Now across spread across nine venues this event is becoming a vital part of the annual calendar. Ticket queues were huge from teh get go, suggesting the majority of the crowd wanted to get out early and make the most of it. Team Source certainly did.

Aku – The Hope and Ruin
It’s bright and fresh the sky is blue. Some fecker nicked the bike that belonged to this writer’s lady. Grrrrr. What we need is Punk. Aku deliver and they deliver hard. It’s tight. It’s punchy. Our fist slams the air and our spirit is lifted in all the right kick ass ways! Satisfying nasty guitar touching Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Jesus Lizard and all sorts of good stuff. New tune Tungsten lives up to its chemical properties! Jack even attempts the splits. Some yoga may be required but top marks for effort. (NM)

Eva Lunny – The Hope and Ruin
Run to Hope to rescue the photographer and upstairs for the second half of Eva Lunny’s ethereal harp playing. The contrast could not be greater; which is just how we like it. Rolling soundscapes and angelic flourishes of beauty. She finishes with ‘what you needed’. Don’t be fooled by how gentle this is. She is a maestro at work. The crowd are all caught in quiet attention for this special and sadly rare performance. (NM)

Beyene Affair – Folklore Rooms
The compact and bijou venue filled up quickly and the small stage was a cosy fit for a six piece band. Their opening instrumental had a laid back funky groove with flute adding a nice jazz touch. Wah wah guitar and rimshots gave strong samba rock vibes which had the packed crowd dancing and lapping it up. The soft vocal harmonies and super tight band ventured into Yacht Rock territory (in a good way) and on Piece It Together there was vocal scatting alongside the guitar solo before dropping into a heavy funk rhythm with a sweet falsetto vocal that could have been a lost 70s East LA Soul classic. A perfect show to start the day. (SC)

Songe – The Rossi Bar
We help My Precious Bunny unload their gear and then dive into the packed Rossi Bar for a spectacular performance that carries echos of Diamada Galas via Arabic chanting while electronics and piano roll underneath. Waves of melodic distortion ring out. This music needs to be heard on headphones. There is so much happening within its unfurling world. A truly captivating and uniquely creative set. (NM)

Solis – The Rossi Bar
To the even smaller, even hotter, Rossi basement for a luscious folk set. Using a Shruti Box to create a drone they started the set with light vocals from Solis and drums and bass joining. The songs tripped along delightfully, like a much needed warm summer breeze. Good And Plenty, about Catholic guilt (“don’t tell my Granny”) featured fuzzy semi-acoustic guitar, her beautifully bewitching voice glided over a gentle bass and drums backing which never overwhelmed the sound or mood. Something about the Rain’s lilting melody sounded like a standard and set closer Scenery had the attentive audience swaying in time to the spellbinding sound. (SC)

Neera Creek – Hope and Ruin
Neera Creek take up the baton nicely with their post rock loops and falsetto vocals that carry a cheeky bit of fuzz guitar. It’s a performance delivered with intense conviction. Bon Ivor is the obvious lazy comparison. This won’t be the first review to say that, and it certainly won’t be the last. There is plenty to keep you listening though. The vocals are delivered in the trembling style of a preacher speaking in tongues. (NM)

My Precious Bunny – The Hope and Ruin
“This is so intense. We haven’t got time to make it sound perfect.” But dear reader: they do sound perfect. Really really perfect. The band are now well seasoned and up for it. It might be Lily’s show but every single person stage is bringing something to the party and they all look like they are having a blast. Can the album get released already! We want it all now. New single Kookie Canibal is just a beautiful tease of what could be about to become the album of the year. It is a song that does not stop giving. The joy in the music is reflected in the faces of the crowd as we look around the room during ‘ I go up’ (NM)

Outpost Drive – The Folklore Rooms
This was a stripped back Americana set from married singer songwriters Willow Robinson and Mary Bragg Robinson. With both sharing guitar and vocal duties, Mary’s acoustic providing the chords that Willow skillfully soloed over on his Telecaster, their music had added authenticity with Mary’s captivating Mobile, Alabama accent that guided us through their back story. On Lord Have Mercy they sang into each other’s eyes on this sparse Southern Gothic sound, with Willow beating out rhythm on a foot pad and showcasing his powerful voice. They ended with a rocking country funk intro that segued into Johnny B Goode with Mary hooping and hollering to Willow’s guitar solos providing a rocking good way to finish their set. They return with a full band show later in the year. (SC)

Krumpets – The Rossi Bar

A warm folkish set that comes with charm, and an ear for simple pop hooks in the song writing we catch. The sound is a touch lost in the room, giving it an air of band practice, but the quality of the songs still shines through. Given half a chance you can imagine humming them happily as you go about your life. (NM)

Daniel Wakeford Experience – Hope & Ruin
The local legend kicked off in style throwing out fist bumps and high kicks on the Glam Rock flavoured The Back Of Lonely. There were big cheers (a lot of Daniel fans in attendance) and singing along to Brighton’s ridiculously catchy unofficial anthem It’s A Wonderful City. There were songs about Star Trek, delivered in a 60s sci fi/garage style, and birds, complete with flapping wings actions, but we weren’t expecting a cover of Lennon’s Jealous Guy which was both sincere and poignant. Ending with Rock Pop Star, an autobiographical song detailing his fans requests for photos and autographs set to a power pop guitar and violin soundtrack with pounding drums and solid bass. True to the song he happily posed for fan photos afterwards. (SC)

