Portsmouth Psych Fest 2019

Over the past few months the organisers of Portsmouth Psych Fest 2019 have teased and tantalised, proffering an ever growing selection of musical morsels via announcements on their social media, wetting the appetite of the discerning gig-goers who subscribe to its feed. The line-up for this year's festival, the third such event, which they've slowly revealed is arguably the strongest to date and features acts both local and from across the country. 

Headlining the festival are Wolverhampton's Yak whose single, Fried, is currently receiving a lot of play on BBC 6Music (the recent live session for Tom Ravenscroft is definitely worth a listen); the band recently released their second album, Pursuit of Momentary Happiness, after an arduous recording process that, at one point, saw the band homeless and sleeping in a car. That's rock & roll.

Joining Yak on the bill are Los Bitchos (who have recently toured both with both Bill Ryder-Jones and the excellent International Teachers of Pop), London-based six piece Black Country New Road, Isle of Wight psych-punks Fat Earthers and Southampton trio Mystic Peach.

Portsmouth synth duo Drusila join fellow city-dwellers Number 9 on the bill, whilst GURU and Egyptian Blue both travel along the coast from Brighton to perform. From somewhat further afield are Glasgow twangsters Sweaty Palms and Bristol noise sculptors Scalping. The Howlers, Snapped Ankles, singer-songwriter Freya Beer, Japanese Television and the fantastically named Nice Biscuit also feature with Invada Records signees The KVB appearing as special guests.

Psych Fest 2019 will take place at The Wedgewood Rooms on Saturday 4th May, with sibling venue the Edge of The Wedge hosting the second stage. Doors open at midday and, after the live music ends, guest DJs should no doubt keep the fun going until late. Tickets are available now, via the venue, priced at a very reasonable £17 (plus service charge).

Welcome to The House of Rapture

Waking up on a wet Saturday morning, with a sore throat and a head full of cold, puts no-one in the best of spirits. So it was then that I attempted to recharge my energies with a double-header of caffeine and Twitter. Whilst the coffee machine did its noisy thing I scrolled through my feed and, yes, saw something which brought the sunshine back into my day.

For a while now small venues have been disappearing from out midst, with Portsmouth losing several over the past few years (The RMA Tavern, Drift In The City and The Cellars to name but three). It's therefore nice to be able to report some good news; the lovely folks of local ale producers Staggeringly Good have today announced the imminent of a new venue for the city, The House of Rapture.

Situated adjacent to both the brewery and its taproom, within shouting distance of Fratton Park, this new venture promises to marry the joyousness of live music with craft beer (which Staggeringly Good brew some very tasty examples of). If you're in the least bit beardy, like me, then this is a very good thing indeed.

The House of Rapture opens next week and, to celebrate its launch, the venue is hosting three evenings of FREE live music. The fun starts this Thursday, 20th December, with party ska from the always effervescent Skaraman, psychedelic rock from Mystic Hipniks Picnic (from Portsmouth, via Metropolis) and some chilled out ambience from Highlights Of Our Modern World (who were excellent at Dials Festival this year). 

The following night, Friday 21st December, boasts modern folk from Megan Linford, shoegaze from Superdrone and 6Ts flavoured psych-rock courtesy of Number 9. The opening celebrations conclude on Saturday 22nd December with grunge from Make Them All Smile and [drum roll] a super secret special headliner who will be announced on the day. All that and they sell very nice beers too which, I'm sure you'll agree, really is something to celebrate.