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 Two and features acts performing on Friday 8th November.
Part One for acts that played on Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th November can be found HERE.
Part Three for the acts that played on Saturday 9th November can be found HERE.
So without further ado, here are the artists in the order that they performed….
FRIDAY 8th NOVEMBER:
ABBY SAGE (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
PATTERNS 3:25pm – 3:55pm
The first band of the day set a high precedent. Toronto-born singer-songwriter Abby Sage, accompanied by a full band, offered alt indie-rock with sumptuous, dreamy vocals reminiscent of indie luminaries such as Hope Sandoval and Cat Power. This was her second time to Brighton, and despite confessing having slept for only an hour, Sage, her band delivered a soothing and uplifting performance. She has a hypnotic stage presence. Throughout the set, she alternated between playing guitar and fluid dance movements. Sage’s silky vocalisation, contemplative lyricism, and atmospheric synth and guitar melodies combined to produce a meditative performance.
For the first half of the set, Sage stuck to material from her first album, 2024’s ‘The Rot’, which, like most of her material, mines highly personal experiences. ‘Hunger’, for example, discusses her acceptance of her sexual expression and becoming comfortable with sex. Sage deftly keeps things light while contemplating sensitive subject matters. The second half of the set was characterised by slightly livelier compositions taken from her 2022 EP ‘The Florist’ and ‘Soak’ from ‘Rot’ as Sage indicated, saying, “Okay, let’s pick it up” just before starting ‘Pool Party’. Sage’s band members both complimented and supported her. Her bassist harmonising with her vocally subtly lifted Sage’s own. The set finished on ‘Backwards Directions’, a song that stood out when listening to Sage’s current recordings. It’s subtly catchy, staying with you after a first listen. We left feeling refreshed and optimistic for a day of equally impressive acts.
(Jess Kemp)
REVENGE 3:40pm – 4:10pm
Sometimes at festivals you get to see a band who weren’t on your planned schedule, and then find a hidden gem. For me, that was the case with New York band Voyeur. They are singer-guitarists Jakob Lazovick and Sharleen Chidiac, drummer Max Freedberg, and bassist Isaac Eiger. From their opening number ‘Spirit’ the dark brooding sound of NYC bands, such as The Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth, was clear. The tempo of this hard-hitting band increased with ‘Siren’. Sharleen and Jakob swapped lead vocals between songs and shared lead on others. Sharleen’s softer vocals contrasted well with Jakob’s screamed angry attack, which incidentally matched his guitar playing. There was a change in mood for their penultimate song ‘Velvet’, which had an almost shoegaze type feel. I’m surprised Sharleen didn’t get dizzy spinning around dancing when not singing on that song. Voyeur closed a great set with the beautiful moody ‘Give It To You’.
(Peter Greenfield)
HONESTY (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
CHALK 4:00pm – 4:40pm
Opening Friday’s festival schedule in Chalk we have Honesty, a largely electronic post-punk collective from Leeds. Based around a core membership of George Mitchell, Matt Peel, Josh Lewis and Imi Marston, they reject the traditional rigid band structure for a more fluid approach of swapping instruments and working with various collaborators. They certainly reject the traditional notion of being able to see the performers, as the front of the stage is covered by a large black gauze screen, onto which a random montage of urban scenes are being projected, with different images also visible on the back wall.
Between these two sets of visuals, the players are barely visible as shadowy figures hunched over workstations, although there are guitars and a drum kit with a large trigger pad. Opener ‘Nightworld’ is a suitably atmospheric electronic piece, mid-paced with washes of synth and a vocal that sounds uncannily like Robert Smith of The Cure. ‘Measure Me’ has a floaty voice that I presume is Imi, over scudding bass and skittering electronics. The visuals look like brain scans, and the vocalist’s silhouette suggests there might be an extra member of personnel onstage in utero. Mic duties and the musical style switch again for ‘South’, with a rapped vocal similar enough to the version on 2024 album ‘Box’ to conclude that the rapper is Kosi Tides. It’s a varied and enjoyable set, and the multi-dimensional film show is strikingly effective, although I would have appreciated an occasional glimmer of light to see what’s actually happening on stage.
