Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
Globe Iron, Cleveland
By Rob McCune
The ’shrooms might’ve been optional, but the trippy vibes were not as Australia’s Psychedelic Porn Crumpets lit up Cleveland’s Globe Iron stage.
That vibe was elevated by a light and projection show that gave the impression that this concert was taking place inside a high-end kaleidoscope. The myriad mystical montages of pictures and patterns scattered across not just the stage, backdrop and performers, but also bounced off the walls and the heads and shoulders of the crowd.
Setting the trip in motion was opener Ghost Funk Orchestra, an 8-piece psychedelic soul-disco-funk ensemble out of New York that blends raw guitar power with sax sizzle, trumpet and bone-rattling percussion. The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum, the band is fronted by a fierce female duet, shaking more than just tambourines. GFC’s set sparked palpable excitement, drawing from the band’s two albums, “A Trip to the Moon” and “A New Kind of Love.”
The Porn Crumpets kept the psychedelic train on track with a bass beat that at times felt primal, ala Primus’ Les Claypool. Their 16-track set pulled punches from eight studio albums with trippy titles such as “Found God in a Tomato,” “Hymn for a Droid,” “Lava Lamp Pisco” and “Cornflake.” A two-song encore closed with “Hot! Heat! Wow! Hot!” and “Cubensis Lenses.”
The cavernous concert hall reverberated and rippled, not just with color but also gyrating, moshing, crowd-surfing crowd energy.
It was enough to make the straightest arrow dizzy with delight.
Rob McCune is Every_Thing_After_Photo on Instagram, where he shares his concert photography and reviews, as well as clips from his “Every.Thing.After” podcast, with interviews with musicians and bands.
