Psych Fest is returning to Portsmouth - and it's bigger than ever

Back for its second year, organiser Nicki Allen promises this year’s festival will be bigger and better.

The 39-year-old from Southsea said: ‘I love this genre of music and I worked for Southsea Fest for ten years and after that I wanted to grow the music side and so I developed it in my taste.’

Nicki loves all things psychedelic and has been going to the International Festival of Psychedelia in Liverpool.

She said: ‘I love that festival and so wanted to create something similar here in Portsmouth.’

This year’s festival will see local bands across three stages; The Wedgewood Rooms, The Edge of the Wedge and Acapulco Bar.

Headlining​ the festival will be one of the country’s finest live acts, Flamingods – a four-piece, multi-instrumental band from Bahrain and London which explores influences from Western Psychedelia, jazz and indie while using a vast selection of instruments from the Middle East and Asia.

Nicki said: ‘We have so many great local bands performing that we decided to have three stages.’

Other bands featuring on the bill include Mystic Peach, Strange Cages, The Ninth Wave and Violet Mud.

On top of the mammoth line-up, Innerstrings (The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia, Lewes Psych Fest) will be bringing their psychedelic light show to The Wedgewood Rooms, along with some additional art installation with the help of Portsmouth artist My Dog Sighs.

The event is on Saturday, April 28 and starts at Acapulco Bar from 2pm until 8pm. The Edge of the Wedge will showcase live music from 4pm until 9pm before the headliners take to the stage at the Wedgewood Rooms from 6pm until 11.30pm.

DJs will spin the decks at The Edge until 1am.

Tickets are £13 and available from the Wedgewood Rooms, Pie & Vinyl and Dresscode on Albert Road.