We started Wednesday with a killer trio at Green Door Store beginning with grungy Americans Sword II who packed out the room and told the crowd we were free to ‘gob’ at them, as they’d heard that was something Brits do. Sharing the main vocals, each member was able to masterfully hold our attention and as a result, they were a main highlight of the day.
Next were Cambridgeshire duo The Healing Power of Horses who’d recently released ‘I wait, I sink’, a standout debut streaming single. Their currently anonymous frontwoman slinked around the stage in an effortlessly cool display from the mysterious band. Performances like theirs are why people come to TGE, to see something fresh you can gush about to your friends or coworkers after.
Closing out our time at GDS was Pollyfromthedirt, the masked artist proudly representing his hometown of Darlington. Moving through a mixed set of his production and guitar led songs, he used two mics to perform both vocal textures and lead vocals. “This one’s for the mum and dads in the room” he quipped, before launching into the bombastic introduction of ‘There’s no such thing as england’.
Finally, we moved across the road to the Prince Albert where we managed to squeeze in despite it being full capacity to catch Flooding, a rock band (in the midwest 90’s underground sense) from Lawrence/Kansas City, known for their dynamic songs. Leaning into moments of fragility and strident onslaught, both heard in vocalist/songwriter Rose Brown’s vocal range and the intricate arrangements. We left the venue with whiplash and ringing ears. Would recommend.
On Thursday we trekked down the coastline to the BBC Introducing stage at Concorde 2, a much larger venue than you typically encounter at TGE. Luckily, the band we were about to see was the Brighton 8-piece big long sun, a band we at TNAM have a fun history with, who were more than capable of filling the open space with their belting vocals. Creator and frontman Jamie Broughton at one point called out “we are big long sun and we make music for big corporations”, likely an acknowledgement of the Delegate heavy crowd. Either way, it was an incredibly impressive show and solidified them (at least in our minds) as one of the best new bands around.
Afterwards we made a mad dash to Charles Street Tap where we were told the crowd was beginning to swell. We were keen not to miss the slightly strange but enticing double bill of Max Winter and Pigeon and managed to slip in through the doors before they were closed behind us.
Technical issues unfortunately impacted Max Winter’s set but he provided nonetheless, performing versions of his collaborations from his recently released mixtape ‘like the season!’ including ‘Just’, one of our favourite tracks from the last few months. This rendition was ferocious, a gut punch for a subdued older crowd. He was joined by a violinist, drummer and by multi-instrumentalist Christos Stylianides who played the guitar, trumpet and also contributed shrill screams. Qualified in composition, Winter has curated a talented live band and demonstrates a real command over texture and live electronic manipulation. It was a heartfelt performance, accentuated by his parents’ presence in the crowd.
Pigeon were a personal favourite of the entire festival, as evidenced by my notes of the show on the day just being ‘insane’. There exists a certain anti-Delegate sentiment amongst some artists and festival goers at TGE due to a few people’s habit of standing right at the front and refusing to move their bodies other than to occasionally reach for their phone to send a text. But miraculously, any notion of that behaviour was squashed as soon as Falle Nioke opened his mouth. They make the kind of music that projects you from a dingy Brighton attic into an open sunny field in the early afternoon. ‘Miami’ is already our song of the Summer.
We closed out at Patterns with The Kitchen Sink Band who’s set was cut short due to a genuine kitchen sink related incident. It was a shame as before finishing they played an impressive extended version of ‘Human Can Opener’ – currently unreleased.
We recently interviewed electronic duo Lifeloose who’ve only just released their first single yet are building a reputation for being brilliant live performers. Acting more like they were headlining an East London nightclub than a gig space above a Brighton pub, they managed to bring the energy for their Friday dinnertime slot before running off back to the capital city for another string of shows.
Performing at Dust by the seafront was Tommy Barlow, who has cemented himself in the London experimental circuit with his eclectic influences, command over different styles, and his deep guttural voice. A flooring rendition of latest single ‘Earth Killer’ showcased vocals that silenced the room. Ending on an untitled track, his intensity ramped up, flailing his guitar around hitting the headstock on the ceiling, ending the set with a wry smile and blistering feedback. An outlier in an otherwise dance-focused day.
We migrated back to the Folklore Rooms to see the duo KiosK, champions of the ‘Leedstronica’ sound. The dense crowd was impenetrable, swaying to the industrial roar of bass guitar and pulsating bite of synth sequences commanded by vocalist Bella’s despondent voice.
After adjourning for some fresh air we made our way back upstairs to catch ashnymph performing as a duo (joined on the drums by Fin Abbo of Opus Kink) in a make-shift setup with two bar stools holding his synthesisers and a sea of pedals that lay flickering at his feet. What followed was a set of driving beats, at times motorik, modulated vocals and a flair for the psychedelic. Electronic music can be a cerebral listening experience, but Ashnymph transformed Folklore’s woodland grove into something physical and hypnotic.
Not quite ready to go home, we found ourselves at the Fiddler’s Elbow to watch festival favourites Bathing Suits perform an intimate set. Shoulder to shoulder, the pub turned into one giant moshpit fuelled on by frontwoman Freya thrashing around the stage like some kind of magical coked-up fairy. It was the kind of moment you find yourself thinking back on as you sit at your boring desk job, holding back a grin.
Saturday, it was time to head to Horatios for our stage in collaboration with the lovely people at Still Listening. Thankfully the weather was perfect for a long walk along the pier, the sun was out and the rain was taking the morning off. Truthpaste were first. The kooky collective had opted to bring a live drummer in to complete their lineup for their TGE shows. “We are serenading you” the whole band crooned as they played around with their many, many instruments. They’re a special band, with many we talked to citing them as their favourite of the festival.
Pop singer Sade Olutola was next up, performing a relaxed set of confessional tracks showcasing her songwriting skills and smooth vocals. ‘Ready 4 It’ was a highlight and she even threw in a Frank Ocean cover that got the crowd singing along.
After a short break came a dramatic change in tone. Ain’t are very much a rock band. Lead singer Hanna Baker Darch twirls around the stage as heavy guitars compliment her vocals. They’re one of those guitar bands who can bridge the gap between generations, which was evident by the crowd they attracted.
Up and coming rapper Pozzy blends grime with his love of jazz and classical background to create effortless sounding tracks, laced with jokes about Tesco Express and his impressive breath control. Head of TNAM Isla was so enamoured she got a photo with him at the end, a very fun end to the morning.
We’d been keen to see Tony Bontana all week, and managed to catch him for his last show at Patterns. It was worth the wait. With his signature sense of humour, he launched into a string of heavy tracks the crowd enthusiastically danced along to. Towards the end in a lovely moment, he shouted out his partner before launching into ‘One Time Thing’.
We had actually tried to see MORN earlier but were told unless half the room left we wouldn’t get in, and that didn’t seem likely. And so, we headed to Alphabet on Saturday afternoon just to squeeze in at the back. Made up of two sibling duos from Wales, MORN are full of energy and talent. It’s easy to understand why they draw such large audiences.
Caught between Feet and Shame (what a sentence), we heard the queue for the former was impenetrable so made our way to the Beach stage for the first time this year. Standing just in front of Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten, we watched as the band thrust themselves into a riotous closing set. Lead singer Charlie Steen launched himself into the crowd, held up by Radio 6 dads clutching onto their final IPA of the festival. Crowd favourite ‘One Rizla’ brought everyone together as we all waved goodbye to another edition of the best event to find new music.
