Pop Mutations presents:

Peter Holsapple

+ U.S. Highball

Thursday 11th June

The Old Hairdresser's

18+

Peter Holsapple has recorded an extraordinary new solo album he’s calling The Face of 68. It reflects on age, humor and hurt, with his usual high-quality wordplay and legendary gifts for melody and harmony. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, Peter’s record is an enduring testament to his striking abilities as musician and songwriter. Don Dixon (R.E.M., Smithereens) produced it in Peter’s hometown of Durham NC, and the rhythm section was Rob Ladd (Connells, Don Henley) on drums and Robert Sledge (Ben Folds

Five) on electric bass. Grammy®-nominated engineer Jason Richmond was at the console for the four-day session, with Dixon mixing at his home studio in Canton, Ohio.

There are guest turns from Marti Jones, who was the first artist to cover Peter’s songs on her debut album (Unsophisticated Time on A&M) and from Mark Simonsen, who co-produced Peter’s single “Don’t Mention the War” in 2017.

But mostly it’s about Peter Holsapple: his stunning songs, his strong vocals and his newly- rediscovered love of lead guitar that came about when he was drafted by crafty pop intellectuals The Paranoid Style to play on their most recent album, The Interrogator (Bar/None), in 2023. “I’ve been at this for a long time,” Peter admits. “I picked up my mom’s guitar after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, just like hundreds at that time. It stuck, and I began singing and playing in bands right after that. My first recording session was in 1972, with Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter (Let’s Active, R.E.M. producer) in the band. I moved to New York six years later and joined forces with Chris’ band, The dB’s. We cut several albums and toured the US and England. Then I moved to Los Angeles and joined Continental Drifters. That band also cut some records, toured Germany and the US and moved to New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, I found my way back to North Carolina and my roots there. My home studio, The Hit Shed, has offered me the workspace to create endlessly, and The Face of 68 is the proof in the pudding, as it were.”

“Larger Than Life,” which was written after the death of Continental Drifters’ founder Carlo Nuccio, allowed Peter to grieve in his most comfortable manner. “Carlo was an inspiration who made me work harder and stay at the top of my game,” Peter reflects. “I miss him so much every day, his presence and ineffable energy. I have so many questions for him on the other side that I may never get answers for.”

“And from time to time Please send us a sign:

Is it all by design, or just

Larger than life?”

Then there’s the observational “That Kind of Guy” which takes on the record collector whom we all know. “I met a guy once who bragged that he’d never open his copy of the I Fought the Law album by the Bobby Fuller Four. All I could think was ‘you’re sure gonna miss some great songs, then.’”

“I got ‘In the Street,’

I got ‘Down on the Street,

I got the complete ‘Down on the Street’ reliquary...”

And the album features one of Peter’s sweetest love songs, “She and Me,” which was written for

his wife, “my hero.”

“And she,

She probably thinks I’m pretty great

Even though I’m punching well above my weight,

So we’re just gonna wait and see.

“We,

We keep it interesting, I must admit:

Never dreamed we’d find the perfect fit

That we found in she and me.”

Overall, it’s a fine way to see his way to a future of rock and roll, love and the inevitable loss

over time.

The Face of 68 is Peter Holsapple, facing forward with electric guitar in hand, and looking

enthusiastically at what’s to come.

Pop Mutations & Sentinel present:

Laura Krieg

+ Special Guests

Wednesday 10th June

The Old Hairdresser's

18+

With “Crépuscule” I wanted to make people dance, even if they’re sad. I worked on a more ethereal and warm sound, on songs to listen to with an open heart.

I wanted to explore the imaginary of the end; build a series of images captured at the moment when everything is about to disappear.

A red sky in the desert, a diffuse character taking form but refusing to become real.

I approached the writing of the album as multiple attempts to grasp this entity, resulting in a collection of fragments.

I was inspired by classic Greek tragedy: Medea, the outsider, standing by the abysm, in the middle of the emptiness. And by postdramatic theater: Hamlet-machine, the impossibility to have a voice in the shadow of the Ghost. The omnipresence of death where we expect life.

Another idea that drove the making of the album was the “in-between”: make encounter a feeling that drives me towards the deepness and another that pulls me up, searching for transcendence. In this liminal state, explore the space between melancholy and desire.

Dancing to the end of everything. I placed the body in the center of the process, as a form of resistance:“Au milieu de la nuit, les corps sont brillants”.

Pop Mutations & monorail present:

Radhika 'Cine-Pop' album launch

+ The Cords (acoustic set)

+ Stone Anthem

+ DJ Gerard Love + Stephen Pastel

Mono

Friday 5th June

Radhika Meera Dade: “Ever since I entered this realm, music has surrounded me in every way possible. The sounds of magic have been nourishing my soul since birth, the first memories I have as a young child are listening to my dad’s eclectic vinyl collection. I feel so lucky to have been exposed to such a range of music at a really young age: artists from Alice Coltrane to The Go-Betweens, all of these musicians have subconsciously and consciously inspired me musically in many different ways”.

Glass Modern is very proud to present the debut album by Radhika Meera Dade. Cine-Pop is a collection of songs that flow gently and easily in and out of each other – a suite, a short film, everything an album should be. Coming in at 33.3 minutes, it’s the perfect length for an album, it doesn’t short change you, it doesn’t stay too long – it’s designed to be played in one sitting. It’s like being in a friend’s house and noticing the things that are most important in their life – objects, family portraits, records, musical equipment, their curated accumulation. It reflects so many things – culture, community, fandom and the incredible bond between Radhika and her father, Sushil, the Future Pilot AKA.

The record spans generations and continents but its home is always Radhika and the family jams she made with Sushil in various garages, bedrooms and garden dens – her soaring voice and love of all kinds of music from Bollywood to Goth Pop to The Glasgow School. The songs are collected from memory and the immediacy of time – one goes all the way back to her 10 year old self penning Future Me, an eco anthem. In different moments other musicians appear – most notably key collaborator, Eric MacDonald, on hazy synth and keys, and Radhika’s mother Vinita, who has a gorgeous voice too. The Glasgow School is very present – Mitch Mitchell (The Pastels) , Gerard Love (Lightships/ ex-Teenage Fanclub) and Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura) all bring their casual magic to the table.

