We’ve been fans of Hanya for a while at Brighton Music Blog, and our love for them was vindicated by last year’s mini album 100 Metre Sprint, which at less than half an hour left you itching for more. Ove this year’s Great Escape weekend they played at least three gigs, but managed to find a bit of time to catch up with us for our first Brighton Rocks feature in far too long

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
When I first moved here from a small town I would have said it’s the freedom to be yourself and not feel ostracised. Growing up in a small community, listening to exclusively music from the 70s and wearing a ripped Pavement t-shirt, I was definitely a weirdo to my peers – but here I’ve found so many like-minded people, in music or otherwise. Nowadays though I would say the best thing is the fact you can never get lost because the sea is always visible, we’re close to some damn impressive countryside, and there’s a strong music community here that’s unlike anywhere else. That and there’s some amazing pizza always accessible…

Who are your favourite local bands?
Ooft there’s a lot! We’re spoilt for choice and every year there’s more amazing stuff. At the moment we’re digging Penelope Isles, Helen Ganya, Ciel, Laundromat, Holiday Ghosts, Bess Atwell, Ralph TV…(I could go on for hours here)

What’s the best venue?
Hope & Ruin holds a very dear place in my heart. The sound is amazing, Leo and his team make sure of that, and they do some insanely good vegan chicken popper things that are pure evil heaven!!

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
We’ve now got our own space so it’s been a while since we used anywhere else, but we have always loved going to Brighton Electric and bumping into everyone there. It’s its own hub of creativity for all types of musicians, plus they put on some killer shows once in a while

What’s the best club?
The only place I’ve ever been even close to clubbing in Brighton is Patterns. They have some great DJ’s and live acts pass through, but otherwise the closest we’ve ever been to clubbing in Brighton is playing a gig at Przym once over Great Escape.

What’s the best record shop?
Resident! Always & forever. The Bella Union shop is also a lovely hangout and you usually get coffee there so that’s a win.

Where’s the best places to eat?
Ok, maybe one of the best things about Brighton is how much amazing food there is here. In no particular order…. Bincho Yakitori for dinner, Iydea for lunch, Tlaloc for brunch, a slice of Toby’s pizza at Bison Beer or VIP (Pizza) for anytime you bloody like, Manju’s or Chilli Pickle for indian food, Plateau for an insane natural wine infused lunch/dinner, Happy Maki for sushi wraps, Helmston for insane salads, god damn I can’t do this anymore I’m literally salivating. There are so many others…. every month my bank tells me I’ve spent most of my money on eating out because I just love me a good dish. BRB just gonna go grab a snack.

What’s the best pub?
I love The Black Dove as their music taste is killer, and so are the cocktails. Also Hand In Hand is forever in my heart.

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
I used to serve Matt King (Superhans) coffee and he was a real nice dude.

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
Never!