Rising Aussie psych band returns to the Independent in San Francisco
The latest in a string of trippy Australian rock bands to make noise on a global scale, Perth's Psychedelic Porn Crumpets returns to San Francisco to play two nights at the Independent starting Tuesday, delivering songs from their latest album, Fronzoli.
Following in the footsteps of their Perth predecessors Tame Impala (and that band's associated acts Pond and GUM) as well as prolific Melbourne group King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, the PPC came together around lead singer/guitarist Jack McEwan to perform its first show in 2015 (drummer Danny Caddy, bassist Luke Reynolds and second guitar player Luke Parish round out the group). Quickly building a following with their ear-pleasing, guitar-driven psychedelic rock in local Perth pubs, the quartet issued its first recording High Visceral, Part One the following year.
Packed with knotty, swirling riffs and soaring vocal melodies as featured on mind-expanding anthems "Cornflake" and "Marmalade March," the tunes on the album range from the kind of succinct psychedelic pop nuggets that would have made the late Syd Barrett proud to more sprawling explorations of inner space. Australian tours with King Gizzard and visiting Canadian psych heavyweights Black Mountain coupled with some creative animated videos helped spread the word of the creative new outfit.
The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets followed with the second part of High Visceral in 2017 in addition to a six-song EP Old News For New People/High Visceral B-Sides on their own What Reality? Records imprint, issuing limited vinyl runs that quickly sold out and are already commanding top dollar from collectors. Last year brought a repackaging of the two parts of High Visceral as a double album. The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets' first tour of the United States this past found the band playing well received sets at South By Southwest in addition to headlining dates that included a spectacular performance at the Independent in San Francisco.
The band also released the lead singles "Keen for Kick Ons? and "Social Candy," the first two songs on the band's 2019 album. And Now for the Whatchamacallit further expanded on the group's kinetic sound, managing to pack more memorable melodies and creative tandem-guitar pyrotechnics from McEwan and Parish on the propulsive psych anthems "Bill's Mandolin" and "Hymn for a Droid."
With the pandemic forcing the busy touring group off the road for an extended period, McEwan and company would focus their energy on writing new material. The band's 2021 effort Shyga! The Sunlit Mount was written and recorded largely in McEwan's home during the shutdown. The album continued to mine the band's compelling mix of pop-minded hooks and raging guitar meltdowns. The band's line-up has also seen some changes in recent years, with guitarist/keyboard player Chris Young joining the ranks and bassist Wayan Billondana taking over for Reynolds on bass.
The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets put out their latest record Fronzoli last fall, another hectic and mind-bending exploration of lysergic riffs, demented soundbites and memorable melodies. For these two shows at the Independent that commence Tuesday night, the group is joined by Oakland's own sunshine psychedelic pop outfit Sugar Candy Mountain and San Luis Obispo-based fuzz merchants Pancho and the Wizards.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets with Sugar Candy Mountain and Pancho and the Wizards
Tuesday-Wednesday, May 28-29, 7:30 p.m. $25-$28
The Independent