Mutations Festival took over Brighton’s music scene last weekend with nine different stages across the city including some new venues such as Dust and Alphabet. The line-up featured the likes of Steve Mason, Acid Klaus and Fat White Family (pictured above) with local acts like DITZ, Porridge Radio and ĠENN leading the way. Despite some truly terrible weather, our team got stuck in and ended up reviewing 40 gigs in one weekend. Along the way we encountered a few controversies, made several surprise discoveries and heard tons of great music. Our highlights of the festival? Read on…

THURSDAY

Someone, Patterns, Thursday, 16.40
Our Mutations kicks off with Someone, aka Tessa Rose Jackson, a Dutch/British musician and visual artist who fronts a six-piece band. Her soft vocals are enhanced by delicate backing arrangements, particularly on the cello, while reflective lyrics invite us into her innermost thoughts. ‘Strange World’ from the album, ‘Shapeshifter’, is a poignant take on escaping from this world – into a memory; while the more upbeat ‘I’m Only Brokenhearted’ from this year’s ‘Owls’ suggests she is not about to take herself too seriously. Between songs, she opens up to the audience, telling us about walking along the beach in the middle of Storm Ciaran. “I was nearly blown away…” she muses, “by the beauty of it all.” The set concludes with ‘Empathy’ – and having been taught the chorus melody, the audience is still ooh-oohing when Someone’s moving set comes to an end. (PS)

Heka, Dust, Thursday, 16.40
With a fresh purple wristband upon our arm, we head straight down the steps into Brighton’s newest gig venue Dust to check out Heka. The New Zealand artist gets things off to a beautiful eerie start. Immaculate guitar over loops and an angelic voice that resonates around the room. ‘No One’ is a classic bit of songwriting. The sound engineers are doing a really fantastic job in this disorientating set, where looping and action blur to great effect. ‘I Wanna Take Over You’ brings the set to a stunning close. (NM)

The Golden Dregs, Patterns, Thursday, 17.30
Having been blown away by their latest album, ‘On Grace & Dignity’, The Golden Dregs were on our list of must-see acts, and despite a dodgy start caused by a technical hitch, their set more than lived up to the hype. The band formed in Cornwall and that’s where their latest songs are all set, but this is no sugar-coated take on the county so beloved of tourists. In ‘How It Starts’, frontman Benjamin Woods’ baritone vocal depicts “Buildings, buildings, buildings / And painted tarmac fields / Rows and rows of houses / Bricks and mortar graves / Nothing ever happens”. Dressed in white, like blank canvases, the six-piece band take us through a set that is both downbeat yet uplifting, with ‘Not Even The Rain’ and ‘American Airlines’ particular highlights. It’s all over way too soon: we can’t wait for them to return to Brighton. (PS)

Conchúr White, Latest Music Bar, Thursday, 17.55
We love the Latest Music Bar, it’s like being in an English village hall and a German techno club at the same time. When we scamper eagerly down the stairs for Conchúr White he does not disappoint. A solo acoustic performer hailing from County Armagh, he is a disarming, charming presence with a voice to die for. White’s compositions have a haunting yet hopeful quality to them and whilst countless troubadour-style singer songwriters come and go, his vocals set him apart. By quite some distance. With a debut album imminent on Bella Union, we’re calling it: Conchúr White is going to be a star. (JW)

Bar Italia, Chalk, Thursday, 18.15
Upstairs at Chalk we head on in to see the 21st century offspring of Creation Records, Bar Italia. They turn out to be part Mary Chain with some elements of bands like Sorry and The xx, plus a bit more Mary Chain. Their second album ‘Tracey Denim’ was picked out by The Guardian and with the new album ‘The Twits’ out this weekend, this should be a triumphant performance. However, the band seems very nervous and shy on stage and there’s no banter. The lights are all set to bright white which only serves to enhance the awkwardness. Spiritualized learnt to use an incredible light show that they could hide behind. Someone needs to give this lot Chris Innerstrings’ phone number. Then they would have a perfect show. The songs are good, although the pastiche can be awkward, but there are definitely some great guitar tones that hit our musical g-spot. (NM)

