TUMMYACHE + HUMAN INTEREST + NOT RICHARD & HER MAJESTY + ISM – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 29.1.26
Tonight we headed off to The Hope & Ruin on Queens Road in Brighton in order to catch the latest instalment of Hidden Herd presents new music night. This evening we were treated to four sets from Tummyache, Human Interest, Not Richard & Her Majesty and ism.
Let’s find out what went down…
First up was Brighton-based alt art-rock four-piece ‘ISM,’ who took the stage without immediate introduction. Opening with an extended, low, and atmospheric intro, their lead focused a steely gaze onto the gathering audience. My immediate first impressions of lead vocalist Tyra were that the delivery and tone were reminiscent of Savages era Jenny Beth mixed with the slower-paced steaminess of some of the tracks from ‘Warpaint.’ The clarity and confidence of Tyra’s lengthy pauses employed throughout the set, blended to form a mesmerising stage presence. Waiting until the end of the first track to introduce the band, Tyra confirmed that, “We believe that ‘ISM’ can be anything and everything not at the same time, but on the same day.” Continuing, she confirmed that they had decided to dress as “Law and Order,’” attired as lawyers and judges, and that “If you judge us, we’ll judge you right back.”
The second track reaffirmed Tyra’s vocal range, edge of unpredictability and self-assured stage presence. The third track, one of Tyra’s “…favourites to sing…” ‘My Life Left Me For Another Woman’ released as a single by the band in 2025, is a “…song about feeling absolutely hopeless as a woman.” Switching from confrontation to introspection, this was a far softer, touching side of the group, which again made ample use of expertly handled pauses. As they played into the next track, Tyra introduced the rest of the band, taking the time to let everyone know that it was the drummer’s first night playing with them. You would never have known that the four-piece sounded like they had played together for years. It was at this point that Tyra decided to double-bluff the audience. Lulling them into a false sense of security by telling them to take a seat on the floor for a bedtime ballad before interacting with everyone.
The track itself proved to be anything but gentle, delivering a reprimand not to trust strangers. ‘Inevitable Ending,’ released at the end of last year, was gentle, featuring a lulling bassline and beautiful harmonies. While the title may have been a little on the nose for a final track, it was the perfect way to close the set.
ISM:
Tyra Tvedte Kristoffersen – lead vocals
Matt Jones – guitarist
Sophie Evans – bass
Izzy – drums
ISM setlist:
‘Going Mad’ (unreleased)
‘Anymore’ (unreleased)
‘My Life Left Me For Another Woman’ (a 2025 single)
‘Notorious Plants’ (a 2025 single)
‘Inevitable Ending’ (a 2025 single)
Cutting through the calm left from the end of the last set, the next act exploded onto the stage. Not Richard & Her Majesty are a sumptuous visual delight. (Not) Richard has previously played with local luminaries ‘Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, UNKLE, and The Duke Spirit, yet manage to depart from their trademark sound entirely. The Brighton-based five-piece fuse punk, late 60s pop, and glam rock to create a frenetic and surprisingly joyous live experience. Why surprising? The lyrical content overshares vigorously about personal, professional, sexual and gender ruin. Far from wallowing in a dirge, the band revels in the exuberant contrast of 60s sunshine pop.
Their appearance on stage was as abrupt as it was refreshing, something new and dazzling, and yet at times reassuringly familiar. Opening with ‘Something Savoury’ dripping with uplifting instrumentals and undiluted California sunshine, it was an upbeat opener to a fast-paced, exuberant set. Met with rapturous applause, the band won the audience over from the start.
‘Everything Explodes’ ventured into rockabilly before pivoting into classic glam rock all over a Burundi beat backbone.
Interaction from Fownes was expert but minimal, keeping the audience engaged while letting the music do the heavy lifting. The current single, ‘My Twink Death,’ was a double-time whirlwind of 60s feel-good, garage punk, and blistering synth, giving pause between the tracks from last year’s EP. The next track’s opening lyric “I like to make love to damaged people” drew a wry chuckle from more than a few people in the audience. Several unreleased tracks followed in quick succession, drawing yet more enthusiastic applause. Pulling the set back to last year’s EP, the band slammed into ‘My Mess,’ a genuine foot-tapper.
Fownes dedicated the last track to the rest of the line-up, inserting a sly punchline. ‘Bogus,’ the final track from last year’s EP. It weaves into the kind of crowd-pleaser that will resonate with every audience that hears it, a pure pleasure from start to finish.
Not Richard & Her Majesty:
Rich Fownes – lead vocals, guitar
Phoebe Bentham – keyboard
Unknown – drums
Unknown – guitar
Unknown – bass
Not Richard’s & Her Majesty setlist:
‘Something Savoury’ (from 2025 ‘Not Hot’ EP)
‘Everything Explodes’ (from 2025 ‘Not Hot’ EP)
‘My Twink Death’ (a 2026 single)
‘Stress Is A Killer’ (unreleased)
‘Bogus’ (from 2025 ‘Not Hot’ EP)
‘A Song About Being A Parasite’ (unreleased)
‘My Mess’ (from 2025 ‘Not Hot’ EP)
‘It’s You Soul Stew’ (unreleased)
‘Beautiful’ (unreleased)
Third on the lineup were the East London-based duo Human Interest. This was the second time I had seen them perform for Hidden Herd, the last time being at the Green Door Store. I was intrigued to see how they had developed since 2024.
