Firefriend // Thee Lucifer Sams // Pete Bassman (Spacemen3)

Sonic Bloom returns and we welcome back old friends whilst welcoming some new friends too.

Back over from Brazil we welcome back Firefriend who began shaping their own blend of heavy, hypnotic psychedelia, space rock, and shoegaze when Julia Grassetti and Yury Hermuche met in 2005 in São Paulo, Brazil. Over the following two decades, the band built a reputation for intense live performances and prolific studio output, releasing twelve LPs across the United States and the United Kingdom.

Thee Lucifer Sams are a visionary psychedelic Rock’n’Roll band from Liverpool, UK making semi-improvised, instrumental music inspired by Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd jams, early Hawkwind, and post-rock noise.

The band feels that what is called “psych” today is little more than indie. By opting out of social media and streaming, Thee Lucifer Sams anchor their music in the only thing that matters – reality. Live shows. The moment.

The ‘Sams are not part of any scene – they create their own, as the organisers of the Liverpool Psychedelic Society and Acidfest events around the globe.

Pete Bassman (aka Pete Bain) is one of the original members of Spacemen 3, which can be considered one of the most influential psych bands of all time. From modest beginnings in Rugby, Spacemen 3 went on to influence generations of psych rockers worldwide with albums such as ‘Sound of Confusion’, ‘The Perfect Prescription’ and ‘Performance’ – all featuring Pete Bassman.

Pete left Spacemen 3 (replaced by Will Carruthers) and formed other influential and equally excellent projects, such as The Darkside and Alpha Stone. Pete Bassman is the only original member of Spacemen 3 still based in Rugby and, for our money, he remains the best and most “spaceman” member of Spacemen 3. His live sets are real psychedelic trips and he’s STILL light years ahead of anyone else on the scene. Simply unmissable.