CURRLS + HYPSOLINE + DUDE, MY DUDE + HONGZA – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 28.6.23
Brighton’s new music night ‘Hidden Herd Presents’ returned to The Hope & Ruin on Wednesday for the second of two events this June. This time the exciting line up of emerging artists and up-and-coming bands featured local Brighton bands Currls and Hypsoline with London artists DUDE, MY DUDE and Hongza.
Heading the bill on Wednesday were the Brighton-based DIY trio Currls. Formed in 2017, Currls have steadily been making a name for themselves with their compelling mix of garage rock, punk and pop. The band consists of Holly Deanna (vocals and guitar), Hannah Websdale (drums), Jack Smith (bass).
Currls launched straight into their set with ‘Honey’, a fast and loud song from their EP ‘Hello, My Name Is’. This was followed by an unreleased track ‘Weather’ which started with Hannah’s thumping drum intro. Bassist Jack was so lively moving around the stage, that his bass became unplugged. Taking this in his stride, he simply plugged back in without any interruptions to the pace of the song or set.
Before the next song Holly jokily shouted “Hello Glastonbury. So pleased to play the Pyramid Stage.” It pays to aim high. (The monthly ‘Hidden Herd Presents’ is more the ‘BBC Introducing Stage’, as the place to see new artists.) That next song was a relatively slower number, ‘Nerve’, the band’s latest single release.
There was a lot of banter from the band between songs, including a couple of jokes from Jack. This reflected the fun aspect of the band’s performance. I think Currls got the balance about right between music and banter for the band’s personality. It added to the music rather than distracted from very good musicianship and Holly’s quality powerful voice.
Before the song ‘Transmission’ also off of the EP ‘Hello, My Name Is’, Holly told how she wrote it after watching the Joy Division film ‘Control’. ‘Transmission’ started slowly and quietly, then suddenly exploded. Josh was crouched down with his bass close to floor level, as if a sprinter on the starting blocks waiting for the starting gun.
Currls treated the crowd at The Hope & Ruin to a new song, ‘Cruel’. This started as almost a solo with just Holly singing with her guitar before the drums really kick in. There was even a bit of guitar feedback in this song. Thankfully Currls had time to fit an extra song into their set, which was ‘Family Man’. No slow intro on this song, straight into a fast punk style number. Currls chose possibly their liveliest track to finish ‘April Fool’ another fast-paced song.
Currls deservedly got a great reception from the crowd. Earlier in the set Holly said the band “hope we’ve spiced up your Wednesday”. I think it’s fair to conclude they, along with the other bands on the bill, certainly did that.
Currls:
Holly Deanna – vocals and guitar
Hannah Websdale – drums
Jack Smith – bass
Currls setlist:
‘Honey’
‘Weather’
‘Nerve’
‘Let Down’
‘Transmission’
‘Cruel’
‘April Fool’
Brighton-based quartet Hypsoline (pronounced “Hip-so-lean”, in case you were wondering) have been turning victories, hardships and heartbreaks into punchy, rhythmic and melodic indie-pop songs since September 2019. The band’s influences are varied and range from The Pixies to bands like Warpaint, Savages and HAIM. Hypsoline are Beth Molly Moore, (vocals and guitar) Trilby White (vocals and bass) Natalie Caushaj (guitar) and Hannah Feenstra (drums).
Hypsoline opened their set with their debut single ‘Space Babe’. The great bass line from Trilby on this track, worked wonderfully with Beth’s dreamy breathy vocal. The tempo increased for the next two songs from Hypsoline led by some very impressive drums by Hannah. By the third song, which was more of a dance tune, Beth had shed her black jacket and was dancing between her singing. By this stage some people in the crowd were also moving along to Hypsoline’s music.
There was an instrument swap for the next song with Beth taking up bass and Trilby lead vocals. Trilby’s voice was less ethereal than Beth’s, which gave a good contrast. The following song ‘Nights Like This’ was introduced as “less shouty, more feelings” with Beth taking the vocal lead. This song featured a very good guitar solo by Natalie, which got a deserved cheer mid-song from The Hope & Ruin crowd.
With a simple statement “Let’s do it. Sing a song; everybody’s happy” (can’t argue with that), Hypsoline launched into ‘Instead Of Me’. The shared vocals and contrasting styles between Beth and Trilby worked particularly well on this track. The band introduced their next song ‘With You Gone’ as “the one on Spotify”. This slower number had hints of early All Saints.
Hypsoline closed with ‘Disposable Girl’. With a dreamy start, this song had several sections fitting seamlessly together, from ballad through power ballad and a rock section to close. What was constant throughout the musical styles on this track was the impressive vocal harmonies of all band members.
