‘VARIOUS ARTISTS’ – ‘MUTATIONS FESTIVAL’, VARIOUS VENUES, BRIGHTON 23-24.10.26
Brighton’s seminal ‘Mutations Festival’ has returned for its eighth edition and again is curated and produced by concert promoters FORM. Having published Day One HERE, we now concentrate on Day Two.
SATURDAY 24th OCTOBER:
SUNDAY MOURNERS – Green Door Store (13:10 – 13:40)
Sunday Mourners are an art-rock band based in Los Angeles, although their sound has a great resemblance to New York City 70s CBGB punk band Television. They are Quinn Robinson (vocals/guitar), Max Pugh (guitar), Casey Hoerman (bass), and Z Long (drums). They first played Brighton back in May at The Great Escape Festival, performing at Charles Street Tap as well as alternative shows at Bella Union Shop and The Rossi Bar.
They are first up at Green Door Store on day two of this year’s Mutations Festival. As the quartet take to the stage, Quinn welcomes the well-attended venue with “Hello, we’re Sunday Mourners from the United States”. They go straight into ‘Terminal Boredom’, the lead track from their recently released EP of the same name. All four tracks from the EP are played during the set, as well as five songs from their debut album ‘A-Rhythm Absolute’, which was released back in January on Curation Records. It was good to hear ‘Darling’ from the album, the live performance of this was much shorter than the 12-minute album version. This song has a slow beginning and then all of a sudden there’s a key change and it turns into a mesmerising faster-paced instrumental. Quinn does mention that they really like Brighton, so hopefully they will be back some time next year for a third visit.
Sunday Mourners setlist:
‘Terminal Boredom’ (from 2026 ‘Terminal Boredam’ EP)
‘Biograph’ (from 2026 ‘A-Rhythm Absolute’ album)
‘There’s A Garden In You’ (from 2026 ‘A-Rhythm Absolute’ album)
‘Darling’ (from 2026 ‘A-Rhythm Absolute’ album)
‘When Dreams Come True’ (from 2026 ‘A-Rhythm Absolute’ album)
‘Shoot Out The Clocks’ (from 2026 ‘Terminal Boredam’ EP)
‘Slim Framed And Reeling’ (from 2026 ‘Terminal Boredam’ EP)
‘Pleasure Serving’ (from 2026 ‘Terminal Boredam’ EP)
‘Careers In Acting’ (from 2026 ‘A-Rhythm Absolute’ album)
(Ian Holman)
REALLY GOOD TIME – Green Door Store (14:00 – 14:30)
By the time the second band of the day took to the Green Door Store stage, the venue was full. Really Good Time are a high-energy post-punk/alt-rock trio from Dublin in Ireland, featuring Wastefellow (Diolmhain Ingram Roche) on lead vocals and guitar, Ado Tornado on drums and backing vocals, and Jacque le Coque on bass guitar and backing vocals. They are another band that played The Great Escape Festival earlier in the year. They released their debut album, ‘Affirmations’, in August and did rather well chart-wise, reaching number 24 on the Official UK Album Chart.
The trio arrived on stage wearing matching boiler suits. As Wastefellow walked towards his amp, he felt a splash of water had landed on him. He said, “Just had a leak in the ceiling. We are Really Good Time.” As Ado was not quite ready, Wastefellow had to repeat himself. There are big cheers, then the three go straight into the adrenaline-fuelled and chaotic ‘On Dublin Bus’, the opening song from the album. It features a pounding baseline and relentless drumming with urgent satirical vocals by Wastefellow. Cheers and whistles ring out as the song ends.
The backing track for the next song starts to kick in when the sound engineer brings an abrupt halt to the performance by saying, “Guys, I’m really sorry, we’re having power failures.” Soon after, water started leaking from the ceiling in the centre of the room around some electrics and a projector, so the sound engineer informed everyone to leave the venue due to the leaks. The band said they would be back in Brighton as soon as they can and asked people to join their mailing list and follow them on Instagram. The festival organisers then managed to reschedule all remaining bands that were due to play at the venue to perform at three other venues: The Prince Albert, The Hope & Ruin and Alphabet.