Cine-Pop, mostly made in Glasgow at La Chunky Studio with the excellent Colin McGeogh (who also contributes flute, keys and electronics) is a one-off. It’s unrepeatable – there, gone. It’s the world through the eyes of a dazzling young Indo-Scottish woman. Everything she is has gone into it, is part of it and is there for a reason. Following on from the first single, Starry Eyes, which was played multiple times on BBC 6Music and other stations, other singles to be released from the album include Feline Bandits plus a version of the Strawberry Switchblade classic Since Yesterday.

Radhika will also be collaborating with Glasgow-based film maker, Laura Meek, on promos and the plan is to play live throughout the year.

Pop Mutations presents:

Car Culture

+ Loris S. Sarid

+ Loradeniz

Wednesday 27th May

The Old Hairdresser's

18+

New Jersey born, Queens based artist Car Culture, the alias of Daniel Fisher (best known as Physical Therapy), releases his new album Rest Here via NAFF Recordings today. Exemplifying Fisher’s wide ranging approach to production, Rest Here plays like a well-worn mixtape: ranging from fuzzy dream pop to hypnotic downtempo. Rest Here includes the single “Doesn’t Really Matter,” a hazy power ballad duet with vocals from Fisher and Chicago-based indie star Squirrel Flower. To celebrate the release of Rest Here, Car Culture will perform live in New York City at Nowadays on October 16th with Ian Kim Judd, J. Albert, livwutang, and Purelink. Purchase tickets HERE.

Rest Here, which was highlighted in New York Magazine’s 17 Albums We Can’t Wait To Hear This Fall and aptly described as “a trippy, blissful album by his [Daniel Fisher’s] impressionistically psychedelic alter ego,” represents an evolution for Fisher, known for his long and winding discography of dance music releases. While earlier works often touched on the emotive and melodic, Rest Here moves firmly into songwriting territory, with the addition of live instrumentation and a focus on vocals. Fisher has always approached his projects with a talent for world-building and on Rest Here, he creates something tender and captivating.

Constructed over the course of 3 years between New York and Montreal alongside a cast of collaborators – mainly long-time friend Patrick Holland – layers of guitars, drums and samples come together to build a heartsick wall of sound. These emotionally and sonically dense songs inhabit a familiar place for Fisher, somewhere between brain-rotted cognitive dissonance and tear jerking sentimentality. Warm psychedelic shoe-wave primed for emotional projection. Rest Here features Fisher’s own vocals as well as London’s Ms Ray and aforementioned Squirrel Flower. The project also includes contributions from NAFF label co-founder Priori, and New York’s J. Albert. The album was mixed by Patrick Holland and mastered by Matt Colton. Cover Photo by Ganem Haiek with artwork and design by Jesse Osborne-Lanthier. The new album also includes the previously shared singles “Rest Here” and “Is Love Knowing,” along with the tracks “Coping Mechanism” and “Nothingburger” from the Nothingburger EP released this summer, which also includes two reimaginings from Purelink and Hotline TNT respectively. Fisher recently spoke with Larry Fitzmaurice for his Substack Last Donut of The Night to discuss creating the album further. Check out the piece HERE.

This fall, Fisher will embark on his first ever live tour, kicking off with a release party thrown by NAFF Recordings on October 12th in Montreal at Parquette Montreal with additional live dates in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, London, Berlin and Milan to follow. See full list of upcoming shows below.

Over the course of the last 15 years, Fisher has had a prolific, zig-zagging career, releasing genre-agnostic music under a number of aliases, often on his own Allergy Season label. From his first EP on the ground breaking label Hippos In Tanks, Fisher has continually created surprising, playful electronic music. Through his DJ sets around the globe and his long running NTS Radio show, Fisher manages to weave these many threads together.

As Car Culture, Fisher brings focus to his sentimental side. In the fan-favorite Remissions mix series, he collages fuzzy folktronica, found sounds and unexpected edits into foot-gazing narratives. His productions as Car Culture are sometimes serene, sometimes heart wrenching. Zoom out and you hear tranquilizing electronica, zoom in and you find soulful songwriting. Fisher released his first LP as Car Culture, Dead Rock, in 2021, referred to by Resident Advisor as “[one of] the great ambient records to emerge from the Brooklyn-Queens techno scene.”

Listen to Rest Here above, see full album details and upcoming live dates below, and stay tuned for more from Car Culture coming soon.

Pop Mutations & The Glad Cafe presents:
Blind Yeo

plus supports tba

Tuesday 26th May

The Glad Cafe

‘Anam cara’ means ‘soul friend’ in Gaelic,” says Blind Yeo singer, songwriter and guitarist Will Greenham. “The human face is the window to the soul. Your soul friend can know more about you than you know about yourself. These connections can last seconds or a lifetime. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to that moment that will never happen again. We captured the song live in a turbulent and emotive time and in true Blind Yeo spirit you will never hear the song this way again.

The project began in the quiet and solitude of lockdown, before coming alive in a creatively explosive residency at the newly opened Cornish Bank in 2022 – a vibrant not-for-profit community arts space in the centre of Falmouth which has become the heart of a thriving underground Cornish scene of which Blind Yeo are very much a part. The band has since grown into a psychedelic carnival of sound best experienced live'

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:

screensaver

+ Special Guests

Monday 25th May

The Old Hairdresser's

18+

Throwing off the shackles of existential dread with hypnotic beats, punk energy and swirling synths, screensaver take weighty themes about power, lies, corporate coercion and systemic failure and deliver them via their blend of maximalist post punk. With a dance heartbeat, a kraut-rock back bone and new wave glimmer, there’s a catharsis in their anxiety induced compositions that is both dark but danceable.