Hypsoline received a massive cheer from the crowd. It was a very varied and entertaining set. The band had a great indie-pop sound, with each instrument blending together as well as each musician being able to shine. This along with both Beth’s captivating slightly husky yet dreamy voice and the vocal harmonies in the band made it a great performance from Hypsoline.
You can catch Hypsoline next, when they join The Wedding Present for the ‘Edge Of The Sea’ festival on 12th August.
Hypsoline:
Beth Molly Moore – vocals and guitar
Trilby White – vocals and bass
Natalie Caushaj – guitar
Hannah Feenstra – drums
Hypsoline setlist:
‘Space Babe’
‘Call Your Name’
‘Same Love’
‘Escape’
‘Nights Like These’
‘Instead Of Me’
‘With You Gone’
‘Disposable Girl’
Second up were London band DUDE, MY DUDE, who are an alternative rock band blending indie pop and emo sensibilities. DUDE, MY DUDE were formed initially as a duo by Benji Lyth (vocals, guitar, synth) and Matthieu Thienpont (vocals, guitar). Now a four-piece rock ‘n’ roll band, the line up is completed by Alex on bass and backing vocals and very recently Jasper on drums.
There was a bit of a Brit-pop sound to the first couple of songs from DUDE, MY DUDE. At the start of their second song ‘Bike Ride’, there was a whistling feedback noise on the sound. Unfazed Matthieu quipped “That’s not it”. ‘Bike Ride’ had a mellow intro and first verse, after which the tempo and volume rose significantly.
Before the third song Matthieu joked “No set list, we’re not pro like that. Surprise me” to the other band members. It was ‘Beach Episode’, a track on which Benji swapped between guitar and synth.
Throughout the set bassist Alex danced enthusiastically across the stage while playing. On this track, he almost hit Benji on synth with the neck of the bass guitar. I’m guessing his band members are used to this, as Benji deftly moved aside without interrupting the flow of his playing. All of DUDE, MY DUDE played with smiles on their faces. This infectious sense of enjoying themselves soon spread to the audience and their enjoyment.
Before the next song, the band told how the previous weekend they’d played a hardcore punk festival, and how it was nice people weren’t jumping on stage and into them. At first this seemed an odd thing to say given their indie pop sound. It all became clear in the next two of their songs, which had a faster, louder more punk pop sound. It wasn’t just bassist Alex jumping around while playing, but also guitarists Matthieu and Benji.
The next song had a long introduction from Matthieu saying it was a cover song from Mr Bean. They played a cover of ‘Crash’ by The Primitives. (It was recorded by Matt Willis of Busted for the 2007 film ‘Mr. Bean’s Holiday’.) DUDE, MY DUDE did a laudable version of the classic Primitives song, (one of my all-time favourite songs).
DUDE, MY DUDE closed their set with a fast punk pop number, which had influences from the pop punk era of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and artists such as Blink-182 and Sum 41. They were very tight musically, which was especially notable given the new stand-in drummer Jasper had only met up with the band the previous night. It was a very impressive set from DUDE, MY DUDE with their energy and infectious sense of fun going down well with the audience.
DUDE, MY DUDE:
Benji – vocals, guitar, synth
Matthieu – vocals, guitar
Alex – bass and backing vocals
Jasper – drums
The opening act at Hidden Herd Presents was Hongza, a solo alternative artist and fast-rising TikTok influencer. Hongza’s sound mixes the worlds of indie, pop, and shoegaze. Hongza was joined on stage by another guitarist, bassist and drummer. They are part of the project, and are more than just session musicians for the live band.
There was a strong indie guitar sound in many of the fast loud songs in Hongza’s set. Lead singer wasn’t one for standing still behind the mic; he was on the boxes in front of The Hope & Ruin stage from the first song of the set. He had a strong voice and delivered with real energy.
Londoner Hongza explained his love of Brighton and The Hope & Ruin, mentioning the venue’s food, specifically the vegan chicken.
Back to the music. Hongza’s Latest song ‘Run Away’ was a powerful song with hard guitars that Pixies loud quiet style. There was also a very good shoegaze soundscape at the end of their penultimate song.
Before the last song in the set, Hongza announced it was “the last chance for some head banging”. The closing track was a showstopper and real mix of styles. There was a big guitar and drums cascade to start; some feedback mid-set as Hongza rushed to the amplifier at the back of the stage and an intricate guitar solo by the other guitarist. A fitting end to a good opening set.
Hongza’s parting words were “See you again soon”. Plenty of people who were at The Hope & Ruin on Wednesday, will want to see Hongza again based on their reaction to that performance.
‘Hidden Herd Presents’ returns to The Hope & Ruin on Wednesday 19 July featuring Ellie Bleach, Trip Westerns, Lei Hope and Baby Gem. Tickets can be bought HERE.