The New Eves, Dust, Thursday, 18.20
SOURCE favourites The New Eves take to the stage looking as fabulously witchy as they always do, although they apologise that they’re not on form as they’ve all been sick. Nevertheless, the band are a burst of pure elemental fire. Again the sound in Dust is on spellbinding form as ‘Mother’ claws its way out of the speakers and draws the packed crowd into an early Thursday evening pagan orgy. (NM)

Medium Build, Latest Music Bar, Thursday, 18.45
Nick Carpenter, aka Medium Build, takes to the stage, guitar in hand, and launches straight into ‘Give Me Back My Soul’ a toe-tapping country-infused track about a broken relationship. Now based in Alaska, Carpenter grew up in the Deep South, his father “a redneck from South Carolina”. Despite a hard background, he is someone very much in touch with his feelings. ‘Cuz Of U’ starts “So I’m crying in this minivan…”. In ‘Rage’ he explores his own internal conflicts “Kiss my face, I spent so long tryna be tough… I get scared; I get mean.” His stage presence is both spellbinding and sincere; engaging with a particularly enthusiastic fan and entertaining us with the origins of quirky love song, ‘Rabbit’. He recently opened for Lewis Capaldi. Based on this evening’s performance, it won’t be long before Medium Build is topping the bill. (PS)

Modern Woman, Dust, Thursday, 19.20
Downstairs in Dust for Modern Woman we get an example of how it should be done. They caught our attention when they supported TV Priest last year at the Green Door Store and they have clearly spent the intervening period practising their performance and showmanship. Sophie Harrison is now a badass frontwoman. Her tight band rip though single ‘Ford’ before mixing up Pentangle and PJ in the cracking ‘Juniper’. Modern Woman then introduce new song ‘Neptune Girl’ with the charming, “I hope you like it and I hope we play it well”. Suddenly the songwriting gets almost Jim Steinman-esque in its scope, while the band deliver Bad Seeds level intensity. (NM)

ĠENN, Hope & Ruin, Thursday, 21.45
A quick try of the Staves suggests they are not for these ears and we opt for enjoying a stroll to the Hope for local heroes ĠENN who have agreed to step in at short notice to headline the Thursday night on the smaller stage. They start with a nice instrumental intro before Leona leaps on to the stage. This is a band that really works live and they have developed a strong sense of sass and swagger. The set-list veers between the ‘Liminal’ EP from 2021 and debut album ‘unum’ released earlier in the year. They confidently deploy the wealth of sounds at their disposal and play the songs as suites, so they melt into one. When is a tempo change a new song? After a bit of birthday and skincare banter with the audience… ‘Wild West’ provides a pounding new metal banger before the familiar ring of live favourite ‘Rohmeresse’ breaks out. (NM)

FRIDAY

Blue Bendy, Hope & Ruin, Friday, 16.10
“Got room for two more,” says the security guard as we head up the stairs into the Hope, closely followed by another festival goer. The room is so full we literally just find a two-person gap by the door from which to watch Blue Bendy. “This one’s about Jackie Chan,” says the band, announcing a new song which is somewhere between Black Country and The National with some cheeky electro synth. While there is much to like, at points the deliberately uneasy/woozy listening is not the easiest introduction to a new day of live music. (NM)

Robocobra Quartet, Hope & Ruin, Friday, 17.00
Next up is the very engaging Robocobra Quartet from Ireland. Drumming vocalist Chris is hilarious throughout: “This song is very rock’n’roll. It’s about cults. Hope you enjoy the cult chat.” It is some time before it even occurs to us that no one is playing guitar. The music still delivers in precisely the same gloriously skronky way that James Chance And The Contortions or Melt Yourself Down can get you going, while the more gentle jazzy inflections offer something more akin to Squid. The note-taking stops. It’s time to groove and laugh. (NM)

