VARIOUS ARTISTS – ‘MUTATIONS’ FESTIVAL, VARIOUS VENUES, BRIGHTON 5-9.11.24
The sixth edition of the ‘Mutations’ festival, took place at a number of grassroots music venues in Brighton from Tuesday 5th to Friday 9th November. The festival featured performances from a diverse range of the most exciting, established and upcoming artists from around the world.
We have split our articles into three parts for ease of reading. This is Part Three and features the acts that performed on the final day, Saturday 9th November.
Part One for acts that played on Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th November can be found HERE.
Part Two featuring the acts that performed on Friday 8th November can be found HERE.
So without further ado, here are the artists in the order that they performed….
SATURDAY 9th NOVEMBER:
GREEN DOOR STORE 1:10pm – 1:40pm
Starting things off on our final day at the festival were London five piece band Marsy, sadly I can’t tell you about the band’s journey to this point, the internet seems to be devoid of any information aside they have played some London dates earlier this year. Even Spotify link takes you to a different artist in America. So could this be the first write-up out there! Anyhow I digress, here is what I can tell you, this excellent five piece comprise of a drummer, one Nord Electro Keyboard player, a bass player, a guitarist and a female lead vocalist/guitarist. Their names are Hannah, Luke, Ruby, Paeris and George, and not necessarily in that order. This afternoon’s early doors show is their first show in Brighton. I made sure I’d arrived at the Green Door Store nice and early to ensure I was right up front and what a reward this was.
Marsy played a strong seven song 30 minute set, there were eight songs on the setlist, but I think one may have possibly cut due to time. The style of music was indie folk, soft guitar rhythms, nothing aggressive, and nothing hectic. It was just lovely soothing music that washed over you like a warm wave of comfort. The piano really adds that extra layer to the songs, both guitarists also harmonised with Hannah, the lead vocalist, with backing vocals and the chorus, which made it even more special. Lead vocalist Hannah had a beautiful voice. One song ‘Happy Hour’, probably was my favourite of the set, this reminded me of the sort of song you see in the movies in a sleepy country and western bar.
They were very tight and there were lots of smiles between the band during the set. I think they were really enjoying themselves up there, and so did I. I really enjoyed this set, it was the perfect start to the day, I can see just why they are a sought after support band. I am genuinely really excited to see where they go and how they develop and really look forward to them hopefully returning to Brighton soon.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
THE PRINCE ALBERT 1:30pm – 2:00pm
The fifth and final day of the ‘Mutations’ festival kicks off for us at The Prince Albert in the company of Melbourne based garage punk quintet Delivery, which comprises of Rebecca Allan (vocals, bass), James Lynch (vocals, guitar, synth), Sam Harding (vocals, guitar), Lisa Rashleigh (vocals, guitar) and Daniel Devlin (drums, percussion). Even before the band has played a note, the first floor room appears to be at capacity! The outfit have steadily been releasing material since the summer of 2021, when they unleashed their ‘Yes We Do’ EP. They are working towards their 12 tune ‘Force Majeure’ album which is set to hit an unsuspecting world on 17th January 2025. After which they will be heading back to the UK to play a gig at the Moth Club in London on 7th March. I honestly hope that they add a Brighton gig as well, as the quintet were a brilliant way to kick off our final day.
As noted above, there’s a heavy guitar presence for their nine track set with a trio on offer for every song bar the last one, where a switch to keys was had by James. The other instruments are a bass guitar and drums. They signalled their intent in the first few seconds of opener ‘Operating At A Loss’ via a screech of guitars, followed by a roll on the drums and they were away with the first of their pleasing indie pop punk numbers. Vocal duties are shared among the band and their material very much whisked me back to my first days of gigging in 1978. Their sound is retro pop-punk, but definitely fits in with today’s sound. Suffice to say there was copious amounts of knee jerking and head-bobbing by yours truly. Despite their boring name, they are far from that, and are clearly having a ball on the final night of their current UK tour. They announced that after they had finished playing for us, that they were going to head on down to the beach and enjoy some smoked fish! Let’s hope that it was as tasty as their set. I would love to see these play live again!
(Nick Linazasoro)
THE HOPE & RUIN 2:30pm – 3:00pm
I always plan in advance who I really wish to see performing live at festivals and ‘Mutations’ was no exception. I had my hitlist which included a handful of acts that were must sees and Alexa Povey aka Circe was one of these. Seven to eight years ago, Circe was a new act and resident in Brighton and we used to go and see her play on a number of occasions, with one of the most memorable being at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar (RIP) on 8th March 2018. Sadly the bright lights of the capital called and Circe departed and I hadn’t had the opportunity to see her since.
