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Mar 31, 2025 By Dom Gourlay Photography by Emily Doyle Web Exclusive

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen my name on a t-shirt!” declares an excited Ayeshah George, aka Leicester-born and now Manchester-based multi-instrumentalist Zolatec. Whose spellbinding set in Dubrek Studios earlier proved to be one of the day’s many highlights. Having emerged from the ashes of last year’s one-off event WFR Central, it’s probably fair to say the inaugural Psychic Dancehall Festival was an overwhelming success. The brainchild of local promoter James Thornhill in collaboration of Birmingham based independent label Kikimora Records, Psychic Dancehall focused on the very best in electronic music with an experimental twist, meaning all bases were covered from pop to psychedelia, techno rave, electroclash and avant garde soundscapes. Located in the East Midlands industrial city of Derby and spread across two venues incorporating three stages - The Wardwick, a former library that played host to the main stage and Dubrek Studios which also housed the Psychic Bunker in its slightly smaller rehearsal space. Situated just a ten minutes walk apart, the scheduling meant it possible to catch at least part of every act while also taking in other parts of the city’s hospitality (The Flowerpot public house being one of Derby’s must-visit hostelries) not to mention Nottingham brewery Neon Raptor also getting in on the act with their own Psychic Dancehall IPA especially brewed for the festival.

Although Derby is often seen as the East Midlands poor relation culturally compared to Nottingham and Leicester, there was a time thirty years ago when it boasted some of the region’s - if not the UK’s - finest musical establishments. Although long departed, the likes of The Wherehouse, Dial and Assembly Rooms became regular stop-offs on the national tour circuit hosting early shows by the likes of Oasis, Bikini Kill, Stereolab and Teenage Fanclub (the former) with the latter being a genuine competitor for the more widely esteemed Rock City and De Montfort Hall in its aforementioned neighbouring cities. “Nothing ever happens in Derby!” screams a post on a local Facebook group devoted to encouraging more Derby folks to attend gigs in the city, so it’s a major coup that an event like this exists within the region.

What Psychic Dancehall offers is a mind-melting combination of unconventional acts from a genre that encompasses a wide spectrum of shapeshifting sounds and ideas. For instance, the aforementioned Zolatec combines an array of instrumentation and arrangements that has one person comparing her to Bjork while another namechecks Slipknot. What’s even more thought-provoking is the way she effortlessly segues between genre and sub-genre, enrapturing the audience with every passing note. Across the room in the homely confines of the Psychic Bunker, Derby-based musician Debbie Fleming aka Debbie and the Sea Of Fire also creates an enthralling passage of sonics and visuals that prove both mesmerising and unmissable. So much that the room fills to capacity within minutes of her set’s initial introduction. Later on, fellow Derby experimentalist James Glew will take us on a different voyage altogether that sits somewhere between Autobahn era Kraftwerk and the slightly more esoteric rhythms of James Blake or Luke Abbott.

Earlier on, Nottingham three-piece TRNKS turn the Wardwick into a pulsating dancefloor courtesy of their nineties-rave inspired tunes. The trio of Christian Davis (drums & vocals), Chris Moore (guitars) and Dave Startin (guitars & keyboards) might be better known for playing in rock bands over the years but with songs like “Tiny Shards” and “Need To Get Out Of My Mind”, find the perfect balance between cavalier pop and sonic exploration, traversing each with consummate ease. That they also manage to pull a huge crowd despite being the opening act also speaks volumes for both their musical wares and the supportive nature of the electronic scene.

With revellers having travelled from as far as Manchester, London and even Dundee to witness the first Psychic Dancehall, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Birmingham’s Pram prove to be one of the event’s most popular bookings. Having originally formed as far back as 1988 and recorded a plethora of singles, albums and EPs for labels such as Too Pure, Domino and Duophonic over the years, a Pram show is about as rare as an aurora borealis sighting these days. Especially in the East Midlands, so when they do appear on the Wardwick stage around teatime the venue is already near capacity. Many waiting in anticipation for what Pram serve up, which as with their sets past and present is a mixture of both older material and improvised pieces that fills the room with joy.

Fellow Birmingham musician and Kikimora Records founder Rosie Tee is another festival highlight. Playing a set that veers from introspective pop to more slightly ambient pieces, all taken from last year’s excellent long player Night Creature. Her performance unsurprisingly leads to another queue of people at the merch stand, many of whom purchase records which the aforementioned Tee is only too happy to sign. Across the way in Dubrek Studios, James Adrian Brown is another musician with a past playing in rock bands, but he’s almost certainly found his destiny as a solo electronic artist with a growing reputation if the huge crowd watching his set are anything to go by. It’s an exhilarating performance that leaves little to the imagination as Brown prods, pokes and caresses his keyboard and laptop combo into a cosmic array of aural bliss.

While The Utopia Strong are technically the headline act, they aren’t the last ones to play with artists and DJs taking late night revellers into the early hours over at Dubrek. Nevertheless, the revered trio - Kavus Torabi, Steve Davis and Michael J. York - are unsurprisingly a huge draw in the Wardwick and one that encapsulates the unorthodox nature of Psychic Dancehall in creating its own vibe rather than following any pre-conceived norm.

Long may it continue, which judging by the gushing praise we hear from punters all the way back to the train station heartily suggests Psychic Dancehall will become an annual feature on the city’s events calendar. Who says nothing ever happens in Derby… ?