Live music review: Frankie and the Witch Fingers unleashed psych and roll on an ecstatic Austin audience
While considering the subject of neo-psych-rock, people might think of various things. Whether it be the genre-hopping antics of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the angular garage jams of Osees, or the guitar-chipping musical elasticity of Ty Segall, there’s always a record that drags the listener into pedal board oblivion in one way or another. For Los Angeles act, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, every record has been a step further to indie psych-rock royalty. Formed by frontman Dylan Sizemore as a solo project in Indiana before relocating to Los Angeles recently, Sizemore has assembled his group of rock and roll avengers, sculpting record after record of “psych and roll” material built to blow audiences away. Sizemore and his band did just that for a Thursday night Austin crowd at Parish in the city’s famed East Side.
Since the release of Frankie’s new record, Data Doom, the L.A. band has embarked on a tour to celebrate the release of yet another banger-heavy album. To accompany them on this expedition, the band took along Portland outfit, Spoon Benders to open gigs on this leg of the tour. The visceral, garage-style psych fit in with the headlining band, with colossal riffs and booming drums to account for the sonic chaos that the evening had in store for the now frenzied fans. The Portland rockers didn’t take this mission lightly, delivering a potent opening set that propelled the crowd into mosh central by the show’s raucous end. Spoon Benders just released their second album. Stream it below.
The Los Angeles musical freaks were locked and loaded when Frankie and the Witch Fingers took over the proceedings. They began their set with a one-two punch of the first two tracks from their new record. The opening seven-minute monster, “Empire,” set the stage with flaring levels of urgency. Lead guitarist Josh Menashe took double duty, perfectly operating the synth sounds and impeccable guitar leads, never missing a note, even for the evening’s most technical cuts. The crowd rejoiced in an immediate fashion, making the packed Parish break out into a venue-sized moshing madhouse. This incarnation of the group includes Nikki Pickle, formerly of Death Valley Girls on bass, a fitting addition since the Los Angeles reconvening of the psych titans.
The Parish lighting setup flourished along with the Witch Fingers, with visuals by local artist Phantastic Lights. Known for working with The Black Angels on Austin Psych Fest and Halloween weekend Austin Red River festival Levitation, the task of handling visuals for the gig was a spectacle on its own. Frankie’s set was filled with pulsing psychedelic patterns that matched the frantic vibes of the music that in turn, paralleled the spectral chaos of the Thursday night show with flair.
Older cuts of the set came in the form of “Cocaine Dream” and “Cops and Robbers.” off the 2013 release Sidewalk. Originally released as a cassette in 2013, the album was later released by Frankie’s current label, Brooklyn’s Greenway Records. Greenway, An indie label, has housed Acid Dad, Levitation Room, and Austin Psych Fest alum GIFT. Since Frankie signed to the label in 2019 for now fan-favorite full-length ZAM, the Indiana-turned-LA band has remastered all of their releases for Greenway Records, alongside countless 7-inch records to add to their ever-growing catalog. Frankie’s wide range of releases also includes a 2020 live session with Austin’s local indie rock collective Levitation, which hosts a yearly festival every Halloween weekend, including venues all over Austin that celebrate underground music spanning many genres.
For the last leg of the night, Frankie and the Witch Fingers returned to the stage for a double dose encore. For the final tunes of the night, Sizemore handed his guitar duties off to tour manager, Scott Schmadeke. Armed with just a microphone, the Frankie singer dispelled the last of his stamina with an explosive finale, complete with stage interactions and a crowd surfing trip. The Austin audience rejoiced in assisting Sizemore’s crowd travel from door to stage. When the music fizzled out, the Witch Fingers bid the audience a short farewell before congregating by the venue exit to send the concert attendees off personally, sticking around to sign vinyl and bump some fists to conclude an epic night. Frankie and the Witch Fingers are always welcome in Austin.
All photos by Drew Doggett
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