A victim of its own success, the fourth edition of Edinburgh’s Psych Fest see an expanded venue set-up which brings the main venue count up to six. The addition of Usher Hall is the key change, allowing them to house bigger names without having to turn people away (apart from one polka-dotted duo), but it essentially splits the festival in half: either you camp out around Lothian Road to see the headline acts, or flit between venues around Cowgate and Newington. Trying to do both is a recipe for sore feet and incomplete sets, as I found out.

The first indicator of the expansion is the huge wristband collection queue, which snakes in and out of Summerhall and eventually back onto the street even before any music has begun. It’s well-organised, but this demonstrates the sheer volume of punters and the need to plan ahead to avoid disappointment for the rest of the day. Judging by the suspiciously large crowd for Usher Hall’s opener, Gwenno, many people aren’t hedging their bets when it comes to the day’s big draw. Gwenno is well aware of this, playfully quipping that all the fans in polka dots must be big fans of The Pipettes, her previous band. But she still puts on a great show, telling quirky stories about her communist mother, her stint as an Irish dancer in Vegas, or donning a cat mask for ‘Y Gath.’ She teaches us some Cornish lyrics about cheese for ‘Eus Keus?’ and ends with a flourish on her poppiest moment, ‘Dancing on Volcanoes’, inspired by some misplaced sympathy for Jarvis Cocker.

Usher Hall is at capacity about 15 minutes before Angine de Poitrine emerge, with those who left it that late being turned away. Despite a late afternoon set, these two personified fever dreams are clearly the day’s main draw. Khn (guitars/loops) sets the (micro)tone with Vol. II‘s bombastic closer, ‘Angor,’ splicing abrupt math rock rhythms with frenetic, rumbling basslines, and looping it all into layers of noise. Klek (drums) then proceeds to beat the shit out of whatever sense of funky melody Khn has built. It’s a glorious racket. Considering they “talk” in chirps and drones, the duo are surprisingly communicative, commanding their cultish followers in claps and pyramid signs, the occasional bit of calisthenics. The pit reaches its zenith during ‘Sarniezz’ and ‘Fabienk,’ the band relentless in their Lightning Bolt meets early Battles intensity. It may not be possible to truly deliver on the hype of one of this year’s most talked about bands, but Angine de Poitrine more than merit your attention, giant twanging noses or not.

Another of the year’s breakout bands, Adult DVD, are bringing their own brand of loud, danceable music to a packed La Belle Angele, though this time with a barrage of synths instead of microtonal rock. Frontman Harry Hanson might be singing about his own funeral (‘Coffin Dodger’) or a nervous breakdown in Lidl (‘Cowboy in Aisle 3’), but it’s mostly lost in the milieu of punk-inflected big room energy. Back at Usher Hall, Ty Segall and band belt through a scorching set of garage rock rippers, leaning heavily on new or unheard material that sometimes even veers into doom-rock territory. There are a few sound issues, but opener ‘Feel’ unleashes the fuzz from moment one and songs like ‘Black Paint’ briefly bring grunge back into fashion.

Over at Queen’s Hall, Model/Actriz blend industrial menace and propulsive post-punk into a gnarly heap of noise, but though the music sounds excellent (this former church is not prepared for that amount of bass), it’s vocalist Cole Haden who steals the show. He is a constant blur of motion, showing off his high-heeled high kicks on ‘Mosquito’ and vogueing through the audience on ‘Diva.’ He climbs pillars and covers every inch of the pit in search of more people to scream at – ‘Cinderella’ felt like getting to watch a real-time mental unravelling. He gives us an 8/10 and says they might come back. I’ll take it.

The ostensible headliner is Stereolab at Usher Hall, but there’s a lulling sense of tiredness descending over the medium-sized crowd. The band sound mostly great and they’re a natural fit for the festival, but it’s been a long, intense day and even chirpier moments like ‘Peng! 33’ or ‘Miss Modular’ fail to lift the sleepy haze. ‘Melodie is a Wound’ is a standout, and gives Laetitia Sadier a chance for a trombone workout, but a few extended instrumentals like ‘Electrified Teenybop!’ take us back into a hypnotic, krautrocky rabbit hole. Though they might be one of the few genuinely “psychedelic” acts playing today, Stereolab’s brand of dreamy Marxism doesn’t quite pack the same elemental punch as some of the earlier acts. But for those still up for a dance, there are DJ sets from Bikini Body (and friends) at Paradise Palms: expect War’s ‘Low Rider’ to rub shoulders with rare extended mixes of Chicago house…

The programming and organisation today are excellent; the biggest complaint you’re likely to hear is that there are so many great bands that clashes are inevitable or remembering you’ve got a 25 minute walk to see the next band. In essence – the lineup is too good. Next year’s edition was being marketed hard throughout the day so it looks like the festival is here to stay. Note to future self: wear better shoes.