Aly – The Prince Albert

Aly vere between PJ Harvey and Irish folk in the lilting opener. What’s not like? Two well used parts of this writer’s record collection merged in one song. (NM)

Enola Gay – Green Door Store

Everything goes dark. The calm before the storm. We are perfectly placed to catch the deep wah pedal action on the bass in Chemical. It rips through our frontal lobes. It’s years since we saw their explosive Brighton debut and they have lost none of their power. By Flaurers there is a roiotous circle pit erupting. The stage vibrates like an earthquake as they leap about. (NM)

Nil By Habit – The Pipeline

From empty to rammed in seconds flat. Nil by Habit are not the punk band we imagined we were going to get. They are instead a riot of party fun. Electro sounds, pumping rhythms, this music for dancing. This is Saturday night. To a battle cry of “the north will rise again” the band become steadily more topless. The floor bounces. The keyboard player leaps I. The crowd with a cowbell. Let’s go. (NM)

Girl Apochrypha – The Prince Albert
A late addition to the bill, this four-piece kicked off with a bass heavy emo beat with fans singing along from the get go. Woozy guitars lent a Cure feel with the whole band aligning to produce a powerful sound. “A love song called Love Song” edged into Grunge territory with a hint of Nirvana inspiration before an amusing and confusing entry in the group’s guest book was read out and then handed around for more comments. Homemade CDs were handed out to the lucky few at the front and, free of her guitar, Emia made the most of the stage, falling to her knees during Kids. The songs were played and sung with swagger and there was a showstopper finish as Emia poured fake blood all over face. (SC)

Not Richard & Her Majesty – The Pipeline

“I think that’s all the formalities”. The glam rock juggernaut is off to space. Possibly, no definitely the most beautiful looking band of the day, which is just the level of show business you want. Five top draw musicians channeling Bowie and titting about. They are not afraid to slow it down or to aim for a theatrical pathos and this feels like a breath of fresh Brighton sea air. It’s so good we almost make it to the end of the review without mentioning Richard was in both Eighties Matchbox and Nine Inch Nails. Almost; and that’s before they finish with a glorious final song, whose name floats by like a glint of light on a sequined dress. Spectacular. (NM)

Hutch – The Hope & Ruin
With harpist Sekinue and flautist Guy Jones (seen earlier with The Beyene Affair) the latest additions to the lineup, it was great to again see a truly local band that have put the hours in playing free shows and honing their, already fine, craft. The loyal twang fans quickly filled the venue as JP and Dan’s joyful guitars and vocals, switched between time and tempo to create a mesmerising sound on Slowest Creature. JP’s delicious guitar riff heralded Mrs Sunshine which manifested into a trippy workout with Jones’ flute adding its magic touch. New song Pepper Kettle featured their usual catchy lyrics and melodies that they deconstructed as each member did their own thing without losing momentum before returning to the chorus. The thirty minutes flew by and they ended with Taking Your Time, a slower pace set by hi hat and rim shots. It built and built but then faded to a whisper as Sekinue picked at the harp before building again as the vocals came back for a triumphant finale that was met with rapturous cheers. Pure joy from start to finish. (SC)

Kitchen Lover – The Pipeline
After the glory of Richard could kitchen Lover hold up? Hell yeah is the answer. It’s not subtle. It’s not complicated. It’s good time rock n roll and we are now covered in so much beer our fingers are sticking to the phone screen as we attempt to type the notes. Suffice to say: good good times are had. Wild scenes of crowd surfing abandon as nectar points and debit cards rain down from the pockets of those above our heads! Believe. (editors note: We left the cards behind the bar for the looser to collect) (NM)

Telecom – Rossi Bar
Sadly, Telecom were over halfway through their set when we arrived but their harmonies and arrangements clearly remained as strong as ever. The 60s influence is inescapable but all the better for it given the beautiful sound they produce. The enthusiastic crowd danced to new song It Can Rain with David and Chris sharing guitar and vocal duties while their first release Mister Mister was pure West Coast 60s psych with blissful three-part harmonies and strong guitar solos. Despite the audience demanding more, their final song Baby Blue began with military march style 4/4 drums providing a heavier sound that propelled the meaty guitar solos and powerful vocals that all ended in a psychedelic wig out. (SC)

The Wrong Trousers – The Hope and Ruin

The cheeky lads fill an empty room with joy and miraculously it refills with a whole new audience a lot of whom all loose their shizzle to their delightful youthful good time indie rock. They deserve to be huge. You know what? If they keep it up with this much charm: they just might be. (NM)

Homegrown Festival 2026 – Saturday April 11th
Various Venues

Words: Nick McAllister and Steve Clements
Photos: Stan O’Shea, Nick McAllister and Steve Clements