(Richie Nice)
REVENGE 4:35pm – 5:05pm
Exciting new Brighton band Goodbye (stylised as goodbye) were a late addition to the ‘Mutations’ line-up only being added the previous day. Goodbye are Megan Wheeler (vocals), Sarah Ryan (vocals, guitar, synth), Alfie Beer (guitar, vocals), Jake Smith (bass) and Elik Eddy (drums). Goodbye only played their first gig back in September, hence Alfie announcing the band as “The worst kept secret set by a group you’ve never heard of”. Goodbye opened with the dreamy start of ‘Tolgus Wartha’ with the first taste of the absolutely stunning vocals between Megan and Sarah, among the best over the entire festival. On this, and other songs Megan’s voice soared beautifully as the music built. The different guitar styles of Alfie and Sarah worked well together, especially on ‘Waltz’ a new addition to their setlist. Their final number ‘Benjis Collar’ started gently with Megan singing to just an accompanying guitar, before the song exploded. The song’s layered tones built to a spectacular crescendo. Many there at Revenge may not have heard of Goodbye beforehand, but the sizeable crowd was undeniably impressed by possibly their best performance so far. Definitely a band on the up and one to watch!
(Peter Greenfield)
ALIEN CHICKS (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
CHALK 5:05pm – 5:45pm
Next up in Chalk are Alien Chicks, a Brixton-based trio who juxtapose bursts of high-energy hardcore punk with sections of jazz, rap, and angular math-rock. It sounds like a potential mess, but it’s actually rather good fun. Lead vocalist and guitarist Josef Lindsay has an engaging cheeky-chappie persona, and is prone to bursts of manic laughter. Bassist and backing vocalist Stefan Parker-Steele is vigorously animated and during opener ‘Mr Muscle’ demonstrates astonishing athletic prowess with a leap that gets a huge amount of air beneath his feet. Behind the kit, Martha Daniels provides the varied rhythms and levels of intensity. ‘Babe’ starts with a gentle shuffle that soon morphs into something big and loud, with Josef complementing Stefan’s acrobatics by launching himself off the drum riser. “This song’s a chill one,” the vocalist announces, introducing ‘Qwerty’, and immediately unleashes a piercing scream, which raises a chuckle. The song actually features some rather pleasant harmony vocals, with Martha on the mic too.
‘Steve Buscemi’ is a rapped number, and ‘Slinky Man’ mainly a mellow lilt. A rather angular piece listed as ‘5/4’, its time signature, bizarrely becomes a cover of old Junior Choice favourite ‘The Teddy Bears’ Picnic’. I like the busy bass on recent single ‘Candlestick Maker’, and ‘Say Fish’ is particularly epic, moving through lots of phases. Plenty of bands like to alternate loud and quiet sections in their music, but Alien Chicks take it a step further, contrasting bursts of extreme noise with sweet melodies in an eclectic range of styles. I’d be interested to see them again, particularly to marvel at the bass player’s breathtaking athleticism.
(Richie Nice)
REVENGE 5:35pm – 6:10pm
Our next choice had moved to later in the night, so we got a quick break to reorganise our schedule before heading to our following listing. Brooklyn-based five-piece Slow Fiction was sound-checking on our arrival. Revenge has been hosting music acts on and off since its inception, notably starting with the XX. They are now a regular post on the music festival circuit. From the start, the soundcheck did not have the right mix right. While both the guitarist and the bassist managed to up their sound levels, Julia Vassallo’s vocal was drowned out to the point of being almost inaudible despite the apparent effort she was putting in. This was a real shame as the instrumentals side of things was impressively explosive. The band were tight and cohesive. I would love to see them live again with the sound levels sorted out.
After the gig, I listened to their material again to give them a fair chance. From the opening song ‘Monday’ from the ‘Crush’ EP, the enthusiasm and relentlessness of the delivery is infectious. Vassallo’s vocal is a rapid and fierce speak-sing tirade. The musical composition is equally tense and insistent. The effect is to bring on an adrenaline buzz and an urge to action and to dance. The next song in the set, ‘Apollo’, was a much less stress-inducing affair, delivering more traditional indie rock guitar riffs and more melodic vocals. Still fast-paced, it is more measured. ‘Brother’ is again of a more conventional mould—the instrumentalisation like ‘Apollo’ giving Vassallo’s vocal rooms to breathe. In the set’s final song, ‘January’, the vocals verge on the early Chrissie Hynde. Next time we see the band live, we hope we will be able to hear them at their best.
