Liverpool Psych Festival to Feature Pure Phase Ensemble

This coming weekend, Liverpool hosts the fifth installment of the city's International Festival Of Psychedelia (a.k.a. Liverpool Psych Fest orPZYK), hosting over 100 live acts and DJs across its four stages for two straight days - Friday, September 23rd and Saturday, September 24th.

Two of the more intruiging acts set to perform this weekend are PURE PHASE ENSEMBLE feat. MARK GARDENER (of RIDE) and THE VELDT. The former will be offering an exclusive one-off show in the literal sense, having publicly performed this concert only once previously with no intention to do this again following this weekend's performance.

Pure Phase Ensemble is a Polish international music collective with revolving membership and several core players. Previously featuring members of Spiritualized, Stereolab and Ride, this space-rock collective renews its lineup every year, showcasing a wide range of collaborators from the world of PZYK.

Created specially for the SpaceFest! festival of shoegaze, space-rock and psychedelia in Gdansk (Poland), the 4th edition of the project - Pure Phase Ensemble 4 feat. Mark Gardener - was particularly successful, with the 'Live at Spacefest!' album receiving over 100 rave reviews and loads of airplay worldwide. Apart from featuring the frontman of legendary shoegazers RIDE, this collective also includes Ray Dickaty (ex-Spiritualized), Karol Schwarz (KSAS, 7faz), Jacek Rezner and Kamil Hordyniec (Wilga), Michal Pydo (Hatifnats), Michal 'Kostek' Stolc (Cisza nocna).

While RIDE were on the rise in Britain, THE VELDT were making similar waves amidst the American underground and saw reasonable commercial success with their single 'Soul in a Jar'. They were key protégés of Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) and contemporaries of A.R.Kane. Signed to Capital and then Mercury Records, their shoegaze-laden alternative soul was seen as 'challenging' for label executives to market domestically and they parted ways, but the band continued to produce music independently and recently have grabbed a heavy wave of media attention amidst the current 'shoegaze revival' and due to their recent mini-tour withThe BrIan Jonestown Massacre and slots at Levitation and Reverence festivals. The Veldt are currently enjoying their first official tour of Europe in promotion of their new EP 'The Shocking Fuzz of Your Electric Fur'(Leonard Skully Records).

Showtimes for these artists are as follows:

The Veldt - September 23 at 11pm (DISTRICT stage)
Pure Phase Ensemble feat. Mark Gardener - September 24 at 6pm(FURNACE stage)

Tickets for the Liverpool Psych Fest are still available, priced at £80 for the weekend or £40 per day. For more information, visit http://www.liverpoolpsychfest.com

Need more UK Regional Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...