Kontravoid + Nuxx
Pop Mutations presents:
Kontravoid
+ Nuxx
Tuesday 10th February
Stereo
18+
Kontravoid -
Kontravoid’s masked mystique has remained for over a decade. Ever since the release of his self-titled LP in 2012, the Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based Cameron Findlay has perfected dark pop with his oeuvre that teeters between the EBM, electro and goth genres. His productions, such as 2019’s “Too Deep” and 2021’s “Faceless,” dive to the most derelict corners of foggy, strobe-lit clubs: there is no choice but to dance. But there is an uncanny softness and obvious songwriting ability to compose heart-wrenching songs that are both captivating and drenched in melancholy—2018’s
“Undone” has been a fan favorite since it came out on Berlin’s Fleisch Records. Onstage, Kontravoid demands the audience’s attention with his powerful performance that balances his specific concoction of harsh beats with his signature bass line rhythmic patterns. He’s toured alongside Boy Harsher, ADULT., Drab Majesty and Hide, and has remixed the likes of Schwefelgelb and Kris Baha. Truly a man of the shadows, Kontravoid is an unparalleled fixture in the dark electronic arena.
Nuxx -
Nuxx is the electro project of musician and visual artist Madeline Seely, whose gritty, high-energy sound blends elements of EBM, 90's techno, drum and bass, and digital hardcore.
Known for her electrifying live performances, Seely has taken Nuxx on tours across North America, Europe, and Mexico. Her high-energy sets provide the audience with a raw, immersive experience. From the festival stage to the floor of a basement, Nuxx never fucks around.
Stella Rose
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Stella Rose
+ Special Guests
Friday 13th February
The Glad Cafe
18+
Stella Rose is excited to reveal her new EP, Hollybaby, out now via KRO Records. The New York dark pop artist’s latest body of work also comes alongside an official music video for ‘Beautiful Twentysomethings’, which was self-directed by Stella Rose. Speaking of the new EP, Stella Rose says: “The best kept secret between after hour bars. People that you’ve been before, fueling superstitions. The sedation in seduction, the day the music died.”
Stella Rose recently arrived in London for a sold-out solo live performance at The Shacklewell Arms as part of her UK/European tour, which also included a sold-out night in Paris. Her new EP Hollybaby follows the release of her acclaimed 2023 debut album, Eyes of Glass.
The Hollybaby EP was recorded alongside producer Yves Rothman. It invites listeners into deeper realms of Stella Rose’s dark and otherworldly lyrical poetry, emboldened with gritty soundscapes and introspective ruminations. The title track sets the ominous tone from the offset, with brooding guitars and hauntingly delivered vocals. ‘MS.45’ continues in a similar vein with its fiery metaphorical imagery, while ‘Beautiful Twentysomethings’, as Stella Rose describes, offers “a portrait of youth and the nativities of beauty in chaotic places”. ‘Drugstore Romeo’ concludes the EP with a contrast in sound, showcasing Stella Rose’s expansive vocal range with soaring vocal melodies which pair pensively with lyrics surrounding drug addiction on the streets of NYC. The writing process saw Stella Rose intentionally drift from familiarity. Not only did she shift from her native New York to Los Angeles whilst recording, she also adopted a more urgent style of writing. Each day reached 100+ degrees as Hollybaby came together during the hottest week of the summer in LA. Both Stella Rose and her producer Yves fed off that uncomfortable heat in the studio, which contributed heavily towards the EP’s visceral identity. The finishing touches were later added back in New York, culminating in Stella Rose’s loudest, rawest and arguably most entrancing material to date.”
Stella Rose now finds herself firmly among the buzzy circles of New York’s underground scene (as per Rolling Stone), having recently performed at the already notorious party The Hancock in Brooklyn, frequented by the likes of The Dare and Pretty Sick. She is also making a serious footprint in the fashion world, gracing the covers of publications such as POP, W Mag and Lampoon Magazine. In addition to earning praise for her work from outlets including Rolling Stone UK, Brooklyn Vegan, Paper, Clash, CREEM, and NME, she’s been embraced by like-minded artists, appearing in Hedi Slimane’s Dairies, the Buffalo Hotel Chelsea Issue 16 photographed by Richard Kern, and walking in the Enfants Riches Deprims show during Paris Fashion Week.
Maria Somerville
Pop Mutations presents:
Maria Somerville
+ Special Guests
Saturday 14th February
The Flying Duck
18+
By the time Irish musician Maria Somerville started writing Luster, her landmark label debut afor 4AD, she had lived away from her native Connemara for quite some time. Having grown up amongst the wild, mountainous terrain of Galway’s rural west coast, she later relocated to Dublin, where she patiently developed an atmospheric dream pop signature inspired by the landscape of her youth – a spellbinding soundworld of gusting ambient electronics, ethereal guitar strums, sparse percussion, and hushed lyrical vignettes. In 2019, this culminated in All My People, a self-released LP steeped in reverb, nostalgia and a yearning for home that won praise from discerning press and listeners alike.