(Jess Kemp)
THE LOUNGE SOCIETY (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
CHALK 6:10pm – 6:50pm
Next in Chalk we have The Lounge Society, a 4-piece from Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. Notable for having signed to the Speedy Wunderground label at the tender age of 15, they’ve clocked a few more years since then and are now looking to release a follow up to their 2022 album ‘Tired Of Liberty’. Musically, it’s an expansive and atmospheric sort of guitar rock, and I like it straight away. Cameron Davey is on lead vocals and bass, and is an engaging performer, though not inclined to divulge any of the titles between songs. He is flanked by guitarists and backing vocalists Herbie May and Hani Baskin-Hussain, and Archie Dewis is on drums. The front row players start the set in heavy leather jackets, though these are soon discarded. Opener ‘Cain’s Heresy’ jangles along nicely, with some dramatic swoops given extra emphasis by Cameron thrusting his headstock into the air.
Fuzz bass opens standout number ‘Burn The Heather’, whose brooding groove underpins a lyric railing against the practice of burning moorland to attract grouse for shooting. A funky bass break is accompanied by a manically twitching dance. The other standout track for me is the set closer ‘Generation Game’. The lyrical invective concerns a generation “staring down the barrel of a gun”, ignored by the press. The song builds steadily towards a hook that has suddenly become very topical: “What will the US do?” There’s a relatively quiet section where Cameron sits down on the stage to play, before pirouetting on his backside and standing back up with an insouciant agility that I, as someone three times his age, could only dream of. I really enjoyed this set and will be looking out for that second album.
(Richie Nice)
PATTERNS 6:25pm – 7:05pm
The intriguingly named ‘Horse Jumper Of Love’ were formed over a decade ago and arrived at Mutations Festival all the way from Boston, Massachusetts as one of a number of European tour dates. The four-piece delivered a minimalist grungy set of slow-core, rich melodic guitar-based compositions with more than a hint of shoegaze melded into their sound. Introspective hazy vocals complimented their downtempo musical style. Personally, it wasn’t for me, but many people in attendance appreciated their performance and the band had clearly enjoyed their first visit to Brighton as they told us we’d been a “great audience”.
(Martin J. Fuller)
FONT (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
REVENGE 6:40pm – 7:20pm
After the earlier disappointment, and given that we had time in our schedule, we took a look at bands not on our schedule. Looking in at The Lounge Society at Chalk, we decided to head back to Revenge to see if the sound was still a problem and find out if the hype surrounding the Austin-based post-punk band Font was to be believed.
Revenge was packed to the brim with press and punters looking to see the much-hyped group including their 2024 album ‘Strange Burden’. From the minute they took the stage, vocalist Thom Waddill let out a guttural howl, which sounded like he was in agonising pain. Once we had made it through the crowd to gain some view of the band themselves, Waddill’s face was taken over by multiple contortions while he delivered lyrics in seeming anguish. The instrumentalisation is a relentless mix of frantic beats, synth riffs and samples. High-pitched wails and screeches pepper their more experimental tracks.
The song that we arrived at was ‘Cattle Prod’, one of their more melodic songs. Waddill is a charismatic lead singer, his vocals having a touch of a more anxious Thom York. At just over six minutes in length, it was a brave, if more user-friendly, song to start on. However, the band’s collective delivery is so visually compelling that they held the audience’s attention for the whole track. Following up with the track sentence, we veered wildly into Talking Heads’ territory. Waddill occasionally barking lyrics in a Byrne fashion, with the rest of the band joking with gang vocals. A thoroughly uptempo track with a rapidly building crescendo, it finished abruptly and briefly compared to its predecessor. Did they live up to the hype? I am still deciding, as we had to leave before the end of their set for our next act.
(Jess Kemp)
DUST 7:10pm – 7:40pm
Belgium performer James de Graef, aka ‘Loverman,’ is a striking presence and flawlessly skilled performer. It’s been a while since I have witnessed a performer with such masterful control over their physicality and impressive baritone vocals.
