BUNCH OF FIVES: HYPNIC PICNIC

What’s in my Picnic Basket?

As part of The Late Shows, Alphabetti will be hosting a special edition of Hypnic Picnic – an otherworldly music night hosted by Nick Tyler featuring some of the North-East’s most interesting left-field artists. Split into two halves, the night will start with performances from Agitated Hodgeheg, and Outri, then following a short interval with picnic food there will be an improvised performance featuring all participating artists.

In celebration of this special edition of Hypnic Picnic, Nick has created a playlist of his Picnic Essentials – here are some of his highlights:

Enya – The Celts

For each Hypnic Picnic I like to choose a famous artist who has their birthday on that day to pay tribute to. For May 17th we have Enya, who I’ll admit I’d thought was an artist reserved for mums who drink wine in the bath, but have recently found a deep appreciation for. She’s so good at mixing different sounds to create a mood which is a big part of what Hypnic Picnic is about. Maybe I’m a wine mum after all.

Tele Novella – The Unicorn

I’m really into whimsy at the moment. Tele Novella are a cute band from Texas who blend genres and use unusual instrumentation in a really fun way – and are somehow pastiche but never cliched. As someone who has spent too long in the rock sphere I find bands like this really refreshing.

The Cosmic Dead – Space Mountain

I was lucky to spend my teens in Glasgow at a time when the underground music scene was thriving. The Cosmic Dead were one of the first bands I saw in the Psychedelic/Space Rock genre and really opened my eyes to a whole new way of making music. There’s something hypnotic and almost ritualistic about their live shows – so much of it feels dependent on the chemistry and presence between the musicians and audience and you really feel like you’re witnessing something unique and special.

Squarepusher – Beep Street

Squarepusher is such a cool freak. This is one of his more accessible tracks but some of his stuff is really out there. He seems to operate on a completely different logic than most electronic producers and I love that for him. We have Agitated Hodgeheg and Outri joining us on the 17th May, who are all doing interesting things in the eclectic/electronic field.

Rich(ard) Dawson – Ogre

Rich is just about every Northeast artist’s favourite Northeast artist, and rightly so. This album connects with something primal within me and makes me want to start a nature-worshipping cult in the woods. There’s a sense of celebrating the outsiders in our society within his music and that’s something that’s really important to me. There aren’t enough spaces for weirdos to just get together and make stuff they care about in the world; hopefully Hypnic Picnic does a small part in addressing that.

Make sure you don’t miss this special edition of Hypnic Picnic at Alphabetti Theatre on Saturday 17th May. If you are interested in getting involved in the show, please email [email protected]