Author Archives: brightonmusicblog

Unofficial Great Escape gigs 2024

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Over the past few years I’ve worked hard to round up all the unofficial gigs that take place over Great Escape weekend. This year I’ve had people asking when I’ll be making the post, and others asking for their gigs to be included. A lot of eyes will be on the unofficial gigs this year after bands pulled out of the main festival, so let’s get straight to it. There’s links for almost everything, so check back in for set times / line up changes. Where I haven’t put a line up it’s because it’s not listed yet, or it’s a multi day event. If I’ve missed anything please let me know!

Tuesday 14/5/24
Fail Better presents the Great Excuse / Prince Albert (Staff Party, Claw machine, Dog of man, Lavinia Whatley, Shark Stuff, Powellovision, Hotfiends, jack Pout, Brassic Parp, Under The Ivy, Two for Tea, Nine Dead Mice, Bee & Jackrabbit, M Woodroe)
The Great Boycott / Gladstone

Wednesday 15/5/24
SON Estrella Galicia presents Escape from the Albert (NOT FREE!) / Prince Albert (Swim Deep, Currls, Projector)
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed (DJ Night)
The Great Boycott / Gladstone
Palestine Fundraiser – 6pm-late (suggested donation £5) / Green Door Store (Secret Headline, Holiday Ghosts, The New Eves, Atticomatic, Ideal Living)
Brighton Noise / The Considerable Departure / Pipeline

Thursday 16/5/24
The Beluga Escape / Southern Belle
Joy / Unbarred RSVP Party / Unbarred Brewery
Acid Box Abyss Superfuzz Weekender / Daltons (Honk, The New Eves, The Stanford Family Band, Fez, Hutch, Sahra Halgan, Holiday Ghosts, Bon Enfant)
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
Brighton Rock’n’Roll Circus / The Font (12.00pm – The Outers, 12.45pm – m4x, 1.30pm – COWZ, 2.15pm – Shady Baby, 3.00pm – Better Joy, 3.45pm – Georgie Boyd, 4.30pm – TASH, 5.15pm – Lemondaze, 6.00pm- Enjoyable Listens, 6.45pm – JW Paris, 7.30pm – Sam Scherdel, 8.15pm – KEELEY, 9.00pm – Sick Love, 9.45pm – Berries)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed
The Great Boycott / Brighton Electric
Strange Method / Bee’s Mouth (Kwasi, Harry Heart, Champion Fever)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Hope & Ruin (PSYMON SPINE, The Belair Lip Bombs, Smol Fish, The Tubs, Florry, My First Time, For Breakfast, Hutch)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Fiddlers Elbow (Joe & The Shitboys + Others)
Turtle Tempo’s Gr8 Escape / 1Up (Abi Clements, alx frncs, Bexx, Bryony Dunn & The Forest, Charlie Vaughan, Coco and the Lost, Daisy Veacock, Fox Jackson, frances mistry, Georgie Moon, hey bailey, j.flowers.mp3, Jack Howard, Safety Jacket, Szou)
Faber Alt / Bella Union (Keaton Henson, Tess Rose Jackson, Fyfe Dangerfield, Tawiah, Sam Brookes)
Alternative Escape / Secret Comedy Club, 42 Brighton Square (Marissa Burwell, No Windows, HMS Morris, Hotel Mira, Asha Jeffries, My Life Story)
Blinding Talent presents The Alternative Escape / Inn On The Square (Honeybadger, Tropic Gold, Brave Liaison, Dead Air, Sick as Thieves, Roses in December)
Platform B / Sussex Music Mag / Gladstone (World News, Lando Manning, Maximilian, Everyday Saints, Ladylike, Secret Headliner)
The Alternative Escape at The Venue / The Venue (Mithras House) (Amalia Susanu, Bedroomer, Frederick Skellten, Picture Day, Spooky Huge, Austen Showers, Brighton Uni Music Society, Like Robers + Adam Swain, Bedbugz, The Backdrops, Fever Rouge)
The Greatest Ape / Bella Union 
Rain Dog Presents / Grand Central (Porchlight, dirtsharks, currls, marth eve joe perfect & the champagne socialists, Van Zon, Moon Idle, Modessa, Route 500, Lariat, Ideal Living)
Brighton Noise / The Considerable Departure / Pipeline 
Smithereen Takeover / Black Lion (Chit Chat, Car Park, Porchlight, Meat Sweaters, Slate, Bernard Butler, Alien Chicks, She’s in Parties, Yard, Jools, Tom Vek, Enjoyable Listens)
Smithereen Takeover / Mesmerist (LLSN, Gracie Moore, Neomi, Genevieve Hayward, Daisy Chute, Emily Barker, Make Friends, Secret Show, Really Big Really Clever)