It was upon returning to Connemara, in a house near where she was raised overlooking one of the country’s largest lakes, Lough Corrib, that work commenced on the songs that would eventually become Luster, an album that illuminates Somerville’s music anew, pushing it forward in both sound and spirit. Where All My People conveyed memories and melancholic longing with misty slowcore balladry, these 12 tracks show us an artist who’s more assured in the path her life has taken, and the person she’s become in the process. As she sings in ‘Trip’ – “I can see more clearly than I could before. I know now what's true for me.”
Invigorated by her surroundings and emboldened by her community, Somerville found a renewed sense of creative energy upon returning to home soil. It provided “fertile ground” for free-flowing recording sessions in her small living room studio, where she stitched together demos that were then fleshed out with friends and collaborators, and later mixed by the renowned New York-based engineer Gabriel Schuman. Contributors included producers J. Colleran, Brendan Jenkinson and Diego Herrera (aka Suzanne Kraft), as well as Lankum’s Ian Lynch, whose uilleann pipe drones you can hear in ‘Violet’, and Margie Jean Lewis, whose violin bows reverberate through the ambient haze of ‘Flutter’. Sessions with musicians Henry Earnest and Finn Carraher McDonald (aka Nashpaints) helped “tie it all together”, while contributions from friends Roisin Berkley and Olan Monk enshrined the companionship they’ve shared since Somerville returned to Connemara.
Listeners have had a window into Somerville’s world every Monday and Tuesday morning since 2021 via her beloved Early Bird Show on NTS Radio, where her dawn chorus selections range from blissful ambient and shoegaze to traditional Irish folk songs. Since signing to 4AD that same year, Somerville has toured with her label mates Dry Cleaning, and released two
covers for the label’s 40th anniversary celebrations – taking on Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Kinky Love’ and Air Miami’s ‘Sea Bird’. With the release of Luster, she has signaled the arrival of a new era that will see her play around the world in 2025 accompanied by a live band. Rest assured though, no matter where Somerville goes, she’ll take a piece of home with her – a living, breathing, timeless essence you can sense in every note, as clear as the air by the Corrib.
Cory Hanson
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Cory Hanson
+ Special Guests
Saturday 20th February
The Flying Duck
18+
Like a sweet spring breeze after a long, cruel winter, Cory Hanson’s blowing through town again. And like the wind, I Love People comes from parts unknown. Need a ride? Long as you’re ready to find yourself wherever it dies down, jump on! Despite all the complications of life here in Central Casting 2025, Cory and the boys are happier than ever to be playing music at its most beautiful for ALL the people: eminent hipsters bellied up to the bar alongside the ropers, riders and all the other jokers for whom freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose or do. Followers of Cory’s twin arcs as solo singer and Wand member will be intrigued to learn that the lineup here is the same band that recorded last year’s Vertigo. Yep, Wand — their Masters of Unbounded Space robes traded in for Wrecking Crew trucker’s caps, as they reel out licks both tasty and smooth, like chopsmeisters of yore. That’s Robbie Cody co-producing behind the desk, Evan Backer playing bass and arranging strings and horns, Evan Burrows on drums and percussion and Cory on piano, guitars and voices and songs.
mark william lewis
Pop Mutations presents:
mark william lewis
+ Special Guests
Sunday 22nd February
Stereo
18+
Mark William Lewis is an artist that exists between the cracks. He eschews easy genre categorisation, plays with the traditional conventions of a songwriter, and creates music that is poetically sharp, visually vivid, yet texturally opaque. Writing songs that explore the intersection between intimacy and alienation, connection and disconnection, he is a singular and bold voice operating in a distinctly unique yet blurry space.
His recent track ‘Tomorrow is Perfect’ is the first release via A24 Music, a song that feels like the purest embodiment of him as a complete artist to date, blurring the boundaries of imagery, music and words pushed to the forefront.
Lewis has received praise from Pitchfork and The Fader for his previous releases Sparkles 22-24 and Living, as well as featuring on NYC rap figurehead MIKE’s “Let’s Have A Ball” and collaborating with Bar Italia’s Nina Crisante on the song “Thinner”.
Over the past few years, Lewis has become a fixture in more innovative spaces of London’s live music scene, with his performances and music becoming a word-of-mouth success. This led to sold out US debut shows at Elsewhere and Public Records (NYC) and The Echo (LA) last year and a full headline show at a sold-out ICA earlier this year. He has previously
released music via Scenic Route, with the vinyl release of joint EP ‘God Complex/Pleasure Is Everything’ selling out in under 24 hours.