Beginning as a trans Pacific collaboration between Christopher Stephenson (Spray Paint/Exek) and Krystal Maynard (Bad Vision/Polo/Swim Team) back in 2016, the project spent three years in an incubatory state. By 2019 Christopher had long since relocated to Melbourne and the current line up now consists of James Beck (Personal Touch/ex Rat Columns) on drums, Dorian Vary (Soundtrackmusic) on bass and Jonnine Nokes (Horse Pills/Activities of Daily Living) on synth. 


In 2021 the band delivered their 10-track debut album Expressions of Interest on Upset the Rhythm (UK) and Heavy Machinery (AU) to positive international response. Establishing a sound on the album that ranged from electronic driven krautrock, to post-punk full of tribal toms and dirge-y synths to death-disco style tracks with touches of EDM. See praise for the record on Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll, KEXP, Post Trash, Blunt Magazine, Clash (UK). The album was also a regular feature on Henry Rollin’s KCRW Santa Monica radio show.

In 2023 screensaver released their sophomore album Decent Shapes which came out as a split release on Poison City Records (AUS) and Upset the Rhythm (UK) and extended on the bands brand of maximalist synth driven post-punk established on their debut. The first single The Guilt found itself in the AMRAP Independent Music Charts top 10 during its first few weeks of release and received praise on Rolling Stone Australia , Post Trash , Raven Sings the Blues and PBS FM. The album has received excellent reviews on NME, KEXP, Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll and Brooklyn Vegan to name a few.

“You can hear the rocking yearning of peak Sleater-Kinney, the blunt thunk of early ’80s disco punk, coldwave’s synth-licked gloom (or the modern update of BELGRADO), and high-rolling Banshees goth rock. Often some of all of those are happening at once, which is in itself a niche of sorts, but a bigger factor in all this is that screensaverr are really adept songwriters” - Noel Gardner, Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Being somewhat prolific in nature screensaver released their third album Three Lens Approach on Poison City in Nov 2025 with praise from Rolling Australia, Raven Sings the Blues, Post Punk.com, Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll, RRR Radio and was the feature record on Melbourne’s PBS Radio the week after release and has also been on heavy rotation on Henry Rollin’s radio show on KCRW.

“Three Lens Approach moves like a warning flare shot across a collapsing horizon. No sermons, no tidy moral. Just five musicians channeling the world’s pressure cooker into something that kicks, sweats, trembles, and insists on being felt. screensaver aren’t documenting the chaos…they’re swallowed up in it, transmitting whatever they can before the signal cuts. If you want anything expanded, louder, meaner, or more chaotic, just say the word.” – Alice Teeple, Post Punk.com

The band has toured Australia multiple times, embarked on two international tours, the USA in September 2022, playing Gonerfest 19 in Memphis, Tennessee and the UK and Europe in August 2024 including Get Lost Fest X in Hamburg, Germany. They’ve also shared bills with Tropical Fuck Storm, Party Dozen, Snooper, Coffin, Power Plant and more.

The band is set to return to Europe and the UK thanks to Annibale Tours in May 2026.

Pop Mutations presents:
The Ex
+ Special Guests
Friday 22nd May
The Flying Duck
18+

Few bands are as focused on potential challenges, on what is yet to come, as The Ex. Which is pretty remarkable for a band that celebrated 45 years of existence last year, a turbulent journey filled with an impressive series of highlights. However, nostalgia has never been this band's forte, as they like no other succeed in reinventing themselves, finding new alliances and fascinating challenges along the way. Stay out of that comfort zone for long enough and it just might disappear.

Take a look at the band's story - an unpredictably winding road you can partly keep track of with the chronological series of reissues that they have been making available - and you'll conclude that there never was any stagnation. What started with raucous punk, rooted in the squatting and punk movements of the late 70s, turned into an impossible-to-label range that made its mark nationally as well as internationally.

The Ex played more than 2000 concerts in 45 countries, often as a pioneer. In the 80s, they were one of the very first Western bands to explore Central and Eastern- Europe, from Hungary to the former Czechoslovakia, Poland and Russia. Only after that, Canada and the United States followed. A crucial link turned up at the start of the new millennium, when the band traveled to Ethiopia for the first time, backed by a VPRO TV crew. It was the start of a unique chapter in the band's history: several tours (on several continents), an intense collaboration with Ethiopian artists (from Getatchew Mekuria, with whom they played more than 100 concerts, to dancer and cultural ambassador Melaku Belay, and many others) and lots of releases ensured The Ex also became a pioneer in the 'crossover' world, where music from different regions collides.

The pandemic was a standstill for many, including The Ex. Or perhaps it was more a kind of recharging, as the band is back on national and international stages with new music, ready to return to the studio. Once again, their versatility is evident. Whether you're talking about a legendary rock venue in Amsterdam (The Ex played more than three dozen concerts at Paradiso, with a.o. an Ex Festival during its 50th birthday celebrations) or a festival in Austria where the best of the international free music scene gathers (in november the band plays the legendary Wels Unlimited): the band is so unique that it's all possible.

Just like in the previous decades, new opportunities keep turning up. Only recently, Andy Moor and Terrie Ex contributed to a contemporary live soundtrack to Limite (a classic of Brazilian cinema), during the Holland Festival. Once again an illustration of the fact that the band is so much more than four musicians in a straitjacket. The Ex is still an eager sponge for diverse inspirations, as well as a generator for ideas, a way of life, an ode to vitality and an extended hand.

And they celebrated this with a festival for their 45th birthday. Not a predictable rearview mirror event, no tribute to what once was, but an opportunity to show what living, organic interaction can lead to in the moment. And right now, early 2025, there's a full new album called If Your Mirror Breaks, and a big tour all around Europe, yes, indeed again: "Forward In All Directions".

— Text by Guy Peters.

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:

MAQUINA.

+ Special Guests

Monday 18th May

The Flying Duck

18+

The fierce Lisbon trio MAQUINA. pushes the edges of body music with hypnotic krautrock rhythms, driving industrial beats, and raw punk power. Their live-centered sound thrives on relentless drums, gritty bass, and sharp guitar noise, delivering primal intensity that breaks genre boundaries. Their 2024 album ‘PRATA’ channels organic dance energy perfect for both underground clubs and dance floors alike. MAQUINA.’s live performances are second to none where the repetition leads to steaming mosh pits every single time.