Friday 17/5
Alt Alt Escape / St Nicholas Church (13.00 Ebony Grace, 14.20 Merrick Winter, 15.10 REID, 16.00 AK Patterson, 17.00 Heights, 18.00 Scarlett Fae, 19.00 Soft Top, 20.00 Night House, 21.00 The Leaning, 22.00 Cub Zoa)
Shy Cat Publicity / CNTRL_ESCAPE / 1Up café (Currls, Comforts, Amethysts, Soft Top, Martha Eve, Maximilian, Ochre, Marta Per, ZZZ Sunnie)
The Beluga Escape / Freemasons 
Joy / Unbarred RSVP Party / Unbarred Brewery 
Mr Bongo & E Soul celebrates the Great Escape / Mr Bongo Shop – 6 Gloucester Yard 
Acid Box Abyss Superfuzz Weekender / Daltons (Kottu, Plantoid, Opal Mag, Hot Garbage, System Exclusive, Electric Cowboy Club, Karma Sheen)
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
East Solidarity Tap / East Street Tap (Orchards, Noah and the Loaners, Gurf, Cowz, Francis Pig, Definitely not Haunted, Mascot Graveyard, Le Rox, Georgie Boyd, Enjoyable Listens, Dan Ottewell)
Brighton Rock’n’Roll Circus / The Font (12.00pm Poppy Rockett, 12.45pm Work In TV, 1.30pm Morning Tourist, 2.15pm Wild Mother. 3.00pm WEZ KING, 3.45pm TOM SAINT, 4.30pm Barking Poets, 5.15pm Perchard’s Wall, 6.00pm Floodhounds, 6.45pm RETROPxSSY, 7.30pm CARSICK, 8.15pm Safari Inn, 9.00pm Noah And The Loners, 9.45pm Avalanche Party)
END OF THE TRAIL / FIERCE PANDA / Grand Central (Enjoyable Listens, China Bears, Noah & The Loners, Sasha Assad, Dan Ottewell. The Marble Arches)
Slackscape / Gladstone (Hutch, Holiday Ghosts, Cordelia Gartside, Hollow Hand, Nina Kohout, Vanzon, Baby Gem, Jopy)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed 
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Hope & Ruin (Flat Party, Ugly, Plantoid, Ellie Bleach, Maruja, Ducks Ltd., Home Counties , Caitlin Rose)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Fiddlers Elbow (Really Big Really Clever, Battlesnake, Triple Drain)
Escape to the Pipeline / Strong Island Records / Pipeline (Slow Fiction, Cardinals, Ugly, C Turtle, The New Eves, Lipworms, YHWH Nailgun, Woody Green)
The Greatest Escape / The Dorset (Top Left Club, Electric Cowboy Club, The Tribulizations)
The New Alt Escape 12-6 / The Walrus (Tyler Crude (BCNR), Borough Council, Holy Loaf, The New Eves, Ike (Tapir), Fliptop Head)
Extreme Music 6-11pm / South Lanes Studio (Meat Sweaters, Ben Narcis, Heights, George Dewhurst)
Escape to the Future / Fitz Regent (Sametime, Comforts, Collect Call, Blue Eyed Giants, Fighting Colours, Alex Saint Ivy, Ahno, Night House, Maximilian)
Palestine Fundraiser / Folklore Rooms (Holiday Ghosts, C Turtle, The New Eves, Fliptop Head)
The GOOreat Peliscape 2pm-10pm / Pelirocco (Oral Habit, Quaking Aspens, The Roebucks, Everyday Saints, Jopy, Owners Club, My Fat Pony, The Stanford Family Band)
ROM / Shipwrights Yard Sessions / Shipwrights Yard (Faux Real, My Life Story, Genevieve Heyward, Canty, Rendolent, Caitlin Rose, Feet, King Hannah, Ishmael Ensemble, Queen Cult)
The Alternative Escape at The Venue / The Venue (Mithras House) (Imogen Thomas, Jack Samuel, Frederick Skellten, Slowwave, Park Crescent, Mike Fillery, Fire Escape, Cas, Grace and Danger, Flavours, My Fat Pony, Two Pounds Down, Lunar June, Oral Habit)
The Greatest Ape / Bella Union 
Smithereen Takeover / Black Lion (Currls, Secret Show, Frozemode, Snayx, Noisy)
Smithereen Takeover / Mesmerist (Jack Boyd, Floral Image, Dirty Blonde, Leona Rue, Blaire Davie, Milo Korbenski, Fraulein, Will and the People, Tatyana)
QM Escape / The Actors (Goetia, DRNE, Ellie Pepper, Red Shakes, Cherry Seraph)

