Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Brudenell Social Club, 21/02/19
BY ALICE WILLIAMS
Sometimes stress relief comes in the form of a bubble bath, a cup of tea and a face mask. But other times, it comes in the form of a sweaty, flailing mosh pit. After a week of being cooped up in the library under a pile of dissertation stress, re-living our teenage years and wigging out to some big riffs courtesy of the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets was just what the doctor ordered.
There must be something in the water (or the drugs) in Perth, as the Crumpets hail from the same hotbed of Australian psychedelia as Tame Impala, Pond and Methyl Ethyl. With two albums under their belt the band have already accumulated quite the following, their popularity all too clear as soon as they step foot on stage. Beers are downed, bodies are braced and chaos ensues from the word go- this is a crowd that would mosh to Mozart given the chance. But it makes for an electric atmosphere that prevails throughout; an energy that the humble Brudenell Social Club can barely contain.
Some of the multi-layered nuances on record are sometimes lost live, but their sound still comes off as primal, intense and most importantly, fun. With a name that sounds like a futuristic savoury snack, this is a band who don’t take themselves too seriously- not your average self-indulgent shoegazers. They may look unassuming, but they deliver a fierce, high-octane set. Fan favourites ‘Found God In A Tomato’ and ‘Cornflake’ are the highlights, but even new material is greeted with an equally raucous reception.
After an epic closer, high on the joy of life (and two pints), my friend and I rush over to the merch stand ran by groupie and, so we discover, the creator of the band’s trippy music videos. ‘I love my job,’ he exclaims, ‘I just make videos and get f**ked!’. And this just sums up the band’s ethos. Their light-hearted take on a genre which is so often renowned for its self-indulgence is refreshing, and their energy is infectious. Whatever a psychedelic porn crumpet is, we could all do with a bite of it.