Really Good Time possible setlist:
‘On Dublin Bus’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘Do It’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘Shit One’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘The Love Song’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘Bob Dylan Was On Pawn Stars In 2010’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘Toadman’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘Dig Up, Stupid’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘Mountain Of Spit’ (from 2023 ‘Escape From The Mountain Of Spit’ EP)
‘Life, Life’ (from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
‘Nissenbaum’ (unreleased)
‘Peter Hayes Isn’t Who He Says He Is’ (hidden track from 2026 ‘Affirmations’ album)
(Ian Holman)
AIN’T – Dust (14:30 – 15:00)
After facing the ravages of Storm Austen yesterday, today we have to contend with Storm Boelo. Oddly, although today’s storm is supposed to be concentrated on the north of England and Scotland, the weather in Brighton is significantly worse than yesterday. Still, there are bands to review so what else is there to do but grit my teeth and get on with it?
So it is that I fight my way into the very crowded Dust venue. The place is packed, with I suspect many people simply seeking shelter. Ain’t are waiting to start after having had a difficult journey down to Brighton. Their train was terminated at Haywards Heath because of a fallen tree on the line, so they had to get a taxi here.
Ain’t are a five piece from London comprising Hanna Baker Darch on vocals, George Ellerby on guitar and vocals, Ed Randall on guitar, Chapman Ho on bass and Joe Lockstone on drums. Ain’t’s music is grungy but melodic. Vocalist Hanna Baker Darch indulges in some very expressive dancing. Unfortunately, during ‘Only Angels Burst Out Laughing’ Hanna’s vocals drop alarmingly out of key. The audience’s applause has been lukewarm at best thus far. Perhaps that’s why. A photographer colleague describes Hanna’s vocals as “squealing like a stuck pig.” They’re really not that bad. The band had to get straight onstage as soon as they arrived and so probably didn’t have a proper soundcheck. The likely explanation is that there’s a problem with Hanna’s monitors. I’ve seen Ain’t before and Hanna sounded fine then.
Joe Lockstone’s drums impress, and Ed Randall’s guitar is also pretty ace, although it could be higher in the mix. Their final song has some nice spidery guitar and lots of feedback. After a cataclysmic pseudo ending there’s a quite unnecessary coda. Some songs can outstay their welcome. Unfortunately this closing song was one of them.
(Mark Kelly)
SNAYX – Chalk 15:20 – 16:00)
I toddle around the corner to Chalk for Snayx, who are the first band on at the venue today. They don’t mess about and are onstage bang on time, opening with old favourite ‘Work’ and its tale of (putting it nicely) an unhelpful bank manager. The sound is absolutely pummelling from the start, and continues in much the same manner throughout. This is pure musical adrenaline. Bassist Ollie Horner and drummer Lainie “Loops” are one of the best rhythm sections around, whilst vocalist Charlie Herridge is one hell of an engaging frontman.
Snayx have their debut album ‘Greed’ coming out at the end of February, and although they’ve started with an oldie, most of tonight’s set is from the new album. ‘Nice Day 4 It’ is one of a few songs where bassist Ollie doubles on synth. Charlie manages to knock his mic stand into the photo pit, which doesn’t amuse some of the photographers. Today is actually the band’s fourth birthday. How they’ve grown!
‘Gold Star’ has been recently released as a single, and is about misogyny and the manosphere. ‘Go With You’ is fast and chunky. The crowd livens up a bit as Charlie jumps in. He gets two sections of the crowd to line up and run against each other. My rugby playing days are long gone so I’m keeping well out of the way! ‘Sink Or Swim’ is another oldie from the ‘Better Days’ EP. Charlie calls for us to bounce and many do. It’s a bouncy song. There’s a mosh pit too. This is still the afternoon! The set closes with a circle pit with Charlie in it. This has been pretty full-on. The material from the new album sounds awesome, and the band have been on fire today. They play Brighton Concorde 2 on 27th March 2027. You know what to do.
Snayx setlist:
‘Work’ (from 2023 ‘Weaponized Youth: Part 1’ EP)
‘Brain Cellz’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Greed’ album)
‘Strut’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Greed’ album)
‘Nice Day 4 It’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Greed’ album)
‘Gold Star’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Greed’ album)
‘Lost Cause’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Greed’ album)
‘Go With You’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Greed’ album)
‘Sink Or Swim’ (from 2024 ‘Better Days’ EP)
‘Ignorance’ (unreleased)
‘Violence’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Greed’ album)
(Mark Kelly)
PLANTOID – Chalk (16:25 – 17:05)
Having also attended the in-yer-face Snayx set above and noted that this local trio have now taken their performances to a new higher level, it was always going to be the case of a massive comedown for yours truly as we remain at the Chalk venue in order to see what Plantoid have to offer us. I’ve seen this act before and their jazzy fusion with proggy guitar psych didn’t excite me one bit. Tonight they are a quintet of vocals and guitar; drums; keys, vocals and guitar; bass; and yet another guitar.