From the start to finish of the set, he had complete control of the space and everyone in it. His stagecraft was masterful, and his sheer presence was magnetic. The confidence with which he took the stage and delivered a guitar solo lead caught everyone’s attention immediately. The first song of the set, ‘Call Me Your Loverman’, was both an introduction and breathtakingly skilled. The audience was entranced; you could have heard a pin drop until the outro when whoops of approval were forthcoming, one audience member exclaiming, ‘Wowzer!’. The smiles were big and broad all around; we’d made the right choice and witnessed something special.
The next song ‘Tinderly’ had me thinking of earlier albums from Fink with a dash of Scott Walker. Midway through the track, he broke into a vocalised version of the track’s main tune, yelps, and cries while he danced into the audience, much to their delight, ending the song by dramatically flinging the tambourine to the floor. ‘Candyman’ had me thinking of Nick Drake’s ‘Riverman’. The vocal delivery was passionate, wistful and beautiful. With this track, Loverman almost started to toy with the audience, slowing the playing as if to finish, only to start playing again. The next song, ‘Would’, called for audience interaction after a brief chat with the audience and percussion from a member of the audience. The set’s final song, ‘Come Along,’ started with a bit of crowd participation, urging the punters to sing along with him, and ended with a single audience member singing the main lyric solo as the artists disappeared into the audience and evaporated into thin air. He left those present amused and bemused, but thoroughly entertained.
(Jess Kemp)
WISHY (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
THE HOPE & RUIN 7:10pm – 7:40pm
Kicking off things at The Hope & Ruin this evening are Wishy, a five piece from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. They formed in 2021 and are fronted by vocalists/guitarists Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites, both who had previously met at high school, then college before once again colliding with Wishy. They have already put out two EPs during 2023, and their debut album ‘Triple Seven’ arrived with us in August this year, tonight see’s the band on their penultimate night of their first ever European tour.
Now Wishy are my kinda music, we have Mitch Collins on bass guitar, Dimitri Morris joins Kevin and Nina on guitar duties and last but not least we have Conner Host on drums. Yes, that’s right, plenty of delicious guitars are on the menu here.
A wall of sound bringing us a blend of dreampop, shoegaze, Alt Rock, those swirling guitars coupled with Kevin and Nina’s interchanging vocals, make you feel good. It definitely takes me back to my 90s youth, but this feels fresh and fuzzy. It was the first time for the band to be playing in Brighton, Kevin said to the crowd, “Everyone here in Brighton is cool, I hope we are cool enough for you” my reply is a resounding “Yes, you most certainly are”, so much so I promptly bought their album from the merch stall to which the band all kindly signed. This may have been the first time, but fingers crossed that is not their last visit, a band after my own heart, this short eight song set was not enough for me, I want more.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
CHALK 7:20pm – 8:05pm
In Chalk, Lime Garden are next on. A local indie-electro 4-piece, the band describe their own music as “wonk pop”, and their debut album ‘One More Thing’ has been well received. Chloe Howard is on lead vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and utilises two microphones, one routed via a vocal processor. Leila Deeley plays guitar, Tippi Morgan is on bass, and Annabel Whittle is behind the kit. The onstage playing is augmented by a backing track with additional electronics. The processor gets an early runout on ‘Lifestyle’, giving Chloe’s voice that metallic sound beloved of contemporary artists. A brisk shuffle beat and some vibey guitar open ‘Pop Star’, which I like immediately. The chord progression and backing track form an expansive sweep for Chloe’s vocal to soar over, the singer rattling a cute star-shaped tambourine for emphasis. ‘
Sick & Tired’ has an interesting rhythm sample on the backing, and Chloe is looking very much at home, leaning on the mic stand with one arm held aloft. “Everyone’s very calm right now,” the vocalist observes. There’s a pregnant pause as the backing track fails to start when expected, humorously dismissed with a deadpan quip: “Let’s make it more calm.” I’m enjoying the set and appreciating the quality of the songwriting, with particularly impressive pop hooks on ‘I Want To Be You’, which draws a huge cheer from the packed audience. ‘Clockwork’ is another strong number with a bouncy rhythm, and there’s some lively dancing down at the front. For set closer ‘Pulp’, Chloe is really whipping up the crowd, who enthusiastically embrace its infectious electro groove. All good fun.