Little is known about Dylan Henner, who landed on the ambient scene in 2020 with cassette releases for Phantom Limb, Belgian label Dauw, and cult tastemakers AD93. He barely promotes himself publicly, instead choosing to communicate through disarmingly poetic song titles. His debut album “The Invention of the Human” (AD93, 2020 - a recipient of BBC 6Music’s Album of the Year honours) responds to a set of philosophical questions - what exactly makes us human? What good is civilisation when there’s so much misery attached to it? How will technology affect humanity in the long run? In 2022, he released follow-up You Always Will Be on AD93, which traced the course of a single life from birth, to childhood, to adolescence, adulthood, parenthood, middle-age, old-age, and demise. He has also covered Raymond Scott, Terry Riley, Aphex Twin, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Su Tissue among numerous further projects.

Henner is not to keen on promoting himself on socials, instead choosing to communicate mostly through wondrously imaginative soundscapes and disarmingly poetic song titles (’The Sun Made the Sea Look Gold’, ’Children Were Climbing The Old Tree in the Park’, ’A Spring With The Remains Of A Fire’) and ditto visual artwork.

The Invention of the Human attempts to tackle a set of basic philosophical questions - what exactly makes us human? What good is civilisation when there’s so much misery attached to it? How will technology affect humanity in the long run? - through the mind and soundcard of a computer.

The result is a collection of superbly constructed human-not-human soundscapes built from synthesized vocals that are morphed into two pocket symphonies, with moods ranging from serene and cerebral to alienated and desolate, referencing ambient and experimental music, sound design and field recordings. The invention of the Human is a bleak vision of a future in which humans are only a small part of the equation. A new world that’s neither utopic or dystopic, with nature and technology in a strange yet perfect balance.

2022 saw the release of a brand new full length on AD93 You Always Will Be. The album, a single 40-minute piece, tells the story of a single life from birth to death. Dylan writes “I've been thinking about the passage of life a lot recently as I lost all four of my grandparents but celebrated the birth of my daughter all within a short period of time. The brevity and preciousness of being really hit me."

The record enjoyed critical acclaim on release, including being named as Album of the Week by The Quietus, by leading music writer Shawn Reynaldo and by 6Music’s Tom Ravenscroft.

Dylan Henner has also covered Terry Riley and Su Tissue and released a loveletter to a train journey through rural Pennsylvania in late 2021 EP Amtracks. He has released cassette and digital records for Brighton-based Phantom Limb, Belgian label Dauw and AD93’s tape-only imprint Syon.

Pop Mutations presents:
Chris Stamey
+ The Martial Arts
+ Chris Reeve
Friday 15th May
The Glad Cafe
18+

Chris Stamey is an indie-rock icon with a long and illustrious history that’s encompassed co-founding seminal avant-pop band The dBs, playing with Alex Chilton in the 70s, and more recently with Jody Stephens's Big Star Quintet. His upcoming album, Modernism (May 1) was conceived as a companion piece to 2025’s lauded Anything Is Possible (with guests the Lemon Twigs), and is a further “love letter” to the kaleidoscopic variety of music heard on AM and free-form FM radio in the 1960s and early 70s. It features many of his favorite songs from that era, with special guests such as Jody Stephens (Big Star), Pat Sansone (Wilco), long-time cohort Mitch Easter, Probyn Gregory and Nelson Bragg (formerly of the Brian Wilson band), The dB’s, NC legend Wes Lachot, and Emily Frantz (Watchhouse), among others. First singles are “Hey Bulldog” (with Stephens) and “Waterloo Sunset” (with The dB’s).

As a producer and a featured singer/songwriter with the Paris-based Salt Collective project, he has collaborated with Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Juliana Hatfield, Richard Lloyd (Television), Matthew Sweet, Aimee Mann, Andy Partridge, The Lemon Twigs, Mike Mills, and Lynn Blakey, among others. As a producer, arranger, and mixer, he has worked with over a hundred artists, including Alejandro Escovedo, Kronos Quartet, Flat Duo Jets, Skylar Gudasz, Branford Marsalis, Tift Merritt, Le Tigre, Those Pretty Wrongs, Ryan Adams, and Yo La Tengo.

Other tracks on the new record Modernism include Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” (featuring the Uptown Horns, Brian Dennis [DAG], and Jon Wurster [Mountain Goats, Superchunk]), “Shadows Breaking Over My Head” by the Left Banke, “Hernando’s Hideaway” (from The Pajama Game, and a 1954 hit for Everly Bros. producer Archie Bleyer), “At Last” (by Harry Warren), as well as three new interpretations of his own earlier tunes. There’s also a closer of the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday,” a version produced by Alex Chilton in 1977.

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:

Styrofoam Winos

+ Youth Of America

+ Curtis Miles

Tuesday 12th May

The Glad Cafe

18+

Styrofoam Winos is the voltron of songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, and longtime friends Joe Kenkel, Trevor Nikrant, and Lou Turner. The trio formed in Nashville’s DIY scene and released their debut self-titled studio album in 2021. Styrofoam Winos’ recordings and live sets buzz with the energy of the band’s radically communal approach, rotating vocal and instrumental roles within their exploratory folk rock songs. The band went on to release a Michael Hurley covers tape in 2022 and appeared on MJ Lenderman’s And the Wind (Live and Loose!) album in 2023. Their sophomore studio album, Real Time, is out now via Sophomore Lounge.

Praise for Real Time:

“An endearing and invigorating collection of shaggy southern rock and dusty, woolen folk” - Aquarium Drunkard

“Bursting with great songs, channeling their individual personalities into a cohesive and delightful whole. Front porch Americana at its best.” - Post Trash

“If a batch of songs could be worn and patched, ripped, rumpled, darned, and laid out to iron in the cold light of morning, they’d sound something like the patchwork pearls on Real Time. The album is lived-in and stripped of pretense. It’s lost and found, an easy friend in all times.” - Raven Sings the Blues

“The Winos meld together here more than ever before, creating a cohesive album that sounds relaxed and comfortable as a whole. It’s not like “laid-back country rock” is new territory for Styrofoam Winos, but the way that they do it here–effortlessly passing the torch between the three of them, creating a singular vibe across these ten songs–is a palpable leap.” - Rosy Overdrive

SPITE HOUSE X POP MUTATIONS present…

Artificial Go

with Radio Banter

————————

Hailing from Cincinnati, OH, Artificial Go, brings the beat to live like the world is your runway.