Steve Mason, Chalk, Friday, 18.00
Things in Chalk are hotting up as Steve Mason takes to the stage accompanied by Darren Morris on Jimmy Miller-style keys, and a full range of backing tracks. Some at the back are moaning about the lack of a band, but down the front everyone is too busy dancing and having a good time to care. This is a set of ‘Screamadelica’-influenced joyful sounds with a strong sense of political indignation. ‘No more’ has people stomping while Steve hits out a rhythm on the percussion. “This song is about Travelling Hard away from the Tory government,” says Steve to cheers across the venue. Later it gets more personal. “The last time I was in this venue, I saw PiL with my friend Martin Duffy. This one’s for him.” ‘Brothers And Sisters’ then rings out with its battle cries that hark back to the glorious era of acid house, dark clubs and free party raving. (NM)

Porridge Radio, Chalk, Friday, 19.10
When Porridge Radio take to the stage it’s the fullest Chalk has been all festival. Their natural good-natured musicality is lost at the back, and this is not at all helped by the fact people there for Public Service Broadcasting talk annoyingly loudly at the back, so we push further forward to the front. This happens just as Dana sings “I want us to get better” in ‘Lilac’ which is a misfits anthem if ever there was one. They really are perfectly loveable indie rock. An unnamed track is announced as a new song, and it fits perfectly in the set already. Pounding drums with Dana providing a captivating performance as ever. (NM)

Flamingods, Patterns, Friday, 19.55
Battling through the storm to Patterns is well worth it for the joyous tropical flavours of Flamingods. It’s been several years since they headlined Lewes Psychedelic Festival and their brand of uplifting whirling music has been missed. New album, ‘Head Of Pomegranate’, has seen them return with some of their most memorable and snappy songs to date. ‘Dreams (On The Strip)’, from that album, is dedicated to Kamal’s recently run-over cat Nelson, and it’s beautiful. The venue is wall-to-wall with smiles and SOURCE has never seen a band produce a more joyous reaction from local legend and Brighton And Hove News music correspondent Nick Linazasoro! (NM)

Meryl Streek, Dust, Friday, 20.05
Last year’s ‘796’ is arguably the angriest punk rock album ever released. Its title refers to the number of dead babies and children found in the septic tank of a Catholic orphanage in Tuam, County Galway. The horrors of this scandal and cover-up are dealt with in the title track and ‘False Apologies’, while other grim subjects – child abuse, suicide, alcoholism, the housing crisis in ‘Kill The Landlord’ – are treated with the same taut rage, Streek’s impassioned voice ranting over a mix of electronic beats, TV news samples and guitar breaks. The result is raw and visceral as he paces back and forth, first on the stage, then in the crowd. He is angry, and wants us to understand why. At some point, though, he also lets us know it’s his birthday and at the end of this truly astonishing set, we sing him ‘Happy Birthday’! (PS)

Antony Szmierek, Patterns, Friday, 21.00
Another heaving showdown under the ground and this one is a cutie. It’s hard to talk about breakthrough artist Antony Szmierek without mentioning Mike Skinner, but he’s no pretender to The Streets’ crown. Instead, he’s a Mancunian beat poet who is navigating his own lyrical path with the heartfelt and honest tales he tells. Accompanied by a tight crew of musicians around him, Szmierek is such good company, the warmest of performers. And he seems blown away by the adulation flowing from his audience. We say get used to it Antony, the wider world is going to love you too! (JW)

Walt Disco, Dust, Friday, 21.15
Seeking a choice with a wilder edge SOURCE is drawn like a moth to the flame of Walt Disco who reinvent Queen in a post-punk style for the post-Fat White generation. By ‘Cut Your Hair’ and ‘Selfish Lover’, from debut album ‘Unlearning’, the Dust crowd has erupted into a pure Friday night party. Live, the 1980s excesses of the record are overtaken by the energy of the performance and some cracking guitar playing. James Potter is obviously a phenomenal frontman, often found hanging from the ceiling, but this is a band show. Jack is a deeply charismatic comedy 70s-style drummer while Charlie sure plays a mean bassline. Lizzie Reid, depping on guitar, fits like a glove and is unquestionably one of the best guitarists of the festival, earning herself a golden plectrum award while we make a mental note to check out her solo work on Bandcamp. (NM)