Mint Field + Avishag Cohen Rodrigues
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Mint Field
+ Avishag Cohen Rodrigues
Thursday 26th February
Stereo
18+
Mint Field -
Mexico City based band Mint Field is one of these bands that make it shine. Guided by Estrella del Sol and Sebastian Neyra. Mint Field creates a unique blend of avant dream pop and shoegaze with some touches of trip hop that explores the nostalgia and melancholy of daily life with strong guitars and voices that are like sighs. Instrumentation and atmospheres are accompanied by delicate, harmonious and ethereal voices that are a fundamental part of the sound.
Avishag Cohen Rodrigues -
New York-based multi-instrumentalist and artist Avishag Cohen Rodrigues, guitarist of New York’s all-female punk collective cumgirl8 (4AD). Rodrigues’ music is intricate yet raw; aloof, detached, yet vulnerable. Drawing upon rock, low fi, dark electronic, noise, and experimental, Rodrigues tells sonic stories of raw electronic landscapes intercut with bold, cutting guitars and dark minimal vocals.
With a full-length ‘Islands’ and several EPs on the shelf, Rodrigues is known for bending the boundaries of genres while remaining unattached to any singular form. Her latest single ‘Some Are’ was released in December 2024 with a music video directed by Adeline Thery.
Her live set blends electronic beats with her signature guitar sound and vocals. Taking the listener on a journey through different cities, seasons, and smokey rooms. Beyond her work with cumgirl8, Rodrigues has collaborated,
performed, and recorded with ensembles including Laila, and Yonatan Gat (Stones Tapes/Joyful Noise), among others.
Tony Bontana
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.
Black Doldrums
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
HOUSE Of ALL
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.
EarthBall
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
claire rousay
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.
Lorelle Meets the Obsolete
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.
Jennifer Walton
Skinny Dipping 03 x Pop Mutations x The Glad Cafe
Jennifer Walton
Alliyah Enyo
Craggyland
~
‘mesmerising / melancholic / diary pop’
Saturday 13 December at @thegladcafe
Quietly prolific DJ, producer, and all-around instrumentalist Jennifer Walton brings her bold and entrancing debut album ‘Daughters’ to Glasgow for an intimate evening harmonising autofiction, grief, and broken Americana.
Similarly employing memory-informed approaches to their own sonic practices, Glasgow’s Alliyah Enyo and Craggyland join the lineup, each digesting found sound and field-recordings to distinct ends.
~
tix via thegladcafe.co.uk + RA
~
The Glad Cafe
13/12
7:30pm
THE END OF DEFINITION The Ballad of Creeping Bent
THE END OF DEFINITION
The Ballad of Creeping Bent
12.12.1994. - 12.12.2025.
The Creeping Bent Organisation will undertake a final action on Friday 12th December in Mono, Glasgow.
The End of Definition will feature a plethora of 15 minutes of fame sets (as initiated by Fire Engines) by Creeping Bent-adjunct artists performing 4 song sets. This will be followed by dancing and action into the wee hours to tunes supplied by DJs Bobby Bluebell, Divine, Gerry Love, Stephen Pastel.
Port Sulphur, The Leopards, The Bluebells, The Secret Goldfish & James Kirk will all be performing live (with others to be announced).
BENT 001 took place in the Tramway theatre in Glasgow on 12th Dec 1994, we are delighted to be collaborating with Pop Mutations to bring you BENT 100 in Mono on Friday 12th December.
STERÖID
STEROID
If an album called "Chainmail Commandos" doesn't sound like the best record you'll hear all year from the title alone, you can leave the hall. Steroid have heavy metal, punk, and a dangerous level lot of rock and roll going on, and there is no possible description I can write that truly conveys how unbelievably righteous this album is. With a live lineup featuring some heavyweight killers from bands like RMFC, Gee Tee, 1-800 MIKEY, Quest Master, Gloomy Reflections, and probably about 666 other bands, this is a battle-hardened hit squad ready for rocking, fighting, boozing, and rocking some more. If you know, you know, and if you don't, get with it.
VENOMWOLF
Medieval metalpunks, emerging from the crypt to kill with power once again. Bring out your battleaxe.
ATTEST
Fast old school hardcore from some of the usual punx suspects. Check the new demo, it's a rager.
SPËEDBÖNG
Speaking of usual suspects, here's some familiar faces from the likes of Piss Bath causing a ruckus. Fast, rocking, just what the doctor advised against.
