CRUUSH + MAXIMILLIAN + HYPSOLINE – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 30.5.24
cruush
With the release of their ‘Nice Things Now, All The Time’ EP, Manchester’s alt-indie band Cruush (stylised as ‘cruush’) returned to Brighton to play the Green Door Store. Having seen them back in August at ‘Hidden Herd’ presents (Review HERE). Brighton and Hove News were keen to catch up with this exciting new band again.
The four-piece band of Amber (vocals and guitar), Arthur (guitar), Fotis (drums) and Charlie (bass) took to the stage starting with a distorted frantic instrumental. This was a foretaste that this was to be different to your normal shoegaze dream pop gig. Cruush have a fresh take with their grunge-tinged soundscapes. There was a threatening distorted edge, which was quite intense at times in Thursday’s show.
For the start of their first song ‘Water Breathers’, their sound mellowed. The quality of the bass and drums allowed guitarist Arthur to be more elaborate with his guitar parts. He certainly made full use of the rather large pedal board during their set. As with many songs within their show, on ‘Water Breathers’, there were louder bursts of noise among the soundscapes.
Amber’s enchanting, darkwave vocals both contrasted with and complemented the band’s music. On ‘As She Goes’, which Amber explained was about her childhood obsessions, her delicate vocal soared beautifully through the gritty intensity of the music.
The following two tracks were from their 2023 EP, ‘Wishful Thinker’. ‘Stick In The Mud’ had an atmospheric loud intro, reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins, but with the volume turned up. ‘Growing Silver’ started with a relatively simple guitar part, before the drums and bass burst into life. The way Amber’ s ethereal vocals worked with the noise was brilliantly done.
Amber explained how the unreleased track ‘Rupert Giles’ came from watching episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer back to back. It had a more contemporary indie sound.
Between songs as the rest of the band retuned their guitars, Fotis played short drum solos. He explained to me afterwards that this was to keep continuity in the set. I think it helped hold the audience’s attention between songs.
With it being guitarist Arthur’s birthday, the band and audience sang Happy Birthday. One of the band did cheekily suggested it meant, “you have to all buy the band a drink”.
Back to the music, ‘Bckwards 36’ was a beautiful song, which was gentle and almost delicate in places, perfectly showcasing Amber’s voice. Before the next song, Amber explained how ‘Ladybird Song’ came about after her failed gardening attempts, when her pansies were eaten and she found ladybirds for sale as a solution to whatever was eating her plants. This was the softest song of the set with just guitars and drums almost as a background accompaniment to Amber’s singing.
Charlie’s bass rejoined on the intro to ‘Headspace’ with its soft moody soundscape. It had another great instrumental section before the vocals joined. ‘Cotton Wool’, the final song of their scheduled set, had a very laid-back sound that built before rising and falling throughout the song. It was one of those songs you could simply lose yourself in as its moods and tempo changed beautifully. ‘Cotton Wool’ faded magnificently to a simple yet stunning solo by Amber.
The calls for another song were answered with ‘False Start’, a favourite of bassist Charlie, we learnt. This song was no false start or slow build as it was straight into a louder more indie-rock intro. We heard another aspect of Amber’s vocal range as she shouted out the lyrics later in this closing number.
Cruush’s grungier, edgier take on the shoegaze of Slowdive or the dream pop of the Cocteau Twins, sets them apart from their contemporaries. Based on their showing at Brighton, and the audience’s reaction, this Manchester band is clearly one to watch.