Snayx, Hope & Ruin, Friday, 22.20
Off at quick time to get into the late party for a not-so-secret show by Snayx. Is there anything SOURCE hasn’t said about them before? Possibly not. It’s a simple confection but crikey it’s fun. Dirty even. Guilty? Perhaps, but who cares? We fought our way here. We’re here to party and party we do. With bright green hair Charlie is on the edge of the stage from the first second as ‘Boys In Blue’ kicks in. “What do you do for a living?” Charlie starts asking the crowd. “A teacher? You a good teacher? What about you? NHS! The perfect answer. Are there any bankers in the room? Good. Didn’t think so. This one’s about bankers.” Work kicks out and the crowd goes wild. (NM)

Joanie, The Hope & Ruin, Friday, 00.30
A fount of welcome weirdness after all the guitars, Joanie sounds and looks amazing. Electro-gothic art-disco is about as close as we can get while Joanie, who performs solo clad in skintight scarlet, gracefully struts the stage. It’s like glimpsing into the future of Eurovision circa 2123 and in amongst what is already an esoteric festival line-up, Joanie is utterly unique. Love it. (JW)

Home Counties, Hope & Ruin, Friday, 01.30
After some truly awful behaviour and a room clearing ‘show’ from Pregoblin, the lovely fellows of Home Counties find themselves in the unenviable position of having to play to a near empty room, at 1am in what should have been their Personal Trainer-style heart-winning Friday late party moment of glory. To top it all their rider has been drunk for them by the aforementioned total rotters. Troopers though, they take it all on the chin and keep smiling, chatting amiably to those of us there, and playing to us with all they have. It’s a great show and their music is fun bouncy propulsive angular dance punk with wry lyrics that strays close to Britpop, without falling over that cliff. ‘Modern Yuppies’ and ‘Back To The Seventies’ are high points in a thoroughly enjoyable set. (NM)

SATURDAY

Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Green Door Store, Saturday, 12.30
There’s a buzz around London noise-pop newcomers Man/Woman/Chainsaw. NME recently listed them as an ‘essential band’ while The Quietus called their latest single – ‘What Lucy Found There’ – “A swooning, shapeshifting, melodramatic earworm of a single that sets them apart from London indie’s ever-crowded field”. And live, as we soon discover, they are tremendous. The energy from these six young musicians, with their shared vocals, their tight rhythms, crashing chords and sweeping violin, soon has everyone moving. ‘Any Given Sunday’ with its choppy guitar and yearning lyrics – “you don’t get this in the city” – gives way to the mesmeric chug of ‘Sports Day’. ‘Back/Burden’, Rome’… There isn’t a duff track throughout the entire set. It’s been a privilege catching this band so early in their career, and we’re predicting great things for them. (PS)

Legss, Hope & Ruin, Saturday, 14.00
Legss hit straight in from the soundcheck and explode with the best loud/quiet dynamic we’ve heard since the Pixies. Serious power leaping out of every note. They sound a touch like Slint, but with more thrash and intense literate lyrics, as they power through ‘Landlord’. It makes sense that recent EP ‘Fester’ has received rave reviews and that the band was on many a pundit’s list of ones to watch at this festival. During one track, the drummer screams and it sounds like mating foxes in the night. (NM)

