Austin Psych Fest @ Carson Creek Ranch 05.08–10

Austin Psych Fest ran from May 8 to May 10, featuring psych rock legends and newcomers alike in a three day festival of hazy riffs, amplifier feedback and unrelenting fuzz.

Check out photos of Holy Wave, Lightning Bolt, Las Robertas, Chui Wan, Night Beats, Thee Oh Sees, ZZZ’s, The Black Angels, Fat White Family, The 13th Floor Elevators, Chelsea Wolfe, A Place To Bury Strangers and Fuzz.

Holy Wave played at 8 p.m. on day one, bringing swirly grooves and smoke-wreathed melodies to the proceedings. Lightning Bolt played at 10 p.m. and evoked a whole different kind of feeling—the loud, aggressive, noisy kind.

On day two, Las Robertas hit the stage in the early evening., commanding the audience with their sleepy garage rock sound. While they were about halway through their set, Chui Wan chilled everyone out with their space rock vibes at the Elevation Amphitheatre. Night Beats followed up Las Robertas with their sparse, almost R&B vibes, giving way to the trippy sound and infectious energy of Thee Oh Sees.

On the last day, Japanese psych punks ZZZ’s jabbed at the audience with their erratic, disorienting music. The Black Angels softened things up with their psychedelic wall of distortion, giving way to the sleazy psych pop of Fat White Family. Then genre innovators The 13th Floor Elevators took the stage to celebrate their 50th Anniversary, pulling a huge crowd around their stage. Chelsea Wolfe took the Elevation Amphitheater stage as they were settling down, washing over the crowd with her trademark brand of creepy, eclectic pop. Finally, the Levitation Tent brought the intense noise-infested grooves of A Place To Bury Strangers, followed by the garage psych of Fuzz.