Echoes of post punk chime through jingles, jangles, hips and hops as the four piece marches inward and onward, exploring the tastes of music.
————————


Age restrictions: Over 14s, under 18s with a responsible adult.

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Mini Skirt
+ Special Guests
Saturday 9th May
The Old Hairdresser's
18+

Five long years since their debut album 'Casino' snuck into the ears of punk enthusiasts around the world, Mini Skirt’s second full length album, 'All That We Know', is now ready to hurl at the world. The Byron Bay NSW pub-punkers continue to deliver their brand of jagged, raw political Aussie grit, delving deeper and leaning harder into their signature blend of Australian punk. Mixed/mastered by Mikey Young (Eddy Current, Total Control) and released November 14th 2025 via Bad Vibrations, 'All That We Know' solidifies Mini Skirt’s position at the forefront of a socially inspired noisescape.

All grit and no glamour, Mini Skirt’s noisy new body of work is underpinned by lyricist and visual artist Jacob Boylan – painting a picture of the modern social climate, every verse and chorus a well-crafted and concise assessment that has the listener replaying each line to be sure they don’t miss a word. This is, as always, laid on top of the dirty, driving guitar/bass tones and skin splitting drums that have helped Mini Skirt to develop their own sound in a heavily saturated and competitive corner of rock’n’roll. Paying homage to Australian pioneers such as X and Radio Birdman, Mini Skirt's sound remains raw and honest across these eleven tracks.

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete

+ Special Guests

Saturday 9th May

The Flying Duck

18+

Originally from Guadalajara and now based in Ensenada, Baja California, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete formed in 2011 around the core duo of Lorena Quintanilla and Alberto González. They quickly caught the attention of the psych scene with their first two albums, On Welfare and Corruptible Faces.

Since signing with UK label Sonic Cathedral in 2013, the band has toured extensively across Mexico, the UK, Europe, and the US. Over the past decade, their sound has gradually evolved from its psychedelic roots toward a more exploratory direction, incorporating analog synths and sonic search reminiscent of bands like Wire. This progression is evident across albums such as Chambers, Balance, De Facto, and Datura. Along the way, they’ve collaborated with artists like Emma Anderson (Lush), Dälek, and Pye Corner Audio, and have earned fans in the likes of Henry Rollins and Iggy Pop.

Pop Mutations presents:
My New Band Believe
+ Special Guests
Tuesday 28th April
The Flying Duck
18+

My New Band Believe is an experimental project formed in February 2025 by Cameron Picton, formerly of black midi. The London-based group, blending art-rock and folk influences, released their debut single "Lecture 25" on February 14, 2025, which features lyrics adapted from poet Dennis Cooper.

claire rousay’s music cascades from a well of documented experience, reflections of the past that compose the present. A prolific multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer, rousay gracefully crafts boundaryless music. From her frequent and acclaimed collaborations to her film scoring, from her own compositions to her solo pop work, rousay’s music is delicate yet powerful, carefully constructed with a casual intimacy.

claire's live show brings a singular reflexivity, unflinching honesty and adroit humour to the performance space, with an ever-burgeoning audience accepting the invite into her soundworld.

Mono & Pop Mutations presents…

SWELL MAPS

with Normal Service

18+

In the mid-1970s, a collective of six English teenagers started creating music  together in their suburban home-town of Solihull. This project evolved to  become Swell Maps, around a core of three musicians: Jowe Head (bass,  guitars & vocals), his school-friend the late Nikki Sudden (guitar & vocals),  and Nikki’s brother, the late Epic Soundtracks (drums & keyboards). They  recorded their debut single, “Read About Seymour” in 1977, and released it  on their own label, Rather Records. Swell Maps were one of the first punk  bands to set up an “independent” record label. They are also known as one of  the pioneers of “Alternative Rock”, mixing punk with experimental sounds.  

Swell Maps proceeded to release four singles and two albums in a brief but  eventful career, in partnership with Rough Trade Records. They topped the  UK independent charts, and influenced various bands such as Sonic Youth,  Nirvana, Stereolab, and Blur. The original line-up split in 1980, but those two  original studio albums, “A Trip to Marineville” and “Jane From Occupied  Europe”, are still attracting a new generation of enthusiastic listeners.  

In 2021, Jowe Head organised performances with ten musicians to perform  Swell Maps music over two concerts on consecutive nights at Cafe Oto, in  Hackney, east London. They performed a diverse selection of Maps material,  some of which had never been performed live before. Many of these  musicians also performed together again at Rough Trade in 2022, at the  launch party for Jowe’s book on Swell Maps. More concerts followed at  Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paris, Manchester, Leeds and Berlin, and more are  planned. This ongoing project has resulted in a new album, recorded in early  2025, titled “C21”, and released through Tiny Global Productions. 

The material was composed by Jowe and other band members at various  times between 1979 and the present. For example, Jowe co-wrote two of  them with Nikki Sudden, and two with Phones Sportsman. Swell Maps still  offer memorable melodies and wild riffs with super hooks, while retaining  radical ideas and eccentric musical shapes. There are contrasts of mood,  including a new recording of Epic’s ballad “Jelly Babies”, his 1982 solo single.  

The current collective of musicians features:  

Jowe Head (vocals, guitar), a founder-member of Swell Maps.

David Callahan (vocals, guitar), from Wolfhounds and Moonshake.

Jeff Bloom (drums), from Television Personalities. 

Lee McFadden (bass), from Alternative TV. 

Lucie Rejchrtova (keyboards), formerly in Crazy World Of Arthur Brown.

Chloe Herrington (melodica, electonica), formerly in Chrome Hoof.

