Psychedelic Porn Crumpets at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea: 'Head-nodding music par excellence' | Review

The operatic classic is allowed to play out in full before the band finally wander on to the stage.

Hailing from Perth in western Australia, the five-piece have found a home-from-home in the UK – and Portsmouth welcomes them with open arms. As they romp from one fuzz-powered epic to another, a large part of the sell-out crowd is a seething, roiling tangle of limbs. This is the biggest mosh pit I’ve seen at The Wedge in some time – it starts soon into the set and doesn’t let up until the final notes ring out – as well as numerous crowd surfers flying overhead and frequent outbreaks of mass-synchronised headbanging.

From the name alone you can probably guess what the band sound like – it’s wiggy, out-there stuff. While they may take cues from their fellow countrymen King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala, they are their own beast. At their heaviest there are definite hints of desert rockers like Kyuss in the mix, but there is light and shade – one song starts off almost as a waltz.

NOW READ: Victorious Festival announces its Kids Arena lineup

Their set draws from across all five of their albums, and song titles like Acid Dent, Mundungus, Lava Lamp Pisco and Hymn For a Droid provide further evidence of the territory they’re mining. New single Nootmare (K-I-L-L-I-n-G) Meow! – no, me neither – is an up-tempo addition to the set which goes down a storm.

This is head-nodding music par excellence, and while there is much to admire listening to it at home on a pair of headphones, it is here, in a sweaty room that it really lives. Weird animations, constantly swirling on a big screen behind them enhance the mood.

Frontman Jack McEwan warns us early on that he’s not feeling great, and we may need to call him an ambulance by the end. And as the set progresses his voice is increasingly croaky when talking between songs.

However, it doesn’t visibly affect his performance, and the rest of the band make sure the energy level is never in danger of dropping.

A tip of the hat too to openers Maruja with their impressive sax-assisted post-rock.

An excellent night all-round.