Mutations Festival 2025 – Brighton’s Grassroots in Full Bloom

Mutations Festival 2025 returned to Brighton this November, reaffirming its status as one of the UK’s most essential gatherings for lovers of underground and future-facing music. A fierce celebration of experimentation and DIY spirit, this year’s edition sprawled across nine of the city’s most vital grassroots venues—from the sweatbox chaos of Dust to the commanding stages of Chalk and the neon-lit theatrics of Revenge. Over two days, the festival served up a raucous, unpredictable, and often revelatory cross-section of what’s next in experimental, alternative, and genre-defying sound.

With over 80 acts on the bill, Mutations once again proved it’s not about chasing trends—it’s about building something deeper. Whether you were hunting for raw punk catharsis, heady psych excursions, political noise, or delicate shoegaze, there was a band onstage somewhere in Brighton waiting to knock you sideways.

Now in its eleventh year, Mutations has long been the place to catch your new favourite band before they blow up—and 2025’s edition was no exception.

With over 80 acts across the weekend, we covered just a snapshot. But dive into the reviews below—you may just discover your new favourite band. We certainly did.

Friday 7 November 2025

The festival starts in gloriously chaotic fashion with London duo Silver Gore—Ava Gore on drums and vocals and Ethan P Flynn on guitar and synth—joined live by an extra synth player and vocalist. Their opening track alone travels through enough sonic territory for an entire EP: brutal synth-bass cacophony, suddenly replaced by acoustic guitar and angelic vocals, before lurching into something almost funky. It’s a trip around the sonic globe in four minutes.

Despite the shapeshifting style, Silver Gore aren’t unfocused—just joyfully unconventional. Electro and post-rock influences dominate, though pop sensibilities occasionally peek through; their second song is borderline catchy. Toward the end, pounding electronic drums take over, followed by a hypnotic closer that erupts into full-throttle noise. Silver Gore are not easy to classify—which is a very good thing. Let’s hope they resist the temptation to become more “streamlined”.

Bristol’s My First Time arrive next with danceable, Madchester-esque grooves but lyrics sharp enough to draw blood. Picture Of Health opens with the line: “I’m spending wisely on disposable vapes”—a perfect snapshot of the band’s social satire. Bassist Naia Jones, inexplicably wearing fingerless mittens, holds down the low end while Jordanna Forsey delivers superb, punchy drum work.

Frontman Isaac Stroud-Allen is charismatic from the first note, jumping into the crowd multiple times. Wind Up Merchant crashes through its chorus with ferocity, with guitarist James Mellen adding slick, inventive licks. They feel criminally low on the bill and are easily one of this year’s key discoveries.

Later, Mandrake Handshake take the stage, and once again demonstrate why they inspire such fervent devotion. Saxophonist, flautist and synth magician David Howard-Baker is back, bringing his long-missed jazz-inflected magic into the band’s heady psychedelic stew. Each element—Row Janjuah’s fluid guitar lines, Trinity Oksana’s crystalline vocals, Elvis Thirlwell’s percussive flamboyance, and Shan “Moogieman” Sriharan’s cosmic synth work—could shine on its own, yet together they create something utterly otherworldly. A new slower track debuts, drenched in groove, before they close with the stratospheric Hyper Super-Asterid. If you’ve never seen Mandrake Handshake… what have you been doing with your time?

Back at Patterns, New York’s Hotline TNT, led by songwriter Will Anderson, bring a warm, nostalgic blast of ’90s college rock. Dual lead guitar lines from Will and the brilliantly named Lucky Hunter shimmer throughout. Mid-set, Will’s guitar fails and has to be DI’d, but he handles it with humour—complete with inexplicable but endearing bird-hand shapes. Drummer Mick Ralston impresses throughout. The songs are punchy, melodic, and crowd-friendly, though Will declines to share any titles. Perhaps it’s a secret pact between him and the setlist.

Over at Revenge, Atlanta punks Upchuck explode onto the stage, attacking their soundcheck with such ferocity that it feels like the gig has already begun. Their set is full-throttle, shout-driven punk: packed with energy, light on variation. Vocalist KT Thompson, wearing a Killswitch Engage shirt, storms through the crowd, whipping up a circular pit during Crossfire. The band swap roles mid-set—drummer Chris Salado unexpectedly taking on vocals while a guitarist jumps behind the kit. It’s chaotic, fun, and thoroughly alive. Upchuck may not be reinventing punk, but they are an undeniably exhilarating live band.

At Chalk, Dry Cleaning show just how far they’ve come as they approach the release of their third album Secret Love. A new touring member, Ted, joins on keys, guitar and percussion. The set digs deeply into their catalogue, with rarities like Jam After School and Viking Hair making welcome appearances alongside favourites from New Long Leg and Stumpwork. New tracks—Evil Evil Idiot, with its Zeppelin-tinged drum intro, and Joy, whose Stones-like riff snakes through the whole song—hint at an exciting next chapter.

Technical issues strike when Florence Shaw’s sample pad misfires at the start of Hit My Head All Day, but the restart is triumphant. They end with the supple groove of Magic of Meghan before a quick encore of No Decent Shoes For Rain. A tight, vibrant, fascinating set. Roll on the new album.

Columbus, Ohio trio Golomb—Mickey Shuman, Xenia Shuman and Hawken Holm—bring their fuzz-drenched Midwest friction sound to Brighton for the very first time, drawing heavily from 2025’s The Beat Goes On and the Love EP. The title track kicks things off with driving guitar and tambourine-on-drum dramatics. Staring closes in a swirl of screeching pedal noise before sliding into Sixth Sense, which shifts between soft vocals and explosive dynamics. Take My Life hits with Sonic Youth-style intensity, while the melodic Play Music shows their gentler side.

