Alice In Wonderland Psychedelic Film Festival 3

(25th and 26th January 1985)

The Psychedelic Film Festivals became very popular so this next event was run over 2 days to accommodate the many Night Trippers and was held on the 25th and 26th January 1985 featuring Doctor and The Medics the first night and The Treatment the second night.

Films showing on both nights were:

You’re A Big Boy Now
Performance
The Model
Blue Sunshine
The 1969 Mick Jagger Interview
Jimi Hendrix Live in concert

Alice In Wonderland Film Festival 3

Do you have any memories of this Film Festival?

We would love to hear from you !

Alice In Wonderland Film Festival 3

Memories from this Psychedelic Film Festival:

Pink Panther and the Night Jumper

26th January 1985 was Day Two of the second All Night Psychedelic Film Festival at The Scala Cinema and I was flying solo (something that in hindsight was a dumbass decision but Fortune Favours The Brave).

The Scala was rammed full of Alice's Freaks, there were Hippies, Punks, Goths, 60's Psych Heads and other intrepid travellers everywhere, it was warm, humid, comforting, the walls and ceiling were alive with liquid lights, Moire patterns, bizarre slides and film clips all being projected by Jon Brodel and Tim Hodgson from Shiva Photonics somewhere up above my head.

There was a heady smell of hash in the air, occasionally interrupted by the acrid stench of a massive bottle of Amyl Nitrate that was hurridly being passed along the rows of seats..."Quick, the fucking lid has been lost, have a blast and pass it on". I declined but the guy next to me inhaled huge lungfuls before slumping into his seat mumbling something unintelligible as his eyes shut slowly.

I got up and went downstairs to some sort of bar, bought a drink of something I cannot remember and found another seat. Along the way I heard someone whispering "L.S.D" so I acquired one Pink Panther, sat back down in my seat with my drink and waited for take-off. Nick Roeg's Performance was on the screen and it sounded unusual, there were hushed whispers/echoes and I could hear Mick Jagger breathing, there were all sorts of noises coming from all around me and the film took on a surreal feeling but it was nice.

Another film came on I did not recognise, it started to run then the start sequence came on again (I think)...this happened again and scattered laughter erupted from some of the audience who must have seen the same thing as me. It was slightly unnerving and may have happened several more times but I cannot be 100%.

The man next to me started smiling at me so I smiled back, he smiled more and pointed at my mouth..."Pink Panther too eh" he said....."What?".....he pointed again..."You have a Pink Panther stuck in your Teeth Brace"...

Later on the Treatment came on stage, they were visceral, organic, dark, loud, intense, scary and MUCH more psychedelic than I remember them being the other times I had seen them. They impaled 'heads' on spiky guitars then kicked them around, I think one of them was wearing a Policeman's helmet, the rest looked insane...Clive's face was painted like a skull and Adam's face was bright white.

The Light Show was going crazy and a massive strobe onstage, combined with the deranged vocals from Clive became too much at one point so somehow I managed to get downstairs and sat quietly on the curved stone staircase. The cold air helped me go 'solid' again for a brief while and I studied a long, winding mural that ran up the wall following the handrail.

It was of a black cat, or maybe several black cats, it looked nice and made me smile. As I stared down the stairs to the Lobby an actual black(?) cat came walking up towards me, I thought it had not seen me but when it passed me it briefly turned to look at me and I could see its green eyes. It walked up the stairs, rounded the corner and my eyes fell again to the cat mural...did i just see an actual Cat? (All these years later I honestly don't know....did The Scala Cinema have an actual live cat?).

What seemed like hours later I felt a gentle bump on the back of my head and across my shoulders, my eyes were shut but I could feel myself gripping the handrail so I opened my eyes. I was looking at a man sitting on some stairs, he was wearing a suede 'denim' jacket, Levi's, a bright yellow & turquoise shirt wearing brown suede Chelsea Boots and a Corduroy Cap. Again I felt the gentle bump and as I looked down again I realised the man was me and I was bobbing on the ceiling watching 'myself'. I recalled a story about Astral Projection and suddenly became very scared as I could not see the silver cord...how was I going to get back?

My attention was broken by the Lobby doors bursting open, a man in a Mac walked in followed by two Policemen, all three of them walked quickly past me up the stairs and I looked at my hands, I was back on the stairs and could feel the handrail.

A while later another man in a Mac came through the front doors, followed by two Policemen, this happened several more times and I decided I MUST tell Christian. I eventually found him but the words did not come out of my mouth, he stared back at me and I tried again, this time I heard myself saying..."Hey, the place is FULL of Police", he looked back at me and calmly said "I know". I did not understand what was going on so went and sat back down.

I think there was another film on, I was cold but it was warm in the cinema which was nice but suddenly everything stopped and the lights came on, the Policemen were standing on the stage looking up at a room full of absolute freaks, the guy in the Mac held his hand up in front of his face....the Light Show was still running and his face was a mess of pulsing Oil Wheel, he started speaking then shouted "Turn those fucking lights off!"

Someone had died, gone flying off the roof and hit Pentonville Road...>>SPLAT<< he didn't seem to care about the full on psychedelic madness all around him though and they eventually went away.

What I now realise writing this is that there were not actually many Police, they were just going in, doing 'Police stuff', leaving via another exit then coming back in through the lobby, I just T-H-O-U-G-H-T there were dozens of them :-)

I think there was then more films but the next thing I remember clearly was stepping out onto Pentonville Road, it was really bright, it was daytime and the second my feet hit the pavement ALL of London suddenly started up all at once, I was cold, hungry but I had survived the insane night so went in search of food...

pOoTer (gripping his Silver Cord Tightly) - Some time afterwards...

The Treatment - Alice In Wonderland Film Festival, Scala Cinema, London

Do you have any memories of this Film Festival?

We would love to hear from you !