The first band to take to the stage tonight are Breathe Panel – a Brighton-based four-piece recently signed to local label FatCat Records. They kick off the evening at the Green Door Store with their guitar-driven indie rock – a melodious and hazy set which is welcomed by the crowd.

Next up are another of local band. FUR are fronted by a young man who could absolutely pass at Brian Molko’s younger brother. They have the indie pop charm of Mystery Jets, and sound as if they stole Mac DeMarco’s guitar and hung out with Blossoms.

Our headline act, Methyl Ethyl, cram onto the small stage with a bottle of red wine in hand, and are greeted by an enthusiastic crowd. They have notably fantastic hairdos. They’re here to tour their second album, ‘Everything is Forgotten’, released on 4AD earlier in the month.

A dedicated group of hardcore fans – we’ll call them Methyl Heads – make their way to the front of the crowd. They know every word, they dance like it’s 1989 and they’re at a Happy Mondays gig. When the band launch into one of their bigger jams, ‘Twilight Driving’, frontman Jake Webb is momentarily taken aback by the Methyl Heads singing louder than he is. He takes a moment, laughs, and says: “Austrayans?” Cheers confirm they are indeed fellow Aussies.

The band are constantly compared in the music press to Tame Impala, pals who also hail from Perth, Western Australia. This is mostly because they do sound considerably like a more chilled out Tame Impala. They have a few perfected pop songs, like ‘Ubu’, which bring the set to life. The crowd are having the time of their life. It looks like the the band are too, and seem genuinely charmed at the atmosphere the Brighton contingent of the Methyl Heads have brought with them.

Green Door Store, Tuesday 7th March 2017
Words by Kate Standing
Photos by Ashley Laurence