We hot-footed it from The Prince Albert and secured our positions centre front. Centre stage was Circe’s box of electronic tricks (I guess the Novation stays in the studio these days) and brightly shining against that was a red luminous neon cross. Prior to starting, Circe added some real flowers to the cross display and then the scene was set. The lighting was switched to passionate red in order to add to the seduction of the set and a vocal sample of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ was blasted out with reversed keys sounds. Circe’s sweet vocals flowed across every composition, with reverb set to stun throughout. The music was just a great as it was when Circe lived here in Brighton, if not even more erotic, especially on recent single ‘Blue Love’ with its repeated “He f*cks like love”. The deeper bass key notes were a highlight from the set, especially those found on ‘Mess With Your Head’ which is as close to Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up The Hill’ backbeat as you can get, and it’s a splendid tune.
Circe reached for her guitar with its love heart centre for at least one tune in order to add a little variation, but overall it can be likened to the sounds of BABii (or visa-versa). Something very special happened during the final number, the truly hypnotic ‘Blood And Wine’ early single, which for me was never long enough. The vocals and music for tonight’s version was simply perfection and my body told me so. It gave me a massive dose of goosebumps with the hairs on my arms standing erect and the tips of the hairs on my head tingling like crazy. This was the only time this happened to me during ‘Mutations’ and so ‘Blood And Wine’ must therefore be the best track of the whole event for me! This was, just in case you hadn’t realised, a bloody brilliant performance!
(Nick Linazasoro)
GREEN DOOR STORE 3:00pm – 3:30pm
Colchester’s She’s In Parties are a hazy and ethereal quartet with their own take on shoegaze and dream-pop. They are made up of Katie Dillon (vocals, keys, guitar), Herbie Wiseman (guitar and backing vocals), Charlie Johnson (bass) and Matt Carman (drums). Also on stage was an old-fashioned portable TV video cassette unit, which played video clips in hazy black and white. Having made their way through a packed crowd at the Green Door Store, She’s in Parties were straight into their lively pop songs. Their first two songs showed how the band has developed. After an opening upbeat pop song, it was an older dreamier number. These also showcased Katie’s vocals from lively pop to ethereal; she was equally comfortable with both styles. The tempo increased with the title track of their latest EP, ‘Puppet Show’, which also showed how the band have progressed as songwriters with its changes in pace and mood. ‘She’s Angelic’ an older number had hints of The Cocteau Twins, and had many in the crowd waving along to the music. Their new material from ‘Puppet Show’ combined with their older numbers added to both the quality and variety of a very good set by She’s In Parties.
(Peter Greenfield)
THE HOPE & RUIN 3:30pm – 4:00pm
Thankfully we were staying put in The Hope & Ruin in order to receive our second dose of the Isle Of Wight’s up-and-coming act The Pill. I say up-and-coming, despite them forming back in 2019, it’s only during 2024 that they have got their act on track. Last time we caught guitarist Lily Hutchings and bassist Lottie Massey along with their drummer was at The Prince Albert on 26th May as support to Hinds and they were a perfect match, and so this afternoon we were rather counting on more of the same.
There’s a definite buzz of anticipation swirling around the venue prior to the trio gracing the stage. The room is packed and the band are greeted with applause as they arrive. I notice their choice of session drummer has switched from Rufus to Gavin this time around. I had actually forgotten that whilst the girls play, they often both mirror each other’s dance moves whilst playing their instruments. This acts as a bond for them and for us it looks rather cool. Vocal duties are split between Lottie and Lily and occasionally each will follow on in the next line as in having a conversation. Their expertly crafted pop-punk material focuses very much on daily life and experiences and they begin with
‘Scaffolding Man’ and then a track about not liking “sugar daddies”, this being ‘Salt Father’. We learned that their first Brighton gig was here at The Hope & Ruin, back in 2019. I bet they weren’t as good back then as they are now!
A highlight of The Pill sets, is the chemistry between the two girls and the amount of fun they have whilst playing for us and, if time, a few hilarious stories and happenings. We get served an anti-mullet tune and then they exclusively announce that ‘Woman Driver’ is to be their next single, which will be dropping on 22nd November. Once again, it was an enjoyable watch and listen and I hope they catch the ferry back across to the mainland and head along the M27 really soon. Take care driving!
