With Halloween fated as a Monday this year, Dallas was filled to the brim with Halloween shenanigans over the weekend. From Hobbits wandering alongside Elle Woodses on Greenville Avenue to the Morticia Adams and Tank Girl cosplays at Thunderbird Station, the nightlife downtown was especially celebratory. At Deep Ellum Art Co., local fans of psychedelia gathered to see Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (@psychedelicprncrumpets on insta), supported by Acid Dad (@aciddad666 on insta).
This was my first time listening to Acid Dad, a New-York based trio combining alt-rock, neo-psychedelia, and post-punk into their soundscape. They were strumming, shredding, and bouncing to their tunes, with the alternation between the two singers being so fluid that there wasn’t a dull moment. I put away my camera at one point to just enjoy the set in that present moment, none the wiser that that would be their final song for the night.
While in-wait between the two sets, jazz hands peeped out from behind the stage-left curtains. My reflexes weren’t strong enough in that moment to take photographic evidence of that whimsy, but it was a fun sneak-peek into how fun the rest of the night would be.
To start things off, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets made a theatrical entrance with operatic music playing behind them, followed up by Jack McEwan making some excellent crescendo power-poses to hype up the crowd. The band started off on a high note with “Tally-Ho,” one of their absolute bops from SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound. About 4 songs into their set, McEwan paused, removed his earplugs, and said that he couldn’t continue with them in. Parallel solidarity was felt in that moment, as my +1 and I forgot our earplugs at home and were embracing the full depth and decibels of the night.
*Am I hearing a distinct ringing as I type this? Perhaps, or maybe I’m inserting a doomer audio delusions as Hymn for a Droid plays in the background*
They played many fan favorites such as “Mr. Prism,” “Marmalade March,” and “Found God in a Tomato,” and took a few more breaks between songs throughout the night. During these breaks, the group complemented the eatery around the corner, the lightshow and visuals, and the energy of the room. The night before, the band performed at Levitation 2022 in Austin. Combined with tonight, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets had a full-bodied taste of psychedelic-Texan hospitality this weekend.
Throughout the night, both acts were complimented by a phenomenal light show and vibrant projections by Webb Hunt, (@webbhunt on insta) a video artist who’s produced glitch art videos and 3D animations for Acid Dad’s music.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets had finished off their set with “Cubensis Lenses,” and then contently headed off stage, with Chip Hazard giving cute peace signs out to the audience. Naturally, the roar for an encore ensued. The band slowly came back on stage, and I was able to snap the most wholesome image of Wayan Biliondana smiling post-solo.
With all their fervor, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets finished off strong with “Cornflake.” Now officially heading offstage for the night, fistbumps were given to some fans by Luke Parish, and Danny Caddy gave his broken drumstick to the fan on my right. That person’s excitement in receiving such a memento was such a wholesome glee to experience secondhand, almost as refreshing as the concert euphoria felt throughout the night that I had missed for so long.
With Psychedelic Porn Crumpets finishing up at around 11 PM, I can only hope that they and Acid Dad ventured further into the Deep Ellum to enjoy the nightlife and have a rad time in Dallas. Both bands were lovely to see and experience their musical prowess live. We’ll be crossing our fingers that RadioUTD will be able to schedule them for an interview or Pseudo Stereo session next time they come by DFW. We’re confident this won’t be either band’s last visit.
