SEX MASK + HUMANE THE MOON + BARBADOS99 + MINOR DENTS – THE HOPE & RUIN 10.9.26
We once again find ourselves heading towards The Hope & Ruin on Queens Road in Brighton in search of some new and interesting sounds. Always a good bet are the Hidden Herd Presents new music discovery nights which run roughly every month and shine the spotlight on some of the most exciting emerging artists, ones-to-watch and hidden gems around at the moment. This evening there’s a quartet of acts plying their wares across their selected genres; these being Melbourne’s Aussie Sex Mask outfit, London’s expanding Humane (aka Humane The Moon) project, London based duo of BARBADOS99 and local trio Minor Dents.
First up are propulsive experimental space-rock trio Minor Dents which consist of Holly Finch (vocals/bass), Ryan Bollard (drums) and Al Strachan (keys/cornet/electronics). We last witnessed these in action when they performed a prominent live set at the ‘Port of Cool’ one-day music festival held at The Sidings in Newhaven on Saturday 25th July. I really enjoyed their set that day, and I’m rather hoping for more of the same this evening!
Drawing comparisons to Broadcast, Young Marble Giants, Silver Apples and ESG, the band blend hypnotic rhythms with off-kilter electronics and atmospheric minimalism. Following a recent live performance, music writer Everett True described them as “Mesmerising… hypnotic goodness.” Their debut EP, ‘Sitting With The Fish’, dropped on 23rd January this year via Rose Hill Records and this has earned support from Colin Newman (Wire) and Malka Spigel (Minimal Compact) on their Swimming In Sound radio show. Live, Minor Dents have supported Ganser and Gnod, played Slack City’s Slackscape showcase alongside Formal Sppeedwear and Polite Bureaux, and appeared at the Lewes Psych Festival.
This evening we are entertained with a half hour set, which ran from 7:45pm to 8:15pm and comprised a handful of tunes. Thankfully for the band, the venue is already rather busy, which is nice to see so many punters getting in early to check out all of the bands. Minor Dents open with the first of a trio of cuts from their EP, this being ‘Margate’, which is a pure slice of ethereal krautrock. Impressively, Al manages to play his cornet at the same time as his Yamaha keyboard. This goes down well with the crowd. Tune two, as it turns out for yours truly, is the very best track of the whole night, this being ‘Sitting With The Fish’. This features Ryan on clarinet whilst playing the kickdrum with his foot at the same time. Holly’s vocals are wonderfully dreamy, and Monsoon’s ‘Ever So Lonely’ hit springs to mind here. Her bass guitar then kicks in and is followed by Al who offers up Orbital style keys riffage – it’s bloody epic!
The slower unreleased ‘Indicators’ is the midway selection, and initially the electronic loop from the 90’s equipment isn’t quite in sync with the live musicians, but they eventually get there. Holly’s vocals here are a clone of Trish Keenan’s (RIP) of Broadcast, which is a wonderful thing. There’s more cornet action here. Their penultimate selection is another yet to be recorded song, this is ‘Rhizome’ which starts with Yamaha action, followed by drums and then the bass guitar. They sign off with the truly hypnotic ‘Rituals’ from the ‘Sitting With The Fish’ EP. Heavily laden with metronomic beats, secures the fact that many heads are merrily bobbing away in the room. This is a true blinder with fast repetitive keys action, and is comparable to Neu! It’s been a truly enjoyable set! More gigs please guys!
Minor Dents:
Holly Finch – vocals, bass
Ryan Bollard – drums, clarinet
Al Strachan – keys, cornet, electronics
Minor Dents setlist:
‘Margate’ (from 2026 ‘Sitting With The Fish’ EP)
‘Sitting With The Fish’ (from 2026 ‘Sitting With The Fish’ EP)
‘Indicators’ (unreleased)
‘Rhizome’ (unreleased)
‘Rituals’ (from 2026 ‘Sitting With The Fish’ EP)
After a mere 16 minute break, the live action is back in the room with the arrival of BARBADOS99 (Barbados Ninety-Nine) which is the side project of the Abbo brothers from popular jazz-punk outfit Opus Kink who dropped their debut album ‘The Sweet Goodbye’ back on 31st July. Fin and Sam Abbo’s brand new baby combines garage-rock guitar riffs with beach-club rhythms to create a genre-bending electro dreamscape. Rooted in Brighton but now based in London, the BARBADOS99 sound was born in a windowless Deptford bedroom – a sound they playfully describe as: “Modern Lovers sunburnt and smiling, New Order on cheap cocktails, the friendly stink of AC/DC’s first beach-bar BBQ – phat electro rock ’n’ roll you can spill a pint to.”