They begin to play and this locally based outfit are so not my thing! Chloe is a strong vocalist, I get that, and that her tones skip, trip and soar over jazzy grooves, and that the bandmembers are seriously super fluid and locked-tight simultaneously, and I get that all four band members are supremely accomplished players, but boy they remind me of Black Midi, and I hated them when I saw them at Latitude Festival a while back. Tonight’s set was a teeth grinding endurance for yours truly, whereas, looking around me, the venue is busy with many head bobbers in the crowd who are getting off on Plantoid. I just really don’t have that jazz gene in my body I guess, and there are no endearing qualities within this set for me.
(Nick Linazasoro)
BENCHWARMER – Patterns (16:45 – 17:05)
I next battle through Storm Boelo to Patterns for Benchwarmer, almost getting blown over in the process. Benchwarmer are a London based four piece. They’ve been operational for about eighteen months, but the band member’s names appear to be a closely guarded secret, as they don’t appear to be on t’internet anywhere.
They commence with the imaginatively titled ‘Intro’, a shoegazey instrumental with a nice picked guitar intro which gradually builds into something of a crescendo. The vocals for ‘Mannequin’ are very reminiscent of Ride, whilst the music is a bit ‘loud-quiet-loud’. ‘Darkness’ has an impressive drum intro and is faster than anything else so far, although the vocals are still laid back, giving the song quite a stoned feel. They go straight from this into ‘Sections’. The singer asks us to move, but it doesn’t happen unfortunately. ‘Heartache’ is in 6/8 and has a nice lead guitar part which is complimented by the bass part. It’s one of those songs that sounds simple, but really isn’t.
The chord sequences throughout are unpredictable, which I really like. The songs rarely go where you expect them to. Closing song ‘Spinning’ has a cool laid back guitar intro. It’s initially quite dreamlike before it sparks up massively after the first verse, before finishing with some momentary feedback. Benchwarmer are a very accomplished band with attitude and ace material. They don’t seem to have any gigs planned at the moment, but when they do, go see ‘em. You won’t be disappointed.
(Mark Kelly)
IGUANA DEATH CULT – Patterns (17:35 – 18:20)
I stay in Patterns for Iguana Death Cult, who apart from having a really cool name, really are something else. The band are from Rotterdam and comprise Uri Rennart on drums, Tobias Opschoor on guitar, Jimmy de Kok on percussion and synth, Jeroen Reek on bass and vocals, plus an additional guitarist. There are a number of influences apparent in their music. At times they sound like a punky Creedence Clearwater Revival with a hint of Hawkwind. They also at times sound like Warmduscher in that band’s rockier moments.
With searing guitar and funky tom-toms they sometimes resemble Santana too. ‘Supreme Leader’ is about the evils of the manosphere and is preceded by a shout of “f*ck Andrew Tait!”. Quite right too. A very fast closing song brings on a mosh pit. Iguana Death Cult are a sh*t hot live band. Unfortunately this is the last date of their UK tour. They have plenty of European dates coming up. They’re well worth the air fare I assure you.
Iguana Death Cult possible setlist:
‘Sunny Side Up’ (from 2023 ‘Echo Palace’ album)
‘Guns Out’ (from 2026 ‘Guns Out’ album)
‘Meat Market’ (from 2021 ‘Nude Casino (BSides)’ single)
‘Swinging At Ghosts’ (from 2026 ‘Guns Out’ album)
‘Nude Casino’ (from 2019 ‘Nude Casino’ album)
‘Bright Lights’ (from 2019 ‘Nude Casino’ album)
‘Lorraine’ (from 2019 ‘Nude Casino’ album)
‘Oh No’ (from 2023 ‘Echo Palace’ album)
‘I Just Want A House’ (from 2023 ‘Echo Palace’ album)
‘I Like It, It’s Nice’ (from 2026 ‘Guns Out’ album)
‘Supreme Leader’ (from 2026 ‘Guns Out’ album)
‘Tiny Tears’ (a 2024 single)
‘Nature Calls’ (from 2019 ‘Nude Casino’ album)
(Mark Kelly)
TTSSFU – Chalk (17:35 – 18:25)
I have witnessed Wigan born singer-songwriter and guitarist Tasmin Nicole Stephens aka TTSSFU in action before, with one time being the 2024 Brighton Psych Fest (which also saw Plantiod in action…don’t go there!), and the most memorable encounter of TTSSFU was up at The Prince Albert, that night I saw real potential. Over the past few years Tasmin has been rather prolific and has released 16 singles, an EP and 2 albums. She has previously sported the blond look, but this tea time she’s gone for the dark broody look. She is joined on stage by a second guitarist, a bassist with a headless instrument, and a drummer who also takes care of the drumpads and presets.
