On the third day of The Great Escape 2026, we caught up with Will Wiffen, the mind behind ashnymph, over a pint ahead of his show at The Folklore Rooms later that night.
From the release of EP ‘Childhood’, ashnymph had caught our attention due to the effortless combination of industrial textures, driving motorik rhythms and fractured pop sensibilities, carving the unique space between electronic music and the DIY Guitar underground.
We talked about what ashnymph is, what he has been listening to, and the underground artists he thinks deserve more attention.
Who or what is ashnymph?
Will – ashnymph is a project born of music I make in the bedroom. I’ve been making… Well, slash studio. Studio that happens to have a bed in, basically. And I’ve been making music, mainly electronic music my whole life. It’s culminated now into a sort of live band project playing festivals like ‘The Great Escape’, you know that’s the kind of world I came to know from playing in bands, you know.
What’s your favourite song to play live?
Will – Erm… I don’t know really, like I kind of, like certain songs go down better in certain places but if you want one I like playing this new one called ‘Kidnapping’ [unreleased] because I can really shout and get all that angst out that I have.
As we’re in Brighton for TGE, are there any Brighton artists you’d recommend?
Any good Brighton artists? Tons. Brighton artists, I mean… Who in the past? Ermm Laundromat. I like that guy, he’s good. So many. I kind of came of age in Brighton. I went to university, I was here since I was 18. There’s lots of random little bands. Squid, I’d say. Hey, how about that?
What’s the most recent song you saved on your phone?
Will – Most recent song I saved… Merzbow, TripleAkuma IV. Merzbow with a Z. Just noise music.
Are there any underground artists that you think deserve more attention?
Will – Yes, Pozzy. I mean, I don’t… They are underground in like that they don’t seem to be doing the sort of circuits that hypey up-and-coming bands sort of do. But they’ve just maintained and developed a really cult following. Mainly myself haha. No, like tons of people love them but you know they’re just, they’re definitely, they haven’t been given the credit that they deserve.
What’s a song everyone should have on their playlist?
Will – Caroline Goodbye by Colin Blunstone.
Do you have any final words of wisdom?
Will – Any words of wisdom for what audience? The World? Young people? Old people?
Anyone!
Will – Try and have fun at least all of the time. Especially when creating because if you’re trying to do something that is purely for the aesthetics, or to look a certain way, or to sound a certain way you’ll never be able to actually truly communicate with the parts inside you that’s a little child.