(Richie Nice)
STRFKR (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
PATTERNS 7:35pm – 8:20pm
We arrived at Patterns ten minutes late to find the venue close to capacity and struggled to gain a position without any eyes on the band themselves. I contented myself with a perch where I could see the top of the band’s heads, but hear the set clearly while our intrepid photographer wove her way to the front and other parts of the venue to try and get the best image. The American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, have been around since 2007. The latest album, 2024’s ‘Parallel Realms’, is packed with hazy indie-electro-pop lush synths, danceable rhythms, and fuzzy guitars. We arrived at the infectiously danceable song ‘Armatron’.
Pleasingly danceable, upbeat, and dreamy, the track reminded me of another electro favourite, Empire of the Sun. ‘Chizzlers’, the next song, had the unavoidable feel of French electro band ‘Air’, given the mellow ambient synth, soft lyrics, and general sense of the smell of a summertime dusk. ‘Lot Of Nice Things To Say’ is a slightly moodier track with a notably retro feel. It had an excellent steady beat, and like the other tracks. Towards the end of the set, dancing aliens appeared on stage, and the crowd in front of the stage hit maximum dance enthusiasm as the band launched into a cover of ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. Finishing on ‘Together Forever’, STRFKR left the audience on a high.
(Jess Kemp)
THE HOPE & RUIN 8:10pm – 8:40pm
Second on The Hope and Ruin bill this evening were another band from the USA, this time it was the four piece Good Looks hailing from Austin Texas. I’m not sure what’s going on this year, I seem to keep seeing bands from Austin and all of them have been bloody brilliant, there must be something in the water there!
This four piece are a good solid indie rock band, almost bordering on country in some respects. Lead vocalist Tyler Jordan was a very relaxed and self-assured chap, keep his between song chants nice and breezy, he joked “they’ve been travelling around on tour and heard something was going on in America”, referencing the presidential, he then joked “they were big Trump fans…..no we’re just messing you with you”. The band were tight and played us a treat of an eight song set consisting mostly of songs from their two albums ‘Lived Here For A While’ and ‘Bummer’.
Guitarist Jake Ames was incredibly animated throughout the gig, often frantically shredding his guitar, so much so the D string snapped during the third song ‘Damage Control’, he said whilst he had spares he had no time to sort it now and will work out a way to play around it, Tyler joked to the crowd “if you guys thought he was a good guitar player up until now, watch this”. The songs had great structures, often building for gentle starts to some good solid guitar with plenty of crashing cymbals, this was very much the case on their song ‘21’.
If you missed Good Looks this time round, then you are in luck as they return to Brighton, to play The Prince Albert on January 13th 2025.
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
WARMDUSCHER (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
CHALK 8:45pm – 10:00pm
The final act of Chalk’s festival schedule for Friday are Warmduscher, who are in the middle of their ‘Too Cold To Tour’ itinerary in support of fifth album ‘Too Cold To Hold’. The band’s sleeper coach and trailer are parked outside the venue. If you’re not familiar, Warmduscher play an endearingly sleazy and infectiously catchy sort of disco-punk-funk, and favour whacky stage names. Clams Baker Jr (Craig Higgins) is on vocals, and Quicksand (Adam Harmer of Fat White Family) plays guitar, whilst bassist Mr Salt Fingers Lovecraft (Ben Romans-Hopcraft) also co-produced the new album. Keyboard player Three Piece (Marley Mackey) and drummer Bleucifer (Bleu Wright) complete the lineup.
The venue is packed and buzzing for the long set, and you can be assured that all the old favourites are well-received, so I’ll focus on the new material.
Piano-led opener ‘Pure At The Heart’ has a surprisingly mellow and soulful feel, although the powerfully pumping sub bass is having a good go at rearranging my innards. ‘Fashion Week’ features chiming keys and a wonderful bass groove, and there’s more superb bass playing on ‘Cleopatras’, which to my ears has a slight hint of Afrobeat. There’s a false ending and a brisk playout on ‘Staying Alive’, and the urgent progression of ‘Out Of Body’ inspires some particularly enthusiastic dancing in the crowd.
