A Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Concert Review
An honest and detailed review of an Australian psychedelic rock concert: it was worth it.
BY BIANCA LLERENA
The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, originating in Western Australia and started in 2014, producing psychedelic rock, garage rock, progressive rock, and alternative rock. The band is made up of English guitarist and singer Jack McEwan, guitarist Luke Parish, drummer Danny Caddy, bassist Wayan Billondana, and keyboardist Chris Young. They have amassed almost half a million monthly listeners on Spotify, and as one of those listeners, I finally got to see them live: hell yeah.
Located at the 7th Street Entry, doors opened for the Psychedelic Corn Crumpets at 7 p.m, and I arrived at the tiny venue at 7:30 p.m. To my surprise, although the tickets had sold for only $20, I did not have to wait in line to enter since there were only a handful of people scattered around the dark room: a definite good start to my night. Because this show was 18+, the crowd was mostly made up of adults, most likely in their mid to late twenties and later thirties. The venue also had a 21+ bar inside, and because I’m not old enough, I got water which they were giving out free to all guests. As the clock ticked closer to 8 p.m., it slowly began to get more crowded, with more people wearing colorful t-shirts and beanies arriving. After buying my $30 shirt from the small merch stand, the generous merchandise vendor told me that if I ran into the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, he had a sharpie I could borrow. Then, I was able to find an awesome spot front and center, with no one in front of me: if I reached my arm out, I would have been able to grab the lead singer’s leg.
A few minutes after my arrival, the venue turned on a projector that projected trippy music video clips from the opener, Acid Dad, and then at 8 p.m., Acid Dad, an American alternative-rock band, began to perform. Given their very loud alternative rock sound, I believe that Acid Dad was the perfect opener for the concert, especially since they share such a similar sound to the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. They wasted no time and immediately got the crowd excited and buzzing with tipsy energy. I made a mental note to check out more of their music after the show. Acid Dad then wrapped it up an hour later, giving all of us exactly fifteen minutes to get anxious with excitement for the main event. Every time someone went up the stage to fix or set up some tech for the band, we squinted at them, hoping it was the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets themselves, and promptly fifteen minutes later, it was.
“Tally-Ho,” a head-thrashing beast of a song, started and the crowd went wild. The audience went insane, especially in the front row, where fans were wielding air guitars and air drumsticks. The presence of the band alone was enough to get me and the rest of the audience animated with energy. The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets did not talk too much in between songs, which I favored because I got to immerse myself in psychedelic rock. They played their songs in order, just like on their setlist, and it was very cool to see all of them, especially keyboardist Chris Young, rocking out with their long hair on stage. Both the band and the crowd were energized and elevated by the sheer thrill of the music. Early on, a lot of the audience members were moshing and throwing themselves around being rocked by the immense guitar shredding. While I did not participate in the mosh, I was definitely pushed around by those who did: the energy was erratic and harmless as all types of people grouped in the middle to dance. The band’s demeanor was cool and calm, as they smiled at each other every time they hit the instrumental chorus in sync: they were prepared and zoned in. There were so many psychedelic colors floating around from the projector, but there was even stronger energy between the people. When the band played their final song around 10:30 pm, the audience was unable to catalyze an encore: we all chanted “one more song!” until we were sure the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets were not coming back. Nevertheless, I'm sure the rest of the audience, much like myself, all felt satisfied with the vibrance and power that the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets performed with.
Alas, the restraint of such a small venue as that of 7th Street Entry had its effect on the concert. At times the sound was muffled, especially being so close to the front of the stage, it was sometimes hard to hear their singing into the microphones. If I had been farther back in the venue, I assume their voices would have been easier to decipher. Thankfully, the band sounded very similar to their recorded songs, so it was easy to follow the lyrics. As expected, the sounds of the electric guitars, bass, keyboard, and drums were absolutely venue-rocking, with the floor vibrating and speakers shaking nonstop. I didn’t feel as if the quality had any negative effect on the overall performance and experience of the concert, but I would understand if someone who had not previously listened to the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets felt like it sounded somewhat stifled or of lesser quality.
Still amped from the greatness of experiencing the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets live, I waited for them to return to the stage, and about ten minutes later, bassist Wayan Billondana and drummer Danny Caddy came back out to pack up their instruments. Almost all the fans were either gone or in line to buy merchandise, so I was calmly able to go up to them to ask for signatures. I quickly got the sharpie from the merchandise vendor, and Billondana graciously took it backstage to get the rest of the signatures from the rest of the guys (!!!). I stood in awe as I wanted patiently for him to return. I was thankful that I had purchased the shirt before the performance since a line began to form immediately after. After thanking him for the rocking performance, he told me, in his Australian accent, that it was his first time in America and that he loved it; their next stop was Chicago. I also thanked drummer Danny Caddy and right before I was made to leave, Luke Parish, the guitarist, came out and I wished him luck on his next concert: a definitive successful ending to my psychedelic night.
Although the small-scale size of 7th Street Entry has its faults, the intense energy and powerful psychedelic noise that the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets produced live completely made up for it. The venue was definitely perfect for that personal feeling of just you and the band. Altogether, this concert was an amazing experience backed up by amazing bands and fanatic energy. If the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are ever performing near you, I highly recommend purchasing some tickets to see them live: it's a rocking experience that you don’t want to miss.
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