Saturday 18/5
Alt Alt Escape / St Nicholas Church (13.00 Sekinue, 14.20 Reema, 15.10 Bee and Jackrabbit, 16.00 Michael Baker, 17.00 LLSN, 18.00 Franklin Mansion, 19.00 Yumi And The Weather, 20.00 Sock Drawer, 21.00 Hutch, 22.00 Karma Sheen)
The Beluga Escape / Gladstone
Hanover Psychedelic Club Presents Technicolour Hours of Emergent Happenings NOT FREE / Annunciation Ballroom
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
East Solidarity Tap / East Street Tap (The Menstrual Cramps, Orchards, Noah and the Loaners, Gurf, Cowz, Francis Pig, Definitely not Haunted, Mascot Graveyard, Le Rox, Georgie Boyd, Enjoyable Listens, Dan Ottewell)
Brighton Rock’n’Roll Circus / The Font (12.00pm Shark City Mayors, 12.45pm Max Bianco, 1.30pm TUCO, 2.15pm RAPTUROUS, 3.00pm Harmony Bo, 3.45pm Generation, 4.30pm Ventrelles, 5.15pm Soaked, 6.00pm Cross Wires, 6.45pm Hadda Be, 7.30pm 88 BUNKFACE, 8.15pm Marseille, 9.00pm Another Day, 9.45pm Laurie Wright)
END OF THE TRAIL / AJM / Folklore Rooms (Georgie Boyd, Better Heaven, Bollo Bollo, The Raymonds, Candid, The Ultra Violets, The Outcharms, Dirtsharks, Noah & The Loners)
The Fake Escape / The Rosehill (Bunty, New Gardeners Society, Sebastian Müller Alien Alarms; Rollinson; Cederick Knox; Amoeba.av; A Basic Fault, Mafu, MOSS.)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Hope & Ruin (Van Zon, Cruush, Bumble B. Boy, Flip Top Head, Glasshouse Red Spider Mite, Full Flower Moon Band, Parker Fans)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Fiddlers Elbow (Handcuff, Marathon + Jools)
Filthy Pedro Presents: The Great Peliscape 2024 (Alt Alt Great Escape) / Pelirocco (9:30 Fruity Water, 8:45 Red Peril, 8:00 En Heat, 7:15 Lucy’s Diary, 6:30 The Phone Call, 5:45 The Clocks, 5:00 Boy in the Cupboard, 4:15 Mike Fillery & the Other Two, 3:30 Melt Plastic Group, 2:45 Larry Pickleman)
Escape from the Escape / Saviour Records / Pipeline (Carpark, Naïve James, Nuns of the Tundra, Holocene, Laura’s Dream)
END OF THE TRAIL / PLAY IT LOUD / Pipeline (Enjoyable Listens. Noah & The Loners. TBC, Niche Crush, Georgie Boyd, Genevieve Hayward )
Live Music @ 1Up (Nature TV, Natsuma, Sunda Blue, Arjun Nala, Sabrina G, Mud Coffee and Aperture.)
Folklore Alt Alt Takeover / Folklore Rooms (THE HALFWAY KID, IDEAL LIVING, SAMUEL NICHOLSON, ROWENA WISE, EDWIN RAPHAEL, TATYANA + LILY LYONS)
Club The Mammoth / Daltons (Girls In Synthesis, Floral Image, Karma Sheen, Looking Glass Alice, ELLiS-D, + secret guests)
Alt Alt Escape / Rossi Bar (Secret Headline, Lip Worms, Trip Westerns, Ideal Living, Kill The Icon, Daay, Harper, )
Escape to the Future / Fitz Regent (Snake Eyes, tbc, Hops, Icebeing, Giant Peach, China Bears, Porcelain Doll, John Jones, Wave Chase)
First Word Records 20th Birthday (£10 tickets) / Alphabet (Essa live + DJs)
The Alternative Escape at The Venue / The Venue (Mithras House) (Kathleen Marsh, Victoria Bishop, Billie Boatman, Demsey, Lana Death Ray, D’Arcy, Mudd Factory, Car Boot Sale, Fever Rouge, Ry-Guy, Trashed, Amongst Liars)
The Greatest Ape / Bella Union 
Family Store presents the Substantial Abscond / Brighton Electric (the Kitchen Sink, Gurf, The Baby Seals, Crab)
Smithereen Takeover / Black Lion (Chum, Jopy, Stanford Family Band, Owners Club, Secret Show, Shader, Shambolics, Laurie Wright, Projector, Monakis, Secret Show, City Dog)
Smithereen Takeover / Mesmerist (Ruby, Marnie Marie, Cowz, Hutch, Aysanabee, Last Living Cannibal, Secret Show, Sametime)

