Manchester Psych Fest 2024
Johnny James, Managing Editor
Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s leading psychedelic music and arts festival has announced the final wave of artists for its 11th edition, adding yet more names to an already-impressive line-up that will sprawl across eight city centre venues, including a brand new outdoor stage, this August.
Black Midi frontman Geordie Greep, psych rock four-piece The Wytches and Stereolab founder Laetitia Sadier with her Source Ensemble join a 70-strong bill topped by Philadelphian/adopted Mancunian singer-songwriter BC Camplight and Anatolian rock favourites Altin Gün. Also just announced are Dublin four-piece Melts, Austin psych outfit Daiistar, gothic rock duo Black Doldrums, garage rock from Hull via The Black Delta Movement, lo-fi multi-instrumentalist Lutalo, psych-punk trio Hot Face, raging post-punk four-piece Chemtrails, noisy Manchester duo Slap Rash and art-pop sextet Midnight Rodeo.
They join cult hero Baxter Dury, who’ll be spinning wry stories of life among the well-heeled yet poorly behaved, and psych-goth quintet The Horrors, whose newly industrial sound should make for a thrilling live show. There’s also Yorkshire singer-songwriter Billie Marten, eclectic producer and AV artist Halina Rice, introspective songsmith Marika Hackman, experimental harpist Mary Lattimore, wonk-pop from Brighton in the form of Lime Garden and Irish contemporary folk artist John Francis Flynn.
Elsewhere you can catch the live behemoth that is Pigs x7, Psych Fest favourites Temples, Irish shoegazers NewDad, French retro-indie outfit Juniore, singer-songwriter Willie J Healey, Tuareg guitar star Mdou Moctar and James Holden, bringing rave music for a parallel universe. We also look forward to several post punk gems slightly deeper into the line-up, including the riotous Fat Dog and the gothic Heartworms, as well as Parquet Courts’ frontman A. Savage, Seattle rockers La Luz and the first-ever Manchester show from Chicano Batman. For something different try the Swedish synth-driven duo Les Big Byrd, whose new album Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain is on heavy rotation in the CT HQ.
As for that new stage, CYCO VISION marks the first outdoor stage to ever feature at the festival. It takes over Manchester’s Projekts Skate Park, which will host live music, DJs and food and drink stalls beneath Mancunian Way.
Another exciting leap forward for the festival comes with the visual element that complements the music this year: in-demand visual artist Innerstrings (Overmono, Working Men’s Club, James Holden et al) will provide exclusive Psych Fest video installations, promising to “take you beyond”. There’ll also be DJs, workshops, art, films, talks and food and drink, all sprawling across Albert Hall, O2 Ritz, MMU Students’ Union, Gorilla, YES, Deaf Institute and Projekts Skate Park.
Count us very much in.
