Ever since first attending Mutations in 2022, I have described it as a more manageable, densely packed version of The Great Escape. Since the festival condensed into two days, that description has become even more apt. Spanning multiple genres and a good selection of the city’s venues, it is a no-brainer for local live music fans looking to broaden their horizons and discover their next favourite band.
Lip Critic @ Revenge - Mutations Festival 2026
Credit must go to the Mutations bookers: there is rarely an hour without a must-see act, and the schedule is brilliantly paced. The 2026 edition is no exception, with festival-goers turning out in force across the venues and plenty of mosh pits for me to dive into, camera in hand. Here is how my Friday unfolds.
15:55 – Hutch – Revenge
The day begins at Revenge with Brighton locals Hutch. They are as reliable a way to start a festival day as you could hope for, even on the rainiest of weekends. Having seen them several times around the city, they are yet to disappoint. Their dreamy guitar tones and catchy, layered choruses are delivered with undeniable charm.
This six-piece combines guitars, bass and drums with harp, flute and synth, while JP’s voice rings out across their kaleidoscopic set. The layers build beautifully, raising smiles and getting bodies swaying throughout the room.
Pepper Kettle is a personal favourite: an undeniably nostalgic tune about an old kettle that always makes the best tea. Two minutes of catchy lyrics and power chords flow into a section that builds from psychedelia towards chaos, before suddenly returning to that infectious melodic bliss.
The only disappointment is that more people haven’t turned up. Hutch deserve a bigger stage on which to deliver their full sound. A ray of sunshine, they remain criminally overlooked, with songs that will get anyone – and probably their nan – bopping along. If you see them on a festival line-up and fancy forgetting what year it is, don’t miss them.
16:55 – Silver Gore – Chalk
Next on my Friday itinerary are Silver Gore, who deliver a tasty synth salad, with Ava Gore’s vocals floating above the duo’s dance-driven electronics. They are the perfect warm-up before the heavier acts take over.
Bathed in great lighting and benefiting from the booming sound of Chalk, Mutations’ largest venue, they are an act I hadn’t encountered before the weekend and turn out to be one of its best surprises. Their transitions between tracks are seamless, and if the crowd isn’t already in the mood to move, this is certainly the antidote. Electronic pop can easily fall into generic patterns and predictable structures, but Silver Gore are anything but conventional.
With Tash Keary, of O. fame, behind the kit for this performance, the drums are tight and assured. Alongside Ethan Flynn’s driving synth and bass, they give Ava plenty of room to dance around the stage.
Songs such as All The Good Men and Don’t Tell Your Friends make it difficult to stand still. Hypnotic, repetitive drum patterns tie everything together as the synths shift between loud and quiet, while hearing Ethan sing on Don’t Tell Your Friends adds an interesting contrast.
Even as someone who doesn’t listen to a great deal of pop, I find the songwriting undeniably joyous, perfectly matched by the often crunchy production. Silver Gore are definitely ones to keep an eye on before they get too big.
17:10 – Modern Woman – Revenge
Sadly, I only manage to get into the packed-out Revenge for the final couple of songs of Modern Woman’s set. As is always the case with festivals like this, performances overlap and it simply isn’t possible to catch everyone you want to see.
However, catching Dashboard Mary is a real treat. Sophie’s vocals build as the track swells naturally around them, with the layers gradually gathering momentum before reaching a terrific crescendo. What begins in melancholy eventually feels hopeful, making it a particularly memorable introduction to the band.
18:25 – Death Valley Girls – Revenge
Next to grace the stage at Revenge are Death Valley Girls. Somewhere between desert rock and garage punk, they bring plenty of girl power, with Bonnie Bloomgarden displaying bags of charisma and the band demonstrating excellent chemistry throughout.
There is a palpable excitement around their new album, Welcome To Earth. Toothsome grins are exchanged throughout the set, and I can’t remember the last time I saw someone look quite so happy behind a drum kit.
There is plenty to smile about between songs, too, with natural crowd interactions that never outstay their welcome. The only real disappointment is the sound at Revenge, which could simply have been louder. Though I suppose we can’t all go into work deaf on Monday morning.
Towards the end of the set, Bonnie hops down into the crowd. It is a move I have heard plenty of people criticise, but here it works wonders, energising an already engaged audience. She takes a phone from a fan and films the band from their perspective. It briefly breaks my immersion, feeling more like content creation than live performance, but the band’s cosmic grooves soon pull everyone back in.
Overall, Death Valley Girls provide a perfect transition into the heavier part of the evening, mixing rock ’n’ roll and psychedelia with energy and excitement.
19:40 – Lip Critic – Revenge
Forcing me to choose between Squid and Lip Critic is perhaps the cruellest thing Mutations could do. Despite having seen Lip Critic the previous night at The Underworld in Camden, I can’t resist another performance.
Arriving early for festival sets and catching the line checks has become one of my favourite parts of the experience. Sneak peeks of songs, isolated vocals, drums and synths – particularly ahead of a set this energetic – get the blood pumping before the band have even taken to the stage. Nothing, however, prepares you for when it all comes together.
Hailing from the increasingly exciting New York scene, the musicians behind what is probably my favourite album of the year so far take to the cramped Revenge stage like ducks to water, despite somehow fitting in two drum kits. They clearly relish turning a room full of standing onlookers inside out, regardless of the venue.
