It’s the last few minutes of Friday 16th May 2025 and I’m in Brighton covering as many acts for this year’s Great Escape new music festival as I can. I have just witnessed Welly thrilling the punters at Horatios at the end of Brighton Pier and in all honesty I’m so broken that I can barely move out of exhaustion and my feet have had it. I arranged to meet my colleague Sara-Louise Bowrey outside Charles Street Tap, which in days gone by was The Hungry Years rock/metal club. However as I’m barely mobile and warn her it will take me a little while to meet up and so if she could hang on a few minutes. Sara, being younger and still having power in the body and camera batteries, decides to walk into Charles Street Tap as it is also one of the many Great Escape venues, just to grab a few photos before heading home. I make it to our rendez-vous and Sara seriously encourages me to see just one more act before we leave town. We aren’t aware of who will be performing in a few minutes time, but we take one final punt. Thus ladies and gentlemen, I give you Lawn Chair, and here’s my account….
LAWN CHAIR – Charles Street Tap 00:15 – 00:45
OK, I don’t mind admitting that by now, I’m absolutely shattered and have acquired two blisters and a cut on my foot from all the running around and bopping over the past few days. I’m at my lowest ebb, but then get talked into just one more set by my colleague as I’m standing outside Charles Street Tap. I haven’t got a clue who is playing there as they aren’t on my list and I’m quite frankly too tired to even look at the Great Escape App. Reluctantly I climbed the stairs into the venue. The band is LAWN CHAIR and the quintet are soundchecking their two guitars, bass, keys and drums. They look a geeky bunch, and an interesting prospect! They are fronted by Seattle-born singer Claudia Schlutius, and they deliver powerful, guitar-driven indie punk with an infectious energy, blending the raw spirit of the ’80s and ’90s with a fresh, modern edge. Their setlist reads: ‘Devo’, ‘Rhoenians Death’, ‘Punkrock Band’, ‘MWSE’, ‘War Machine’, ‘Sunset Heartbreak’, ‘Lobster’, ‘Big Dick’ and ‘Counting On Love’ and some of these are unreleased tunes. Note the name of their first track, ‘Devo’, I’d say it’s a clue to their sound and mix that in with The B52s and a smidge of the Dead Kennedys and you are there. Claudia is very entertaining and moves about the stage like a rag doll. She also climbed the balcony to the rear of the stage, stood atop the drumset, and then joined the audience on more than one occasion. For the last of which, she kept backing into the punters with a falling motion. I wasn’t quite sure what was required, until some figured it out and hoisted her above their heads whilst she carried on singing. This was a truly energetic rockin’ set and when they drop their new album in September, I hope that they make a swift return, as I will want to be there! What blisters?
And there you have it, the true healing powers of music! Plus my wishes have now come true as Lawn Chair ARE returning to Brighton, courtesy of Love Thy Neighbour promoters who have secured their services on Sunday 21st September for a live set at The Prince Albert. Support will come from Magda, and Laurie McMahon.
Tickets are available to purchase HERE and HERE.
Let’s find out more about Lawn Chair….
For three years Lawn Chair have been an integral part of the German indie scene. The band has released two EPs in collaboration with producers Olaf Opal (The Notwist) and Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and played countless gigs all over Germany. A first tour in England, rousing support shows for Sleaford Mods, Primal Scream, Getdown Services and gigs at festivals such as Reeperbahn Festival and Fusion were just the latest milestones of the ambitious band.
Their long-awaited debut album ‘You Want It! You Got It!’ dropped on 5th September and it explores life in late capitalism, caught in the web of smartphone addiction and toxic masculinity, the desire for success and the search for inner peace—always shadowed by the inescapable imprints of one’s origins.
Led by singer and Seattle native Claudia Schlutius, the band wraps all of this into a captivating blend of post-punk echoes, uncompromising guitar riffs, pop-driven basslines, and pulsating synthesizers—expertly crafted by producer Olaf Opal. Drawing inspiration from genre-defining bands like Devo, Broadcast, and Beck, ‘You Want It! You Got It!’ is a compelling exploration of the contradictions of modern life. Find your copy HERE.
