A Weekend of Psychedelic Music at Hipnosis 2025
The eighth edition of the Hipnosis festival offered two nights of music, filled with psychedelic sounds and distorted guitars. The event featured performances by Spiritualized, Pavement, Japanese Breakfast, Dinosaur Jr., and The Horrors at the Fray Nano Baseball Stadium in Mexico City.
Saturday’s Lineup
- Mirror Revelations, DVTR, Population II, Utro, Skinshape, and Panchiko
- Japanese Breakfast, led by Michelle Zauner, delivered a shoegaze experience with melancholic songs from albums Be Sweet and For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women).
- Geordie Greep, former guitarist of Black Midi, presented his debut album The New Sound with a unique blend of post-punk, Steely Dan, Brazilian tropicalia, and Fania Records salsa.
- Pavement, the alternative rock band from Stockton, California, overcame technical difficulties to deliver a masterclass in ’90s alternative rock. The band, consisting of Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs on guitars, Mark Ibold on bass, and the anarchic rhythm section of Bob Nastanovich, Steve West, along with Rebecca Cole, played hits like “Gold Soundz” and new tracks such as “Harness Your Hopes.”
- Pavement’s setlist included songs from their discography, such as “In the Mouth a Desert,” “Two States” from Slanted & Enchanted, “Range Life,” “Cut Your Hair,” and “Gold Soundz” from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, “Stereo” and “Shady Lane” from Brighten the Corners, “Grounded,” “Kennel District,” and “Fight this Generation” from Wowee Zowee, “Frontwards” from Watery Domestic, “The Hexx” from Terror Twilight, and “Debris Slide” from Westing by Musket and Sextant.
- Pavement’s first Mexico City performance was a standout, proving that the past cannot be quarantined and that this band has reconciled with its musical history.
- The night ended with the cold, post-punk beats of Molchat Doma and the hypnotic atmospheres of The Horrors.
Sunday’s Psychedelic Journey with Spiritualized and Dinosaur Jr.
Sunday was marked by performances from Spiritualized, Dinosaur Jr., Crumb, Austin TV, Motorama, Deafheaven, and The Budos Band, Bala, Fin del Mundo, Grave/Mal, and Naturemind.
- Crumb filled the air with psychedelic and shoegaze textures as the afternoon heat gave way to cooler autumn temperatures.
- Deafheaven, a post-black metal quintet, provided an unusual contrast to Crumb’s meditative and melodic journey.
- Austin TV made an emotional return with a performance of their latest EP, Indra, and a setlist that included tracks from albums Rizoma, Caballeros del albedrío, Fontana bella, and La última noche del mundo.
- Spiritualized offered a transcendental musical experience. Led by Jason Pierce, the band delivered psychedelic blues and gospel amidst a cloud of distortion, taking listeners on a journey to escape time.
- J. Spaceman leads a spaceship crew with a small choir, three guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums capable of taking listeners from The Velvet Underground’s minimalism to Krautrock and ambient textures.
- Though the band, formed in 1990 from the ashes of Spacemen 3, avoids a friendly and conventional route filled with hits for an almost religious space adventure, the only reference to their masterpiece Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space was the feeling that everyone ends up floating in space.
- Dinosaur Jr., the trio from Amherst, Massachusetts, consisting of J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph, delivered a distorted pop performance that included iconic tracks like “Feel the pain” and an extraordinary cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
- The Russian post-punk band Motorama closed the night with their final chords, ending two days of music and a space-themed evening to bid farewell to the oppressive lightness of Sunday.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who are the artists that performed at Hipnosis 2025? The artists included Spiritualized, Pavement, Japanese Breakfast, Dinosaur Jr., The Horrors, Mirror Revelations, DVTR, Population II, Utro, Skinshape, Panchiko, Crumb, Austin TV, Motorama, Deafheaven, The Budos Band, Bala, Fin del Mundo, Grave/Mal, and Naturemind.
- What were some notable performances at the festival? Pavement’s first Mexico City performance was a standout, as was Spiritualized’s transcendental musical experience. Japanese Breakfast delivered a shoegaze experience, while Dinosaur Jr. played a distorted pop set.
- How did the festival handle technical difficulties? Despite occasional audio issues, Hipnosis 2025 provided a weekend of music and a musical proposal that continues to offer great experiences each year.