Luke Haines (vocals, guitar), formerly of Auteurs, Black Box Recorder.

EARTHBALL are a wild ensemble from Canada, mainly based on Vancouver Island. EarthBall's live shows epitomise their commitment to spontaneous composition, offering audiences a unique experience with each performance. The last two years have seen EarthBall release their debut LP 'It's Yours' and a live album entitled 'Actual Earth Music - Volume 1 & 2' featuring Chris Corsano and Steve Beresford on Upset The Rhythm. This winter they returned with their best effort to date 'Outside Over There’ - a gathering of sound at the forest's edge; where feedback, saxophone screams, and ecstatic vocals dissolve the boundary between chaos and clarity. Perhaps John Olson of Wolf Eyes sums up the album best:

“Outside Over There is an eight-track odyssey that unfolds like a dreamscape, where whispered incantations brush against the shadowy fringes of the cosmos, and wild, Cézanne-inspired rock anthems erupt like geysers of color in the midst of a western warm and wet rain storm… culminating in the sprawling eleven-minute masterpiece, ‘And The Music Shall Untune The Sky,’ aptly dubbed the Earth Crusher. A creation so utterly deconstructed and intertwined with the pulse of nature itself that if AI was called upon to conceive ‘Outside Over There’ anew, it would just spit back, “F.U. in Tree Font”. An enchanting invitation for even the flat-earthers to join the circle, if only just a little.”

https://upsettherhythm.bandcamp.com/album/outside-over-there

Pop Mutations presents:
HOUSE Of ALL
+ Special Guests
Friday 24th April
Stereo
18+

HOUSE  Of ALL return to the road next spring to support their new album, with the full Burns / Hanley / Wolstencroft three-drum line-up and a heap of golden new songs. Now easily the premiere band to arise in the wake of The Fall - and the best thing out of Manchester in years - HOA's first three albums are already regarded as classics. This is a hot ticket, and that's before any concrete details have leaked about their best album yet!

No one was expecting the arrival of HOUSE Of ALL, a group comprised entirely of former members of The Fall: Martin Bramah (vocals, guitar), Pete Greenway (guitar), Paul Hanley (drums, vocals), Stephen Hanley (bass) and ‘Funky’ Si Wolstencroft (drums), Indeed, the first news of the group for most was an article in The Guardian about a ‘scandal’ caused by Martin’s (technically accurate) use of the phrase ‘a Fall family continuum’ to describe the band and its work, a piece which arrived in tandem with news of the group’s HOUSE Of ALL album, which sold by the bucketload and received tremendous praise from all corners.
A year later, CONTINUUM arrived, a long-player every bit as good as its predecessor. The boys toured behind each record, as well as enjoying the odd one-off gig here and there to satiate fan demand. After each studio albums, they released new fan-only compact disc / booklet packages loaded with live tracks, remixes and radio sessions.
The group’s original pledge to open to other members of The Fall family has been kept with the recent news of a third drummer, Karl Burns, who plays on their last album, HOUSE Of ALL SOULS, as well as Phil Lewis filling in live for Pete on live dates and playing on the new album, too.

Pop Mutations & Freakender presents:

Sick Thoughts

+ Gold Cup

+ Speedbong

+ Masonic Youth (debut)

Thursday 23rd April

The Flying Duck

18+

Sick Thoughts is the music project of Drew Owen, a

multi-instrumentalist who began releasing music under the name as a

teenager in Baltimore. From the outset, Sick Thoughts became known for

its raw intensity and prolific output, blending feral garage punk

energy with a clear reverence for classic KBD-era sounds. All

recordings—performed, recorded, and mixed by Owen himself

Now based in New Orleans, Owen has continued to refine Sick Thoughts

without sacrificing the chaos and urgency that defined its early

years. His songwriting has evolved to embrace sharper melodies and

tighter arrangements, all while remaining unfiltered and aggressive.

The live band has toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe, known

for explosive, high-energy performances that leave no doubt about the

project’s staying power.

In addition to releasing music through respected underground labels

like Goner Records, Total Punk, and Goodbye Boozy Owen also launched

his own label, ROKK Records, further asserting creative control and a

fiercely DIY ethic. With an expansive discography of singles, EPs, and

LPs—and the new "Another Piece of Plastic" mini album on the way—Sick

Thoughts continues to stand as one of the most vital and

uncompromising voices in modern rock.

Raisa K, also known as Raisa Khan, is a singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist who grew up in London. Her debut album ‘Affectionately’ was released in March 2025 and marks her first solo full-length record, following her previous releases with Good Sad Happy Bad, of which she is a member. The album consists entirely of self-produced laptop instrumentals, weaving Raisa’s signature vocals into a unique soundworld. Its overarching theme explores the intricate cycles of relationships and commitment with heartfelt sincerity. On stage, Raisa delivers these songs with newfound energy, joined by Coby Sey (bass/vocals) and Pike (drums).

Pop Mutations & The Glad Cafe presents:

Bhajan Bhoy

plus Radhika

and Normal Service

Wednesday 15th April at The Glad Cafe

Ajay Saggar has been making music under the moniker BHAJAN BHOY since 2020, releasing eight albums and touring around the globe. As a member of both Water Damage and CHELA, he appeared on 3 consecutive nights at Le Guess Who? festival in November 2024, and performed there again in his Bhajan Bhoy guise in 2025 to glowing reviews:

MOJO magazine : “Bhajan Bhoy delivers a highly affecting and brilliant set”

The Quietus : “Fridays’s highlight…an immersive experience that pulses with cosmic illumination”

Bhajan Bhoy’s music ploughs a peak time psychedelic furrow; from lazy interstellar ragas to lysergic electronic music, mellow psychedelic experimentation and all sorts of kosmische mutations. His new album, “Meditations” will be released on 17 April 2026 on Cardinal Fuzz (UK) / Feeding Tube Records (USA).

