S M O T E
Psych Rock, can it get any better than this?
Songs For The Free House (2025 Ablum)
Release date: 17rd October
SMOTE: Psychedelic rock band
(Newcastle Upon Tyne, uk based)
Daniel Foggin, the face behind Smote,
Appearances from Sally Mason of the Smote live band on vocals, Ian Lynch from Lankum on Uillean pipes.
Newcastle-based Psychedelic rock band SMOTE live at The LubberFiend in Newcastle upon Tyne.
SMOTE have been on my radar for a while, and I finally got to see them live last week — of course, at The Lubberfiend.
Anyone who knows the Newcastle scene knows how special that place is.
It’s one of those venues that just feels safe and welcoming, especially if you’re into drone, psych, or experimental sounds.
Their backline is perfect for psych rock.
Huge amps that fill the whole stage, the kind that make the music something you feel as much as you hear. It’s got that same physical energy as Sunn O))), but in a smaller, more intimate space.
SMOTE’s new album, Songs From The Free House, really nails their own unique sound, but you can still catch hints of early Pigsx7 — Land of Sleeper–era stuff like “Weatherman” and “Ball Lightning” (which is still one of my all-time favourites).
There are also touches of that early Boris/Sunn Altar energy, especially on “Fried Eagle Mind”.
Where these bands go heavy, SMOTE lean into something smoother, almost meditative.
As someone who’s autistic and pretty sensitive to sound, this gig was a rare kind of joy.
The bands steady repetition and thick layers of tone have this grounding, regulating quality.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I could actually settle into it.
There was a point during one of the longer tracks where everything felt like it clicked — sound, light, body — and I felt completely present, without needing to mask.
Songs From The Free House feels made for people who love psych rock but need something that feels safe and enveloping rather than abrasive. The bands sound doesn’t demand your energy — it just meets you where you are. Absolutely wonderful.
My favourite track from the album has to be “The Linton Wyrm” — it gives me goosebumps every single time.
I was lucky enough to hear the new Songs From The Free House before the release, and it really gave me a feel for where SMOTE are heading with their sound — and honestly, it’s amazing.
There’s something about their new album that just hits different — it’s perfect if you’ve got ASD and really connect with sensory detail or find comfort in getting lost in sound.
Words, thoughts by Beck Carol they/she