The free-spirited four-piece have been copping a lot of airplay lately, and the sold-out crowd arrived early to enjoy a night of psychedelic pleasure for the ears.
Bananagun (not to be confused with rock band Banana Gun from Phoenix) opened the night with a trippy set ranging from psychedelic surf-rock to smoother jazz-inspired instrumentals. They had an interesting sound but struggled vocally.
Next up was the all-singing, all-talented Parsnip. They had no time for pre-show chat as they ripped through track after track. The grimy psych-rock, bass-heavy beats were beautifully contrasted by the squeaky, high pitch vocals. They clearly enjoyed being a part of the night, getting a bit silly and playing to the crowd.
The Babe Rainbow launched into a huge set, comprising of a fairly large portion of their new self-titled LP, as well as a few from their back-catalogue – keeping everyone happy.
The faster ‘70s-inspired funk sounds were much better received than the slower ballads, but there was never a dull moment. At times they were joined by up to ten people onstage; sharing the love in true hippy style – but as they acknowledged, “We’re all here for psychedelic music, so we’re all a family”.
Two of the biggest tracks for the night came with Love Forever, which erupted in a joyous cheer from long-time fans and had lighters held up and swaying along. Peace Blossom Boogy also brought the house down, which had the support acts re-joining the band on stage – it was absolute chaos but hard not to enjoy.
The psychedelic movement has been making a comeback for some time now, but after seeing these guys do what they do and do it well, it’s a genre that’s clearly found an audience.
Highlight: Love Forever.
Lowlight: The slightly-off bongo drums.
Crowd Favourite: Peace Blossom Boogy.