“With BHAJAN BHOY, Saggar synthesizes all of the stylistic approaches he’s explored over the years, swirling them into an intoxicating musical blend, with an earthy spirituality. Even the project’s name reflects the dual aspects of Saggar’s upbringing coming together in harmony. In Hindi, a “bhajan” is a devotional song, sung in the mandir, or temple, while “bhoy” is a Scottish and Irish derivation for a young man. There’s a searching quality to Bhajan Bhoy, as if Saggar is still hunting for transcendence with each track, whether through an expansive drone, an orchestral facility on the piano, or an electronics-augmented raga that threatens to dip into noise” (Erick Bradshaw / writer and WFMU DJ).

music : https://bhajanbhoy.bandcamp.com/

Pop Mutations presents:
Lathe Of Heaven
+ Nurse

+ Callous Feedback
Sunday 12th April
The Flying Duck
18+

Formed in 2021, Brooklyn based Lathe of Heaven delivers a powerful take on post-punk and new-wave, pushing the boundaries of both genres into an untouched realm of sonic abstraction. With melodic riffs, urgent rhythms and science-fiction themed lyrics,

LoH carefully position themselves in the no-mans-land that ex ists between beauty and dissonance, offering a unique sound as reminiscent of Finnish post-punkers Musta Paraati as they are to pop-pioneers A Flock of Seagulls. Though Lathe of Heaven features members of many noteworthy Brooklyn based projects including People’s Temple, Porvenir Oscuro, Pawns, Android, Hustler, and more, this roster of past and alternate musical endeavors exposes a diverse range of genre and skill sets which can only be understood as a departure from such influences, exploring a sound entirely
of its own.
Lathe of Heaven released their debut full-length album Bound By Naked Skies in 2023. With careful consideration, this eleven track blends elements of British new-wave and Finnish post-punk into a nuanced juxtaposition of 80s sonic mania. This record pays powerful homage to the uncanny worlds of authors Arthur C. Clarke, Octavia Butler, Ken Liu, and of course Ursula K. Le Guin (whose novel the band is named after). They return with their second full length album Aurora, a bold expansion of their sonic and thematic palette that unfolds like a series of vivid, emotional vignettes.

Rather than following a singular tone or mood, Aurora un- folds like a collection of short stories, each track offering a different lens into the band’s evolving sound and deeply reflective lyricism.
Aurora is an iteration of Lathe of Heaven’s sound previously unexplored, one that offers a delicate balance of their punk roots with captivating new-wave and 80s post-punk aesthetics. Lyrically, Auro ra doesn’t shy away from heavy themes. Envisioned as a collection of sci-fi short stories, it is deeply influenced and lyrically driven by themes of anti-colonialism, diversity, and equality. Set to be re leased August 29th, 2025, Aurora stakes its claim; “tremble without fear into dreamless oblivion.” You are invited.

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
SUEP
+ Special Guests
Saturday 11th April
The Glad Cafe
18+

Led by Georgie Stott and Joshua Harvey, SUEP have become fixtures of south-east London’s underground through a series of shared living spaces, improvised studios and DIY venues. Now with George Nicholls (The Tubs, Joanna Gruesome, GN Band), William Deacon (PC World), and Louis Forster (The Goon Sax, Expiry) completing the line up, their debut is finally on its way.

Georgie met car-boot-camera-salesman Joshua aged 18 in Winchester. Forming an instant bond, they proceeded to spend 72 hours together chatting and laughing, before forming a punk band with 2 friends. When Georgie went to university in Brighton, Joshua ended up living rent free on the floor of her squalid, now demolished, East Slope dorm-room for the entire year. They spent their time driving around the hills of Sussex, going to boot sales and listening to music very loudly on the speaker he’d hooked up to his creaking Morris Minor. The duo started experimenting with playing each other’s songs under the name ‘SUEP’ after moving into the Pupil Referral Unit - a property guardianship that once housed wayward adolescents.

An early formulation of the band fell apart after various breakups led to a member escaping to Australia, but after moving to London they soon locked in with Nicholls, Deacon and original bassist Oliver Chapman (who departed shortly after ‘Forever’ was recorded). During this era, Georgie and Josh lived in the Red Lion Boys Club - an ex-youth centre that hosted art exhibitions, raves and their weekly practices. Georgie lived illegally in a cupboard, just large enough for a double bed, and working as an early morning bakery delivery girl, while Joshua lived on a mezzanine platform he built out of scaffolding - the floor beneath full of obscure electronics and musical detritus.

It’s in the echoey expanse of the Boys Club sports hall that the 2022 EP Shop was recorded, and in which the songs of Forever were first honed. Lead vocals on the album are shared between Georgie (7 tracks), Joshua (2 tracks) and Oliver (1), and a spirit of easygoing collaboration exudes through every track - no member overplaying, everyone slotting in for the greater whole.

Forever is a glimpse into one of the best bands on the scene, not fitting into any trend, but also never fading into obscurantism - SUEP are a band that wear a joie de vivre loosely but fashionably.  Now is their time to shine.

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:

Black Doldrums

+ Special Guests

Friday 10th April

The Old Hairdresser's

18+

Kevin Gibbard and Sophie Landers produce a contemporary form of gothic post-punk, with songs that contain hook and lead tribal drums and euphoric guitar textures that frame introspective lyrics. They are known for their intense live performances, creating their

own style of dark post-punk driven by vicious drums, distinctive atmospheric guitar and melodic bass.

After the success of their debut album ‘Dead Awake’ on Fuzz Club Records in 2022 and gaining critical acclaim across mainstream media outlets, such as Uncut, Rolling Stone and Sonic Seducer, the band released their follow up second album ‘In Limerence’ in October 2024. Described by Louder Than War as ‘ lush yet glacial soundscapes, ramping up

with bursts of energy before dispersing and cascading into an ethereal depth” ‘In Limerence’ is proving to be the album that pushes Black Doldrums further into the depths of their atmospheric post-punk.

