LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE + YOO DOO RIGHT – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 5.5.26
Sounds like the beginning of a joke doesn’t it?
Well there’s certainly no jokes going down this evening at Brighton’s Hope & Ruin venue on Queens Road, as a couple of quality bands ply their wares! These being Lorelle Meets The Obsolete and Yoo Doo Right.
Headlining this evening are Lorelle Meets The Obsolete who to my knowledge are making their third appearance in Brighton since their formation back in 2011. Their first jaunt was at the sadly missed Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar on 30th September 2016, but at that time I was unaware of their existence. They came back to town on 15th September 2023 and played the Green Door Store. I couldn’t make that evening as my old mate Ade Orange – who was in the Gary Numan band for 18 years from 1988 to 2006 – was playing his debut gig with his new band SVEK UK at Patterns and I certainly wasn’t going to let him down – Review HERE.
Thankfully I am able to catch Lorelle Meets The Obsolete in action this evening at this Love Thy Neighbour promoted concert. This being the first of two Sussex concerts on the current tour. The other will be going down at The Piper in St. Leonards-on-Sea on 14th May – tickets available to purchase from HERE.
Lorelle Meets The Obsolete is the sonic partnership of Lorena Quintanilla and Alberto González, a duo originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, now based in Ensenada, Baja California. Since forming in 2011, they have forged a reputation as one of Latin America’s most vital and visionary acts—drifting from heavy psych into post-punk, noise, avant-pop, and electronic minimalism.
Their early albums ‘On Welfare’ (2011) and ‘Corruptible Faces’ (2013) caught the attention of the international psych scene, leading to their signing with UK label Sonic Cathedral in 2013. From there, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete embarked on over a decade of relentless touring across Mexico, the US, UK, and Europe, performing at festivals including LEVITATION, SXSW, Liverpool Psych Fest, NRMAL, and Hipnosis.
Over the years, their sound has morphed dramatically. From the hazy, swirling textures of ‘Chambers’ (2014) and ‘Balance’, (2016) to the raw experimentalism of ‘De Facto’ (2019) – which landed at No.5 on Piccadilly Records’ Albums of the Year – the band has continuously pushed forward. Their sixth album ‘Datura’ (2023) marked a radical shift: a concise, bass-driven post-punk statement that earned critical acclaim and placed No.18 on Rolling Stone’s Best Spanish-Language Albums of the Year.
Lorelle’s collaborators over the years have included Emma Anderson (Lush), Pye Corner Audio, and Dälek, and their music has won admiration from icons like Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins. They’ve recorded live sessions for BBC Radio 6 (Marc Riley) and KEXP, further cementing their cult status.
With lyrics that navigate the turmoil of modern life—cultural colonialism, political tension, sleepless nights, and emotional unrest—Lorelle Meets The Obsolete balance venture with confrontation. Their live shows are intense, incendiary experiences, driven by catharsis, distortion, and defiance.
The band continues to question, dismantle, and rebuild their own sound and this is reflected in their 2025 album which is titled ‘Corporal’ which dropped on 10th October and is available on limited edition neon magenta vinyl via Bandcamp and Rough Trade. In support of the release Lorelle Meets The Obsolete are out on a 19-date UK & Europe tour, with this evening being date five.
We are in their company for 66 minutes and during this time they reward us with nine selected tunes, which run from 9:00pm to to 10:06pm. The musicians on stage are band members Lorena Quintanilla (vocals, synths, guitar) and Alberto González (synths, guitar), and they have brought along fellow countryman Eric Curiel (bass) and Italian Andrea David (drums, shaker). Their selections this evening highlight the fact that they are musical chameleons who dip into differing genres. I’m raring to go as I can see Roland and Korg synths in place along with a number of other synths and electronics.
They open with a trio of cuts from their 2025 ‘Corporal’ album, the first of these being ‘Palabra’ (‘Word’ in English) which within 5 seconds gets me hooked as there’s some terrific deep bass synth note action going on, which is rather Numanesque. The vocals are in Spanish “Palabra; Como un emblema; Palabra; Como tormenta; Palabra; Como una coma; Entre palabras; Que no respiran…..”. Tune two is ‘Ker’ which heads more towards the sound and rhythms of Orbital, but gritty versions. For this, Lorena switches from keys to guitar. Track three is ‘Casi No Estar’ (‘Almost Not Being’ in English) which is a slower paced number as compared with the first two tunes. Lorena is back behind her keyboards and she offers dreamy vocals on this one, whilst Eric expertly runs his fingers up and down the strings of his bass guitar.
The first of two cuts from 2023’s ‘Datura’ album comes next with the arrival of ‘Invisible’ which sees Lorena move back on guitar, and Eric’s bass guitar comes very much into its own near the track’s conclusion, as the song becomes more intense. The oldest tune of the set is up next, this being ‘Líneas En Hojas’ (‘Lines On Leaves’ in English) which is found on 2019’s ‘De Facto’ album and this reminds me of Heartworms. This is followed by ‘Reanimar El Cuerpo’ (‘Revive the Body’ in English) which is another cut from their ‘Corporal’ album and a tune that you would want to put on a 45rpm instead of 33rpm on account of it being so slow. Belgian New Beat is fast compared to this one. The band members are introduced to the punters next and each are rewarded with applause.