Hotline TNT, Hope & Ruin, Saturday, 15.00
Next up at the Hope is some dirty distorted fuzz from New York band Hotline TNT. They have a classic sound that’s a mixture of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver. As if we were coming up on a good pill, one second we’re asking ourselves if this derivative style is working and the next second our coat is thrown somewhere vaguely safe at the back of the venue and we’re down the front throwing shapes like we did in our bedroom in the 1990s to the aforementioned bands. The teenage grunge- and shoegaze-loving heart of this grizzled old hack is very, very happy. The set draws greatly from the ‘Cartwheel’ album that was released the day before and finishes with barnstorming Pixies-ish riff of ‘Had To Try’, fittingly enough from 2021’s ‘Nineteen In Love’. (NM)

God Alone, Hope & Ruin, Saturday, 16.00
The inclement weather makes our next choice an easy one; perhaps there is a higher power working on behalf of God Alone. They play chaotic math rock in the most charming of fashions and it somehow echoes LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’. There’s so much going on – kind of like Fugazi and Faith No More albums played at 45rpm. The time spent at MTU Cork School of Music, where the band met and recorded their debut album, has paid off in this bonkers musicality. “This song is called ‘Kung Fu Treachery’. We wrote it about karate.” The two frontmen leap about the stage with Riverdance-style moves, like Michael Flatley on speed. Then Jake O’Driscoll throws his guitar behind him and leaps into the crowd, starting a one-man karate kick moshpit. A seriously fun band! (NM)

CLT DRP, Prince Albert, Saturday, 17.00
Upstairs at the Prince Albert, CLT DRP play a steamy set of dirty electro-punk to a rain-sodden crowd. Singer (and bar manager) Annie Dorrett surveys the unfolding chaos. “Get in the room!” they demand of the one-in, one-out queue at the door. A couple take their chance and dive in. While the sound is a touch metallic for these ears, the performance is excellent. There is no set-list. These musicians simply know what the others are thinking and are obviously very close as people. The playful way drummer Daphne and guitarist Scott communicate is particularly fun to watch. The silliness turns into a sassy song about masturbating, ‘M.U.T.M’, which is suitably sexy in its delivery. “I work here,” explains Annie. “Be nice to the staff and don’t throw your plastics everywhere.” (NM)

Voka Gentle, Dust, Saturday, 17.45
We love a band who wear boiler suits, especially when we don’t know why. The history of boiler suit-wearing bands is long and illustrious and Voka Gentle are a classy and well met addition to the troupe. Musically there are a million different influences to be heard in each electronically driven song, from Animal Collective and LCD Soundsystem to The Flaming Lips (and yes, they have worked with Wayne Coyne). It’s all beautifully put together and as SOURCE ventures out into the storm, we hit both the Spotify follow button and the ‘waterproof boiler suit’ search button. (JW)

DITZ, Patterns, Saturday, 18.35
Staying local, we’re literally the last ones to get in before Patterns hits capacity and DITZ take to the stage. We manage to squeeze in stage right, behind the speakers, which provides an excellent vantage point to watch the chaos unfurl. Callum, wearing a slinky black skirt, is crowd-surfing during the first track. By the time ‘Gayboy’ erupts the crowd is going absolutely mental. Guitars swing around and the front barrier looks like it will collapse while the singer walks across the upheld arms of the crowd. War wounds are caused that will be proudly shown around for the rest of the event. “It’s nice to play a home crowd,” says Callum. “Full of local legends.” He then names this particular writer, before singling out other members of the crowd for attention calling each one a local legend. It is a beautiful moment that speaks to how exciting and vibrant the scene is in Brighton right now. At multi-venue events like this, the truth is that local bands like DITZ are stomping on the competition. DITZ are bonafide local legends, and they should be under no doubt: we at SOURCE love you too! So does the rest of Brighton judging by the reception. (NM)

Fat White Family, Chalk, Saturday, 20.50
From a ballet intro into ‘Wet Hot Beef’… suddenly our beloved Fat White Family are in front of our face. They truly are heirs apparent to that great rock’n’roll lineage from the Stones to Beefheart to the Stooges to the Pistols. The line-up tonight includes the original bass player Joe (which is remarkable, given what was said in their recent book), with current bassist Adam Brennan on guitar replacing both the now-departed Saul and the other Adam (Harmer) who is off touring with Warmduscher. A new song ‘Without Consent’ squeezes in nicely before ‘Tinfoil Deathstar’. But somehow they’ve almost turned into Duran Duran and eighties sounds are really evident tonight. The second new track, ‘Polygamy’, is almost Peter Gabriel-esque which we certainly didn’t see coming.

