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Mutations Festival 2025: Five new artists you need to know
The gigging equivalent of crate-digging in a Brighton record shop, here's the artists we discovered at Mutations Festival that you need to know about
In the decade since Mutations Festival formed in and around Brighton’s enviably abundant gig venues, the independent event has repeatedly sourced the newest, most innovative names from the underground before they become, well, overground. The multi-venue romp has undergone several transformations (or mutations, if you will), originating as a two-dayer, expanding to four full days at one point, before contracting to a taut two-dayer once again this year, brimming with punk grit, alt-pop anarchy, metal heft, shadowy electronica, imaginative indie rock, and all sorts of melon-twisting polyrhythms.
Headlining Mutations Festival in 2025 were Dry Cleaning and Lambrini Girls, two bands that felt indicative of what the festival had set out to achieve over its ten year tenure.
Dry Cleaning, it’s safe to say, sound like no other band on the planet. Taking to the CHALK stage on Friday night after a burrowing away with their forthcoming Cate Le Bon-produced album Secret Love for nearly two years, the London four-piece have revitalised their post-punk sonics with a Scary Monsters-era David Bowie weirdness which swirled around singer Florence Shaw’s droll delivery and irresistibly sniggersome lyricism.
On Saturday, after Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs did their utmost to rupture eardrums, Lambrini Girls spent more of their set off-stage than they did on it. Well, specifically frontperson Phoebe Lunny who leapt into the crowd at any given moment, orchestrated mass moshpits, and hoarsely commanded chant-a-longs about acceptance (donating 50% of their fee in aid of the recently vandalised Peacehaven mosque) and ending the atrocities committed before our very own eyes each day. Few artists are as intrinsically tied to Brighton and the city’s identity today as Lambrini Girls. As their stock rapidly continues to rise, appointing the force of nature duo as headliners was a no-brainer.
Mutations Festival, ultimately, is the gigging equivalent of crate-digging in a record shop. To use an analogy Brightonians will be privy to, it’s like unearthing a rare and valuable artifact in a busy, unassuming bric-a-brac shop. It’s an event which thrives around the fringes and encourages punters to check out artists they’ve never heard before – hence the clashes – and puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to risk-taking curation.
That said, we’ve selected the five best artists from the weekend which you need to know about.
Ebbb
Ebbb’s ethereal electronica gyrates with ideas, evoking the harmonic hallmarks of Animal Collective at times. The three-piece were appreciative of the impressive turnout for their Patterns show, with singer Will Rowland squeezing out every possible bead of sweat for the eager audience, managing to maintain a remarkable vocal dexterity as he himself gyrated on the barriers separating the band from the crowd. Based on their Mutations Festival debut, they’re destined to be embraced by wider crowds at summer festivals in the not-too-distant future.
Jeanie and the White Boys
A real knee-slapping ride, Jeanie and the White Boys ensured Mutations Festival finished with a snap, crackle and pop. The titular Jeanie is a bonafide icon-in-the-making, fronting her thrashy garage blues band with the kind of disheveled glamour that’d have John Waters lapping at her heels like an adoring kitty. Hilariously unfiltered and authentic to a fault, she snarled, thrashed her hair extensions to and fro, all the while commanding her (seemingly interchangeable) band to keep up pace with a sassy but tyrant-like James Brown energy. “I’m basically the black female Mark E Smith,” she wryly proclaimed before shuddering into their sultry upcoming single ‘I’m The Man’. She was joking. But if Jeanie was being serious, nobody would dare argue with her.
Ratboys
A blustery evening on the south coast was welcomingly warmed by Ratboys’ sun-dappled indie rock on the opening night of Mutations Festival. Cranking the volume up on their Danelectro guitars to the high heavens, the Chicago four-piece’s earnest Americana steam roller etched big grins on the Revenge crowd who crammed in to catch them. Ratboys’ own smiles were arguably bigger, who beamed with joy throughout. Who knew being in a band could be so fun?
Sean Trelford
Breakout bedroom pop prodigy Sean Trelford has traversed uncharted territory of late: by playing live for the very first time with a band. Though, any uncertainty around relinquishing control of his art by placing it in the hands of fellow players on stage wasn’t apparent. Raw and ruminating with teenage resent, the 19 year old’s angsty indie rock – or “acid classical” as the formally trained multi-instrumentalist puts it – is at odds with his affable persona, who was clearly chuffed at those who made it to Green Door Store. After the release of impending EP Ulcer, he’ll have to get used to many more faces in the crowd staring back at him.
Upchuck
Pity whoever gets on the wrong side of KT, Upchuck’s chest-beating frontperson. Treating the gig at sweatbox Revenge like full scale warfare inside a boxing ring, she dished out combo punches and roundhouse kicks, threw herself into full-bodied headbanging, and ensured her unbridled rage was felt by the front row – replete with a Medusa-esque if anyone mustered the courage to meet her gaze. Domino Records’ knuckle-dusting punks have been on a trail of destruction throughout the UK this summer, tearing up venues with their recent Ty Segall-produced record I’m Nice Now. Consider Brighton left in their wake.
