Split Dogs + French Toast + Leibniz @ Green Door Store, Brighton, 2nd March 2026

Three bands. One sold-out room. Zero chance of standing still.

It’s been a while since Split Dogs played on these Sussex shores, but when they do venture this way, a big buzz is always generated. The last time I saw Split Dogs perform around these parts was at Bright N Sleazy Festival at Daltons on the seafront. I can safely report that they most definitely delivered the goods on that hot summer’s day. They also recently supported Gogol Bordello on their most recent UK jaunt.

This particular Boogie Till You Puke tour has been partly set up to promote the band’s upcoming new album, Nice N Rough, which lands on 25th September. It was now time to assume our positions at the dawn of this Bank Holiday weekend. It was time to get ourselves ready to rock at Brighton’s Green Door Store.

Leibniz

The opening band tonight were a new one to me. Leibniz are a self-described “grunge-core” band from Brighton, and the room was already busy by the time they took to the stage. We hurried away from the bar and speedily placed ourselves towards the front in order to get a better look. It soon became evident that they were much more than their grunge tag would normally allow. Down-tuned heaviness was the order of the day, and the crowd were loving it. They even incorporated some post-punk/gothic guitar lines into some of the songs, which was really effective.

Leibniz are also commendably trans-positive, with their singer/guitarist coming from the trans community, and it’s not often you see a crowd member cartwheel through a mosh pit. This band were really very good, and you did wonder how anyone could follow them, until…

Leibniz:
Erin Munn – guitar, vocals
Elisha McKay – drums
Kris Floate – bass

Leibniz Setlist:
Lifetime Patient (from 2025 Promo cassette and 2024 Lifetime Patient EP)
Self-Congratulatory (unreleased)
Defend, Deny, Depose (from 2025 Promo cassette)
Sadomasochistic (unreleased)
Boys Club (from 2025 Promo cassette)
Marijuana (from 2024 Lifetime Patient EP)
Shut Up The World (from 2025 Promo cassette and 2024 Lifetime Patient EP)

French Toast

The main support tonight was London-based band French Toast, who are currently making waves on the live circuit with their own brand of feminist indie-punk rock. They have at least two albums under their belts, and I do believe they recently played the city’s Prince Albert a few months back as part of a Loud Women event, as well as playing at The Font on Union Street in The Lanes on 15th May as part of last year’s Brighton Rock ’N’ Roll Circus Unofficial Escape event.

Tonight, they started their set very noisily, complete with a frontperson clad in a sequinned dress, who promptly jumped into the unsuspecting but very welcoming crowd. By song two, the singer got rather soulful in the vocal department, hitting some impossible notes in the process. Their song Lonely lulled us into a false sense of security before the band headed into a theatrical punk odyssey that was reminiscent of Pussy Riot in its delivery. This stuff was political, and I was really energised by it.

Shortly afterwards, the band joined the audience at the front, running through the mosh pit, all in the name of love. Words can’t fully describe the moment unless you were there, but Epstein Island and Bomb Pedos on the band’s placards projected in volume the message they were putting across. The band had their own balaclava-clad dancers and performers with them, and before we knew it the singer had joined them wearing nothing more than red gaffa tape on their particulars. It was all gloriously, chaotically anarchic, and I’m now a fully paid-up member of the French Toast club.

There seem to be a lot of great bands coming out of the LGBTQI+ and feminist alternative scene at the moment, and French Toast are another one to add to that list. Their music and performance felt vital and exciting in its unpredictability, and I absolutely loved it. But who the hell could follow this, I thought, until…

French Toast:
Lyly Riott – vocals
Lydia Lou Scott – keys
Falko Tillman – bass
Bryan Medina – guitar
Sam Higham – drums
Paddy Smith – performer/dancer
Ella Payne – performer/dancer

French Toast setlist:
Jelly On Toast (unreleased)
Lonely (unreleased)
Guns And Violence (unreleased)
Bills (unreleased)
Die Crack (unreleased)
Heartbeat (unreleased)
Chaos (a 2026 single)

Split Dogs

The Bristol region has always produced quality punk rock, and now you can add Split Dogs to that roster. Fronted by the formidable Harry Atkins, and bolstered by a tight unit of guitar, bass and drums, this band make for an impressive rock ’n’ rolling proposition. Tonight’s gig was sold out and Split Dogs are surely destined for big things. Mind you, they have already had the fortune of supporting Iggy Pop on one occasion, so things are looking up. They are also a band with a unique crossover appeal to many age groups and punk rock denominations.

The room was packed, and by the time the band took to the stage, with a swift “Hello Brighton!” from the guitarist, the garage-punk onslaught commenced.

Tear Down The House is a catchy number from the band’s self-titled debut album, and it certainly got the room nodding. Rock ’N’ Roll Business is a new single from the upcoming album, and it’s a total rocker in the Dr Feelgood sense of the word. If you have a spare five minutes, check out the promo video for the song. It has a gangland theme and it’s a total hoot. Gutterball is another early tune that got an airing, and it’s got an old-school punk rock sound and an infectious melody.

Precious Stones is from the band’s second album, Here To Destroy, and by this point they were flying. This song has almost got a Dead Kennedys-type guitar line, and that’s okay with me. The crowd were packed up tight to the front of the stage as Harry Atkins rewarded them with her rendition of Prison Bitch. The song has a slower intro, but builds up to a satisfying and rabid climax. “C’mon prison bitch… lick my tail!” indeed. Born 2 Loose came from the new and upcoming album Nice N Rough, and was followed by the classic Monster Truck, which is always sure to get the party started.

Leave It Alone was another new song, proving the band have still got the chops. Tonight’s set was sadly coming to an end, but not before they played Lafayette, which is the best punk rock song you are ever going to hear about Northern Soul. A great song, and one of my favourites. They finished the main set with some good old dirty rock ’n’ roll in the form of And What, which left the happy crowd dripping in almost as much sweat as the band were emitting. We were then treated to a two-song encore in the form of All In and Punch Drunk, which is how we all felt after experiencing this highly energised punk rock gig.

Split Dogs are on fire at the moment, and Harry Atkins’ energetic performance is something else. She literally doesn’t sit still for a second, using every inch of that stage, and dancefloor, come to that.

Harry and the gang dished out a heavy rock ’n’ rolling set of songs of almost smackdown proportions. Those quickfire numbers had us all in a headlock and refused to let go. All I can say is, roll on next time, punk rock grapple fans.

Split Dogs:
Harry Atkins – vocals
Mil Martinez – guitar
Suez Boyle – bass
Chris Hugall – drums

Split Dogs setlist:
Meg (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
Tear Down The House (from 2023 Split Dogs album)
Big Fred (from 2023 Split Dogs album)
Rock ’N’ Roll Business (a 2026 single)
Feeder (from 2023 Split Dogs album)
Stay Tuned (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
Gutterball (from 2023 Split Dogs album)
Precious Stones (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
Prison Bitch (from 2023 Split Dogs album)
Born 2 Loose (from forthcoming 2026 Nice N Rough album)
Monster Truck (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
Leave It Alone (from forthcoming 2026 Nice N Rough album)
Be A Sport (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
Be Somebody (from forthcoming 2026 Nice N Rough album)
Lafayette (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
And What (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
All In (from 2025 Here To Destroy album)
Punch Drunk (from 2023 Split Dogs album)

WORDS: SONNY TYLER PHOTOS: CRIS WATKINS

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All photos © Cris Watkins Photography, no use without prior permission.