Unlike the acts before them, lead singer Cat Harrison chose to open with a lighthearted introduction before their first track, ‘Jellyfish,’ a track about “feeling like you’re not in control of your life.” Expanded into a four-piece for live performances, Tyler Evann provided additional guitar and backing vocals, with Joe Michelson on drums, further bolstering the duo’s sound. The band’s influences, including The Cure, The Strokes, and The Velvet Underground, filtered through the first track’s rhythm section pacing and delivery, while Harrison’s vocal reached for the middle ground between Lou Reed and John Cale. The effect was mellow and escapist. For some reason, it kept on reminding us of Echo and the Bunnymen or Simple Minds. When the track played out, an audience member shouted for Tyler Damara Kelly to “Get your mike on!” They were right; if she had been singing, it was completely inaudible.
Mike sorted Kelly’s vocals and joined Harrison’s on ‘Nonsense.’ Strongly reminiscent of The Chemical Brothers ‘Setting Sun’, the track made use of the duo’s vocal interplay. However, as with most of the band’s tracks, Kelly’s vocal takes a firm back seat to Harrison’s, which is a shame. ‘Crawling’ had an edge of Primal Scream chart swagger. If there was any song that leaned into their Strokes influence, it would have to be ‘Hot Air Balloon.’ ‘Shapeshifter,’ released on three different singles and the ‘Smile While You’re Losing’ EP in 2024, had a soft, slow intro before pelting into a blistering speed. The final track, ‘Pinch Me,’ really was saving the best for last.
Human Interest:
Cat Harrison – vocals, guitar
Tyler Damara Kelly – backing vocals, bass
Tyler Evann – backing vocals, guitar
Joe Michelson – drums
Human Interest setlist:
‘Jellyfish’ (unreleased)
‘Nonsense’ (unreleased)
‘Crawling’ (unreleased)
‘Hot Air Balloon’ (unreleased)
‘Shapeshifting’ (from 2024 ‘Smile While You’re Losing’ EP)
‘Skin’ (unreleased)
‘Pinch Me’ (unreleased)
The headliner of the night, Tummyache, was originally a solo project from Texas-born Soren Bryce, now based in Devon, which has now expanded into a trio. Taking no pause, the band jumped straight into the first track, ‘Porcelain.’ The band’s DIY indie-punk sound blends raw, emotionally honest lyricism with gritty, distorted guitars, segues seamlessly from walls of noise to hazy, dream-like verses, heavy, immersive choruses and back again.
Bryce’s sonorous vocal ranges from a soft, deep lament to high and imploring at the start of ‘Feeding Tube’ before reverberating back at the audience as part of the instrumental. At every track’s core throughout the band’s set was the infectious rhythm section, who instigated the urge to head nod and foot-tap no matter the tempo.
Again, I was reminded of Savages-era Jenny Beth, but here it was for Bryce’s similar intensity, effortless magnetism, and raw delivery. It was several songs in after ‘Happy Birthday’ before Bryce introduced the band, also taking the time to thank the support bands and to briefly address the importance of music venues during tough times, which drew applause and agreement from the audience.
‘Fake New’s’ title track from the 2025 album gave off a distinct air of Radiohead at the intro, only for Bryce to break that spell with a raw, rasping scream to “Wake Up!” shaking up all assembled with the call-to-action before descending into Fugazi-style hardcore thrashing. ‘W.A.S.P’ continued the journey into a more frenzied, harder instrumental and vocal. The audience was eating up the change of pace. Pausing yet again, only briefly, Bryce took the opportunity to point out they had merch and to let the audience know it was Darren, their drummer’s first time in the UK. Returning to the softer sound of ‘Favourite Son,’ the band kept it light without sacrificing the ferocious tempo. The final track of the night reached a frenzied crescendo with Bryce’s anguished howl, which turned into a high-pitched scream. Tummyache more than lived up to the audience’s hyped anticipation. Catch them live this year while you still can!
Tummyache:
Soren Bryce – lead vocals, guitar
Linus Fenton – bass
Darren – drums
Tummyache setlist:
‘Porcelain’ (unreleased)
‘Feeding Tube’ (unreleased)
‘Aiding & Abetting’ (from 2024 ‘Egosystem’ album)
‘Isosceles’ (unreleased)
‘Happy Birthday’ (from 2025 ‘Fake New’ album)
‘Fake New’ (from 2025 ‘Fake New’ album)
‘W.A.S.P.’ (from 2025 ‘Fake New’ album)
‘Favourite Son’ (from 2025 ‘Fake New’ album)
‘South Osage St’ (unreleased)
