Is it me or are the local Guy Fawkes Night celebrations getting busier with severe public transport delays putting a real dampener on the night’s enjoyment! Talk about a rat race! One sensible alternative is to move away from the thousands and thousands of people heading to and from these events, and instead head on into central Brighton and partake in some musical enjoyment instead!
One such option is going down at the popular Hope & Ruin on Queens Road, Brighton, where they are hosting another Hidden Herd Presents is Brighton’s new music discovery night in their first floor music room. These events always endeavor to shine the spotlight on the most exciting emerging artists, ones-to-watch and hidden gems on the scene right now. This time around it’s the turn of Kamran Khan, Finnian James, Jonique and Freya Eastcott.
Let’s meet the artists:
You might not know the name, but Kamran Khan’s fingerprints have been leaving marks on London’s indie music scene for a decade now, best known for his work as Fake Laugh and as the vocalist of strings-infused BBC Radio 6 Music-approved outfit pencil. With Fake Laugh, Khan cultivated a devoted following with a series of critically acclaimed releases that blended dreamy melancholy with sharp pop sensibility, including the viral hit ‘Better For Me’ which has now amassed over 20 million streams. He has since performed as a touring member of The Japanese House, Flyte and Let’s Eat Grandma, co-writing Flyte’s tender standout ‘Speech Bubble’ and collaborating with Amber Bain (The Japanese House) on ‘Personally’, one of the sweetest highlights from his upcoming album. Born in Berlin to a Pakistani father and an English mother, the name Kamran Khan was, in his words, a “cultural compromise” between his Islamic and European heritage – and under his own name, his latest work searches more deeply inwards. His debut album, ‘I Came From Nowhere & Nowhere Is Where I Am Going’, reckons with formative traumas surrounding family, substance abuse, relationships and career shortcomings, boldly reframing them as bright, melodic alt-rock compositions. Championed by The Line of Best Fit and Rough Trade, Khan has already performed at London’s Village Underground alongside Murkage Dave, as well as at Dot To Dot Festival. Next up, he’ll tour the UK, including a date with alt-J’s Joe Newman (JJerome87) for Dork’s Night Out.
tribe-mail-feature.emergent.host/kamran-khan
Brighton-based alternative indie-pop artist Finnian James blends gritty guitars with shimmering 80s synths and powerfully emotive vocals, drawing inspiration from the sounds of Bleachers, The 1975 and Sam Fender. With a growing reputation for his full-throttle live show, packed with heart, hooks and energy, Finnian James recently headlined and sold out London’s Paper Dress Vintage and Brighton’s Alphabet. He has also performed at The Great Escape Festival as part of its official lineup, Victorious Festival, Homegrown Festival and Melancholy Fest, as well as recording a brilliant live session for the Beach House Sessions in 2025. An exciting 18 months recently culminated in the release of infectious new single ‘Why Don’t You Think About It?’, marking something of a relaunch for Finnian James and the beginning of an exciting new phase.
Formerly of alt-rock duo Fräulein, who toured with the likes of The Kills, English Teacher and The Mysterines, Northern Ireland-born, London-based Jonique writes music grown from the gut. Her alternative rock songs explore memory, identity and belonging, unfolding like distinct scenes from the world she’s carving out for herself. At the heart of the project is an unmistakable voice full of contradictions – fragile yet strong, beautiful yet twisted, intense yet fleeting, but always deeply human. There’s a quiet magnetism to Jonique’s performances that grabs you immediately, then lingers long after the show is over. Already championed by DIY Magazine, Jonique performed at Chalk as part of this year’s The Great Escape Festival, as well as Circuit Break Festival alongside Honeyglaze. She has also shared stages with some of the UK’s most exciting emerging artists, including Bug Teeth, Cordelia Gartside, Platonica Erotica and Moon Idle.
Outside of playing bass for high-flying math-rock five-piece Slag, Brighton-based singer-songwriter Freya Eastcott has been captivating audiences across the city with her solo project’s spellbinding, melancholic folk. Her raw, profound and honest lyricism – described by The Folklore Rooms as surpassing “not only her age but the wisdom, reflections, and imagery of many singer-songwriters today” – has established her as one of the most compelling new voices on the scene. Drawing inspiration from Elliott Smith and Adrianne Lenker, Freya’s music is quietly intense and poetic, and has earned her comparisons to Phoebe Bridgers. Previously, she has shared stages with Flyte, at an Elliott Smith tribute show, as well as exciting emerging artists such as Pollyfromthedirt, Djank, Jonique, Maximilian and Kate Peaches.
www.instagram.com/freyaeastcott
Advance tickets are on sale now via DICE – Grab yours HERE.
You can also discover exciting emerging artists on the Hidden Herd New Music Spotlight playlist over on Spotify – Click HERE.