Drawing early comparisons to Getdown Services, the duo have already shared stages with Brighton favourites including Lemonsuckr at a sold-out Alphabet on 24th June, which was BARBADOS99’s debut Brighton concert. Thankfully we were there that night and reported on proceedings. Their debut live performance was on Wednesday 13th May this year when they were supporting Gemma Rogers at Shacklewell Arms in East London. Staying further afield BARBADOS99 have also shared stages with Girl Apocrypha and Grimrite at a Blitzcat Records night, as well as Skinner, Gemma Rogers and Lifeloose.
This evening we are rewarded 8 tunes from the brothers as well as two comical but brief bossa-nova interludes. They commence at 8:31pm and run to 9:02pm. Interestingly, both brothers are on guitars as well as vocals throughout, however Fin has the added bonus of percussion as well, which is namely a tambourine bolted to a stand and a cowbell, which is also bolted to a stand. I’m guessing the backing beats are somehow triggered via a foot-pedal or maybe it’s a small unit also on the stand. All of their songs are unreleased and they kick off with ‘Figure It Out’ which sees the brothers both on guitars and it immediately reminds me of the quirkiness of Squeeze. “We’re all gonna figure it out” bellows Fin and the tune chugs along. For tune two, ‘Rough Sketchy’, Fin makes his first of several switches from guitar to tambourine and cowbell, which are both eagerly stuck via drumsticks, and I think the vocals included “I see a mountain up ahead”.
The first brief “interlude” booms out across the venue as though we’re all trapped in a corporate lift (elevator to yanks) and forced to listen to “supermarket music”. Normality is restored with the arrival of ‘Let Go Of These Hands’ with Fin still on percussion duties at the start and then halfway through switches back to his guitar. “On a sinking ship” vocals are heard here. We are informed that this is their second time in Brighton as BARBADOS99, but I had an inkling it was their third, oh well, never mind, moving on. Around this point for the slower ‘Love Letter’, I note that their sound is Cowboy Western music styled along with later Beatles and early 80’s Clash. “I can’t help myself again” and “Throw it all away” being the memorable lines, as far as I could tell.
After “interlude II” the duo perform a quartet of tunes in medley style. The first of them being ‘The Dirt’ with the line “Save me I didn’t mean to write this song”. It’s here that it dawns on me that BARBADOS99 is actually the combined bastard son as if Wreckless Eric had joined The Clash. ‘Chilli Burger’ and ‘Angel Of Montgomery’ follow in the mix. “Make me a poster” being the standout line here. BARBADOS99 are certainly ploughing their own furrow and none more so than set closer ‘BARBADOS99 Jam’, which for me is their set highlight. It’s more intense than anything previous and the “I’m a rocker, I’m a roller” line suits them well. It’s been an interesting debut encounter for yours truly, and the proof is in the pudding as they were granted a massive applause at the end. So job done then lads!
Barbados99:
Fin Abbo – lead vocals, guitar, percussion
Sam Abbo – vocals, guitar
Barbados99 setlist:
‘Figure It Out’ (unreleased)
‘Rough Sketchy’ (unreleased)
“Interlude” (unreleased)
‘Let Go Of These Hands’ (unreleased)
‘Love Letter’ (unreleased)
“Interlude” (unreleased)
‘The Dirt’ (unreleased)
‘Chilli Burger’ (unreleased)
‘Angel Of Montgomery’ (unreleased)
‘BARBADOS99 Jam’ (unreleased)
There’s a delayed start of the third act of the evening as there’s quite a bit of stage equipment to set up, plus other delays behind the scene. However, at 13 minutes later than planned, Humane (also known as Humane The Moon) grace us with their presence at 9:28pm and play until 9:58pm. In this period we are rewarded with nine tracks.
Humane The Moon emerged in 2023 as the solo project of Max Hanley, and has since evolved into a formidable full band. This evening there are 4 chaps on the stage, Max Hanley (lead vocals, guitar), Jim (lead guitar, vocals), Ed (bass, vocals) and Jude (drums).
What began in isolation has grown into a collaborative force, blending jagged riffs, brooding lyricism and raw emotional intensity. Rooted in East London’s underground scene, their sound draws on icons like David Bowie, The Smiths and Radiohead, sharpened by the grit of King Krule and the punch of Smashing Pumpkins. Their breakout EP ‘Mythomania’ earned acclaim from BBC Radio 1, Zane Lowe on Apple Music, DIY, Clash and Wonderland, while follow-up release ‘Debris Joice’ expanded their lyrical and sonic scope, gaining further support from The Line of Best Fit and Dork.
