The lynchpin of the California retro-rock scene, fresh-faced Ty Segall is a terrifyingly prolific singer-songwriter who's had a hand in around 20 albums and only just reached his mid-20s. His (anti-)style embraces full-pelt guitar workouts, hook-heavy melodicism, meandering freeform noise and pastoral psychedelia, taking tips from Captain Beefheart, The Stooges, Syd Barrett and pretty much anyone else who released an album between 1967 and 1972. Hard to know which parts of his massive back catalogue he'll be mining for tonight's show at the Villette Sonique festival.
What isn't in doubt is the calibre of his supporting acts. First up are Coachwhips, the side project of none other than John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees, purveyors of a garage rock full of fuzzy guitars and hard-hitting cymbals. They'll be followed by legendary surf rockers Man or Astro-man?, who boast not only one of the best names in popular music but also a highly distinctive sound composed of instrumental jams, samples from '50s sci-fi films and obscure electronic sound devices. The scene is set for a suitably surreal night out.