Between songs, the band joke about Ipswich (“even the locals didn’t know where they lived”) and their swanky hotel (“The Langford—we feel like we should be doing bad stuff in the room”). Closing track Real Power is a standout: raw, distorted, commanding. A superb set, and hopefully the first of many UK visits.

Saturday 8 November 2025

Saturday kicks off at the Hope & Ruin with Men An Tol, sounding meatier and more confident than their Great Escape appearance earlier in the year—likely aided by the venue’s superior PA. Mandolinist Felix Knox initially struggles to be heard on Set In Stone, but once corrected his playing adds vital texture. Singer Bill Jefferson, “Sudafed’d up” with a bad cold, occasionally channels John Lennon tonally. Lucky (from the This Land EP) has a jangly indie feel, while new track The World comes with a big subject and a cracking mandolin solo. The Ideal has a hint of The Wedding Present about it, which is not something I ever expected to write. They close with NW1, already a minor classic in the making. A superb start to the day.

At Dust, London’s Saint Clair deliver one of the most interesting sets of the weekend. Their opener collapses from cacophony into something psychedelic, evoking a distant cousin of The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows. Warm brings feedback-washed shoegaze; Real channels Radiohead-like melancholy, with a beautifully wayward solo from Lawrence Bordean, who breaks strings twice—unprecedented, apparently. Dreams boasts another soaring solo, and Something To Be Said is the punchiest moment of the set, driven by powerful drumming from Beth Diana. A band well worth catching before they hit The Great Escape next year.

Back at Revenge, Swiss four-piece Coilguns rip into their set with uncompromising, angular hardcore. Their metallic, mathy assault feels unpredictable, joyous, and utterly alive. Drawing exclusively from their 2024 album Odd Love, they bounce, whistle, change instruments, and repeatedly dive into the crowd. By the time the final two “fast and angry” songs arrive, the entire floor has become a giant mosh pit. Vocalist Louis Jucker sings from inside it, creating a euphoric, riotous atmosphere. One of the wildest sets of the festival.

Revenge remains packed for Truck Violence, who take a starkly different emotional approach. Vocalist Karsyn Henderson looks genuinely tormented throughout, channelling Kurt Cobain-like anguish. With six-string bass, seven-string guitar, and even a banjo brought into play, the band are technically gifted and sonically inventive. A tender banjo-and-vocal interlude offers a brief breather before the hardcore returns. They’re intense, unusual, and memorable—definitely a band to explore further.

Over at Chalk, Newcastle’s Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs bring their customary stoner-rock thunder, walking out to AC/DC’s For Those About To Rock. Endless riffs, explosive energy, and the first crowd surfer of the night appear within minutes. While the sound is occasionally muddy and some riffs overly simple, the sheer volume and commitment carry the show. A loud, sweaty, thoroughly enjoyable 50 minutes.

Brighton’s very own Lambrini Girls follow at Chalk, now headlining Mutations just three years after cutting their teeth at the Prince Albert. Their political fire burns as brightly as ever—God’s Country lands particularly hard—and they announce they are donating half their fee to help rebuild a mosque in Peacehaven destroyed in a recent arson attack. Heroic stuff.

However, their stage routines—getting everyone to crouch then jump during Big Dick Energy, asking the crowd to declare “I’m gay” and dubbing them “gay legends” in Help Me I’m Gay—remain unchanged from show to show, and the spoken sections increasingly overshadow the music. Their records now feel stronger than their live set—but it’s a small gripe. They remain one of the UK’s most important voices.

Up at the Hope & Ruin, Jeanie and the White Boys hit the stage ten minutes early because vocalist Jeanie Crystal is simply ready. Those who arrive late miss a scorching Queen Bee, one of the best rock ’n’ roll openers I’ve heard in ages. With no bass player, the band’s trebly live sound takes a moment to adjust to, but Jeanie’s charisma fills every corner.

Imagine Barbara Windsor with a West Midlands accent, channelling pure rock swagger. From bluesy Big Udder Blues (recently played by Alan McGee) to the vicious Boo Hoo Girls, she is a kinetic, compelling force of nature. I’m A Man and Don’t Look Now, Satan’s Over There add further bite. One to watch—and then watch again.

Leicester’s Jools close out the weekend for us with one of the most explosive, politically charged sets of the entire festival. Dual vocalists Mitch Green and Kate Price command the stage with confrontational energy, their call-and-response howls riding atop a wall of furious guitars and pounding drums. The crowd responds in kind: moshing, climbing onstage, even falling off it.

Mitch himself trips mid-song but keeps singing from the floor. Kate pauses the chaos to speak passionately about women’s safety, stating: “Every three days, a woman is killed by a man in this country.” Her spoken-word segments are powerful and urgent. They finish with Kate landing a high kick as the room erupts one last time—a set full of rage, solidarity, catharsis, and total commitment.

All live reviews by Mark Kelly, except Golomb (reviewed by Ian Holman) and Jools (reviewed by Peter Greenfield).

Mutations Festival 2025 Photo Gallery

Featuring: COILGUNS, JOOLS, JEANIE AND THE WHITEBOYS, LEMONSUCKR, LAMBRINI GIRLS, DIVORCE, GREEN STAR, LYNKS, TRUCK VIOLENCE, TEETHE, PARTY DOZEN, THE OOZES, THE ORIELLES, UPCHUCK, WINTER, MANDRAKE HANDSHAKE, PIGS X7, HOTLINE TNT, MY FIRST TIME, PARTY DOZEN, RATBOYS and THE NONE.