(Nick Linazasoro)
CHALK 3:45pm – 4:20pm
Fresh from the launch of their debut EP, ‘Eazy Peazy’ only the previous day, the exciting raucous art punk six-piece Man/Woman/Chainsaw opened Saturday’s ‘Mutations’ at Chalk. They are Billy Ward (vocals, guitars), Emmie-Mae Avery (vocals, keys/synths), Vera Leppänen (vocals, bass), Clio Starwood (violin) and Lola Cherry (drums). After a minute or so of raucous noise in the form of their opening number ‘Maegan’, their fast sharp sound continued on ‘Boss’ and ‘Dance’. Their set included some great unreleased tracks, which varied between mellow and explosive, often in the same song. An unreleased track ‘Omppu (Broken Finger Song)’ showed another side of Man/Woman/Chainsaw with its softer start and mellower almost folky vocals from Vera. While ‘Snake Eyes’ featured an explosive rock violin part from Clio. Their different styles were clear in the final two numbers. ‘Grow A Tongue In Time’ featured Vera’s beautiful soft but strong vocal to Clio’s violin, while ‘What Lucy Found There’ was back to their raucous unpredictable side. The song built with sharp bursts of noise culminating in a crescendo. Unfortunately, they did not have time to include ‘Ode To Clio’, which was on their setlist and a favourite of mine. Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s exciting, wild and diverse set was one of my Mutations highlights.
(Peter Greenfield)
CHALK 4:45pm – 5:20pm
I made my way down from The Hope & Ruin in order to catch Heartworms replacement act Gaffa Tape Sandy, who have been Brighton based for some time, via Bury St. Edmunds. On my journey to the venue I noticed a group of normal looking folk walking on the other side of the street and one of them had a real live cockerel balancing on his shoulder. I did a triple take just to make sure what I thought I saw was correct. It was and this hilarious encounter put me in good stead until arrival at Chalk, whereby the smile was immediately wiped off my face by the over zealous door staff. It wasn’t the usual guys, but I wish it was! Anyway, moving on….
Gaffa Tape Sandy dropped their latest album ‘Hold My hand, God Damn It’ on 31st May via Alcopop! Records. It had been a real struggle in order to get to that point as the album writing process proved difficult, as a myriad of anxiety and personal relationship issues plagued the trio. The band was battling post-COVID mental health problems and employment issues, all while vocalist/bassist Catherine Lindley-Neilson and vocalist/guitarist Kim Jarvis were trying to navigate recent breakups that coincided with their first UK headline tour in March 2020, just before the pandemic struck.
I witnessed Gaffa Tape Sandy at the Latest Music Bar as part of ‘Mutations’ back in 2022 and they were rather good and so I was expecting the same this time around. Catherine immediately addressed the elephant in the room by apologising that they weren’t Heartworms, who I wanted to see live again, but I knew of the change of bands beforehand and was OK with GTS as replacements. Chalk is the largest ‘Mutations’ venue and it’s my first gig here at the festival. It was well represented with punters and photographers and the trio (the third being drummer Robin Francis) set about their business. The garage rock tunes were flowing nicely and Kim’s vocals were particularly guttural. Although having said this, there were a number of pauses from Kim inbetween tunes, in order to re-tune, and I felt the urgency was lost each time. When they played they were tight, but overall I’m afraid they weren’t holding my attention as much as they had previously done, which was a shame.
(Nick Linazasoro)
CHALK 5:50pm – 6:50pm
I deliberately remained in Chalk in order to finally catch Mercury Rev, who are a rock outfit whose name has cropped up on many occasions since their formation back in 1989 in Buffalo, New York, but I have up-to-now failed to indulge myself in their sound. It took the band around a decade to come to mainstream media attention, after touring the UK with their ‘Deserter’s Songs’ album which was given “Best Album Of The Year” award by NME. Mercury Rev are exponents of a psychedelic and experimental breed of indie rock, and have gradually revealed a more melodic, bittersweet sound. These days the band primarily consist of Jonathan Donahue (vocals, guitar) and ‘Grasshopper’ Sean Mackowiak (guitar), but this tea-time they are joined by four other chums. The instruments of choice also include a clarinet, Nord keys, Hydrasynth, bass, and drums. There really is an air of anticipation and the venue is rather packed, such is the band’s pull.
They have an intro which is a backing video of famous albums down the years as the sextet grace the stage. The musicians strike up and immediately you get a real sense of their depth of sound, which the punters very much seem to be enjoying. All of the tunes are long drawn-out affairs that clearly the rock folk back in the US truly love. Several numbers in and it’s evident that these are serious musicians and frontman Donahue highlights this by moving towards some of his bandmates and feeling their music via his outstretched arms and shaking fingers as if playing an imaginary piano. Each line Donahue delivers feels like it’s a line from a story and the messages are clearly being felt by almost all present. I, myself, are rapidly losing interest in the band and can see after about 40 minutes that they have nothing to offer me. Myself and my colleague are in desperate need of a musical pickup and a yearning for raw energy wins the day. We leave and head around to Dust….
