Australian rock band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets head to Cambridge Junction
Hailing from Perth, Australia, rock band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets released their fifth studio album Night Gnomes in April. They will also soon be coming to Cambridge.
Stemming from the curious brain of English-born singer, guitarist and songwriter Jack McEwan, the album flourishes upon a foundation of psych and classic rock influences, while threads of contemporary sounds add elevation to the core Psychedelic Porn Crumpets sound.
Written in Western Australia during another year of lockdowns, McEwan’s sense of isolation and the mania that accompanied being off the road, and out of sync with the life he and the band had been used to, is poured into the making of the record. We put some questions to Jack.
Firstly, I have to ask, what’s the story behind your very memorable name? Has it helped you get noticed, would you say?
It sounded absurd and memorable so we went with it. It’s always a fun one to tell people when they ask what band we play in. It probably hasn’t helped with any internet searches as most of it gets blocked, so really we shot ourselves in the foot, but the people who do stumble upon us seem to stick around, which is nice.
What can you tell me about Night Gnomes? Where did the title come from?
Late night/early morning ramblings, fully gnomed, you think you’re making sense but you’re just chatting gibberish.
How does the album differ from your previous records, both musically and thematically?
It’s a bit darker, a bit moodier, our teenage angst years have finally caught up with us. In every other interview I’ve tried to slide around the fact of lockdowns, isolation, no pub, no touring, no job, and the big spicy cough, but now the world seems to be heading in a brighter direction. It’s definitely a Covid record.
The reviews so far seem to be pretty positive. Did you feel you had something special when you were making the record?
All the tracks were enjoyable to work on, the anxiety of release day made me tweak everything with a bit more panache. I don’t know about ‘special’ but it was a nice reflection of the time.
What else have you all been doing recently and, other than live gigs, what have you got coming up for the rest of the year?
I’m currently working on another project called ‘Yellows’, other than that I’m just trying to shave down my handicap.
What can the Cambridge audience expect to see when you come to town later this month?
The visual personification of absolute perfection.
Did you miss live performance during lockdown, or was it nice to have a bit of a break? What did you do to occupy your time?
It was the best two years of my life, and now we’re back to reality.
[Read more: It won’t always be like this! - Inhaler live review, Cambridge Junction receives £461,678 from Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme]
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets will be appearing at the Junction’s J1 on Sunday, August 21. To book tickets, visit junction.co.uk. For more on the band, go to psychedelicporncrumpets.com.