A super skronky ‘Touch The Leather’ is a joyous moment and will probably mean we’ll be speaking with a croaky voice for days to come. It is, however, evident that something is not right with the sound, particularly in regards to the bass. Lias is obviously pissed off and this is perhaps further compounded by historic issues with Joe and his lack of rehearsal of the newer songs. Nathan keeps trying to encourage him to get into it.

‘Religion For One’ is the most interesting of the new songs and will clearly sound great when the long-awaited album emerges. Then we get ‘Feet’ and a pint of water hits Lias full in the face. The mic is dropped at the end of the song, and Lias walks off. Nathan tries to play ‘Bomb Disneyland’ solo, but it is not to be. If you love a band this dangerous, be prepared for some upset. (NM)

Water From Your Eyes, Patterns, Saturday, 21.00
Brooklyn art-rock duo, Rachel Brown and Nate Amos, have a second guitarist on stage for most of their set tonight – as well as their box of musical tricks that provides a backdrop of drumbeats, skewed arpeggios and doom-laden washes of sound. On ‘Out There’ the lyrics are initially about a girl: “She plays the piano / She stole it from the mall,” before breaking into a sequence of logic-defying impressions: “Track give dove slack drag draft mud scram hand knee feed bend…” We’re reminded of the Pitchfork interview where Amos confesses that all their work is “preceded by a spliff”. It certainly works. ‘Barley’, another live highlight, starts off with a weird, swirling siren-like sound and Rachel intoning “One, two, three, four, I count mountains,” before breaking into something irresistibly dancey. Their set concludes with the enigmatic ‘14’, and the crowd leaves, knowing they have just witnessed something very special. (PS)

Debby Friday, The Prince Albert, Saturday, 21.10
We’re so glad we braved the squall and tramped up the hill for this. Debby Friday is a highlight of the weekend and it’s one of those shows where one can claim “I was there in a half-full room before they got massive”. Owning the stage with her DJ installed beside her, she delivers an intense, powerful, sensual and menacing performance. Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ is a touchstone here and whilst the magnetic Friday sounds great on record (her debut LP landed earlier this year), she is something else live. At the finale she gathers the now feverish crowd around her in a seance and the beat starts to pound even harder. When it’s all over SOURCE has to go stand in the rain for 20 minutes to cool down! (JW)

Acid Klaus, Hope & Ruin, Saturday 22.15
A true kerfuffle with every trick in the cheeky playbook deployed and we manage to get in to the Hope after party seconds before Acid Klaus go on stage. The band dives straight into the delicious electro-pop of ‘Party Size Away Day’. Adrian then delivers a speech about the need to free Palestine from horror as an introduction to ‘Bethlehem or Bust’. Caitlin has clearly grown in her frontwoman confidence and is on lethal form as she delivers the welsh lyrics. As the song ends Adrian jokes, “Free Brighton from Kent!”. Then he looks us in the eye and says “I’m being reviewed” and leaps into the crowd for a riotous rendition of ‘Bad Drugs, Bad Club, Bad People’ spitting out it’s refrain of “Something Less Boring”. Original album vocalist Maria Uzor is on hand for her part in ‘Crashing Cars in Ibiza’. “I can’t wait to play the Royal Variety Performance,” says Adrian, before someone in the crowd shouts: “Adrian Flanagan MBE”. “Don’t say that!!!” replies the dry northern cantankerous pop god. The perfect party of a set finishes on a new song ‘Heaven’s for Sale (Put Yer Money In My Box)’ and we’re pleased to say it’s a banger! (NM)