Sunday 19/5
The Beluga Escape / Lion & Lobster

Van Zon / Cannon Fodder

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Our focus on New Releases has mainly switched over to our Instagram Stories these days, but we’re making an exception for a band who have seemed to appear from nowhere fully formed. We first caught them at the Albert last November, bottom of a bill which would have people queuing around the block for these days, alongside the New Eves and Fliptop Head. At that point Van Zon had only been going for a few months, but managed to leave a big impression.

A few months down the road, and they’re ready to release their debut effort Cannon Fodder. You could call it a single, but it clocks in just shy of eight minutes. It defies genres – Post rock weaves it all together, but the violin pulls it into folk territory, and the clarinet and 6/8 time signature sometimes nudge things toward neo-classical and further away from any sort of classification. Not wanting to just regurgitate their PR, I can’t disagree with line that says that it’s “Like a painting by a renaissance master”.

With an Instagram feed of less than a dozen posts, no Facebook, Twitter, or other social media, and very little else about the band anywhere online, I met up with them to try and demystify things. Van Zon tell me that they’re named after a Dutch serial killer, but that the name also means From The Sun in Dutch. Drummer Ewan is part Dutch too, something the rest of the band didn’t find out until they’d settled on a name. They tentatively describe themselves as experimental folk rock, but don’t feel like their sound can easily be slotted in alongside any pre-existing genre. Cannon Fodder was one of the first songs that they played live, and has evolved each time it’s been played out, only becoming it’s final version when it was recorded around a month ago. The rest of their unrecorded material continues to change each time it’s performed, with the band keen to continue to make them “even more epic”. They claim the lack of an online presence isn’t a deliberate attempt to be mysterious – that they don’t have the time, and that they aren’t great at social media. Yet, as we part ways they upload a post of an old painting, with nothing but the dictionary definition of Cannon Fodder in the description, and no hint that it might refer to their upcoming single. So much for not being mysterious. However, the phone signal isn’t great and there’s part-serious, part humourous concern that it’s going to upload multiple times. Maybe this approach to social media is the essence of Van Zon right now – embracing their contradictions and letting their subconscious lead the way, wherever that may take them, and things just turning out just right.