Thumping drums introduce ‘Top Shelf’, with Marley adding some interesting and vibey atmospherics with what looks like a clarinet. It’s hard to say for sure, as the lighting design (with fixtures all behind the band, pointing at the audience) has left the players silhouetted in virtual darkness for most of the set. I have no idea whether this is the band’s choice or the venue’s, but it seems a shame as the superbly adept front row players are all engagingly charismatic and vigorously mobile, and personally I’d prefer them lit so I can see what they’re doing. That’s a very minor gripe though, as the crowd are going wild through the set-closing classic ‘I Got Friends’. One punter completes a spectacular crowd surf, much to the chagrin of the security staff, and the vociferous cheering at the end demands and gets two encore songs to conclude a fun festival Friday in Chalk.
(Richie Nice)
PATTERNS 9:00pm – 10:00pm
Snapped Ankles emerged from the trees of Epping Forest to settle in fertile east London, where they maintain the feral energy of the forest. On my first encounter around five years back around the time they released their second album ‘Stunning Luxury’, they offered primal motorik rhythms with the rush of white noise and post-punk angles. It was an aural onslaught played out on homemade log synths, electrified guitars and sticks beating hell on taut animal skin. Back then their final offering was the epic ‘Jonny Guitar Calling Gosta Berlin’, which to me had the similar vocals to very early Gary Numan meets Sheep On Drugs and musically akin to Sextile and Moon Duo, and it was a brilliant set. However, tonight at a rammed full Patterns the ‘mobile trees’ set seemed to amble along at a slower pace and had the feel that there was some degree of improv going on. The excitement levels should have been there especially as the vocalists joined us in the crowd for a wander with his two mics setup, but (for me) they had seemed to have gone off the boil – Others however loved them!
(Nick Linazasoro)
THE ORIELLES (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
THE HOPE & RUIN 9:10pm – 10:00pm
Yorkshire trio The Orielles are sisters Esme Dee Hand-Halford on bass and vocals, Sidonie Hand-Halford on drums with Henry Carlyle Wade on guitar and vocals. Having just finished recording their fifth album. The Orielles took the chance to try out some of the new material live at ‘Mutations’. Henry joked at the start “Whose idea was it to start with something new?” The two new opening songs had Esme’s beautiful soft vocals. On the first of those Henry’s guitar had a harder edge, while the second started softly with his guitar part building. As well as new unreleased material from the as yet unnamed album out next summer, much of the set was from their 2022 ‘Tableau’ album.
On ‘The Room’ the dance beats on the synths were matched perfectly by Sidonie on drums. Esme mixed her vocals well from upbeat singing to seductive whispers. Two tracks later the mood changed with the wonderfully ethereal ‘One Day Later’. After the cleverly constructed new song ‘Steps’, ‘Beam/s’ opened with its distinctive spacy synth effects and showed the experimental side of The Orielles’ music. It got one of the biggest cheers from the packed crowd at The Hope & Ruin. The dual vocals between Henry and Esme on ‘Darkened Corners’ worked well. The Orielles closed a very special set with an upbeat number ‘The Instrument’. Based on that performance and their new material, I will be looking forward to them touring their new album next summer.
(Peter Greenfield)
DUST 9:15pm – 10:00pm
Cambridge alt-rock sextet ‘UGLY’ fuse influences from their background to make something all their own. Bringing Choral, Post-Rock and standards from the ’60s and ’70s, which sound like they would not gel on paper, the band’s undoubtedly talented members merge the disparate genres to make compelling and enjoyable music. Opening song ‘Shepherd’s Carol’ from their 2024 EP ‘Twice Around The Sun’, the band highlighted many styles, impeccable talent, and flawless timing. Jasmine Miller-Sauchella harmonies and duets with Tom Lanes choral influence blend in a truly sublime mix. There is no weak link in the lineup.
All are accomplished musicians who work as a well-oiled machine. Rather than sticking to tracks from their EP, the band decided to play four new tunes, the third of which, ‘Carried Away’, was the only one we managed to grab the title of. All four of the latest tracks are collaborative efforts in composition and delivery. Returning to the EP, the song ‘Sha’ utilises a Buddhist chant at its centre, “Nam Moho Range Renge Kyo”, which translates to “Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra”. The last song of the set is also the first of the EP. ‘The Wheel’ starts with all the band at the front of the stage delivering A-capella. As with any of the songs, the grammar and meaning are second to the sounds they build, which is most apparent in this song. The whole set had been a joy to watch from start to finish.
