The next instalment of Hidden Herd Presents has been announced and this time it’s taking place on 1st April, but these emerging acts are certainly no joke!
This time around, the popular new music discovery night will be featuring Fuzz Lightyear, Kitchen Lover, ChitChat and Nagasaki Dog, who will be plying the wares at The Hope & Ruin.
Let’s meet the bands….
Fuelled by a fierce DIY ethos, Leeds four-piece Fuzz Lightyear fuse shoegaze, industrial noise-rock and rapidly paced punk, landing somewhere between Sonic Youth and Show Me The Body, while also echoing the intensity of contemporaries such as DITZ and Makeshift Art Bar. Following a run of singles and a thrilling, fast-and-loud debut EP ‘Zero Guilt’ via Nice Swan Records, the band have drawn widespread attention from BBC Radio 6 Music, NME, DIY, Dork, The Line of Best Fit, So Young and Clash Magazine, all highlighting the abrasive yet compelling nature of their sound. Renowned for their chaotic yet meticulously controlled live shows, Fuzz Lightyear have been invited to tour and perform alongside Queens of the Stone Age, Viagra Boys, English Teacher, The Wytches, Lambrini Girls, Adult DVD, GANS and Loose Articles. These appearances – alongside festival slots at Mutations Festival, Live At Leeds, Left of the Dial in Rotterdam and Manchester Psych Fest – have helped cement the band’s growing cult following.
Kitchen Lover are a breakout Brighton outfit drawing on the dizzying spirit of The Chats and Dead Kennedys, pairing raw garage-rock riffs with pop-leaning hooks and a sharp, irreverent edge. Channelling the energy of the 50s punk revolution, their seismic debut album ‘The Circus Sideshow Dream’ landed in September 2025, earning support from Clash Magazine and BBC Music Introducing alongside a surge of local buzz. The release was swiftly followed by a riotous, sold-out launch show at Green Door Store. Live, the band have played nights for Hideous Mink Records and Fierce Panda, supported the likes of Getdown Services and Frankie and the Witch Fingers, and shared stages with Brighton favourites including Le Lamb, Electric Cowboy Club and Lemonsuckr.
ChitChat are a four-piece alt-rock outfit from Brighton, delivering sharp melodies, big feelings and no-nonsense noise. Their sound walks a tightrope between chaos and clarity, fusing raw guitars, driving rhythms and lyrics that cut deep, confronting themes of mental health, misogyny and heartbreak. Released in October, their debut EP ‘You Bark, I Bite’ offers a vivid snapshot of their unfiltered world. Singles from the record were consistently championed by Melita Dennett on BBC Music Introducing, and the band were invited to perform a Live Lounge session, further cementing their growing reputation. On stage, ChitChat are loud, direct and impossible to ignore. They brought their signature intensity to this year’s Great Escape Festival as part of the official lineup, played DedFest over the summer, and have shared stages with exciting emerging bands like Slag, marking them firmly as ones to watch.
Brighton-based Nagasaki Dog is the DIY music-art project of British-Indonesian brothers Amos and Zephi Pakpahan. Blending raw energy with sharp, hook-driven songwriting and a fearless DIY spirit, their sound sits somewhere between indie rock and post-punk, at times echoing the hazy, lo-fi slacker vibes of Mac DeMarco’s breakthrough album ‘2’. This year, they released their standout double A-side single, ‘Funky Kong’s Lament’ and ‘For You, Audrey’, earning attention across the local alternative scene and beyond. Performing live as a four-piece, they have headlined The Hope & Ruin’s Ones To Watch and The Rossi Bar’s 234 Fest After Party, as well as sharing stages with exciting emerging acts such as Slag, Kitchen Lover, PUSSYLIQUOR and Arcadia Residential.
Advance tickets are £11 and are on sale now from HERE.
You can also discover exciting emerging artists on the Hidden Herd New Music Spotlight playlist. Like and listen on Spotify HERE.
