I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: November 19, 2025] Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

It’s very lazy to compare the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard–two Australian bands with weird names and similar sensibilities.  After all KGLW is from Melbourne and PPC are from Perth (they are 2100 miles apart which is roughly New York City to Salt Lake City).

And yet.

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets take one aspect of KGLW’s sound and run with it.  KGLW does something radically different on every album, but what I think of as their main sound–heavy psychedelic rockers–is where the two bands meet.

This was my second time seeing the Crumpets.  I had tickets to see them last year but I couldn’t make it, so it was fun getting to see them at the more spacious Union Transfer.

The songs are fast and frenzied (and not really psychedelic at all) and there was a lot of slam dancing.

PPC have three guitarists.  Jack McEwan is the band’s vocalist and main songwriter (he’s actually British, but moved to Australia when he a teenager).  Luke Parish is the lead guitarist for the band, although McEwan also plays lead and Chris Young plays the guitar/keyboard (which also includes lead–sometimes all three play leads at the same time).  Danny Caddy is the band’s drummer.  Wayan Billondana plays bass.  He was in front of me on the stage and his bass playing was outstanding.

The show opened up with the Rodney the Turtle on a stool at the back of the stage.  They played Nessun Dorma! (by Puccini) with the spotlight on Rodney.  And  then the band came rumbling out.

I was in front of Chris Young and not too far from Jack McEwan.  And as soon as the show started, the frenzy began and barely let up.  PPC songs are fast with lots of fast guitar riffs and chord progressions.  And when all three guitars play the same riff it’s explosive.

They have released three albums since I last saw them and they opened with a song from the newest.  But what’s so much fun about PPC is that their setlist is from all of their albums.  So they followed that one with a song from their debut (which they didn’t play last time) Surf’s Up with an Australian take on California surf rock.

After that came the super fun riff of Mundungus, a song that was fun last time live and maybe even more so this time–with more room for slam dancing.  I loved hearing Nootmare which hadn’t been released last time I saw them.  This song (k-i-l-l-i-n-g motherfucker) has many parts and changes and the band is tight as anything live.

Lava Lamp Pisco is another favorite and it feature these wonderfully catchy high notes (sung and played on guitar) that act as a massive hook.   There were two new songs, the fun and bouncy Manny’s Ready to Roll and the more stomping The Real Contra Band.  In between, people went berserk for the older song Hymn for a Droid.  I happen to love this song, especially the middle section, with the bratty Ahhhs.

Things slowed down for a breather in Found God in a Tomato, but only for about 2 minutes before the song takes off for 6 more minutes of rocking.  Then things ramped up to high speed with Cubensis Lenses.  It culminated in a big jamming soloing section with James on his knees playing with the guitar.  They moved on to the somewhat slower and jazzier November, which was also when the crowd started rowing.  I was at an Amon Amarth show and I think they started the rowing mosh pit (a song lyric “put your back into the oar”).  How it has migrated to other bands I don’t know, but it’s always fun to see a group of people on the floor.

They only played two songs from their previous album, but they were big set enders.  The entire crowd went crazy for the intense heavy stomp of Pax Romana and the wild riffage of Another Reincarnation.

For the encore, Gurzle, they brought out Stephen Chen from GFO to play the sax solos. The crowd and the band went nuts for the classic song and for how much Chen rocked out with t he band.  The whole thing culminated in a spectacular encore of “Cornflake,” which they stretched out for a long jam.  It shifts back and forth between a big catchy riff and very mellow verses and is a perfect end of the show.

My son was supposed to come with me but couldn’t make it.  And he missed out on a great show.  I hope PPC comes back again soon and he comes with me.