Full Coverage of Austin Psych Fest Day 3 with Moving Sidewalks, Roky Erickson, and Clinic

On paper and in actuality, Austin Psych Fest’s Sunday lineup boasted the most anticipated and most enjoyable bands of the weekend. From festival headliners The Black Angels and The Moving Sidewalks to underground favorites like White Fence and Indian Jewelry, almost every set I saw Sunday impressed me.

I again arrived later in the day than desired and began my afternoon by watching Elephant Stone. The band is fronted by Rishi Dhir who plays sitar for the Black Angles. Sitar appears in some of Elephant Stone’s songs, but often Dhir takes his position center stage and plays bass as he delivers vocals. Elephant Stone continues to garner significant praise for their new, and notably solid self-titled effort.

Heading out from Elephant Stone’s set a little early, I walked down to the amphitheater to catch The Shivas, who deliver one of garage rock’s most energetic sets. Unfortunately, the band played a shockingly short set and I was only able to see a song. However, even in a single song, the band proved that their live sound and performance elicits unanimous excitement in viewers, and a line of folks queued up immediately upon the completion of their set to purchase the band’s new album Whiteout, out now on K Records.

White Fence has been increasingly adored, especially following the album they did with psych hero Ty Segall. Nonchalantly smoking cigarettes as they began their set, White Fence delivered some outstanding, distorted psych pop that sounded even better live than on record. Their newest effort featured some lo-fi compressed production, but live, they sounded more full and commanded attention. Despite being physically somewhat lethargic, the band’s hard-hitting set impressed my unexpectedly.

The next band to follow them on the main stage, was The King Khan & BBQ Show. I’d never heard of them, but after seeing their set, they’re unforgettable. The duo, comprised of Mark Sultan (BBQ) and Arish Ahmad Khan (King Khan) cranked out brazen garage pop while dressed in elaborate costumes, some covering more of the body than others. Shirtless, but wearing a cape, Kahn moved around the stage, posing in classic guitar soloing stances while Sultan bounced quirkily behind his drumset while strumming an electric guitar. The set was one of the most visually entertaining of the weekend—up there with Man or Astroman?’s performance the day before.

Deap Vally followed shortly after back on the amphitheater stage, delivering crunch 70s inspired rock jams. The duo of women, whose jean cutoffs pushed the boundaries of how short shorts can be, possessed raw energy and commanding stage presence. Their style is simple and direct, one of the most tried-and-true rock-n-roll sounds of the day.

No Joy has two full-lengths and an EP on the quality label Mexican Summer, but their newest effort Wait to Pleasurestill struck as something of a surprise hit, garnering widespread critical acclaim insanely quickly. The band’s set of noisy, shoegazey pop sounded solid and the lineup expansion now includes three excellent female musicians backed by a single dude on drums. In fact, directly following watching Deap Vally, it was nice to see two acts include some stalwart representation of the XX chromosomal structure.

Roky Erickson had to be one of the weekend’s most iconic performers. The former frontman of the 13^th Floor Elevators worked many of that luminary band’s songs into his set. The only other time I’ve seen Erickson perform was with Okkervil River as a backing band at SXSW 2010 around the release of True Love Cast Out All Evil, which made for a much different performance. It was great to see Erickson backed by a rocking band delivering high-energy versions of his early psych-rock songs.

Indian Jewelry is a Texas band that has morphed and shifted considerably over the years, but their members seem to have always been at the nexus of Houston’s noise scene. After what seemed like a little technical equipment awkwardness, the band fell into a blistering set. Band members performed while washed in a vibrant light display—one of the more interesting displays of the weekend.

Back on the main stage, festival creators and curators The Black Angels were soundchecking. Despite the headliners still to come, it seemed clear that many fans had come for this specific performance, and excitement coursed through the crowd. The Black Angels performed a solid set, incorporating many of the songs from their newest effort including single “Evil Things,” title track “Indigo Meadow,” and the wry psych-pop song “Don’t Play With Guns.” As curators of the festival, the Angels along with their Reverberation Appreciation Society label deserve praise for assembling such an outstanding lineup.

As the festival began to wind down, stellar performances were still in store. In the Levitation tent, The Growlers began to deliver one of their oft-lauded live shows. Cutouts of weed leaves and cartoon breasts lined the front of the stage, mutli-colored light flooded the stage, and the band rocked through their songs. I can’t say I’m extensively familiar with the Growlers catalogue, but after hearing about their great shows for a while now, I’ve witnessed it myself, and it’s certainly a hell of a lot of fun.

Headlining the main stage, The Moving Sidewalks, who reunited scarcely more than a few weeks ago, took the stage before a cheering audience. Billy Gibbons has been a Texas music icon for decades, and seeing him front the Moving Sidewalks at this relatively small, grassroots music festival felt surreal. He sported his custom guitar embedded with a mini-iPad. After all Gibbons’ years in ZZ Top, the blues edge is unmistakable, but a considerable remnant of his early psych days and time under the tutelage of Jimi Hendrix also made itself obvious. In fact, the band performed a cover of “Foxy Lady” early in the set to fans’ great delight. Like their set in March in NYC, the band closed with an encore of Sidewalks’ classic “99^thFloor” and a cover of the Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Though The Moving Sidewalks closed out the evening on the main stage, respected British post-punk outfit Clinic held the honor of bringing the festival to a close, performing the final set of the night in the Levitation tent. Wearing their usual surgical masks and dressed in scrubs, the band talked little, spending the set focused on their austere, noisy psych. Just as the festival began for me, seeing The Moving Sidewalks and Clinic in such close temporal and physical proximity accentuated the diversity and scope of Austin Psych Fest.

This year, the festival grew exponentially and tackled an ambitious lineup, both resulting in great success. Austin Psych Fest should be seen as a representation of the music that has made Texas great for half a century. Its curators and organizers have outdone any expectation for the 6^th installment of the festival, and we’re already looking forward to what’s in store next year.

All photos (except when noted) © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open the set in slideshow view.