Snõõper, Hope & Ruin, Saturday, 23.30
The scene is now set for a night of pure fire upstairs and one of the festival’s true delights takes to the stage. Throughout the proceeding set, every time the downstairs doors were opened, we saw various strange cardboard structures taking shape. All are covered in silver foil, with LED screens and curious cone shapes. These are then assembled either side of the stage, before the shellsuit-clad Nashville punks Snõõper take to the stage. We quickly realise why their recent album has been released by Jack White’s Third Man Records. Although a pre-event Bandcamp check didn’t quite grab us, we’re won over by the sheer unadulterated joyous puck racket happening in front of us. Silly samples and homemade weightlifting props during ‘Fitness’ win the hearts and minds and dancing feet of everyone in the venue. By the time the set draws to a close with ‘Running’ we are treated to a song that echoes East Bay Ray’s incredible playing on ‘Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables’ while singer Blair Tramel bounces up and down delivering the repeated lines “Go out, I go to town, I get down, I get around.” Absolute genius and we can’t wait until we get a chance to see them again. This is a new favourite band and make no mistake! (NM)

Welly, Hope and very definitely very Ruined by now, Saturday, 00.30
By the time Welly take to the stage our critical powers (and capability to take notes that make sense) are somewhat diminished. It is also possible that our dancing moves are not quite as phenomenal as we imagine they are in our head. All we can say is “Sorry Welly”. They are the final pudding course in a delightful evening and play an absolute banger of a set that puts a massive smile on everyone’s face. Despite our inability to form any more short-term memories, this is very much the best of times. (NM)

SUNDAY

Flip Top Head, Dust, Sunday, 15.20
The huge seven-piece collective that is Flip Top Head take to the stage and start with the delicately beautiful ‘I Can’t Wait Til I’m Old’ which sees Bowie Bartlett on vocals delivering a stunning song about ageing with grace. Meanwhile, Alfie the trombonist maintains his status as Brighton’s most flamboyant stage dancer. “Why are you not hungover?” asks one of the band. “I am!” comes the reply from someone in the crowd. All seven members of the band contribute fully to the phenomenal sound that emerges. These are epic and impressive soundscapes. Black Country, New Road are the obvious comparison, but this lot do it so well and so beautifully that they step out of that pigeonhole with confidence. New single ‘Alfred Street’ brings the set to a rousing close. (NM)

Girl And Girl, Dust, Sunday, 16.20
Twice during the festival a song catches our ear on the between-band festival artist playlist played in all the venues and we Shazam it. It is the same song both times, which means all roads lead to Dust for the Queensland band. It seems rude not to. They play extremely likeable radio-friendly indie pop that harks back to the Bunnymen, early Cure and The Wedding Present. “How’s everybody going?” says frontman Kai with a shy grin – and then the bouncing glory of the twice Shazamed bassline kicks in. SOURCE challenges you not to smile if you hear this song. Sore head be dammed! Its time for ‘Dance Now’ and we do. But it turns out they have other songs that are just as good. By the end of the joyous set the venue is rammed. Kai then encourages a singalong for ‘I Will Go Out With Strangers’ which is a riotous rockabilly rabble-rouser of a finish with his (actual) Aunt Liss pounding the hell out of the drums. (NM)

Moreish Idols, Dust, Sunday, 17.20
Wary that their Great Escape Speedy Wunderground showcase set on the beach didn’t really resonate, we are surprised to find ourselves still in Dust for Moorish Idols. They have quite a thick sound which does drown the vocals a little. At first the songs drift by pleasantly but don’t have the immediate hit of the proceeding Girl And Girl. However, in the context of this loose and hungover final day of the festival, the jazz sax and shuffling beats start to put a smile on our face and perhaps we are starting to be won over even if the fierce strobe lights mean we can barely watch the stage. This is not first night at TGE hype music. It is, however, perfect for the Sunday comedown. Consequently, the band successfully convert a “not bothered” to an “actually that was fun” and as ‘Chum’ and ‘Dream Pixel’ bring the set to a cracking close, they get a mental acknowledgement that they probably make excellent headphone music that will get further investigation. (NM)