Van Zon are playing five alternative escape gigs next week:

15 May / Pipeline (10:30) – Brighton Noise Stage
16 May / Grand Central (6:45)
17 May / The Gladstone (5pm)- Slack City Stage
17 May / UnBarred Brewery – (9pm) – JOY stage
18 May / The Hope And Ruin (2:30) – Love Thy Neighbour Stage

Homegrown Festival

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Unless this is your first visit to this site, it’s probably no surprise that we’re big supporters of Brighton’s thriving music scene. So when a one day festival announced showcasing some of the best local talent we jumped straight in and bought an early bird ticket quicker than it would take to count all the members of Fliptop Head. When Saturday came we had an ambitious plan to try and see a dozen bands. What the day did highlight is just what a blind spot we have when it comes to Brighton’s rock scene – It’s nothing personal, and the fact that the day had sold out indicates that there’s definitely a lot of support for music all across the spectrum.

Anyway, we kicked off early with Trip Westerns at Pipeline, who we’d seen at Green Door Store just over a week before where the ticket price for that gig was the same price as the early bird ticket. Minutes in and we’d broken even already. When they finished it was a sprint up to the Hope & Ruin, to catch the last five minutes of Soft Top‘s set and then enough time for a trip to the bar and to secure a prime viewing spot for the ridiculously good Van Zon. Being only a few doors up we thought we’d be lucky enough to get into Opal Mag’s performance, but we were beaten to it by dozens of other people. Technically I was in – it went to one in / one out straight after me – but we didn’t even make it down the spiral staircase. Reports from others were that they were fantastic and are going from strength to strength. No matter – it was off to Green Door next just in time for Moon Idle, and then Brighton Music Blog faves Hutch who peppered their set with new songs and old favourites. Then it was back down to Pipeline to catch a little bit of Georgie Moon, although we couldn’t stay for long because Woody Green at Folklore Rooms was next on our list. With a mere 60 capacity it was unsurprisingly packed out, so you can’t tell from the photos that Nina Winder-Lind from the New Eves was on cello, making a beautiful set even more so.

After a little break for food and warmer clothes we found ourselves back at Pipeline, and made it to the front for Ladylike‘s performance, which felt more assured and intimate than when we saw them supporting Lime Garden last month. Folklore Rooms next – learning our lesson from earlier in the day and getting in a whole set ahead of Ellis D, and catching Glasshouse Red Spider Mite in the process. As with their single launch at Green Door Store a couple of weeks back, they were bathed in red light which fitted their dreampop shoegaze perfectly. Of all the acts of the day, we were most looking forward to Ellis D, who first featured here in a New Music post back in 2019, but who we’d never managed to catch live. These days he’s the cool big brother of the Brighton bands, making it all look so easy, and playing a sweaty, electrifying set despite a few technical issues. I did have in my plan to see Ideal Living and Fliptop Head – easily two of Brighton’s best bands right now – playing later at Rossi Bar, but by that point I was ready to hit the hay. What a day. What a festival. What a town. Cheers Homegrown – here’s to next year (hopefuly)!

 

 

Maximilian / Surrender album launch at Fabrica

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Last week Maximilian released his debut album Surrender, on Dead Dog records, and last night he played it live start to finish at Fabrica supported by Skydaddy and Brighton’s Opal Mag.

Playing an album all the way through in sequential order isn’t the most obvious thing to do – A set of songs which might make for a good gig can be quite different to a playlist / ordering that makes for a good album, but Maximilian created an immersive world last night aided and abetted by some of Brighton’s finest musicians that more than lived up to the challenge – intimate, and uplifting, the evening felt like it was over far too soon.

As I find myself saying for the second post in a row, if you missed the gig, Maximilian is on the bill at Homegrown Festival next weekend, so you can catch him again then.

 

Glasshouse Red Spider Mite / Erstwhile single launch at Green Door Store

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Last Friday Glasshouse Red Spider Mite played their first headline show, promoting their debut single Erstwhile, which came out on 20th March (which you’d have spotted if Instagram showed you our story on release day). Support came Van Zon, who we can’t get enough of these days, and out of towners Plainmoor. If you missed the gig and want to hear more from the band, you can catch them (and Van Zon) at Homegrown festival on Saturday 13th April

click through to view large:

 

 

Lime Garden play a sold out Chalk

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Hot on the heels of the release of their top twenty debut album One More Thing, Lime Garden closed their UK tour on Friday night with a sold out gig at Chalk. Support came from Ladylike (who are locals so also feature in the gallery below) and Ugly.