cruush:
Amber Warren – vocals and guitar
Arthur Boyd – guitar
Fotis Kalantzis – drums
Charlie Marriott – bass
cruush setlist:
‘Water Breathers’ (from 2024 ‘Nice Things Now, All The Time’ EP)
‘As She Goes’ (from 2024 ‘Nice Things Now, All The Time’ EP)
‘Stick In The Mud’ (from 2023 ‘Wishful Thinker’ EP)
‘Growing Silver’ (from 2023 ‘Wishful Thinker’ EP)
‘Rupert Giles’ (unreleased)
‘Bckwards 36’ (a 2022 single release)
‘Ladybird Song’ (from 2024 ‘Nice Things Now, All The Time’ EP)
‘Headspace’ (from 2024 ‘Nice Things Now, All The Time’ EP)
‘Cotton Wool’ (from 2024 ‘Nice Things Now, All The Time’ EP)
‘False Start’ (a 2022 single release)
Hypsoline
Fresh from the launch of their debut EP ‘Nights Like These’ just a week before, local band Hypsoline opened for Cruush. It was only new drummer Catt’s third appearance with the band, having replaced Hannah Feenstra. Cat was keen to get started and drummed along to the tracks over the PA system before the band’s set.
Hypsoline opened with the title track of their EP, ‘Nights Like These’. Beth’s distinctive breathy vocals were evident from this opening number. Beth seemed to mix up her vocal styles more than when I’ve seen them before, which worked to good effect.
One of Trilby’s great bass lines opened the second song ‘Same Love’. This had a harder punchier feel, as did the new song ‘Live With Myself’. Overall Hypsoline had a sharper sound than previous shows, which could be partly the new material and also the different drumming style Catt has brought to the band.
One thing that hadn’t changed is how well the dual vocals between Beth and Trilby worked throughout the set. On ‘Instead Of Me’, Trilby’s almost shouted vocals contrasted well with Beth’s dreamier voice. Another constant was Natalie’s clever, intricate, often subtle, guitar parts.
They closed with ‘Disposable Girl’. After a mellow start, it built to a louder rockier track, which rose up and dropped back seamlessly. One notable feature was a great guitar part by Natalie. Another was how Catt was standing in the quieter parts as if ready to pounce when the tempo had to be picked up.
Hypsoline’s set was over far too quickly, finishing after six songs and just over 20 minutes. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, I’m sure many, having enjoyed what they heard, would have liked a longer set from Hypsoline.
Hypsoline:
Beth Molly Moore – vocals and guitar
Trilby White – bass and vocals
Natalie Caushaj – guitar and vocals
Catt Jack – drums
Hypsoline setlist:
‘Nights Like These’ (from 2024 ‘Nights Like These’ EP)
‘Same Love’ (from 2024 ‘Nights Like These’ EP)
‘Live With Myself’ (unreleased)
‘Call Your Name’ (from 2024 ‘Nights Like These’ EP)
‘Instead Of Me’ (unreleased)
‘Disposable Girl’ (from 2024 ‘Nights Like These’ EP)
Maximilian
Brighton singer and guitarist Maximilian was joined for his live set by Sammy on bass and Connor on drums. It was a fairly mellow set from Maximilian, with many songs starting slowly and building.
The opening song ‘How Will I Ever Know’ had a mellow folk feel and one of many good bass lines from Sammy. Two new unreleased songs followed. ‘Rest Ur Head’ with its soft vocals had a 1960’s pop sound, while ‘Soft Song’ had a lazy Sunday morning feel. The tempo increased with ‘I Know You’, and was one of the highlights of the set for me.
Some songs, such as ‘Surrender’, the title track of his album, and ‘Kill Time’, started as solos with just Maximilian on his guitar before the others joined. Connor’s drumming was more to the fore on ‘Surrender’ alternating between loud drumming and soft cymbals as the tempo rose and fell.Maximilian closed a quality set with his heaviest track, ‘Red Wine’. After the solo start, it featured a rousing rock style instrumental. In a way, Maximilian’s set as a whole matched the structure of his songs, starting slowly before building, and always well crafted.
Maximilian:
Maximilian Feighan – vocals and guitar
Sammy Jones – bass
Connor – drums
Maximilian setlist:
‘How Will I Ever Know’ (from 2024 ‘Surrender’ album)
‘Rest Ur Head’ (unreleased)
‘Soft Song’ (unreleased)
‘I Know You’ (unreleased)
‘Surrender’ (from 2024 ‘Surrender’ album)
‘Kill Time’ (from 2024 ‘Surrender’ album)
‘Red Wine’ (from 2024 ‘Surrender’ album)
