You can listen to Psychic TV songs a thousand times, you can attend several their concerts but it would never be the same. Surely, Psychic TV is not about music itself but about Musick, a ritual act uniting the listeners in one great magical experience. Powerful, honest and undoubtly unlike every other event you’ve ever attended or will attend in the future.

PTV3 visited Kyiv in March 2015, several months after releasing the “Snakes” LP and Genesis’ journey to Benin that reconnected him with his departed spiritual twin Lady Jaye. Now the band presents their new four-track album “Alienist”, continuing to submerge into the free and loveful spirit of the sixties and early psychedelic music. Well, Love is the word that was constantly in the air during the yesterday’s show, and the whole performance was essentially an ocean of love and shining light spilling out from the stage.

Atomic Simao

A perfect opening warming-up set is played by instrumental sextet Atomic Simao, Kyiv’s own psychedelic band skilled in long solid and masterly performed polyphonic compositions accompanied by a colorful fractal visualizations. Then the PTV3 musicians appear – wonderful drummer Edley ODowd, highly joyful and communicative guitar and keyboard players Jeff Berner and John Weingarten, and of course a charming bass player Alice Genese who seems to be loved by every single person in the audience. Genesis P-Orridge, a mastermind him/herself, enters the stage in white jacket and with the headlight, beginning the show with the last album’s opening track “Jump Into The Fire”. “We can make each other happy”, sings Genesis, greeting the audience, and continues: “Do you know how to make each other happy? Turn to the right and smile to the person who you don’t know. And now same to the left. And now give each other a hug!” So you turn and smile and hug, jumping to the music and shouting, feeling like a magical time machine has brought you to Woodstock’69 where everyone is so open-hearted and sincere. Then come equally energetic “Just like Arcadia” and “How Does It Feel”, followed with the classical lyrical “Just Drifting”. “How many of you there were born after 1982?” asks Genesis, “Well, I think, most of you, so this is a song we wrote in 1982.”  Song about babies, as s/he specifies, and you know that it’s about love, of course, special simple love – just what we’re all looking for.

It’s time for the rest of the new songs – long and hypnotic psychedelic mantra “Looking For You” and title half-electronic “Alienist”. “Inside my head, inside my brain, inside my mind”, sings Genesis, illustrating precisely what he’s doing with the listener that moment, blowing everyone’s head, brain, mind and heart with his vocal magic. “Alienist” ends up with the extremely strong wall of noise, and P-Orridge even crosses two bows on the violin, streaming into that powerful sound explosion. Main setlist accomplishes with the “Stolen Kisses” – another great 1982′ lightful song, beautifully performed with the Alice’s backing vocals, and the most touching “Burning The Old Home” from “Snakes” LP.

Almost everything is already said and declared, so there’s time only for the one final song, joining the musicians and the audience altogether in the finishing love movement. And it’s the most important statement “After You’re Dead, She Said“. “You will be what you want to, you can really be you”, wishes Genesis to the listeners, “I really think so”, and somehow you know that this is a blessing, and everyone who’s singing with one voice the final “oh, oh, oh” with that light in his/her heart can really live his life doing what s/he wants to, cause it’s the only way to make ourselves and each other happy.

So now when we’re returning to our everyday life enriched with that faith and carrying home not only the great memories, but also our vinyls, CDs, autographs and photos, all that’s left to say is thank you. Thank you, Genesis and all the Psychic TV band, for carrying that emotions and revelations. Thanks to everyone who came to the show to share this wonderful journey, and of course, great appreciations to the hosters of the show – Happy Music Group & Aby Sho Music, and Eugene Kibets & Andrii Smirnov in particular. Guys, you continue to change our lives every year. Blessings to you all.