With a simple “Hello” from Tasmin they are away as she offloads her sweet vocals atop scrawny guitar licks. Tune two was more to my taste with a wall of guitar noise, although Tasmin’s vocals are now sadly lost in the mix, as is the case for the next few tunes. Initially I was going to say that today’s TTSSFU sound is akin to Welsh indie poppers The Darling Buds, but the material has now taken on a more wall of (guitar) sound about it, and TTSSFU are heavier than I had remembered. I particularly enjoyed the use of the drumpads on track four, which overall had a less intense sound than the previous two cuts. Although initially chained to her mic, Tasmin did eventually pluck up courage and left the stage and ran around the punters. Unfortunately, today’s encounter didn’t actually excite me as much as The Prince Albert set from a while back, which is a shame, and now I feel that TTSSFU now needs to drop off my radar.
(Nick Linazasoro)
ME REX – Revenge (18:30 – 19:15)
The storm seems to be easing a bit as I wander around the corner for Me Rex at Revenge. They’re a three piece comprising Myles McCabe on guitar, keys and vocals; Phoebe Cross on drums and vocals, and Rich Mandell on bass, keys and vocals. Two of the three are multi-instrumentalists. They may not be big, but they are undeniably clever. They’re described as a mix of indie and emo, which sounds fair, but I would also say that they’re what the Americans used to call ‘college rock. Myles and Rich share lead vocals, whilst Rich frequently plays bass and Moog synthesiser simultaneously. Come on, you can’t not be impressed by that!
There is nothing at all not to like here. There’s cool tempo changes, near angelic sounding harmonies, songs that are total earworms, ace musicianship, in fact, they might just be my new favourite band!!! There’s even showmanship too: during the last song Myles walks along the left side of the crowd until his guitar lead unplugs, although I’m sure that wasn’t the intention! Although Me Rex have played for forty-five minutes, it doesn’t feel as if it’s anywhere near long enough. Unfortunately they currently don’t seem to have any gigs planned. More please!
Me Rex setlist:
‘Angel Hammer’ (a 2026 single)
‘Jupiter Pluvius’ (from 2022 ‘Plesiosaur’ EP)
‘Megabear’ (from 2021 ‘Megabear’ album)
‘Protection Runes’ (a 2026 single)
‘Goodbye Forever’ (from 2024 ‘Smilodon’ EP)
‘Heart Of Garbage’ (from 20202 ‘Triceratops / Stegosaurus’ album)
‘RobotsWalkOnWater (The Floor Is Made Of Lava)’ (from 2022 ‘Pterodactyl’ EP)
‘Giant Giant Giant’ (from 2023 ‘Giant Elk’ album)
‘Eutherians (Ultramarine)’ (from 2023 ‘Giant Elk’ album)
‘Skin, It Itches’ (from 2022 ‘Pterodactyl’ EP)
(Mark Kelly)
PULLED APART BY HORSES – Revenge (19:45 – 20:35)
I kick my heels for a bit at Revenge prior to Pulled Apart By Horses. It’s been over ten years since I last saw the band, so I thought it was about time that I caught up with them. The current line-up of the band is Tom Hudson on vocals, Robert John Lee on guitar, Tommy Davison on drums, and Joseph Thorpe on bass. Both Tommy and Joseph have joined the band since I last saw them.
They’re every bit as good as I remember them. Their sound crunches delightfully whilst Tom’s powerful vocals are sung and not screamed. Tom is an ace frontman and is in the crowd as early as the second song. Indeed, he climbs up to the mixing desk and sings directly to the soundman, which is nice. The music is all sinew. There’s no fat. This band are a lean, mean machine. It’s all very rock ‘n’ roll, but the music isn’t as straightforward as that description might suggest. There’s the odd bar in a different time signature which catches you out.
Pulled Apart By Horses have a new album coming out next year called ‘Dopamine Hits’. They play the lead single from it ‘Great White Lies’, which is suitably heavy. ‘Ride Or Die’ is another new song. The drum part could easily be a solo if Robert John Lee and Joseph Thorpe weren’t still playing! This has been a cracking set. The band have UK dates in December, January and February.
