The Bad Penny (beta)

On a lineup loaded with a litany of must-see bands, Church of the Cosmic Skull will still stand out among the rest at Psycho Las Vegas 2022. Not only is the British psychedelic-rock group coming to the U.S. for the first time, but the septet will probably be the only ones dressed in all white among a sea of acts clad in black.

Frontman Brother Bill generously spoke with The Bad Penny this week about the band’s excitement to end its 14-date Stateside tour at the Psycho festival on Saturday, August 20. He also revealed which artists are on his list of must-see Psycho participants, what the Church of the Cosmic Skull’s mission constitutes — and to which temptation his ensemble might succumb in Las Vegas.

For starters, I hope you’re tolerating the scorching temperatures OK in the U.K. Wearing all-white clothes must help!

BROTHER BILL: Absolutely — as the planet careers towards boiling point, we are safe in the knowledge our vestments have optimal efficiency at rebounding the deadly cosmic rays.

In early 2018, promotional materials for Boomtown Fair in Hampshire said Church of the Cosmic Skull was “a 7-piece psychedelic cult seeking to free mankind from material possessions and unify all beings into a singular cosmic whole.” Was that description accurate back then — and is it still accurate now? Has your mission adjusted in the years since?

BROTHER BILL: Those promotional materials were partially erroneous — we are a rock group and spiritual organisation open to all who observe The 7 Objects:

• Recognise the hallucinatory nature of reality.
• Investigate all aspects of the reality-hallucination.
• Receive all phenomena with equanimity.
• Celebrate and uphold the freedom of art, science and thought.
• Meet mistakes with forgiveness and determination.
• Do what you want, with love in your heart.
• Maintain focus on the unity of all living beings.

Congratulations on your first performance at Psycho Las Vegas. Are you familiar with the festival? Have you wanted to play it for a long time?

BROTHER BILL: Thank you! It has been on the radar for a long time, yes, we are very much looking forward to it.

What appeals to you most about the festival, from what you’ve heard about it?

BROTHER BILL: Fantastically unique lineups in an unusual and epic setting, it seems to embody the sentiment of the 6th Object: “Do what you want, with love in your heart.”

Did you previously get invited and/or plan to play at Psycho but get bumped due to COVID complications, visa issues, schedule conflicts, etc.?

BROTHER BILL: Yes, we have been in the throes of organising this U.S. tour since before the pandemic — in fact, we were just about to book the flights and visas for August 2020 when the first lockdown was announced. So we have been exercising our equanimity since then.

Is this your first U.S. tour? If so, what are you most looking forward to with your stretch of Stateside dates?

BROTHER BILL: It is our first time, yes. The whole concept of touring the U.S. is certainly a milestone for any rock group/spiritual organisation. We are aware that a huge portion of the Cosmic Family reside in America, so it’s long overdue that we bring the live ceremony to them.

Did you plan to tour the U.S. starting August 5 in Chicago because of Psycho or would you have toured the States regardless?

BROTHER BILL: It serves as a great finale to the tour but yes, the tour has been in the works for a long while — huge thanks to Jake [DeVries] of Heavy Talent for all of his help!

What do you have in store for your Psycho set? How will it compare and contrast from your set at other venues across the U.S. leading up to Psycho?

BROTHER BILL: Now that we’re four albums in, we have too many hits to fit into one set — so the set will likely vary slightly over the tour, depending on what instructions are channeled from the Skull.

Are you planning to attend the duration of the festival, as you’re coming from overseas?

BROTHER BILL: Not all of it, as we are in San Diego on the Friday [before] — we will be in attendance on the Saturday and some of the Sunday.

Which bands are you most excited to see perform at Psycho?

BROTHER BILL: I was hoping to catch several on the Sunday that we will probably miss unfortunately — Mercyful Fate, High on Fire, Danava — but on the Saturday, time-dependent, I’ll probably try and catch Boris, Bone Thugs, Warpaint, Elder, Blackwater Holylight, Suicidal Tendencies, whatever I can — we’re spoilt for choice, really!

Who do you most want to hang with at Psycho, whether it be at the casino or backstage?

BROTHER BILL: Here at the Church, celebrity means nothing, all siblings of the Cosmic Family are equal, so you will find us convening with whoever happens to be around at the time!

Have you visited Las Vegas before? If not, what are you most looking forward to about your visit to Sin City? If you have gone there before, what’s your favorite and/or most salacious Vegas memory?

BROTHER BILL: I haven’t, it certainly looks like a fascinating place. It will be the end of the U.S., tour so we will be celebrating in earnest — I just hope the Cosmic Skull doesn’t command us to visit the roulette table to put all our money on number 7.

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Grab U.S. tour tickets, vinyl and more Church of the Cosmic Skull provisions at CosmicSkull.org.

For more Psycho Las Vegas 2022 features, check out the Bad Penny’s new profiles on Witch Mountain, Yakuza and The Gaslamp Killer.

This entry was posted on 07/21/2022 at 9:38 pm and is filed under Interviews with tags Church of the Cosmic Skull, psychedelic rock, Psycho Las Vegas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.