NO WIMPS - NO POSERS - NO MERCY
Mo Dotti + Blue Zero
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Mo Dotti + Blue Zero
+ Special Guests
Saturday 6th December
The Old Hairdresser's
18+
Mo Dotti -
An accomplished work of punk ethereality, Mo Dotti's debut record Opaque (out September 2024) exemplifies the mix of Dinosaur Jr.-esque clamor cut with sweet Sundays-worthy melodies that the Los Angeles four piece have been meticulously crafting over the course of their brief but compelling discography. Building upon the glow-in-the-dark fuzz of 2020’s Blurring EP and the psychedelic pastiche of 2022’s Guided Imagery, Opaque showcases the sound of a band that has figured out how to bend and shape abstract washes of noise in and around memorable pop hooks into songs that reach for the stars.
A formidable live band who’ve been tapped to open for groups like beloved Japanese hardcore punks Otoboke Beaver and were invited by shoegazers Nothing to join the line-up of their inaugural Slide Away Festival, Mo Dotti bring the thrill of their live show to Opaque, which has the aggressive, in-the-room feel of Ride’s first four EPs mixed with the lush yet caustic beauty of My Bloody Valentine in their Isn’t Anything era. Through it all shines the essential quality that has always made Mo Dotti stand out in the oversaturated dream pop field: the songs themselves.
Blue Zero -
The Bay Area has long been a fertile landscape for arty DIY rock innovators to fashion together some of the best music to come out of the US- the local musicians pushing the boundaries of pop and counterculture aesthetics. In the middle of this creative oasis you’ll find multi-instrumentalist songwriter Chris Natividad making iridescent waves with his many projects including Marbled Eye, Public Interest, Aluminum, and now- Blue Zero. What started as a few outlier demos cultivated in Chris’ studio has now fully bloomed into a live band featuring members Lauren Melton of SUCKER and Rick Altieri of Blue Ocean, and a forthcoming LP titled Colder Shade Blue. The songs on the record harmoniously tow the line of warm and meditative artrock and fuzzy, damaged grunge a là Lily’s, Sonic Youth, and My Bloody Valentine. While Blue Zero pays homage to their predecessors, the music is wholly unique with its mesmerizing big hooks and blown-out radiating psychedelic atmosphere- a tonal yin yang.
With Blue Zero, Natividad effortlessly escapes the asymmetric and angular guitar stylings of his other projects on Colder Shade Blue. The songs are layered with natural and loose guitar riffs- alternating clean jangle and fried fuzz leads. These guitar parts are intentional and calculated, but never over-played, while the dialed-in and punchy rhythm section paves the way for the memorable vocal melodies and velvety choruses. Songs like “Lemon Year” and “Fortress” are more pop-forward with sugary, head bobbing melodies, while “Scar” and “Gone Again” have a more melancholic, heady quality that pulls you in and under. To say the least, this is an idiosyncratic and diverse rock n roll artifact. The instrumentation was performed solely by Natividad, however the expansive sound of the record was captured by Chris’ longtime friend and collaborator engineer Andrew Oswald resulting in a glowing and powerful wall of sound. Blue Zero’s Colder Shade Blue is an energetic, dynamic and shimmering river of tasteful arrangements and deeply stylized songs that will wash over the listener with continuous, tranquil, and ecstatic reverberation.
SANAM (Beirut)
Pop Mutations presents:
SANAM صنم (Beirut)
plus Man of Moon (solo)
Monday 1st December at The Flying Duck
18+ show
SANAM is a Beirut-based sextet that merges psych/kraut, improv/skronk, electronics, goth, and jazz elements with traditional Egyptian song and modern Arabic poetry in a compelling brew of widescreen hybrid avant-rock. Emerging from Beirut’s fiercely creative independent scene, the group features Sandy Chamoun (vocals), Antonio Hajj (bass), Farah Kaddour (buzuq), Anthony Sahyoun (guitar, synth), Pascal Semerdjian (drums), and Marwan Tohme (guitars)—each an accomplished musician in their own right, with ties to influential Lebanese acts like Kinematik, Postcards, Al Rahel al Kabir, and Oviid. Formed following an invitation to collaborate with Hans Joachim Irmler (of German krautrock legends Faust) at the Irtijal Festival in 2021, the band solidified its identity during a recording residency in rural Lebanon amid national turmoil.
SANAM captured its debut album Aykathani Malakon entirely live, forgoing overdubs, embracing improvisation and musical friction to create an immersive and otherworldly sonic landscape. With haunting vocals, deeply textured instrumental layers, and texts by Egyptian composer Sayyid Darwish and contemporary Lebanese poets Bassem Hajjar and Paul Shaoul, the album channels the urgency, mysticism, and emotional upheaval of contemporary life in Lebanon and the region. Mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem in My Heart) and mastered by Heba Kadry, the debut album was released in June 2023 by UK label Mais Um Discos, garnering notable critical acclaim from The Guardian, The Wire, BBC Radio 6 (from both Gilles Peterson and Tom Ravenscroft) and Bandcamp Daily.