Pulled Apart By Horses possible setlist:
‘The Big What If’ (from 2017 ‘The Haze’ album)
‘The Haze’ (from 2017 ‘The Haze’ album)
‘V.E.N.O.M’ (from 2012 ‘Tough Love’ album)
‘First World Problems’ (from 2023 ‘Reality Cheques’ album)
‘Sleep In Your Grave’ (from 2023 ‘Reality Cheques’ album)
‘Weirdo’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Dopamine Hits’ album)
‘Ride Or Die’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Dopamine Hits’ album)
‘Rinse And Repeat’ (from 2023 ‘Reality Cheques’ album)
‘Great White Lies’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Dopamine Hits’ album)
‘Get It Together’ (from forthcoming 2027 ‘Dopamine Hits’ album)
‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’ (from 2010 ‘Pulled Apart By Horses’ album)
‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’ (from 2010 ‘Pulled Apart By Horses’ album)
‘Breed’ (Nirvana cover)
‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ (The Stooges cover) (from 2014 ‘Medium Rare’ EP)
linktr.ee/pulled_apart_by_horses
(Mark Kelly)
NIGHT SWIMMING – Daltons (19:50 – 20:30)
Having also enjoyed the Me Rex set (above) at Revenge, I brave the elements and head on over to Brighton Beach to have my debut encounter with Bath based dream poppers Night Swimming, who are playing at Daltons. There’s certainly not going to be any night swimming in the sea tonight as the storm is full on! It’s not the first time that our team have reviewed this band, as we witnessed their headline set a year ago at the Green Door Store when Meg Jones (vocals), Sam Allen, Jesse Roache (guitars), Josh Nottle (bass) and Torin Moore (drums) offloaded their ethereal, melodic elements of early Wolf Alice, Cocteau Twins, The Cure, Radiohead and Slowdive; combining them with the minimalism of Just Mustard, Portishead and Massive Attack.
This evening one of the guitarists also looks after the keyboards and Night Swimming’s sensory depth and emotional clarity shape the band’s evolving sound. The guitar interplay with the drums this evening is relaxing and the vocals float you elsewhere. We are rewarded with no less than a trio of cuts from their latest ‘Melting, Sometimes Bleeding’ EP, as well as three from 2024’s ‘No Place To Land’ EP, plus there were a trio of yet to be released songs as well, as far as I can tell. This is inoffensive music to listen to on a summer’s evening along with the likes of The Sundays. In summing up, I really must raise my hat to those that attended this set as it was viscous weather just the other side of the venue’s glass.
Night Swimming setlist:
‘Nothing Safe Is Techicolour’ (from 2026 ‘Melting, Sometimes Bleeding’ EP)
‘Omission’ (unreleased)
‘We Are There’ (unreleased)
‘Evergreen’ (from 2024 ‘No Place To Land’ EP)
‘Let That Be Enough’ (from 2024 ‘No Place To Land’ EP)
‘Warmer’ (from 2024 ‘No Place To Land’ EP)
‘Act Of Resilience’ (unreleased)
‘Poison Berry’ (from 2026 ‘Melting, Sometimes Bleeding’ EP)
‘Dark Clouds’ (from 2026 ‘Melting, Sometimes Bleeding’ EP)
(Nick Linazasoro)
MIKE D 5D – Chalk (20:30 – 22:00)
One of the undoubted highlights of Mutations Festival was Mike D 5D’s performance at Chalk. The venue was packed to capacity, with many fans having arrived hours earlier to secure a prime spot for what promised to be a rare opportunity to see one of the founding members of the Beastie Boys in such an intimate setting. The set opened with ‘Hello Brooklyn’, and Mike D and his full band wasted no time in setting the tone, unleashing a high-energy performance that had the crowd moving from the outset. As the room grew hotter and sweatier, the atmosphere became increasingly electric, with the audience matching the band’s intensity at every turn.
The set struck an exhilarating balance between the Beastie Boys’ formidable legacy and Mike D’s newer material, including tracks from his latest album, demonstrating that this was far more than a nostalgia trip. The muscular live arrangements gave the music a fresh energy, while ‘Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun’ provided a thrilling reminder of the Beasties’ enduring influence. There was a real sense of connection between the stage and the crowd, building towards a euphoric finale with ‘So Whatcha Want’, which sent the already overheated audience into one last frenzy. In a festival full of memorable performances, this was a genuine standout: a joyous, sweat-soaked celebration of an artist whose musical journey continues to evolve without losing any of its original fire.