(Jess Kemp)
ELLiS·D (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
DUST 10:30pm – 11:00pm
I’ve made a brisk exit from Chalk and scurried round the building to the smaller capacity sister venue Dust. I’m glad I didn’t dilly-dally on the way, because it fills up very quickly for local post-punk-indie-psych-pomp-rocking 6-piece ELLiS·D, and the room is soon sardine-packed and very cosy indeed. The band are named after the eponymous lead vocalist and guitarist, a tall figure with a Marc Bolan vibe and a striking vocal range that includes a powerful falsetto. If you’re not familiar with the band, imagine Mika fronting Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and you won’t be that far off. The singer is flanked by Sammy Jones on bass and Oscar Godfrey, who provides backing vocals and percussion, and a good line in Bez-style freaky dancing with a wide-eyed piercing stare. Black-clad guitarist Charlie Hales reminds me of a young Wilko Johnson, keyboard player Ben Buckley sports a fine looking long-hair-and-moustache combo, and drummer Jed Johnson flails his blond hair as he thunders around the kit.
Opener ‘Chasing The Blue’ builds from a jangly start to a steady throb before alternating intense and quiet phases. There’s a great hook and a false ending that precedes a massive playout with wailing guitar and tumbling drum fills. A huge snare roll introduces the swirling keys of ‘Humdrum’, punctuated by some nice pushes and stops and topped off with a high vocal line. There’s more falsetto on the bass-driven ‘Degenerate Effeminate’, and Charlie is playing his guitar above his head at one point. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining set concludes with the epic ‘Drifting’, a stunningly gorgeous piece that moves through several expansive phases that manage to be dreamily trippy and briskly urgent at the set time. This is the best thing I’ve heard all day, and I would be very keen to see ELLiS·D again.
(Richie Nice)
THE HOPE & RUIN 10:30pm – 11:10pm
Toronto native pagan-pop-poet Nyssa melds subject matters by singing of wild things, old gods, things romance-beyond-borders and the exorcism of trauma. We were collectively intrigued to see what the act would present.
Taking the stage with her guitarist, the Canadian was a striking and formidable presence; think young Patti Smith meets Chrissie Hynde, and a dash of Siouxsie thrown in for good measure. As the set went on, it would prove that she had absorbed the essence of all three in vocal delivery and stagecraft. Opening with the first track from her 2024 album ‘Shake Me Where I’m Foolish’. Her delivery was a mix of punk and goth with some heavy theatricality. After the second song, ‘The Mystery’, Nyssa introduced herself and her silent guitarist ‘Al’. Dedicated to “the Goddess of Love”, the next song came from her debut album ‘Girls Like Me’. It had a poppier edge than the earlier tracks. ‘My Gemini’ delves into mythological imagery, it was pure ’70’s rock epic building slowly and then into strings and heavy guitars. Nyssa struts into the audience at one point, most of whom have been mesmerised by her since the start and part her way without fuss. Nyssa’s vibrato and howling let loose towards the end of the song. ‘#1Girl’, also from ‘Girls Like Me’ stuck with me, as did most of the songs from Nyssa’s set to the extent that I downloaded both albums as soon as I left the venue to listen to on the way home, not something I often do and a testament to Nyssa’s ability to grab your attention on work her way into your ear canal.
(Jess Kemp)
SILVERBACKS (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
DUST 11:30pm – 12:00am
Next on in Dust are Silverbacks, a well-regarded post-punk outfit from Ireland who have released three albums. There are five players on stage tonight, with brothers Daniel and Killian O’Kelly both on vocals and guitar. Peadar Kearney provides a third guitar, and the rhythm section are Paul Leamy on bass and Gary Wickham on drums. The band seems to inhabit the more thoughtful and considered part of the post-punk spectrum, and they exude an endearing playfulness and good humour. Opener ‘Easy Being A Winner’ has a catchy “You start to figure it out” hook, delivered in a semi-spoken drawl by Daniel. There’s a lovely sweeping progression and some impressive guitar work, with the lead lines really chiming and some tasteful wavering tremolo achieved with a whammy bar.