SANAM brought its live show to Europe for select engagements in 2023-2024, including festival appearances at Le Guess Who?, Feeërieën, and End of the Road and recorded a live album at London’s Café Oto, released on limited edition cassette by Mais Um Discos, capturing the raw and transcendent energy of the band’s performances.
SANAM made its first trip to North America in June 2025 with a string of festival appearances in Canada, including Sled Island, Everyseeker, and Suoni Per Il Popolo, followed by European festival dates in July, including Roskilde. The band will release their sophomore album with renowned Canadian experimental label Constellation in September 2025, promising a deeper dive into their boundary-defying synthesis of folklore, feedback, and freeform fervor.
Since their beginning Man of Moon have been a standout live act. The Glasgow-based duo possess an extraordinary talent for cross-pollinating genres and styles but their sound is not hybridised, rather they are a synthesis of their influences; a pure sonic distillation of what has come before. You hear the mesmeric drones of Mogwai, the dynamic shifts of Radiohead, the harmonic angularity of Tool, the industrial amalgam of Nine Inch Nails, even hints of Pink Floyd’s austere and abstract lyricism. Man of Moon are so much music in one band. And yet they’ve always sounded uniquely themselves; there is deep intentionality in every song’s construction.
SOUP ACTIVISTS & CLASS
MONO & POP MUTATIONS PRESENT…
MONO
8pm doors
18+
SOUP ACTIVISTS
Completely jangled up and hook-laden group from the mind of Martin Meyer (Lumpy & The Dumpers) reconstituting the 80s indie scene, heavily recalling Television Personalities, Cleaners From Venus, and Flying Nun records oeuvre.
CLASS
Power pop group hailing from the USA giving you old school '77 punk with a glint in the eye.
Minami Deutsch + Floral Image
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Minami Deutsch
+ Floral Image
Monday 24th November
Stereo
18+
Minami Deutsch is a krautrock band from Tokyo, Japan. Known as self-proclaimed “repetition freaks,” the band draws inspiration from psychedelic rock and minimal techno, but their true obsession lies in krautrock—a fact hinted at by their name, which translates to “South Germany.”
Founded by Kyotaro Miula in 2014, the band began by performing live on the bustling streets of Tokyo. Since then, they have released three albums through their local friend's label Guruguru Brain. Their hypnotic, motorik-driven sound has taken them across Europe and the United States, where they’ve shared stages with artists like Damo Suzuki, the former vocalist of the legendary krautrock band CAN.
Their third studio album, *Fortune Goodies* (2022), is a deep dive into the rich legacy of krautrock. Drawing from Miula's expanded musical vocabulary after relocating from Tokyo to Berlin, the album offers a uniquely Japanese perspective on encyclopedia of Krautrock. In 2024, Minami Deutsch completed two North American tours, including supporting Earthless and performing at the Levitation Festival, further cementing their place as a leading voice in modern kraut/psychedelic music.
Peter Gordon (Love of Life Orchestra) + AMOR
Pop Mutations presents:
Peter Gordon (Love of Life Orchestra) with Blake Leyh
+ AMOR
Sunday 23rd November
The Old Hairdresser’s
18+
The Yellow Box Tour
Peter Gordon, sax, EWI & keyboards
Blake Leyh, electric cello & synth
Composer, saxophonist and keyboard player Peter Gordon (Love of Life Orchestra) will be performing with electric cellist and synth player Blake Leyh in an electro-acoustic duo edition of his Love of Life Orchestra, including new versions of selections from his album with David Cunningham, The Yellow Box, which is being released on vinyl for the first time by Cologne’s Week-End Records.
In addition to his electric cello and synth work with his ensemble N to the Power, and touring with Thomas Dolby, Blake Leyh is an Emmy award winning film and tv composer and music supervisor (The Wire, Treme).
Gordon’s performance will include video art and films of Kit Fitzgerald, Gordon’s longtime collaborator.