Another from ‘Corporal’ follows, this time it’s ‘Control’ which is a slow starter with just vocals and guitar with effects, before the other instruments come into play. It’s another track that builds the longer it goes on for. This then segues straight into ‘Regresar / Recordar’ (‘Return / Remember’ in English) which is also from the ‘Corporal’ album, in fact it’s the opening number, and I, for one, can see exactly why. Despite its ethereal one minute intro, the song gathers pace as Lorena’s siren-of-the-sea-like vocals tempt us into her world. Then on the three minute mark, whoa the tune really grabs me as it changes vibe again as the solid drumbeat, bass guitar riff and solid keys work together and conjure up memories of Numan’s ‘Engineers’ tune, but as if it was played at a rave…tuuuuune! It’s hypnotic like the work of AK/DK and Aircooled, and not surprisingly was my song of the night.
After this, the band gets ready to pack up their equipment, but us punters aren’t having any of it, and after a quick discussion between the four of them, they give us one more tune. This being ‘Golpe Blanco’ (‘White Strike’ in English) from their ‘Datura’ album, which is kicked off by Andrea on drums, which initially has a very similar beat to Bauhaus’ ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, prior to the keys kicking in, and then it sounds like a mixture of D.A.F meets AK/DK. There’s some frenetic guitar strumming from Alberto who has switched from keys, and he slides his hand up and down the strings which adds to the feel of the tune, which has an abrupt end. It’s been a great set and I’m looking forward to seeing them again some time in the future.
Lorelle Meets The Obsolete:
Lorena Quintanilla – vocals, synths, guitar
Alberto González – synths, guitar
Andrea David – drums, shaker
Eric Curiel – bass
Lorelle Meets The Obsolete setlist:
‘Palabra’ (from 2025 ‘Corporal’ album)
‘Ker’ (from 2025 ‘Corporal’ album)
‘Casi No Estar’ (from 2025 ‘Corporal’ album)
‘Invisible’ (from 2023 ‘Datura’ album)
‘Líneas En Hojas’ (from 2019 ‘De Facto’ album)
‘Reanimar El Cuerpo’ (from 2025 ‘Corporal’ album)
‘Control’ (from 2025 ‘Corporal’ album)
‘Regresar / Recordar’ (from 2025 ‘Corporal’ album)
(encore)
‘Golpe Blanco’ (from 2023 ‘Datura’ album)
Support this evening comes from the three Canadians, who are out of Montreal, Québec these being Justin Cober (vocals, guitar, synths), John Talbot (drums, percussion) and Timothy Aaron Byran (bass), and collectively they are Yoo Doo Right who are performing in Brighton for the very first time this evening. Their Bandcamp page informs the world that they are “Inspired by the pounding rhythmic improvisations found in krautrock, experimental trio YDR wed noisy, melodic guitar parts, effect-heavy synthesizer soundscapes, nonchalant bass grooves and patented percussive furies into a literal wall of sound. Solemn, chin-to-chest vocals dance in and out of the primordial sonic spectrum, creating a warm pillow to rest a weary head upon”.
This evening the trio’s set lasts 30 minutes, from 8:07pm to 8:37pm and in that space the lads give us a mere four tunes! Suffice to say that this lot don’t operate in the world of the three minute pop tunes, and more the better for that! To our left is Timothy who plays the part of the reserved bassist; to the rear is John on drums and shaker, who is obviously more animated; and to our right is Justin who is the spokesperson for the band. He’s quite a busy lad as he has to flit between keys, guitar, flat sliding guitar and vocals.
They begin with their 8 minute epic ‘Say Less, Do More’ which is found on their 2022 ‘A Murmur, Boundless To The East’ album. This is a solid opening number on account of the excellent Joy Division-esque combined drumming and bass guitar licks. There’s a real psych vibe going on here with ample foot-pedal action to boot. Selection two goes under the title of ‘Doldrums, Doldrums, Eviler Than The Devil’ and is, as far as I can tell, a yet to be released composition. This one lasts six minutes and starts off with the guitar and then it builds from there, with the wooden floorboards beneath my feet getting a real good seeing to. I’m sure folk in the bar downstairs can easily hear this. The slide guitar is utilised during this track and overall it’s a pleasant listen.
The trio then segue straight into the seven minute ‘Ponders End’ from 2024’s ‘From The Heights Of Our Pastureland’ album via a slide guitar solo. There’s further solid drumming on offer here and there’s an almost 1960’s spy TV series guitar sound happening throughout this instrumental tune, which then migrates into a 1970s full-on psych monster. They round off their set with the eight minute ‘Speed Guru’ which is found on the ‘Acid Mothers Temple/Yoo Doo Right’ split single from back in 2020. There’s a twangy guitar intro to this, which is then joined by the bass and drums, and finally the vocals. This one flits between different beats and intensities. It’s music to shut your eyes and bob your head to. There’s a mixture of Warsaw’s (early Joy Division) ‘At A Later Date’ meets prog rock going on here, which is arguably hard to imagine, but it works very well indeed. The punters loved these and appreciated their long journey in order to come and play for us. You can’t really say that they were the support act, as they were that good. Maybe special guests would be more appropriate, or to a handful of keen fans at the front, it’s a double-bill evening. I would welcome these guys back at the drop of a hat.
Yoo Doo Right:
Justin Cober – vocals, guitar, synths
John Talbot – drums, percussion
Timothy Aaron Byran – bass
Yoo Doo Right setlist:
‘Say Less, Do More’ (from 2022 ‘A Murmur, Boundless To The East’ album)
‘Doldrums, Doldrums, Eviler Than The Devil’ (unreleased)
‘Ponders End’ (from 2024 ‘From The Heights Of Our Pastureland’ album)
‘Speed Guru’ (from 2020 ‘Acid Mothers Temple/Yoo Doo Right’ split single)