There was a shoutout to Chloe’s mum up in the balcony when they played Mother, quips about seeing the four coolest women on International Women’s Day, one of the friendliest mosh pits I’ve seen in a while, and, by all accounts, massive queues at the Green Door Store after they announced that’s where the afterparty would be.

(click through to view photos large)

Projector / Now When We Talk It’s Violence album launch at Green Door Store

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This week Brighton Music Blog favourites Projector hit the road to promote their new album Now When We Talk it’s Violence. There’s a whole bunch of other tour dates (go check their website), but obviously the only one that really matters is their hometown gig, which took place at Green Door Store last night. It was everything you’d hope for and more – the album played through larger and louder than you’d have heard it at home, a mosh pit, band members removing layers of clothing, a Pixies cover, and fantastic support sets from Ideal living and Vincent Vocoder Voice. Go stream the album (or better still, buy it) today

(click through the images to view large)

 

 

 

Lime Garden / One More Thing album launch instore at Resident

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Yesterday Lime Garden released their debut album One More Time. After a strong run of singles, of which only those released in the last twelve months feature on the record, and years of playing live honing their skills, they’ve come up with an accomplished collection of songs dealing with hope, humdrum and matters of the heart. Broadening their palette beyond guitar pop Floor and Pop Star casually toss in a bit of autotune, and Fears almost ditches guitars altogether save for a few riffs towards the end. The closing pair of tracks, It and Looking, strip things right back and remind us that it’s not parties every night. And then clocking in barely over half an hour it’s done, leaving us thirsting for more.

Promotion for the album kicked off last night with an in store at Resident (and an anecdote about how at a previous instore Chloe had asked Marika Hackman to sign a sanitary pad), followed by a launch party around the corner. A whole bunch of live dates are coming up including their biggest ever headline gig at Chalk on Friday 8th March, and no doubt a summer full of festivals

Plantoid / Terrapath

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Last Friday Plantoid released their debut album Terrapath on Bella Union records, which follows the singles Dog’s Life, Pressure and Modulator:

It’s influences are rooted in 1970s prog rock – album opener Is That You? clocks in at over six minutes and jumps time signatures – but there’s a lot more to the record than that. Stick with it, and by the time you reach the lilting highlight Wander/Wonder you’re transported to South America as a whole load of Latin influences slip seamlessly in. Elsewhere the album rocks hard, on GY Drift, and wraps you in gossamer, on album closer Softly Speaking.

The album was launched with a out-store gig at Alphabet, playing through each track in order from start to finish, joined onstage by album producer Nathan Ridley enthusiastically playing the bongos. Click through the pics to view large:

Terrapath is out now in all good record shops and streaming sites, or from the band’s bandcamp page:

Hutch – Ice on the Lake / Smile And Wave EP

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Today Hutch release their new single Ice on the Lake, taken from their forthcoming Smile & Wave EP, so we caught up with them at the Lord Nelson (just opposite The Radiator Centre) up to talk about the EP, the upcoming tour, and the buzz around Brighton bands at the moment.

Track One : The Bow
The bow was the first single from the EP, and came out last September. “It’s a song we had before we ever started gigging – there’s an early version of it up on Bandcamp – but we revisited it a couple of years later. We love long jams but we wanted to write some snappier songs. We started opening sets with it when we started doing tight 30 minute sets and playing gigs outside of Brighton – it’s got a lot of energy and in a room with people hanging out and chatting it’s a tune that can turn heads”

Track Two : Ice on the Lake
Was it a deliberate ploy to put Ice on the lake when it’s so cold out? “We’re so glad it worked out that way! The day that The Bow came out there was a Rainbow over Brighton that day, and you can’t write that kind of thing. So with this weather it’s perfect timing. Maybe when Marmalade Air gets released there’s going to be marmalade everywhere! We were actually supposed to release it last year but then we had some setbacks finishing the EP, and we wanted to release it in the wintertime.” It’s a track that has a few tempos – faster, then slower then faster again – “We had songs like Radiator Centre which also do a similar trick – this was a way of writing a long song that was a short song. I think it came off quite well”