DAIISTAR
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
DAIISTAR
+ Special Guests
Wednesday 5th November
The Old Hairdresser's
18+
DAIISTAR is an Alt-Indie band formed in Austin, Texas in the spring of 2020. The band takes their inspiration from the neo-psychedelic era of the 80s and 90s (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Spacemen 3, Primal Scream) and pulls it into the future with modulating synthesizers, heavy guitars, bouncing bass lines, and spiraling hooks, creating a narcotic blend of noise and melody. DAIISTAR recorded their first studio album produced by Alex Maas of The Black Angels and engineered by James Petralli of White Denim in the summer of 2021. The band signed to UK based label Fuzz Club Records with their debut album GOOD TIME released on September 8th 2023. The album is available on vinyl including a Levitation Exclusive Edition pressing, as well as CD and digital. DAIISTAR has performed at SXSW, Levitation Austin, Levitation France, Austin Psych Fest, Barcelona Psych Fest, KEXP, KUTX and has toured with The Black Angels, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Dandy Warhols. On May 10th 2024 DAIISTAR released a 7" 45rpm Limited Pressing of their single "Clear" Backed by Spacemen 3 co-founder Peter Kember aka SONIC BOOM's remix of the ‘Good Time’ album track "Velvet Reality" on the B-side.
Carolina Durante
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Carolina Durante
+ Special Guests
Wednesday 5th November
Stereo
18+
There are intangibles that go beyond the number of headlining shows, the amount of albums sold, or the sum of followers on social media
— objective data that, by the way, confirm the relevance of Carolina Durante as the most important band of their generation.
But we were talking about intangibles — those things that, in times of data tyranny, turn an artist or a band into a phenomenon whose importance goes beyond the sum of their numbers. We were talking about Carolina Durante.
Carolina Durante has had to swim against the current since the day, after a Los Punsetes concert, they decided to form a band. And they did it: they divided the roles of the group, and the next day they went to buy instruments — guitar, bass, drums... All of this in a context where urban and Latin music were beginning to dominate the charts and becoming a global soundtrack that cannot be escaped the moment you step outside...
Perhaps that decision to face their own destiny as a band, combined with the group’s ability to maintain the excitement of their first day, are the differentiating factors that have made Carolina Durante the most important band of their generation. They are also largely responsible for the resurgence of rock and guitar- driven pop.
Carolina Durante is a supergroup — the only one in the world not formed by illustrious members of other significant bands. The band wouldn’t be the same without the charismatic voice of Diego, without his ability to strike a chord with lyrics that hover between existential unease and humor. But, of course, the band wouldn’t exist as it does without Mario’s punk-pop spirit on guitar, Martín’s solid sobriety on bass, or Juan’s talent and eccentricity behind the drums. Each and every one of the four members is essential to shaping the sound of Carolina Durante as well as their unique personality.
With these foundations and occasional external collaborations (with Amaia, Jota Planetas, Santiago Motorizado, or Rosalía), the band has developed a career that balances between massive success and the cult following of their passionate fanbase.
These are the intangibles we were talking about at the beginning of this text, as well as the idea that the best is yet to come...
Slater
Pop Mutations presents:
Slater
+ Special Guests
Wednesday 5th November
The Flying Duck
18+
Slater, an experimental alternative electronic and indie hip-hop artist from Orange County, California, has become a star of the new wave of alternative pop/hip-hop since his debut in 2013.
Drawing inspiration from the laid-back, sunburnt vibe of his hometown and the raw energy of '90s and early 2000s rap and rock, Slater has crafted a sound that is both distinctly SoCal and refreshingly boundary-pushing.
From seductive club bangers to therapeutic night-time cruising tunes, his music captivates listeners with smooth, groovy beats and infectious melodies that feel as nostalgic as they are innovative.
A member of the experimental collective Vada Vada, which includes artists like The Garden, Enjoy, and Puzzle, Slater thrives in a creative space that encourages risk-taking and genre-blending.
With over 20 releases to his name, including albums like Flight 777 (2019) and ESI (2021), Slater continues to evolve his signature sound. His 2024 album FM Thoughts further solidified his role as a tastemaker, and he's already teasing a new mixtape, ESI 2, set for release in 2025.
Slater's music has resonated with die-hard underground fans, leading to sold-out shows at iconic venues like The Roxy in LA, Baby’s All Right in New York City, and Schubas in Chicago.
His growing fanbase continues to expand as tracks like “Swallowed My Key,” “Trix,” and “I’ll Put It on Metal” have racked up millions of streams on major platforms. In late 2024, Slater and his peers in The Garden embarked on a series of sold-out shows in Chicago, NYC, and LA, further cementing his place in the live music scene.
Slater’s momentum is unstoppable, and with a full U.S. tour alongside George Clanton scheduled for May 2025, he’s set to continue redefining the future of alternative pop.
Immersion - Colin Newman (Wire) & Malka Spigel
Pop Mutations & monorail music present:
Immerson - Colin Newman (Wire) + Malka Spigel
+ Special Guests
Thursday 30th October
Mono
18+
Immersion are Malka Spigel and Colin Newman best known for their work with Minimal Compact and Wire. The duo’s work as Immersion provides an outlet for their ongoing fascination in crafting enthralling, unique musical
soundscapes.