Now entering a darker and more expansive phase, Humane (Humane The Moon) channel themes of fragility, defiance and existential weight. Last year’s ‘Tetris’ single – featuring spoken-word artist Kate Ireland – marks a bold evolution, pushing further into an ambitious sonic and emotional landscape. This year thus far, two singles have been released, we get both of these tonight. Live, the band recently performed at Left of the Dial Festival in Rotterdam and The Great Escape Festival.
The band has a screen behind them on the rear of the stage which adds a little extra depth of their performance, but it doesn’t actually include anything worthy of taking your eyes away from the quartet of musicians in front of it. They kick off with the 2025 single ‘Watch Don’t Learn’ and the vocals strangely remind me of Phil Lynott (RIP) of Thin Lizzy fame. God time flies, he’s been dead 40 years now – where’s all that time gone? The song title is often repeated and so it’s easy to pick it up. The music is quality indie rock. There’s some advanced Fender guitar shaking going on for great effect during selection two, ‘Dugout’, which is found on 2023’s ‘Mythomania’ EP. There’s more speedy drums action from Jude as well. The intro of ‘The Curb’ from 2024’s ‘Debris Joice’ EP seriously reminds me of Department S’s ‘Is Vic There?’ and they really are showing off their tight musicianship and the crowd are already on board with them despite only three songs in.
The next track, ‘View From The Hill’ has a sharp ending and they are straight into the drumming led next song, ‘Qualia’. I particularly enjoyed the joint backing vocals during this track. It’s a melodic wall of noise, but not too overpowering, like all their tunes really. Their ‘Penny Let Go’ 2026 single is up next and this too has a solid beat. ‘Tear It Down’ follows and it’s their slowest of the set and I can imagine this being caned on evening radio stations. Their penultimate choice is their other 2026 single, this being ‘Kill Time’, with its rapid bass and drums intro. During this the lead vocalist often holds his guitar on his shoulder just as a guardsman would do a rifle. They sign off and rock on out with the unreleased ‘Pebbledash’. How did they do? Well judging by the room full of “whoops” and cheers, I’d say they absolutely nailed it – They are certainly on the correct trajectory!
Humane The Moon:
Max Hanley – lead vocals, guitar
Jim – lead guitar, vocals
Ed – bass, vocals
Jude – drums
Humane The Moon setlist:
‘Watch Don’t Learn’ (a 2025 single)
‘Dugout’ (from 2023 ‘Mythomania’ EP)
‘The Curb’ (from 2024 ‘Debris Joice’ EP)
‘View From The Hill’ (unreleased)
‘Qualia’ (unreleased)
‘Penny Let Go’ (a 2026 single)
‘Tear It Down’ (from 2024 ‘Debris Joice’ EP)
‘Kill Time’ (a 2026 single)
‘Pebbledash’ (unreleased)
The final act this evening are Sex Mask who I have witnessed live in action on two previous Great and Alternative Escape jaunts. I had back then put them near the top of my must see lists and saw them at Komedia Studio Bar and the Shipwrights Yard. To be brutally honest, they weren’t actually as good as I thought they were going to be and the photographer that accompanied me at those events even said so herself. So I’m rather hoping that tonight’s set will see them back on track again in my eyes, although they certainly have been gaining traction from the likes of NME who referred to them as Australia’s next big export”.
Sex Mask are a three-piece alternative post-punk band from Melbourne. Composed of Ry Gray (vocals/lyrics), Vinnie Moncada (drums/production) and Kaya Martin (guitar/synth), although this evening they are joined by a rogue “Brad Pitt” on vocals. The band’s electrifying fusion of proto-post-punk and writhing no-wave cool has drawn comparisons to artists ranging from The Strokes to Bloc Party to IDLES. With millions of Spotify streams to their name, Sex Mask have earned glowing praise from Dork — who featured them as Hype cover stars — as well as BBC Radio 6 Music, The Line of Best Fit and Clash Magazine. Experiencing Sex Mask live is all gas, no brakes. Renowned for their urgent, propulsive and wildly fun performances, the band have toured Australia with Sleaford Mods and the UK with Radio Free Alice, while also supporting Fcukers, Big Special and Fat White Family. They have also appeared at festivals including SXSW, Dot To Dot Festival, End of the Road Festival and the aforementioned The Great Escape.
