There certainly aren’t any weak links in today’s announcement for the latest installment from Hidden Herd promoters regarding the quartet of rising talents booked for their new music discovery night happening up at The Hope & Ruin on Queens Road in Brighton on Friday 24th July. Appearing on the bill will be Speedial, Cordelia Gartside, Rhiannon Ruthven and Hitman Sheela.
Let’s meet the acts….
Speedial are a four-piece alternative band from London, generating word-of-mouth hype for their cinematic blend of melodic post-rock, enriched by saxophone, lush harmonies and expansive orchestration. Since launching the project at the end of 2022, they have released an EP and a series of standalone tracks, including their latest double single, ‘Perfume / One Half’, which showcases the full scope of their ambitious sound. The band have built a reputation through relentless live performances across London and beyond, sharing stages with Ugly, Picture Parlour, Dog Race, Ebbb, The Orchestra (For Now), Ain’t and 1000 Rabbits, alongside Brighton standouts like Big Long Sun, Ladylike, Opal Mag and Cordelia Gartside. They have also appeared at several festivals, including Isle of Wight Festival and East London Block Party, further cementing their status as one of the capital’s most exciting emerging acts.
Drawing on influences such as Radiohead, Fiona Apple, Big Thief and Mitski, Cordelia Gartside is crafting a lo-fi alt-rock world that’s uniquely her own. Across 2023 and 2024, she self-released captivating singles that earned airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Music Introducing, including support from Emily Pilbeam, who featured her on The BBC Introducing Mixtape, and Melita Dennett, who hosted her in the BBC Introducing Live Lounge. On stage, her band conjures atmosphere from reverb, distortion and groaning guitars, while Cordelia Gartside’s sharp lyricism and hypnotic delivery makes the quiet moments every bit as arresting as the noise. She has previously sold out London headline shows at The Lexington and The George Tavern, performed at Glastonbury Festival after reaching the finals of the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition, and appeared as part of the official Submarine Cat showcase at this year’s Great Escape Festival. Her recent single, ‘What The Heart Wants’, and upcoming follow-up, ‘X-Ray’, see her embark on an exciting new chapter.
Drawing on elements of ambient folk, post-rock and spoken word, Brighton-based artist Rhiannon Ruthven creates intricate, melancholic music that is both ghostly and immersive. Despite having no official releases to her name, her progressive approach to songwriting is already attracting attention for its poetic lyricism and hauntingly atmospheric soundscapes. Live, Rhiannon Ruthven and her band voyage through the disordered polarity of all things strange and alive, recently performing at Agenda Collective’s multi-venue Girls Night Out Fest and previously sharing stages with artists including Cordelia Gartside, Máidin, Thimble, Grimrite and Hitman Sheela.
www.instagram.com/rhiannon.ruthven
Hitman Sheela is an exciting new project led by Katie Prescott, former lead singer and guitarist of BBC Music Introducing-approved Nottingham band Swallowtail. Despite having only a handful of live performances under their belt, the Brighton-based quartet have already made a strong impression on the local scene, with Brighton & Hove News describing their live set as a “remarkable odyssey of tension building”. Combining washes of accordion, glockenspiel and muted drums with an intricate, progressive songwriting style that draws on elements of post-rock and post-punk, they are quickly earning a reputation as one of Brighton’s most intriguing new acts. Backed by local tastemakers Platform B, Hitman Sheela recently performed at Agenda Collective’s multi-venue Girls Night Out Fest and have shared bills with fellow Brighton rising acts including Máidin, Rhiannon Ruthven and Grimrite.
We are guessing that this night is very likely to sell out, so grab your tickets ASAP from HERE.
To get you in the mood, you can also discover a whole host of exciting emerging artists on the ‘Hidden Herd New Music Spotlight Playlist’. Like and listen HERE.