Track Three : Marmalade Air
“This came together in a rehearsal session at Under The Bridge, and it was just an idea when we went in, and by the end of the rehearsal we came away with something we were pretty proud of. We played around a lot with recording it faster then slowing it down, so it feels like you’re stuck in a jar of marmalade.”
Track four : See It All
“This was originally written by Eva (Lunny – who’s now just a studio member of the band) so at the moment we won’t be able to play it live. We’re going to try and find a way to do it but we really wanted to put this one on the EP for her. Eva’s like our Spirit Guide. She came up with that song, and it seemed quite fitting at the end of the EP. It’s quite an emotional one.”
The EP was produced by Bobby Smiles, who’s an artist in his own right as well as a producer. “He’s amazing to work with – Some of us played in Tin Man so we worked with him on those recordings, and Charlie and Owen also play in Soft Top, and they worked with him too. He was on Our Family Dog a few years ago as well. He’s got around, but he’s also one of the nicest guys. He’s recording a lot of Brighton bands at the moment.” It feels like there’s a really strong Brighton Scene at the moment – you’ve mentioned bands you and Bobby Smiles are linked with, Flip Top Head are touring with Ideal Living, you go and see one band and the first three or four rows are full of members of other bands. It feels like the Brighton scene is the strongest it’s been in a long time. How does it feel from your perspective? “For us it feels like we’re just hanging out with mates. We’re really lucky, we started gigging just after lockdown and were ready to go once everything opened up again. We played gigs every three days for the first four months, but we weren’t the only ones – everyone had that energy and hunger to get out and about. You meet people and everyone becomes friends and then you’re all just doing it together. If they’re not playing in the bands, they’re working at the venues, at the bar or booking the shows. Also you play with loads of bands and everyone inspires each other, and that’s a beautiful thing. You go and see a band like Ideal living at Green Door before Christmas, and seeing those guys, you’re like Wow, there’s something really amazing going on. The competition is FIERCE! – We’ve been lucky enough to go and play elsewhere and meet a bunch of other bands that are local to those areas and there’s such great vibes, but then you come back to Brighton and there’s things like Mumfest and 234 – the standard of bands in Brighton is so high. We’ve got to try and be the best we can be. And everyone’s doing their own thing, it’s not like everyone’s overlapping, they’re supporting each other, it’s just wonderful. There’s always new bands cropping up as well. Van Zon are the new ones to watch. And Moon Idle (who supported Van Zon on the night we met up). We played at Mutations, and they played just before us. They’re a really cool band. One of those ones where you see a band and you say to yourself give this band a bit of time and they could be huge.”

The week after the EP comes out Hutch are heading out on tour. “We’re all just buzzed to get back out on the road. It’s the BEST thing. It’s so much fun. This is the longest tour we’ve done, with the most dates, and all headline shows. In September we went on tour with Gitkin and we went to Europe, we were playing every night – when we looked we thought we would be exhausted, but then the excitement after the first night, you get there and you have that post show buzz, Man, that’s so much fun. And you look at the tour dates and see that you’ve got that same feeling for another couple of weeks. And a headline tour will be even more exciting. And tours bring us closer together too – Although we spend pretty much all our time together anyway!”
And you’ve got Lewes Psych Fest at the end of January before the tour. “I’m so looking forward to it – it’s one of those line ups that you look at every year and want to check out all the bands because you know they’re going to be cool. Initially when we started playing we thought it would be so great if we could do that at some point”. You’ve worked with Chris Innerstrings (who organises LPF with Melting Vinyl) before – didn’t he do lights for you at 234 festival in 2022? “Yeah, He’s a lovely guy – he’s also doing lights at our show at the Green Door Store date on the tour. That’s the date that we’re most excited about – We’re heading out and slowly working our way back to Brighton. I think the Brighton one will be one to remember.”

Ice on the Lake is out today, the Smile & Wave EP is out 23rd of February, and the band head out on tour on 29th February, playing Brighton on 15th March