This is our third Edinburgh Psych Fest and somehow this year’s edition feels so different, maybe it’s the addition of the stunning Usher Hall to the list of venues or perhaps it is the fact that Angine De Poitrine are playing a set in the late afternoon in that very venue.
Work commitments meant that we didn’t arrive in Edinburgh until 2.30pm, once we collected our tickets from Summerhall, we headed straight to Queen’s Hall for an hour long set from Ghostwoman, the duo are Evan Uschenko who hails from Alberta, Canada and Ille van Dessel, Uschenko is a multi-instrumentalist who can turn his hand to mostly anything musically while van Dessel has her drum kit down the front side on giving us the perfect view of the kit from up in the balcony. The Queen’s Hall itself is dripping with history, originally called Hope Park Chapel when it opened way back in 1824 it was renamed after Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. Since 2022 Ghostwoman have released an impressive four albums including last year’s Welcome To The Civilized World, the standout tracks for us were The End Of A Gun and Do You. 7/10
We calculated that it was well over a mile between Queen’s Hall and the Usher Hall so we definitely got the steps in today considering we were back and forth between both venues throughout the day. When we arrived at the Usher Hall it was almost at capacity … and it’s only 4.30 in the afternoon! This proves the popularity of Canadian band Angine de Poitrine, wherever they have played this year they have had venue upgrades, this being the first time that we have managed to catch them live it’s not long until we understand what all the fuss is about. It is a very unique name for a band and a quick Google search revealed that it is translated in English as “Angina of the chest”. The atmosphere is electric as the mysterious duo take to the stage in the trademark polka dot suits and outfits that strike us as very alienistic. Never mind that though the moment the music begins the Usher Hall is transported into something very special for seventy-five minutes, whether that be the outstanding guitar & bass work coming from the ten string or the timing of the drums in co-ordination. There are a few comical moments when they have a conversation in their own version of a language and the crowd are reciprocating what they are saying, yes it is bizarre but also great fun. The fans that are standing break into mosh pits early on and the energy stays that way for the rest of the performance. With two albums (EPs) behind them already named simply Vol.1 & Vol.2, the Quebec band have the music world at their feet. If you have a look at the tour schedule for Angine de Poitrine until the end of the year they are touring non-stop in USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe and the UK. Try stopping these guys, the next tour after this one will be in arenas for sure. 10/10
There seems to be a mixture of excitement and confusion among the crowd on the way out, half of them are in awe of what they just witnessed while the other half may need more time to ponder over it! A quick walk back to Queen’s Hall has Australian’s The Belair Lip Bombs on stage already, the Franktown, Victoria quartet have been putting on some shows around the UK while over here as well as playing the three Psych Fest events (Brighton & Manchester are the others). Maisie Everett on vocals & guitar charms the crowd during the hour-long set that creates a great impression with those around us down the front standing. With two albums behind them – Lush Life (2023) and Again (2025) they are sure to be back on these shores before too long, Hey You and Look The Part were the pick of a very lively set. 8/10
We are glad to have the walking shoes on today as it is another quick dash into the city centre for Bleech 9:3 who are playing in La Belle Angele, another new Psych Fest venue and the six hundred capacity venue is almost full as the London-based band take us on a journey of alternative rock and grunge for forty-five minutes. Barry Quinlan (vocals) and Sam Duffy (guitar) met at an AA meeting and the rest as they say is history, well the formation of Bleech 9:3 at least. Barry’s younger brother James Quinlan on bass and Luke O’Neill on drums make up the quartet who also have an Irish background. Latest single release Figure Of Eight creates mayhem among the crowd with mosh pits constantly breaking out, one of the band members produces a shiny sword on stage to the delight of the crowd while Ceiling and No Surprise get the energy they deserve, the only way is up for Bleech 9:3. 8/10
Now a big decision had to be made: do we walk the short distance back to the Usher Hall for headliners Stereolab or go on one last trek back to Queen’s Hall for Londoners Shame? The comfort of a comfy seat in the Usher Hall swayed us towards Stereolab and that is what we did, we didn’t regret the decision one bit, the French-English band knocked the ball out of the park with some proper psychedelic music to end an amazing day of music. Once again the Usher Hall is packed out, we were lucky to get two reserved seats upstairs for the final performance of the day, as expected the focus of the set is on the Instant Holograms on Metal Film album that was released last year with no less than eight tracks from that release. The first thing we notice is how talented a musician Laetitia Sadier is, she is seated throughout the performance and sings in French & English, then she is playing guitar, synth and trumpet, a proper musician. Tim Gane is doing a very similar thing on guitar and keyboards, the cohesion among the band is superb.
Peng! 33 from the Peng! album has us dancing while seated trying not to disturb anyone’s view behind us while Melodie Is a Wound is one of those songs you can close your eyes and let it take you away to another place, a big highlight of the set, there are definitely Jim Morrison influences in this one. The graphics on the jumbo screen behind the band has been very well thought out with images of each band member blending into the background, Miss Modular and Immortal Hands are two of the songs that catch our attention, Stereolab play a mixture of groovy jazz, 60s French pop and even krautrock but the most important part of every song is the psychedelia. They really should come back and play next year too! 10/10
Overall the Usher Hall was a welcome addition to the venues for Edinburgh Psych Fest, if they can attract bands on a par with Angine de Poitrine or Stereolab next year then we think it should become a permanent part of the psych fest. Roll on 2027!
Written by: Alan Brown