They survey the audience before demanding that everyone moves, pitching one side of the room against the other in a repeated screaming match. Then they launch into the set, and people immediately start throwing themselves into fellow concert-goers, much to the confusion of some nearby Radio 6 dads. Within a few tracks, the pit is in full swing.
Even if you’re not inclined to join the chaos, there is plenty to latch onto. Bret Kaser’s booming vocals rail against the pervasive theft of modern life, while aggressive synths and drums provide the perfect backdrop. It is an excellent soundtrack for feeling a little angry at the world.
Debt Forest and Yard Sale (230 Take) fuel the pit perfectly, and despite the relentless pace, the band never put a foot wrong. The crowd throws itself around as Bret preaches from the edge of the stage. Halfway through, he jumps down into the fray, separates one side from the other and announces the rules of combat. True chaos ensues.
A particular live highlight is Milky Max, during which one of the drummers grabs the microphone to belt out the final chorus while crowd-surfing through the room, revelling in the bedlam.
There is still room for dancing amid the unrelenting energy. Sections of songs such as Talon almost bridge the gap into pop, before the heavier, Bring Me The Horizon-style screaming kicks back in.
By the end, whether you have heard Lip Critic before or not, I’m 99 per cent certain you’ll be experiencing both shock and awe – and possibly nursing a few bruises. They are one of the most exciting live acts currently touring and deserve a place on everyone’s must-see list.
21:00 – Fat Dog – Chalk
Anyone who knows me understands my love for Friday headliners Fat Dog. Since emerging in 2020, the South London band have quickly built a reputation for rip-roaring live performances, tearing up the rule book with their heady mix of dance, punk and klezmer. Having seen them more than 30 times, I can safely say that festivals are the best environment in which to catch them. Mutations proves no exception.
They begin in true Fat Dog fashion, blasting Flight of the Valkyrie over the PA as a warning of their imminent arrival. Bathed in orange lighting, they swagger onto the stage and, before long, launch into their current opener, Smile and Wave. It is a brilliant introduction for anyone new to the band, with pulsing synths immediately setting the tone and a fledgling mosh pit opening within the first 20 seconds. It isn’t long before we get the first Ellis D drum breakdown: the necessary heartbeat of the whole operation.
The set flows beautifully, with songs often transitioning seamlessly into one another. The songwriting is so inherently anthemic that there are countless moments when the crowd sings the lines straight back to Joe. He spends almost as much time standing on the barrier as he does on stage, even inviting the audience to flip him off. He is less a frontman than a conductor, orchestrating the crowd’s every move.
The rest of the band appear to take things relatively in their stride, but keep your eyes on the stage rather than searching for the glasses you’ve just dropped in the pit and you’ll catch one of Chris and Morgan’s dance routines during Running and other tracks. They ooze coolness and charm while delivering what is arguably one of the UK’s most riotous live sets.
Snakes provides a necessary breather, and it is refreshing to see an acoustic guitar appear amid all the chaos. The crowd gets a chance to catch its breath and sway along to a rather cheesy love song before the dancing resumes.
There is little time to recover before Go Fuck Urself, Cancel Me (I’m Tired) and Bad Dog arrive in quick succession. These are anthems delivered back-to-back, giving the sweaty crowd every reason to keep going. The main set reaches its conclusion with another much-needed pause for breath in the shape of Aliens, a fun little track whose line, “You’re the reason aliens don’t come”, echoes around the room.
For the first time at one of their shows, I see an encore encouraged, and the band return to deliver a final run of favourites. Pray To That, Peace Song and Running arrive back-to-back for one last hurrah. A huge circle pit opens for the final chorus of Running, providing one last burst of pandemonium to soak up.
There is just enough time for a cigarette break in the cold October air before heading over to O..
23:00 – O. – Daltons
The return of South London duo O. is something I’ve been recommending to Mutations-goers throughout the day. Featuring just baritone saxophone and drums, theirs is a setup you are unlikely to encounter elsewhere, delivering nu-jazz grooves that offer a different kind of dance music and make for the perfect way to close a festival night.
There are no vocals, but they are not missed for a moment. Joe is endlessly entertaining to watch, not least because you never quite know what sound he is going to coax out of his brass instrument next. The results can be strangely alien, with tones that border on heavy guitar or synth, giving you plenty of reason to headbang.
Meanwhile, Tash is an absolute powerhouse behind the drums. Having already seen her perform with Silver Gore earlier in the day, it is impressive to watch her keep pace with Joe, filling out the sequences with delicate jazzy cymbal work and never missing a beat.
O. are incredibly difficult to put into words, so go and listen to WeirdOs if you want a taste of what they do. Keep an eye out for them at festivals or when they visit your town while they are still affordable to see in such intimate surroundings.
Overall, Friday at Mutations Festival 2026 is an absolute joy from beginning to end. From Hutch’s sweet songwriting at the start of the day to the sheer bedlam of Fat Dog and Lip Critic, there is something for every kind of live music fan. And if throwing yourself into a mosh pit isn’t your idea of fun, there are always plenty of quality alternatives to discover. That is the beauty of Mutations: you arrive with a plan, leave with a list of new favourites, and immediately start looking forward to next year.
Live review & photography of Friday at Mutations Festival 2026, Brighton by Owen Mills on 23rd October 2026.
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