Mike D 5D setlist:
‘Hello Brooklyn’ (from 1989 Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ album)
‘What We Got’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun’ (from 1989 Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ album)
‘Crypto’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘Make It Stop’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘That’s Right’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘I Don’t Care’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘3-Minute Rule’ (from 1989 Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ album)
‘Switch Up’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘It’s Time’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘Secrets’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘Body Movin’’ (from 1998 Beastie Boys ‘Hello Nasty’ album)
‘Remote Control’ (from 1998 Beastie Boys ‘Hello Nasty’ album)
‘Thank You’ (from 2026 ‘Thank You’ album)
‘Mind Your Own Business’ (Delta 5 cover)
‘So What’cha Want’ (from 1992 Beastie Boys ‘Check Your Head’ album)
(Sara-Louise Bowrey)
WALT DISCO – Dust (20:40 – 21:20)
My penultimate selection of this year’s annual Mutations festival are Glasgow’s Walt Disco, who on my previous encounters have offered theatrical, gender-defying alternative rock with lashings of queer art-pop to boot. Fronted by the dramatic, commanding vocals of Jocelyn Si, the group have been renowned for blending post-punk, new wave, and 1970s glam-rock influences and thus drawing the comparisons to the likes of David Bowie, Roxy Music, and The Associates. Their music heavily explores themes of queer identity, gender dysphoria, vulnerability, and self-love. My most enjoyable previous encounter with Walt Disco was when they supported OMD in Eastbourne on 27th March 2024. That night Jocelyn and chums were seriously at it, but when I caught up with them again at this year’s Great Escape, there was a new lineup and the sound and chemistry had gone.
I am going to see if this is still the case tonight at the Dust venue. The stage is tiny and with the guitars, bass, keys and drums as well as 5 people on stage, it’s a somewhat cramped affair. This evening their material is still jaunty, but nowhere near as out there as they were two and a half years ago, but having said that it’s still foot-tapping, shoulder-shaking stuff. As always Jocelyn gives it large and looks the part in the leathers, but sadly they really aren’t grabbing me like they used to. Maybe I need one more try? In which case I might head on up to the Green Door Store on 27th January to give them one more go. Right then, I’m off to see Panic Shack at Revenge, who always deliver….
(Nick Linazasoro)
PANIC SHACK – Revenge (21:15 – 22:15)
I stay in Revenge for my final band of the night, the totally awesome Panic Shack. I’ve seen them six times before and they’ve never come close to being disappointing. Indeed, I don’t think they’d know how to be. It’s been two years since I last saw them, so they’re another band that I need to catch up with. The band’s lineup hasn’t changed since their inception, being Sarah Harvey on vocals, Meg Fretwell (great name for a guitarist!) on guitar and backing vocals, Romi Lawrence on guitar and backing vocals, Emily Smith on bass and backing vocals, and Nick Doherty-Williams on drums.
The band are tight and thunderous, and seem to play most of the songs faster than I remember. The line about a “baby shaped hole” in ‘Baby’ is still funny, although the NSPCC may not necessarily approve of it! Apparently ‘Personal Best’ is about when Emily ran a marathon on magic mushrooms. One of the best things about Panic Shack is that they’re always a lot of fun, and they have a lot of fun onstage too. ‘Smellarat’ is about a creep from Cardiff. The venue is packed. Even the stage looks a bit cramped with five musicians on it.
They were going to do ‘The Ick’ but their backing track is broken, so they do ‘Mannequin Man’ instead, throwing the customary mannequin poses. During ‘Do Something’ there’s a crowd surfer who seems to lose his sense of direction. Instead of heading towards the front he seems to be moving from the left side of the crowd to the right side, until he falls to the floor. Crowd surfing navigation can occasionally be a bit problematic I suppose. ‘Grin And Bear It’ is a new one that we “might not know”. It’s very fast, I do know that. Much of the set is from last year’s album, the self-titled ‘Panic Shack’. It sounds like it’s going to be an essential purchase. This has been a very fast and enjoyable set. It’s been far too long since I’ve seen this band!
Thus another year’s Mutations Festival ends, for me anyway. It’s becoming like a mini Great Escape. I always come away with a list of new bands that I need to investigate. Mutations is an essential part of the musical year. Roll on next time!
(Mark Kelly)
You can read the copy of this year’s Mutations programme HERE.
‘Mutations’ is set to return next year and the dates for your dairies are Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd October. Early bird tickets for ‘Mutations’ 2027 are on sale now and are available to purchase HERE.
