MOJOS will be awash with cosmic energy when Mayatrix & The Psychics take to the stage on Saturday night.
Blending psychedelica with the primal thump of hard rock, the band take you on an intense musical odyssey.
In lesser hands it could sound dated, but they deftly blend in elements of rap and urban music, giving the music a freshness and modern vigour.
At the helm of this musical leviathan is Moana Mayatrix, one of Australia’s most charismatic and at times, scary, performers.
• Mayatrix & The Psychics are playing Mojos on election night. They would definitely get the Herald’s vote! photo supplied
Like some high priestess of rock, she commands the stage, captivating audiences with her shamanistic dancing and powerful vocals.
Mayatrix describes her stage persona as verging on “primal” and “tribal” which she says is a subconscious nod to her proud heritage.
“My dad’s from New Zealand and I split a lot of my childhood between Australia and there,” she says.
“I feel very strongly connected to New Zealand as my cultural background is Māori and that is my spiritual home.
“Our music could be considered primal or tribal and I think within that there’s a connection to my ancestry, but it’s not an intentional one, it’s just bubbling away under the surface.”
Growing up, Mayatrix was into a lot of rock performers from the 1960s and 1970s like The Doors and Jefferson Airplane, but then she went on to explore artists like PJ Harvey, Florence & the Machine, and even Kate Bush, admiring her theatricality.
She says the guys in the band are more influenced by heavy rock outfits like Tool.
“The combination of the four of us create something pretty unique,” Mayatrix says.
The band are recently back from a large scale Australian tour with The Cult, with lead singer Ian Astbury apparently handpicking Mayatrix & The Psychics to be their support act.
“We are a bit of an underground band, so it was a huge compliment to be chosen to support The Cult who are rock legends,” Mayatrix says. “It was amazing to see their stage craft, hang out with them and play venues like the Sydney Opera House.
“It was a dream come true and made all the hard work worth it.”
She says they are currently working on completing their second album, which will be out next year.
“I think the tracks on this new album are more concise,” Mayatrix says.
“I’m enjoying writing shorter and more puncher songs.
“We’ll be heading back into the studio in the second half of the year to record it.”
Mayatrix has been writing and performing for the past two decades and says it’s a constant learning process.
“I went through a phase when I wanted to scream like Kurt Cobain and shredded my voice a lot, working out how to do it properly,” she says.
“So you’re always fine tuning your craft and trying to get better.”
In keeping with their Freo roots, the band will bring along their unique, up-cycled merch when they play Mojos in North Fremantle at 8pm on Saturday May 3.
So after you’ve voted, ditch Antony Green and enter another rock dimension instead.
The gig is to mark the launch of Mayatrix & The Psychics’ new single Mess Princess. Tickets at moshtix.com.au.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK