Lowe helped shape the psychedelic sound of the 1960s, fronting a band that would become synonymous with the surreal, distortion-laden textures of the era.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, The Electric Prunes – boasting a name initially beginning as a joke – quickly carved out a space in the fast-evolving rock landscape. The band experienced a tumultuous musical career with Lowe admitting that the band were learning to play their instruments as they went along with members coming and going throughout the years.

The band’s second 1966  single ‘I Had Too Much To Dream (last night)‘ secured a spot in the upper tier of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as featuring on the compilation ‘Nuggets’. The song had a major influence on the emerging psychedelic scene and is cited as a pioneering track in the genre. The song and the band as a whole influenced many artists who sought to push the boundaries of rock and explore new sonic landscapes.

James Lowe was born in San Luis Obispo in California in March 1943. As a teenager he was an active performer in California’s folk scene and worked in Rocket Engine Production. He then formed rock band The Sanctions which eventually evolved into The Electric Prunes. Following the band’s first split in 1970, Lowe worked as a recording engineer. His studio credits include early work with Sparks and all three albums by Nazz, the influential proto-power pop band featuring Todd Rundgren. Lowe then left the music industry to work in television production, where he worked until the end of his life.

Despite his varied career, Lowe never strayed far from music. In a 2000 interview, he reflected: “Take away the profit motive and all of that greed, and you get back to trying to make a good record… it’s very hard.” On The Electric Prunes, he simply said: “Some things are meant to be short and sweet. Life is but a dream.”

Katja Ringholz, a friend and fan of the singer, speaking on his death shared that “his melodies, his lyrics, his performance – all of it was an expression of his soul. He had the unique gift of transforming feelings into sounds and reaching all of us with them”.

Lowe was the last surviving member of The Electric Prunes’ original line-up. His contribution to music both in the band and through his work in the music industry has had a lasting influence on the continually developing rock scenes and subsequent influence on generations of musicians and fans alike.

The time has come! We’ll be releasing our sixth album via @LNFGlasgow and it’s hands down the absolute best record we’ve ever made. You can preorder here:https://t.co/So5mvdUMqm pic.twitter.com/5mvRCzY7R9

— The Kundalini Genie (@KundaliniGenie) June 17, 2023

The latest release from the group that is keeping British psychedelic rock alive and well marks another chapter in The Kundalini Genie’s ascent into British psychedelic folklore, with the band claiming on the post that announced the album that the LP is “hands down the absolute best record we’ve ever made“. Exciting stuff, truly, for any fan that has witnessed the group’s stunning progression via their previous releases.

The Glasgow based experimental/psychedelic rock outfit released their debut album, Reverberation, in 2017, and have since released an impressively prolific total of five albums in the past seven years, with their latest making it six in seven.

Listen to “The Soul That Makes Me Yours“, the opening track of The Kundalini Genie’s debut album, below:

The band have been continually supported by a devout cult following and have been likened by fans and critics alike to fellow psychedelic rock group The Brian Jonestown Massacre, with both bands mixing reverb heavy drone-pysch numbers with more upbeat, 60’s psychedelia inspired, Rolling Stones-esque experimental wanderings. Another 60’s band the group has been compared to is the Velvet Underground, helped undoubtedly by the fact that the Kundalini Genie covered the Velvets’ track “Oh Sweet Nothin’” on Austrian record label Schore’s ‘the HillTone Sessions’ back in 2020.

You Are The Resurrection, the band’s second album, was released in 2018 and, like the first, was not attached to a label. The third, It’s All In Your Head (2019), was released by both Captain Beefart Records, which is also a Youtube channel that has continually supported the band by way of Youtube uploads, and Little Cloud Records, the latter also releasing their next two records, 1111 (2020), and Half In, Half Out (2021).

Watch the music video for “Half In, Half Out”, the title track from The Kundalini Genie’s fifth album, below:

You can pre-order False Highs, True Lows here.

See below for The Kundalini Genie summer tour dates:

27/07/2023 – Kendal Calling – Penrith
01/09 – The Old Blue Last – London
02/09 – Manchester Psych Fest – Manchester
03/09 – Edinburgh Psych Fest – Edinburgh

You can purchase tickets for these live shows here.

LONDON WE ARE COMING BACK!
We are only doing 1 headline show so get your tickets quick! Tickets on sale Friday:https://t.co/Z9qLzVDA6O pic.twitter.com/4UHqGuRj6s

— The Lazy Eyes (@TheLazyEyesband) May 9, 2023

The group’s last visit to the UK came back in May of last year, where they played The Great Escape Festival in Brighton and five other headline shows throughout England, supporting, in the process, the release of their debut album, Songbook.

Songbook, which was released on April 21st last year via The Orchard, was met with widespread favourable reviews, with Atwood magazine labelling it “An enchanting tapestry of colorful, psychedelic sonic wonder ready to whisk us into a radiant, groovy daydream“.

