Acid Mothers Temple and the Carefully Planned Festival

Carlton Melton's new album is a great psychedelic vortex of ecstasy so I tripped all the way to Liverpool to hear them support Acid Mothers Temple which turned out to be a good idea, as Carlton Melton live are way better than even that album suggests, and Acid Mothers were also at their very mind melting best. A big hello to Mimi and Marina two nice ladies from Hamburg, and a thank you to Stevie Eye for his free hotel service. The first band Barberos were also pretty crazy, two drummists and a keyboarder all dressed in grey body suits.

The next day I returned to witness the second Carefully Planned festivalwhich kicked off for me with the ever excellent Plank! who were sounding better than at the Liverpool Psych Fest. Day for Airstrikes proceeded to play a gig approximately ten times better than any I'd heard them play before, and Easter completely obliterated any doubts that they'd be at a loss with the departure of Danny Saul. Gavin has switched to guitar and his brother Richard is playing bass. Also on the first day I think Sex Hands were the best I'd heard them, and I enjoyed Claw the Thin Ice, Well Wisher and the final song of Jesus Knievel's set. Bilge Pump of course totally ruled. I liked their style, thank you very much.

The next day's most manic performance came from Queer'd Science, sounding like a jolly good blast of what Skin Graft records called "now wave" as a pun on "no wave" way before a Manchester gig promoter who puts on mostly pretty lame bands came up with the same idea, albeit for less appropriate music. Pine Barrens were vicious and heavy, Juffage was fun, Hunting Bears played beautiful folk, Burnst were as instumentally crucial as ever and Anaesthetics confessed to liking Blondie.

After a lovely intimate set from the trio Sleeping Dog in The Castle (best venue due to Old Rosie on tap) I tripped out to the Night and Day for a second even more fantastic dose of the Acid Mothers magic. Makoto Kawabata keeps getting better. How is this possible?