A piece with angular guitar, clanking cowbell and stops punctuated by dextrous bass flurries precedes the lyrically intriguing ‘Dunkirk’: “A safety pin right through the ear, forty years of manhood.” Daniel takes his guitar off for bass-driven recent single ‘Selling Shovels’, embellished with a ringing dual-guitar motif. There’s a bit of instrument swapping and more excellent riffing on ‘No Rivers Around Here’. Daniel assures us that they band are usually very funny, but with only a short set they need to concentrate on the music. “No time for jokes!” he snaps with theatrical irony when the audience call out for more comedy. His vocal takes on a quality reminiscent of David Byrne of Talking Heads on the arty and angular strut of ‘Different Kind Of Holiday’, which works very well indeed. This has been a varied and entertaining set, and I’d be interested to check out Silverbacks’ albums.
(Richie Nice)
THE HOPE & RUIN 11:40pm – 12:20am
Baba Ali musically are a new discovery for me, despite being aware of the name and wrongly assuming it to be something akin to an aging dreadlocked reggae artist from the 1970’s. I checked out the ‘Mutations’ programme, it said “Combining knife-edged guitars and captivating vocals, Baba Ali create a dark wave, garage rock and electro funk fusion. Drum machines and synthesizers push through the music, resulting in what the band call an “electropunkdisco””. I immediately became very interested indeed, and yet annoyed that I had missed at least two albums, two EP’s and several singles worth of material. We’re camped at the front of The Hope & Ruin for one of their late night/early morning sessions, and a couple of cool looking sunglass wearing dudes take to the stage, these being American vocalist and drum programming Baba Doherty and guitarist Nik Balchin.
They are now both based in London and judging by tonight’s performance are endeavouring to bring Studio 54 back into this century. The electro dance beats, funkiness, distorted guitar, meaty beats and rhythms with a soul edge are the order of the day here. Baba’s dance moves remind me of Prince and at one point mid-set they remind me of Heaven 17’s first releases. After which we get the latest single ‘Heart Racer’ which was the standout tune at that point, and was equalled by ‘Kiss The Floor’, for which ‘Beat The Clock’ by Sparks sprang to mind. They signed off with ‘Black Wagon’ and it was a terrific set and a band now solidly on my radar! Keep an eye out for a forthcoming Brighton gig announcement, he said knowingly…see you down the front!
(Nick Linazasoro)
WIFE SWAP USA (Photo in Sussex News review HERE)
THE HOPE & RUIN 12:50am – 1:30am
The most exciting late addition to this year’s ‘Mutations’ festival was the announcement of the return of the awesome punk rock outfit Wife Swap USA. This is the band that has spawned no less the Lambrini Girls and half of Lime Garden. Clearly it’s been a breeding ground for top acts, but who would now be in the new re-boot? Obviously there would be madcap frontman Harry Saunders, but who would be joining him? We waited in anticipation at the front of the venue and then everything became clear. Harry was still being joined by Jane on guitar (who was formerly of Heirloom), and the newbies were Cameron who has played keys for Kim Jarvis on a few occasions, Zoe who also plays bass in pop punk band Buds, and Mads who used to be the Currls drummer a while back. This was encouraging as all the band know the local scene and know the antics that Harry gets up to.
I’m pleased to say that he hasn’t mellowed with age and within a few seconds of opener ‘Sniffin’ USA’, Harry bolted through the crowd and climbed on the bar at the rear of the room and then he mingled with the crowd. Meanwhile, back on stage, his new chums were rattling through ‘Mullet Envy’, ‘Snowstorm’, ‘Punk Rock Band’, ‘I Lost My Virginity’ and ‘Lipstick’, for which Zoe topped up her lipstick and shared it with others, including Harry’s chest. The keys sound was working really well this evening, and the gritty bass and drums were playing off each other nicely too. Harry was back in the crowd and started some jovial moshing for ‘You’ve Been At The Bins’ as he then put the large beer empties bin over his head. They signed off with ‘Too Sad To W*nk’, ‘I Love The Pub’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Work In A Bar Anymore’. On the set conclusion I looked all around the room and everyone had beaming smiles on their faces. Wife Swap USA return to The Hope & Ruin as headliners on Friday 6th December – Tickets HERE.
(Nick Linazasoro)