Watch the music video for “Where’s My Brain???” below:

The record remains the group’s only album release to date, but with the abundance of creativity that presides in it, fans and critics alike can expect to be hearing a lot more of the Sydney band in the near future, particularly if The Lazy Eyes can not only meet their clear inspiration in fellow Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard in musical prowess and creativity but also in productivity, given the aforementioned has released a staggeringly prolific 23 studio albums in 11 years, with another, PetroDragonic Apocalyse, scheduled to be released later this week.

The Lazy Eyes were formed in 2015 in Sydney, Australia, whilst the band members were schoolmates at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. The lineup consists of Harvey Geraghty (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Itay Shachar (vocals, guitar), Leon Karagic (bass) and Noah Martin (drums).

The latest psychedelic rock band to come out of Australia have sold out shows wherever they go and, similarly to King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and their Gizzfest, have their very festival, Lazyfest, which they founded in 2021. The Sydney psych-rock outfit are regularly found on Triple J, an Australian alternative music radio station, and recently covered the Bee Gees’ “More Than A Woman” on the station’s Like A Version segment, whilst also performing their own track “Fuzz Jam“.

Watch the music video for “Fuzz Jam” below:

Whilst this second visit to the UK for the Aussie psych-rock outfit only has one show in store for fans, the band’s continual growth in popularity here in Europe will surely see them visit the other side of the world more often. Indeed, for psychedelic rock fans, our prayers will surely be answered.

You can purchase Songbook here.

You can purchase tickets for the headline show at Dingwalls, London here.

Syd Barrett Estate launches the Official Syd Barrett YouTube channelhttps://t.co/4utqmCEdlZ
Syd Barrett Music Limited and the Syd Barrett estate are launching a dedicated Syd Barrett YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/U6FFXZY03j

— Syd Barrett-Official (@TheSydBarrett) May 9, 2023

The channel will feature songs from Barrett’s solo career post Pink-Floyd, and will be accompanied by animated music videos created by Swedish animator Alex Teglbjaerg.

Taken from a press release, Peter Barrett, on behalf of the Barrett Family, explains, “There isn’t all that much filmed Syd Barrett out there. You’ve seen already seen most of the material and the few bits that pop up are quickly placed in the public domain. We want to take his quirky and poetic lyrics and translate them into images”.

Teglbjaerg, on his contribution to the project, added, “I try to take the listener into a Syd Barrett dream of sorts. Syd was a craftsman when it came to writing intriguing lyrics for his songs. Many times utilising cut-up techniques. That’s what I am attempting to do as well. I take what we take for granted, Syd in a room with painted floorboards and find a way to discover more. Not just zoom in, I try to immerse the viewer in that room by using collages and elements from multiple sources. But in the end, the focus is not on the visuals themselves. It lies in Syd’s music and lyrics”.

Watch the animated music video for “Dark Globe” below:

Barrett co-founded psychedelic and progressive rock band Pink Floyd in 1965 with Roger Walters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, and was initially the main creative force, both lyrically and musically, driving the band forward. Regularly performing at London venue the UFO Club, the group quickly amassed a growing fan base, and released their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in August 1967. The album was well-received and reached number six in the UK Albums Chart.

Despite the early success, however, Barrett’s relationship with the band grew worse; his ever-increasing use of LSD distanced himself from the band and by the time the group’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, was released the following year, Barrett had been asked to leave. His last contribution to the band’s discography was the single “Jugband Blues“, the only song Barrett had written on the new LP, and a hauntingly self-aware portrait of Barrett being left behind by his bandmates.

Watch the 1967 promo video for “Jugband Blues” below:

Barrett subsequently embarked on a brief solo career, releasing the single “Octopus” in November 1969, the only single he ended up releasing, and followed this two months later with the album The Madcap Laughs (1970). The album was produced with the help of Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Roger Waters, with Richard Wright helping produce his second, and final, album, Barrett (1970).

Syd Barrett’s genius has influenced and inspired a plethora of artists over the years and this new youtube channel dedicated to his music will undoubtedly prove a poignant tribute to said genius.

The six date American tour will follow a packed summer schedule for the space rock outfit which will see them play at a number of European venues along with a fair few festivals, and will see them return to a couple of venues they visited on their previous visit to North America in September of last year (namely, White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ and Union Transfer in Philadelphia, PA).

The announcement came yesterday via the group’s twitter page and will no doubt excite their East coast American fans who will get to see the band again in such a short space of time.

