In 2019, the word psychedelic just doesn’t dazzle the same way it once did when Tame Impala first took on the world with albums InnerSpeaker, Lonerism and Currents all those years ago. In the wake of the massive success of Tame and now King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, there are a whole raft of psych-rock outfits out there looking to fill that space again and get ahead. So, to be doing what Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are doing and actually getting anywhere doing it, you have to be pretty bloody good.
And Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are just that good. Plus, they’re doing things their own way. Don’t take this writer’s word for it, the results are there to speak for themselves. In 2018, the band’s fourth album And Now For The Whatchamacallit broke the Crumpets into the Australian festival circuit. On top of that, more than a few of its singles became favourites of national youth broadcaster triple j.
10 million or so streams later, the wind is in their sails. Now casting their eyes on Europe and the USA, the Crumpets now seek to join King Gizzard and Tame Impala in making a name for themselves abroad. Almost all of their US headline tour sold out and they just played to a crowd of 1250 at London’s Electric Ballroom. Music Feeds caught up with the band’s Dan Caddy and Chris Young with hopes of bringing fans up to date with just exactly how things are travelling.
Music Feeds: The band’s profile seems to have taken a step up over the past year. Where do you see it all as being at right now?
DAN CADDY: It’s unreal for us to be playing bigger festivals such as Splendour in the Grass. At this year’s Splendour, we had our biggest crowd we’ve ever played to in Australia and it was also broadcast by triple j live. We all still feel very new in the big world of the music industry. These kinds of opportunities seem absurd to us.
CHRIS YOUNG: It has also been amazing to meet fans in places we would never expect them. We’re in Copenhagen tonight and it will always feel bizarre for us that tickets have been sold in places this far from home. We’re feeling very fortunate to be meeting new fans and bands across the globe. We’re also excited to come back home to play Spilt Milk Festival in Canberra and Ballarat.
MF: A band you share more than a few fans with – and have played with, in the past – is King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Have you heard their latest album Infest The Rats’ Nest?
DC: Yes, we have. It’s very admirable to see a high-profile band that always keeps their fanbase guessing about what comes next. The thrashy latest offering from the Gizz camp is surely a sign that the band has the capacity to push their creativity in every direction possible.
MF: Which leads to the next question. Do you have a stance on climate action you would like to share with our readers?
DC: Our impact on the planet as a touring band leaves a lot to be desired. The carbon footprint of flying from our isolated home of Perth and then travelling thousands of miles by van across America and Europe has left us all feeling guilty.
CY: We are aware of this problem and individually we all try to do our part, whether through eating green or being more conscious of waste. There is an organization [FEAT.] who allows bands to purchase solar panels to offset touring footprints. This could be something to look into as we start selling more tickets.
MF: Is there a left-of-centre turn you would like to make with your own music?
DC: One day we would love to release and play our own take on a folk album with lush, dense five-part harmonies. Maybe something of the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young ilk. Also, after watching Flying Lotus’ live 3D set at Desert Daze, we’re all pretty convinced that this is the future of music in a live setting. It’d be rude not to try our hands at making some extraterrestrial beats with some form of 3D visuals for mass effect.
MF: A fellow Perth band who has just released a new single is Tame Impala. Do you have a verdict on ‘It Might Be Time’?
DC: We actually had it on in the green room the other night before our show in Sheffield. Kevin’s production seems shinier than ever and he’s clearly at the top of his game in that respect. We’ve actually listened to a lot of new releases in the van while on the road. As with bands like King Gizz, 30/70 and Pond – to name a few – it’s interesting to hear how they are all maturing their sound over time. It makes us wonder what we will be up to in 10 years and whether we too will have our tracks sounding just as polished and refined.
MF: Gizz and Tame are doing really well overseas. I understand you’re making some inroads as well?
DC: The success of those bands will always be inspiring, especially when faced with the seemingly impossible task of growing an international fanbase. We’ve only been travelling overseas for a year and are often playing small venues in tiny pockets of countries we’ve never even heard – such as an abandoned swimming pool in the incredible medieval town of Feldkirch in Austria.
CY: These gigs are incredibly rewarding but seeing King Gizz sell out Alexandra Palace in London knowing they’ve spent the time touring smaller venues too gives us hope.
MF: What is it about your music that you think people respond to?
DC: That’s a difficult question to answer! In my mind, I’ve always thought that the greatest musical moments tend to be when something surprising happens. But if you oversaturate a song with twists and turns, the impact of a surprise is lessened. Our live set is high energy with what I hope is a good dosage of moshable grooves but enough happening musically for the chin scratchers at the back of the audience to have a few surprises too.
CY: I’m sure Jack’s lyrics bring together a collection of likeminded people and the feeling of being in a room with a community that we’ve helped facilitate is bizarre but surely essential in shaping the crowd responses we’re accustomed to.
MF: You’ve just released new single ‘Mundungus’ are you working on a new album? High Visceral Part 3?
DC: In between touring we’ve been jumping in the studio and the rehearsal rooms writing and recording new music. A lot of the ideas for a new album are already well underway and we will be making a big dent on working toward finishing them off over the summer period. As the band is progressing, so is the musical direction. We are really excited about the new tracks in the works and it’s going to be a lot of fun working on them and starting to bring them into the live show over the coming months.
MF: What’s next?
DC: As said, we’ll be back in Australia to finish up the year. Balancing touring with downtime at home is essential so in a few weeks, we’ll be enjoying summer in our home city with family, doing some jams, and eating some hummus. Next year we kick on and keep the ball rolling.
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Psychedelic Porn Crumpets will return to Australia for Spilt Milk Festival and Falls Festival. Their latest album ‘And Now For The Whatchamacallit’ is out now.