“A mix of gothic-rock and shoegaze sounds to die for” Rolling Stone

“A fierce combination of post-punk, reverb, drone and melody” Uncut

“Awe -inspiring…Black Doldrums create transient and euphoric dark post-punk” Louder Than War

Pop Mutations & The Flying Duck present

Quest Master

+ Coedwig

+ Mountainfog

Friday 10th April

The Flying Duck

18+

QUEST MASTER
Returning from the far southlands of Australia, QUEST MASTER has levelled up once again. New album OBSCURE POWER is a high power magic item, something every adventurer should seek out. After a debut performance that has passed into legend in 2024, the prophesied return of Quest Master is finally upon us. Soothsayers and mystics have long awaited this day, when one of the grand leaders of the dungeon synth scene returns!

COEDWIG
From the mystical lands of northern Wales travels COEDWIG, for the first time in Scotland! Bear witness to the spirits of the ancient forest being channelled through atmospheric synthesis!

MOUNTAINFOG
Out of the arcane mists of Scotland emerges MOUNTAINFOG, the battle mage feared throughout the land. New incantations being cast soon...

Pop Mutations presents:

Purelink

+ Special Guests

Tuesday 7th April

The Flying Duck

18+

Sailing beyond the boundaries of electronic music, Purelink embrace liquidity on their second album, washing live instrumentation and exposed vocals over their patented cascade of dubbed ambience and ebbing rhythmic experimentation. Since 2020, Tommy Paslaski (aka Concave Reflection), Ben Paulson (aka kindtree) and Akeem Asani (aka Millia) have channeled their most euphoric musical whims into the Purelink project. Drifting between brittle '90s drum 'n bass and dub techno on their cult debut 12" 'Bliss / Swivel' and vaporizing Windy City jazz and post-rock motifs with muggy soundscapes on 2023's critically revered first full-length 'Signs', the trio have managed to define a painterly signature sound that's reflective but not reverent. Sure, Purelink's music can be graceful and bucolic, but it's powered by their innate devotion to the dancefloor's soundsystem.

'Faith' illustrates a period of upheaval for the three friends; relocating from Chicago to New York City, they found themselves surrounded by new scenery and fresh inspirations that permeated their compositions as they adapted to the change. On their previous records, the production process was relatively simple, just three laptops jacked into an interface in Paslaski's living room. Here, they augment the intermixed electronics with acoustic and electric timbres, opening up space for vocal contributions from Hyperdub luminary Loraine James and poet Angelina Nonaj. "Always time for rest," James ponders candidly on 'Rookie', "we settle." Her voice floats like smoke over the trio's familiar pattering rhythms and light-headed synths, now enhanced by capsized guitar motifs and subtle bass plucks.

On 'First Iota' meanwhile, Nonaj's deadpan narration grounds Purelink's dissociated echoes, sub swells and delicate improvisations. "Not everything beautiful has to be real," Nonaj repeats as organic and digital sounds sublime into a lysergic haze. And the softly propulsive 4/4 thuds that steered 'Signs' haven't disappeared entirely, either. On 'Kite Scene' a heartbeat-like pulse underpins Purelink's balmy pads and acidic synths, tactfully disrupted by hollow live percussion, and 'Yoke' muffles its chugging, broken beat sequences with swaddled trance hallucinations, gesturing cautiously towards euphoria. Each element falls into place on the album's final track, 'Circle of Dust', when Paslaski, Paulson and Asani find a fertile middle ground, ornamenting the kinetic, reverberating beats with evaporating whispers, evocative instrumental scrapes and hopeful, ecstatic harmonies.

Pop Mutations presents:

Tony Bontana

plus special guests Thom Dehi + ladé

Tony Bontana is a Birmingham-based rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who is a trailblazer in the UK's experimental scene, renowned for his self-coined "Splayed" style—a distinctive blend of degraded samples, non-linear rhythms, and deeply introspective lyricism. He is the founder of the Birmingham based independent label Everything is Perfect Records.

His extensive discography, including emotionally charged works like L’Humanité (a tribute to his late mother), the mellow, left-field mixtape TUMPIT (2025), and collaborative projects such as The Beautiful Malaise (2025) with Psychedelic Ensemble (which was picked as The Wire Magazine's 26th

Best album of 2025), fuses abstract hip-hop, post-hardcore, indie rock, punk and soul influences, showcasing his genre-defying versatility. His new album, "My Name" is set for release in February 2026 and will be supported by the PPL Momentum fund.

Known for his raw, evocative live performances, Tony Bontana joined several major UK tours in 2025, supporting: Nourished By Time, Mark William Lewis, Chuck Strangers, Dry Cleaning, YHWH Nailgun& More

Tony is also a DJ with eclectic taste, showcased on various radio platforms. He has appeared on NTS Radio with genre-spanning guest mixes of obscure soul, electronic, and experimental sounds. Further radio features include BBC Radio 1 , Loose FM and Balamii, where his unpredictable sets, ranging from jazz to distorted rap to indie rock, reflect his "Splayed" philosophy of transforming the familiar.

His innovative sound and creative philosophy have earned critical acclaim from publications like Pitchfork, which lauded TUMPIT’s imaginative qualities, The Wire, which explored his “Splayed” ethos in a 2022 interview, as well as Co-signs from, Matt Wilkinson (Apple Music) Mark William Lewis, Nourished By Time, Chanel Beads, Feardorian, DJ Python & Mike D (Beastie Boys) Afropunk, Cvltnation , Altpress and BABMAG, solidifying his undeniable growing influence in the global underground music scene.

Pop Mutations presents:

Edwin R. Stevens "A Plague of Gimps" album launch

+ Tai Haf Heb Drigolyn

Friday 20th March

The Flying Duck

18+

Edwin R Stevens -

“Welsh recording artist and writer Edwin R Stevens (FKA Irma Vep/The Web of Lies) returns with ten new songs of ‘Hereditary Dumb Fuck Blues’. Dwellings on false memory, grief, nuclear bunkers and blood letting gimps, among other things, “A Plague of…” is Edwin at his most minimal and absurd…” - Tim Bishop

Tai Haf Heb Drigolyn -

Tai haf heb drigolyn are a musicband from wales. Obsessed with the elephant 6 collective, the band has members across the country. Putting tape front and centre, the band stumbles after the footsteps of R. Pollard and D. R Edwards.