(Nick Linazasoro)
DUST 6:40pm – 7:10pm
Having escaped the Mercury Rev set at Chalk, we thankfully find ourselves at Dust which is situated in the same block, but around the corner. We are this time pleasantly greeted by the door staff and descend down to the basement to open up our live music account with young Glasgow quartet Soapbox. Thankfully the venue isn’t initially as full as we thought it was going to be and we easily make our way to the front to exchange friendly banter with some of Brighton’s regular grassroots gig goers. Soapbox are one EP and three singles into their career and are beginning to expand their live gigs range out of Scotland. In fact they were recently tour support for Brighton/Seaford act SNAYX, and boy does it show!
Soapbox’s lead singer Tom Rowan is immediately on the case with his Scottish brogue and has the same in-yer-face antics as Charlie from SNAYX, especially if, like him, you have a bald shaven head. He zeros in on punters with the same lack of hair throughout the set and endeavours to get everyone else along for the ride as well. He’s not alone though as after their 100mph punk set opener, ‘On And On’, guitarist Angus Husbands has the first of several wanders into the crowd, for track two ‘Meter Made’ from this year’s ‘Hawd That’ EP. It feels like each track begins “1.2.3.4” if you catch my drift. It’s adrenalin central here (as opposed to round the corner at Chalk). There’s an air of controlled anger and raw energy with this lot and drummer Jenna Nimmo is no exception, and completing the quartet is bassist Aidan Bowskill.
We get ‘Private Public Transport’ with its slow start, but predictably it speeds up and up. After this we are rewarded with a tune penned about the cost of beer, which is followed by a really meaty sounding track about buying alcohol for underage children. ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ was particularly fast and aggressive and the choice cut from their set and it reminded me of Edinburgh’s Exploited. Mind you ‘Fascist Bob’ was rather epic as well. They signed off with their latest single ‘The Fear’. If this outfit hasn’t already played Rebellion punk festival, then why the hell not! Great band!!
(Nick Linazasoro)
REVENGE 7:50pm – 8:35pm
After watching the Brighton vs Man City match, it was Hastings teenage punk band HotWax at Revenge for me. The trio are Tallulah Sim-Savage (guitar and vocals), Lola Sam (bass and vocals) and Alfie Sayers (drums). Their explosive set combined post-punk, grunge and alternative rock, including old favourites and songs from their debut album ‘Hot Shock’, out in March. Those new songs show a progress in their songwriting without losing their raw energy. Across the set, Tallulah shouted out the lyrics without ever sounding forced or strained. Lola’s bass was some of the best I heard over the festival. She moved across the whole stage and struck some classic rock guitar poses without ever compromising her music. Tallulah and Lola seemed to feed off each other’s energy, as if challenging the other to play faster. Alfie’s tight drumming should not be overlooked, as his part seemed more prominent than previous shows. As well as the new material, there was a nod to their earlier songs, as Tallulah introduced ‘A Thousand Times’ as the first song she had ever written, with its loud quiet sections. The heavy bass and drums at the start of their final number ‘Rip It Up’ was instantly recognised by the packed Revenge crowd. It was a great way to close a full on, energetic and thoroughly entertaining set by HotWax.
(Peter Greenfield)
CHALK 9:00pm – 10:15pm
Closing out Chalk on the final day we had Kneecap, a band that until only a week ago I’d only heard the name, but had been recommended by friends that I should first watch the fictionalised autobiographical film by the band and then go and see them. Dutifully I watched the film on Thursday night and boy o boy that 100% spurred me on to make sure I made the effort to get in, so much so I secured my spot right at the centre front 4 hours earlier and did not move, for this I wanted to be ringside and ringside I was.