Tonight, they get the longest set allocation, which comes in at just under an hour, although technically allotted a 45 minute slot. There’s a mystery guy up on stage with them for joint vocals for the opening number, ‘No Love’ from 2025’s ‘TV Movie’/’No Love’ single, and prior to it starting he tells the crowd that it’s their “last show in England, I want everyone to f*cking dance!” And so the tone was set. The vocal duo offer a solid lyrical commentary against a backdrop of thudding bass and drums, that soon has us all dancing in time. The backdrop screen is still in action, although it only displays the various Sex Mask logos, as the action is all out the front! The fourth band member vacates the stage for quite a few songs, as the trio offload ‘How To Be Cool At Parties’ from 2025’s ‘How To Be Cool At Parties’ / ‘Circe’ single, which I believe was their closing tune for The Great Escape sets. Vinnie sets the drums rolling and they reward us with ‘Cold’ from 2025’s ‘Body Broker’ EP. After which Ry takes off his t-shirt and unveils his heavily tattooed body – the man means action! It’s here that his vocals first remind me of Joe Talbot from IDLES.
Ry then ups the ante for their 2025 ‘Girth’ single which sees him vacate the stage and wander off into the crowd for that up-close-and-personal feel. This track has a Beastie Boys vibe about it. An unreleased composition titled ‘Mike’ comes next with its pseudo-psychobilly feel. The notable punk beats of ‘Birds’ and ‘Beheadal’ from the joint single ring around the first floor venue next. These are the choice cuts of the set for me! During which Ry reaches into his pockets and throws flower petals over the public that he has “acquired” from Brighton gardens somewhere. Ry then informs us that the next track is a new one from their new self-titled EP, it’s called ‘Sweat’, and sweat indeed he does as he spouts out many lyrics and verses at us. The shouty vocals continue with the arrival of the slow chugger that is ‘Burning Rose’, and after which we get another Joe Talbot-esque vocal delivery in the form of ‘Dirt’ from 2025’s ‘Body Broker’ EP, which Ry informs us is his favourite Sex Mask track.
After ‘Circe’ from 2025’s ‘How To Be Cool At Parties’ / ‘Circe’ single, their special guest returns to the stage and this time is sporting a white t-shirt with the words “Brad Pitt” written in felt on it. He remains for the rest of the performance, and I for one, feel that Sex Mask are actually better with him being there as the performance is enhanced and their overall set becomes more intense, which pushes Vinnie to let loose on his drums more and Kaya to come more into the spotlight. The joint vocals work really well on ‘Drug Reference’ from 2026’s ‘Sex Mask’ EP as well as all 4 of the remaining tracks: ‘Lockjaw’ (from 2026 ‘Sex Mask’ EP), ‘TV Movie’ (from 2025 ‘TV Movie’/’No Love’ single), ‘Brick Wall’ (unreleased), and ‘Raid’ (from 2026 ‘Sex Mask’ EP).
Throughout the set Ry had been carrying a can of aerosol in his back pocket and I was wondering what the point of this was. All became clear near the very end of the set as he gets his lighter out and endeavours to turn it into a flamethrower! Thank f*ck he can’t actually get it lit, as I certainly don’t want to lose a magic Brighton grassroots venue to fire! It’s not the greatest idea in the world, is it? Mind you when compared to seeing the legendary SPK at the Brighton College of Art on 2nd December 1983 and again at Coasters (fka Jenkinsons) on 11th November 1984 with real honest to God actual flame throwers and metal grinders with sparks hitting the crowd and the smell of burning hair in the air, tonight’s pyromaniac antics do seem rather weedy!
Sex Mask:
Ry Gray – vocals
Vicente ‘Vinnie’ Moncada – drums, production
Kaya Martin – guitar
“Brad Pitt” – guest vocals
Sex Mask setlist:
‘No Love’ (from 2025 ‘TV Movie’/’No Love’ single)
‘How To Be Cool At Parties’ (from 2025 ‘How To Be Cool At Parties’ / ‘Circe’ single)
‘Cold’ (from 2025 ‘Body Broker’ EP)
‘Girth’ (a 2025 single)
‘Mike’ (unreleased)
‘Birds’ (from 2025 ‘Birds’ / ‘Beheadal’ single)
‘Beheadal’ (from 2025 ‘Birds’ / ‘Beheadal’ single)
‘Sweat’ (from 2026 ‘Sex Mask’ EP)
‘Burning Rose’ (unreleased)
‘Dirt’ (from 2025 ‘Body Broker’ EP)
‘Circe’ (from 2025 ‘How To Be Cool At Parties’ / ‘Circe’ single)
‘Drug Reference’ (from 2026 ‘Sex Mask’ EP)
‘Lockjaw’ (from 2026 ‘Sex Mask’ EP)
‘TV Movie’ (from 2025 ‘TV Movie’/’No Love’ single)
‘Brick Wall’ (unreleased)
‘Raid’ (from 2026 ‘Sex Mask’ EP)