The project emerged in the early 1990s and has always prided itself on a
diversity in approach and an ability to be both self-contained and a vehicle for collaboration. 1999’s Low Impact & 2018’s Sleepless cover very different aesthetics.
More recent work has seen Immersion collaborating with the likes of Tarwater, Laetitia Sadier, Ulrich Schnauss , Scanner, Thor Harris, Cubzoa in their ongoing Nanocluster series of events & albums
“Immersion manages to achieve a strong sense of human connection between these inseparable post-punk legends and other creative beings” The Quietus
"A chrome-plated dive into synth pop futurism" - Clash Magazine
"One of our records of the year. Total swooner" Monorail 2024
“They’ve created an extreme, something to be spoken of alongside the great
albums of the century, and something that utterly holds its own with the sui
generis work of Post Punk’s purest and most quality-minded act, Wire” Rock N Roll Globe
"Thanks to panoramic production and Newman's deluge of melodic hooks, Sleepless is, as per the band name, like a lovely warm bath for the soul" - 4/5 Q Magazine
AKAI SOLO
Pop Mutations presents:
AKAI SOLO
+ Special Guests
Thursday 30th October
The Old Hairdresser's
18+
NYC trailblazer AKAI SOLO has been known for his relentless output since 2018. Notable releases include but are not limited to Black Sand with Pink Siifu, Mad Space with fellow Tase Grip member iblss, and True Sky with Navy Blue. The Brooklyn native has also released two projects on backwoodz studios, Body Feeling and Spirit Roaming. With such a refreshing and interesting approach to the artform it is easy to see why fellow heavy hitters
such as Madlib, Alchemist, Earl Sweatshirt, and billy woods champion him so strongly. Fresh off of a EU tour, and three incredible albums in the last two years AKAI has no intention of letting up.
Body Horror
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Body Horror
+ Special Guests
Wednesday 29th October
The Old Hairdresser's
18+
Body Horror met by chance when three members happened to move into the same Tottenham warehouse in 2016. Bonded by a passion for not sleeping and getting weird at techno parties, the post-punk songs they’d been writing gradually took more and more influence from raves.
Before long they’d picked up a drum machine and a couple of synths and were pairing industrial beats and sequenced synths with sharp guitars, demented themes and feral vocal hooks. Body Horror found themselves at a crossroad between The Prodigy and The Birthday Party, and having released a few singles we’ll soon see their first proper release with a self-titled EP in
2025.
As can be heard in their last single Goodboy, Gethyn Thomas’s vocal style has moved more towards a rapping style; the vocalist’s Welsh dialect coming out in the verses as the lyrics pop through with a much faster, more rhythmical flow. That’s an approach he aims to lean further into with the upcoming EP; Thomas saying “All the tracks are written by building the rhythm and beats first, front and centre. So it just felt natural for the vocals to move in that direction. I wasn’t consciously trying to rap, it just became similar to rapping because I was enjoying creating the flows so much”.
This melding of the aforementioned Post-Punk influences, with Techno-inspired beats and the rap-adjacent lyrical style hits hard and feels as fresh as anything else around right now, the band having formed a cult-following around London for their pumping live shows. They’ve had their praises sung on the radio waves too; legendary BBC Radio 6 presenter Steve Lamacq
describing them as "Dealing in a hard, electro based type of rhythmical post punk, a type of savage New Order soundtrack overlayed by an unrepentant snarl”.
YHWH NAILGUN
Pop Mutations presents:
YHWH Nailgun
+ Special Guests
Sunday 26th October
The Flying Duck
18+
The quartet of Zack Borzone (vox), Jack Tobias (synth), Sam Pickard (drums), and Saguiv Rosenstock (guitar) display an innate ability to translate a primitive spirit into a modern form. Born during the lockdown as an experimental project between Borzone and Pickard in Philadelphia, the group expanded as the two moved to New York, adding Tobias for their debut self-titled EP, which was produced by Rosenstock, who was then integrated into the band. That first collection is one of self-discovery, of finding the tools necessary to make songs within the band’s own ecosystem. They honed in on their own world and their collaborative, close-knit writing process, discovering the essential structures and feelings that make YHWH Nailgun
No Joy
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
No Joy
+ Special Guests
Monday 20th October
The Glad Cafe
18+
Since first arriving on the scene in 2009 with blistering inversions of shoegaze, Montreal’s No Joy has always found formidable ways to reinvent itself. Now solely composed of musician Jasamine White-Gluz, No Joy has evolved over four studio albums and five EPs, defying expectation and genre, and cementing itself as something rare: a band without a category.
