, full of incredible music and love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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One of Raquel\u2019s many trippy illustrations, check out her work here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In full-on Magic Cave fashion, as far as we\u2019re concerned, psychedelia should be all about bringing people together, expanding our consciousness, and spreading the love. That\u2019s exactly why Barcelona Psych Fest<\/strong> has joined forces with Psych-A-Rella<\/strong> to bring a taste of this magical event to the UK. The hosts and founders of Psych-a-Rella, Sarina and Ben, have been running London club nights since 2015, and worked with Shindig! producing memorable gigs for the likes of Little Barrie<\/strong>, The Soundcarriers<\/strong>, Kacey & Clayton<\/strong> and many more. With international DJs, unbeatable vibes, and killer sounds, the Psych-a-Rella crew have been known to \u201chost parties that push the psychedelic community to new levels\u201d<\/span> Clash Magazine<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A typical night down Psych-A-Rella<\/strong> way…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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On Friday 17th February, we\u2019ll also hear sets from the incredibly talented London-based Jawa Jones<\/strong>, who\u2019ll bring her own selection of weird and wonderful garage, psych, and rock\u2019n\u2019roll records. You might have heard of her club night and radio show <\/span>Wanita<\/span><\/a>, an event dedicated to music sung by women, on records played by women, or from the East Asia Beat night she runs with Lucky Cat Zo\u00eb<\/strong>, in Kings Cross. Jawa Jones<\/strong> has also spun records at international events like WonderSoul in Indonesia, Berlin Beat Invasion,<\/strong> and Gambeat Weekend<\/strong> in our beloved Barcelona.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jawa Jones<\/strong> spinning at the sadly defunct Joe’s Bar in Camden.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For a one-off event of this dimension, no place could be better than The Jago i<\/strong>n London’s fashionable Dalston. Complete with trippy interiors and on-site sound engineers. In Jawa Jones<\/strong>‘ own words \u201cI\u2019m so excited about playing at The Jago<\/strong> again. It\u2019s a fantastic club that brings people from different communities and culture groups together. I spent many magical nights at the venue when the Passing Clouds<\/strong> crew ran it, and Kwame has done a tremendous job taking it over.\u201d Just remember it all kicks off at 9.30pm, and tickets guarantee entry till 11pm. After that it’s a one person out, one person in policy \u2013 as it\u2019s sure to be packed on the night!<\/span><\/p>\n

Full DJ Lineup:<\/span><\/p>\n

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DJs in their natural environment!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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