English Teacher, Chalk, Sunday 17.35
We walk in on English Teacher as singer Lily Fontaine is delivering a vocal-only track. It soars all over the place and is quite a lot to take in. She then thanks the people who came to her band’s show in Brighton only a week or two before, many of whom are evidently in the crowd again. The set then turns to ‘Polyawkward’, the title track of English Teacher’s debut EP, which is reminiscent of a good early Radiohead track. It’s clear that frontwoman Lily is a confident and talented artist. Next we hear new single ‘Daffodils’ with its jazzy guitar, and are left with ‘R&B’ which has a cracker of a bassline that almost channels Fleetwood Mac and the Chain. This is a clever band that will go places. (NM)

Cucamaras, Green Door Store, Sunday, 20.15
Nottingham band Cucamaras resemble a popular 1960s beat combo – four lads; three guitarists and a drummer. Then they start playing, and their raw energy, technical prowess and narrated vocals place them squarely in the present. Belters from their two EPs, ‘Soft Soap’ and ‘Buck Rogers Time’, soon get the crowd jumping and punching the air. But it isn’t mere thrash. The lyrics display a wry awareness, not a million miles from Mark E Smith. ‘Porcelain’ – during which the Green Door itself gets a name-check – takes a look at motivation: “And take some pride in your place man… I wanna ask – How many times are you gonna leave your glass half empty in the sink?” Towards the end of the set comes a cracking new song, that, with its enviably catchy guitar riff and chorus – “I keep trying to listen” – suggests their best is still to come. Bring it on! (PS)

Miss Tiny, Green Door Store, Sunday, 21.10
Into Green Door Store to catch the only band on the entire festival bill that’s probably not produced by Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey. We’re here to see him play guitar instead and God can he play. It’s almost sickening. Is he bad at anything? He can certainly match Mr Richards on a country blues jam and kick it out like Jimmy Page. Ben meanwhile slams the drums like a man possessed whilst singing beautifully. He’s fresh off the plane after touring with Warmduscher in the States, having come to Brighton via Scotland. “It’s weird playing drums, like Tetris,” he says, possibly battling with the cumulative impact of jet lag. However, both Dan and bassist Adele are grinning from ear to ear, clearly having a thoroughly good time. All the tracks from the recent EP are on the set-list but excitingly this 40-minute gig is full of new songs which bodes well for the future of the band. Miss Tiny deserves to be the thing these artists are really known for. ‘Silence’ kicks like Zeppelin and ‘The Sound’ draws the set to a beautiful scratchy close. (NM)

Cumgirl8, Green Door Store, 22.15
Cumgirl8 are not a shy band and they explode on stage in a riot of sass and colour like escapees from Malcolm Mclaren and Vivian Westwood’s punk-era Sex store. After the first impression settles this male writer finds himself questioning whether it’s okay to like something like this when it sails so close to the Playboy and Stringfellows wind. Then the penny drops – what a boring patriarchal question – the real problem is that the first couple of songs are actually slightly dull sub-Sonic Youth discordant pastiche, and nowhere near as shit-kicking as we actually want them to be. A few tired audience members choose this moment to bow out. The shame is that the second half of the set does deliver on the promise. The songs get dirtier, with a Huggy Bear and Slits cowbell-fuelled edge, and the sound starts to pack a punch. When drummer Chase leaves the kit and gleefully hops her broken leg over to the synth for ‘Pritney llc’ Mutations Festival delivers one last beautiful moment of kickass party chaos. (NM)

Tickets are already available for next year (here). SOURCE will unquestionably see you beautiful local legends down the front!

Mutations Festival, 2nd-5th November 2023
Words by Jason Warner, Nick McAllister and Paul Stewart
Photos by Jason Warner and Jamie MacMillan