Festival News: Mutations Festival is a who’s who of the Windmill Scene and as a result, a who’s who of some of the best bands in the country.
Mutations Festival is a who’s who of the Windmill Scene and as a result, a who’s who of some of the best bands in the country.
Overlapping with Simple Things Bristol and taking place across a multi-venue extravaganza, there’s plenty to see and do in the festival’s most ambitious year yet. It’s a known tastemaker festival – past years have featured CMAT, Bob Vylan, Fat Dog, Sprints, The Last Dinner Party, Yard Act and Kneecap before their rapid explosions and now they’re back with headliners Lambrini Girls and Dry Cleaning – Lambrini Girls who are having an incredible breakout year on the back of their debut album; renowned for sweaty packed out mosh pits, a rallying cry against fascism, TERFS and Israel – they’re everything a punk outfit shout be.
Regular Amyl and the Sniffers supporters Upchuck have finally broken into a headlining slot and they find themselves in incredible form – angry and politically charged in a genre-defying way – I’ve seen them a few times live and they always put on a fun show. They’re bound to follow the same trajectory as Amyl – in this lineup of punk breakouts in the making.
The Sick Man of Europe are a band who I adore – the Joy Division 80s art rock vibe fits them down to the ground and their self-titled album is designed to be seen in a gritty, grungy small pub capturing the essence of days gone by, asking the audience questions about relevancy in an age of artificial intelligence and whether man is obsolete. By Mutations I’ll have caught them a mammoth five times in a year.
Emo post punk stars rising My First Time I caught at Bristol’s DIY festival Ritual Union at the start of the year so ending with them seems inevitable as does the opportunity to see Test Plan one more time – noise rock down to the ground. Mandrake Handshake’s psychedelic rock showcases the sheer genre-blending talent of this festival; and an opportunity to explore Brighton’s coolest venues comes with a who’s who of names – local heroes DITZ are back, as are art-rockers Mary in the Junkyard and Welsh language poets Adwaith. All these names – and it’s just the Friday, day one – so expect clashes abound.
Big Special are having something of a breakout year after their second album drop NATIONAL AVERAGE, and I’m looking forward to angry dancing in a mosh pit to them. God Save the Pony is a pumped-up-kicks of an anthem (every band is a big band to someone, even if it’s just the cunts who are in them is a rallying cry for this festival if there ever was one), and playing on the same day as acclaimed shoegaze heroes BDRMM makes this an unmissable lineup. Riding on the high of Microtonic, their live shows are not to be missed. I never thought I’d see them five times in a year and their music be unmissable, but based off End of the Road, a show at The 100 Club and Wide Awake, their rapidly ascending rise is hard not to be missed for Infinity Peaking alone.
Lower down the bill rising rock duo GANS are pumped up for a riot, debut album Good for the Soul will be out by then and we’ll have a proper idea of where we stand but the singles – It’s Just Life, Nightwalking and I Think I Like You create an instant impression. Also there is Blood Wizard; Devil Dressed in Disguise is something I’ve been humming ever since I listened to last year’s Grinning William – capturing the lost childhood energy on stage. Rising industrial rock outfit Coilguns delivered a storm at Arctangent and look set to follow the Maruja approach – rapidly rising as the blend between the heavy and indie scenes.
The chance to explore 9 of Brighton’s most beloved grassroots music venues establishes Mutations as a must in the scene for local music; Chalk, Patterns, Revenge, The Hope & Ruin, Green Door, Store, The Prince Albert, Folklore Rooms and Alphabet, all feature with immaculate spotlight – expect tightly packed venues and a healthy crowd. At only £35 with tickets going on sale 29th August – it’s hard not to miss. There’s so many names to watch this is in no way all of them – Scaler, Truck Violence, Yaang, The Man, the Myth, The Meatslas, The None, Y and Silver Gore all make up an eclectic tastemaker of a lineup – but in a packed end of year weekend for festivals that compromises of Damnation and Simple Things, Mutations is one to earmark as a historic spot on the festival calendar.
Words by Miles Milton Jefferies