The group comprise of Mo Chara (real name Liam Og O hAnnaidh), Moglai Bap (Naoise O Caireallain), and DJ Provai (JJ O Dochartaigh) and to cut a long story short, they rap, but rap in blend of Irish and English. They have been on the scene since 2017, and 2024 has seen the release of their album ‘Fine Art’ as well as their film ‘Kneecap’ which has elevated attention. This set tonight though, my god it was something special, I have never seen Chalk so packed, it was full to capacity, with a real mixed age range of punters. The boys came out and did a storming 16 song set, there were thumping beats, a massive moshpit, with people jumping as far as I could see back, whilst I clung to the front rail, there was plenty of banter between the songs, some hilarious, some pretty near the knuckle what with their lyrics being political charged, the young ladies that battled their way to the front rail next to me, were screaming like the fans did with the Beatles back in the day, eventually they were rewarded with Mo Chara’s cap. Honestly this show had everything, even crowd surfing from the boys themselves! The crowd lapped up every second and no-one wanted it to end. If only you could bottle the energy this show generated, it’s going to be a bigger venue next time they come to town that’s for sure.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
THE HOPE & RUIN 9:20pm – 10:00pm
Glasgow five-piece Vlure (stylised as VLURE) are Hamish Hutcheson (vocals), Conor Goldie (guitars, synths), Niall Goldie (bass), Carlo Kriekaard (drums) and Alex Pearson (synths, keys). They combined electronic rave music with post-punk to create a stunning live set. Vocalist Hamish was on the edge of the stage with his shouted punk delivery from the opening number. While the two sides of the stage appeared very different, with the raucous energy of Hamish and Conor on the left and the more laid-back style of the rest of the band on drums and to the right, the two elements worked perfectly to create a coherent sound. The dance beats and energy from the stage immediately got their fans dancing, creating a great atmosphere from the stage to the bar at the back of the room. Those energy levels didn’t drop at all through Vlure’s full on entertaining set.
(Peter Greenfield)
DUST 11:05pm – 11:40pm
I return to a very busy Dust for my final two acts of the ‘Mutations’ festival. First up are Bristol based trio Mould, who are fungi’s (“fun guys”) and an act that will “grow on you”. Couldn’t resist! They played Brighton’s WaterBear back on 24th February and then dropped their self-titled 4-track EP back in August. The band comprises Joe Sherrin (vocals, guitar), Kane Eagle (bass, vocals) and James Luxton (drums) and they kicked off their set with a noise crescendo in order to announce that that had arrived! They are an energetic tight modern indie rock/punk act with tunes of varying speeds, but on the face of it offer nothing that I haven’t heard many times before. Having said that, their performance was relatively enjoyable, but I was getting obsessed with whether Kane would in fact make it all the way through the set, as his heavily taped Fender Mustang bass had seen better days and the shoulder strap was continually coming unhooked, meaning that he had to hold the instrument higher up in order to play it. Joe’s Fender Telecaster was fine! They’re a noisy bunch whose vocals are often shared and none of their songs outstayed their welcome. The ended with their forthcoming single which is due to drop on 26th November.
(Nick Linazasoro)
DUST 12:10am – 12:50am
Thanks to the ‘Mutations’ planning, they had scheduled the one act I wanted to see the most at the very end and thus leaving me on a high and really looking forward to what next year’s festival will have to offer. Mould had finished and cleared their equipment from the stage and yet there was no sign of Dublin electropunks Yard anywhere. I was becoming concerned, especially as The None had cancelled their Dust set earlier on in the evening. We patiently waited at the front, then joy of joy’s Emmet White (bass synth, vocals), George Ryan (synth, beats) and guitarist Dan Malone (guitar) and helpers entered carrying their heavy metal cases full of their equipment. This being 15 foot pedals for the Fender guitar, two lots of keys including Arturia MiniBrute, Novation, Ableton, Roland VT-4, another Roland VT, Komplete Kontrol M32, and laptop. That’s quite a bit of kit for just three guys!
I’ve been continually going to live music gigs since 1978 and although I have even seen a few bands twice in a day, I had until Thursday 16th May 2024, not seen anyone three times in a single day before. That all changed with the arrival of Yard in Brighton when as part of The Great Escape and associated events, they rocked on up at The Prince Albert from 4:00pm to 4:30pm, then The Black Lion 8:00pm to 8:30pm and Folklore Rooms 10:30pm to 11:00pm, plus I also saw them at the Komedia Studio on 18th May at 1:15am to 1:45am.
Yard are almost singlehandedly bridging the gap between techno and noise rock, their music can only be described as an intense and immersive sensory experience. If you are a fan of Chalk (the band), Scaler (fka Scalping), Nine Inch Nails, and Underworld, then Yard are for you! Thankfully tonight’s set is 10 minutes longer than on my 4 previous occasions and we get 8 tracks instead of the 6 from before. Tell you what though, don’t expect my usual run down of every tune, as I was far too busy dancing to be able to make any notes! Yard are currently 6 singles into their career and I’m seriously getting itchy feet waiting for an album. Awesome band!
(Nick Linazasoro)