Spiritualized® Live™ US
Local pre-sales from (10AM local time) 05.10.2023 – (10PM local time) 05.11.2023
General on-sale (12PM local time) 05.12.2023 https://t.co/xqiUt3Pqv4 pic.twitter.com/M5rwtBQOXf

— Spiritualized® (@officialSpzd) May 9, 2023

Spiritualized were formed in 1990 by frontman Jason Pierce (J Spaceman) following the disbanding of his previous group, Spacemen 3, after a series of fall outs with former co-frontman Peter Kember (Sonic Boom). Pierce subsequently brought with him to Spiritualized fellow Spacemen 3 members Will Carruthers, Mark Refoy and Jonny Mattock to form the new space rock outfit.

The band released its debut album, Lazer Guided Melodies, in 1992, incorporating more of a shoegaze element along with the distinctive spacey, psychedelic sound of Spacemen 3, and with their next album, Pure Phase (1995) came a slight delve into britpop, all the while maintaining a keen appetite for space rock. Their third album, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, released in 1997, became their most successful and most well-known release, peaking at number four in the UK Albums Chart and being named NME’s Album of the Year.

Listen to “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” below:

Spiritualized have since become space rock pioneers and have amassed a huge cult following, and have released a total of nine studio albums, the latest of which, Everything Was Beautiful, was released in April 2022 on Fat Possum Records. The group’s current lineup consists of Jason Pierce (vocals, guitar), John Coxon (guitar, keyboard), Doggen Foster (guitar), James Stelfox (bass), Kevin Bales (drums) and Tom Edwards (keyboards).

See below for the US tour dates:

06/11/2023 – White Eagle Hall – New Jersey, NJ
07/11 – Asbury Hall – Buffalo, NY
08/11 – Basilica Hudson – Hudson, NY
09/11 – Mr Smalls Theatre – Millvale, PA
11/11 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
12/11 – Webster Hall – New York, NY

You can purchase tour tickets from May 12th here.

The underground shows will be held, as usual, in six iconic rock venues around the heavy-loving neighbourhood, this year compromising of The Roundhouse, The Electric Ballroom, The Underworld, The Black Heart, The Devonshire Arms and Powerhaus Camden. Some of which are a new edition to the yearly festival.

We’ve been granted news of the final bands to have joined the line-up, and once again, we have not been let down. The roster includes great bands such as, on the first day, the French post-metal band Year Of No Light playing their first gig in London since 2013, the hardcore-punk foursome Bad Breeding from the unbowed Stevenage, Electric Funeral covering Sabbath tunes and many more.

The second day, expect to be plastered by another series of significant rockers, together with one of Sweden’s first and most enduring stoner rock bands Dozer, the so-called ‘fathers or the desert’ Fatso Jetson and the American band Corrosion of Conformity bringing a slower, blues-tinged heavy metal to the table, who have not played on UK soil since 2018.

Following up on Sunday’s final blast we find the heavy groove trio Nebula, Antwerp’s stoner rock legends Gnome, the British riff-driven Uncle Acid and The Deadbeat, Japanese experimental-rock band Boris and many, many more.

It is a relished festival, which comes back round every year with great feedback from its regular fans. Desertfest winds way back to 2011, when its first event was ever made, always happening between the months of April and May. The first event, originally took place in London. However, after receiving such a response, as well as high demand, the event was extended to also take place in Berlin a couple months afterwards. In 2014, Desertfest Antwerp, Belgium was announced. Following its steady growth, the festival now also takes place in Ghent and even made it across the pond to New York.

Not only is it a publicly loved festival, however, it is also considered a safespace for repeatedly welcomed bands who return to the stage each year. Seen almost as a family reunion for most artists, they consider it to be a highlight of the year, in reconciliation with other fellow artists having played alongside each other throughout the years. The band Lowrider share in an interview last year; “Desertfest is always so relaxed and welcoming, it’s our third time here. We know lots of the other bands and it almost feels like an old school class or family reunion. The build up to Desertfest has been incredible, the most excited I can recall since waiting to get a Nintendo at Christmas when I was about 10-years-old!”

Tickets for both weekend and day passes are now available to buy online here.

With a sound similar to that of late 60’s psychedelic it is definitely a throwback to yesteryear. But that is a part of their charm. Frontwomen Lina and Maja Westin share vocal duties, with an almost haunting presence but one that will draw you in and keep you reaching for the replay button. A catchy bassline introduces the track with a backing drum beat before the vocals say hello, and the next four minutes take you on a journey of psychedelic rock that hasn’t been heard for the best part of five decades. It’s something different to the repetitive auto-tune drawl that infests the mainstream charts these days, and boy is it refreshing to hear music so drastically different to what you normally hear.

The group are currently working with fellow Swedes Icona Pop as they continue to push their way up the musical ladder and into people’s ears. And with some help coming from some of Sweden’s most famous exports, Bjorn and Benny of ABBA fame, it would appear that the sky is the limit for the fivesome. A performance at the upcoming London Fashion Week on the 14th of September is set to increase the group’s already sterling reputation, so catch them while they’re hot.

Listen to Who Deprived You Of Your Smile below.