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)!