In Pictures: Manchester Psych Fest

Manchester’s inaugural festival of psychedelia saw psych lovers of all ages descend on the Night & Day Cafe on 31 May – and from day until night indeed the sound of psych did spill out on to Oldham Street.

With the sun still out and the aptly named LSD and magic bean burgers still being served, Second Shepherds hypnotised an eager crowd with their doomed-fairground sound. Members exhibited diverse talents: the guitarist became a trumpet player, the bass player a keyboardist.

Purple Heart Parade's guitar orientated rock followed; while The Underground Youth had a twang of Ian Curtis in their steady, monotonous beats.

Telegram’s amplifier caught fire, cutting their much anticipated show down to four tracks; the distraction took its toll, and the audience was visibly frustrated. Nevertheless, headliners TOY soon got the crowd going again, the energised room soaking up all that was being given on stage and proving a fitting end to Manchester’s first psych festival. [Jennifer Ho]

Here's what our photographer, Sam Huddleston, caught of the day...