Over the years, No Joy has conjured an effortless mix of sound, achieving new heights in the more traditional confines of the shoegaze genre, while veering into heavy metal and even EDM. On the band’s most recent & acclaimed LP Motherhood (2020), we saw No Joy at a fearless crossroads, pulling from every corner the band had mastered before while rocketing itself into another level; a staggering, melancholic tapestry of fuzzy, 90s/early 2000s nu metal and trip hop, faithful shoegaze, and bold lyricism with blunt meditations on femininity, fertility and mortality all while maintaining a sense of humor.
Following the two recent sister releases, No Joy was invited to perform at festivals like Levitation (with Boy Harsher & Drab Majesty), Desert Daze, and notably to acclaimed performing arts festival FME in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, where White-Gluz presented the full string arrangements live. No Joy also headlined in the US/Canada and supported artists like DIIV, Nothing, and Preoccupations.
No Joy’s forthcoming 2025 album, Bugland, brought in collaborator Fire-Toolz as a co-producer. Touching on respected, familiar genres and sounds while attempting to advance one’s own isn’t easy, but Bugland manages to. What genre is it anyway? Is it even shoegaze when it could live happily on a shelf next to Boards of Canada and Autechre? The right answer is ‘yes’. What a lovely shelf ‘twould be as well. A marble shelf, with cyberpunk elements. Bugland‘s a testament to White-Gluz’s evolution and her ability to channel a wide variety of tastes into something cohesive that can descend into fine-tuned chaos, then out of that chaos with ease.
3L3D3P + Tamanaramen
Pop Mutations presents:
3L3D3P
+ Tamanaramen
Monday 20th October
The Flying Duck
18+
LA Native 3L3D3P is a swim in the ocean with an anchor chained to your foot - a barrage of sound clashing its way to the surface in a slick, chaotic fashion.
Now a key member of the Vada Vada collective alongside The Garden, Cowgirl Clue, and more, 3L3D3P has built her reputation with a steady stream of singles and hyper-chaotic, batshit live performances. Fresh off a world tour with stops in Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, London, and NY, she capped it off in LA by opening for The Garden to a sold-out Shrine Auditorium.
With her long-awaited debut album dropping later this year, the rollout is already underway, kicking off with its first single, ‘>>> (FWD)’. 3L3D3P is continuing to push the new punk-electronic movement to new heights, proving she’s not just a part of the scene, she’s shaping it.
Pop Mutations X Tiny Changes
1 Night. 6 Venues. 20 Artists
For one night only we’re bringing some of Scotland’s best artists to some of Glasgow’s best small venues for a truly unique bunch of shows, all in aid of the amazing Tiny Changes.
About Tiny Changes:
Tiny Changes is Scotland’s first national young people’s mental health charity. They run projects with young leaders that help young minds feel better. The charity was set up originally by the family of Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison, who took his own life in 2018. Tiny Changes is now run by a diverse team of staff and volunteers, each with their own story and personal connection to this important cause.
Expect big names and new artists across genres from new wave pop classics to hip hop influenced electronic bangers.
Venues:
at least £1 from every ticket sale is a donation to Tiny Changes and helps young minds feel better.
The Glad Café - Altered Images + Gates Of Light + Pretty Ugly (DJ set) ON SALE NOW
The Old Hairdressers w/ Hen Hoose - Carla J Easton + SHEARS + R.Aggs (solo) + R.Aggs (DJ set) ON SALE NOW
The 78 - Jill Lorean + Zara Gladman + more to be announced! ON SALE NOW
The Flying Duck - Withered Hand + Wojtek the Bear + Djana Gabrielle ON SALE NOW
Mono - C Duncan + Gerard Love (solo) + Comber + Stephen Pastel (DJ set) ON SALE NOW
Stereo - Elisabeth Elektra + Comfort + tba - Hosted by Vic Galloway ON SALE NOW
After Party Stereo Main Bar, DJ sets by - Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai) + Vic Galloway + more FREE ENTRY
Stereo CLUB - Nightwave + Bemz (DJ set) + Baile/Baile (DJ set) ON SALE NOW
Each venue is ticketed separately so keep an eye out for the lineup announcements!
Ryder The Eagle + Roy Molloy
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Ryder The Eagle
+ Roy Molloy
Tuesday 14th October
The Glad Cafe
18+
DIY hero, fallen Romeo, karaoke weirdo — the Mexico-based French balladeer is everything (and nothing) you might expect from an art-rock divorcé chasing dreams at your local dive bar.
With lo-fi synthy soundscapes, lyrical melodies, poetic songwriting, and cathartic one-of-a-kind performances, Ryder The Eagle tells his history with love more than his love stories - coating romantic despair with a chiseled wit that’ll transport you straight into a Kaurismäki movie soundtracked by a caffeine-driven Leonard Cohen.
Molly Nilsson + Lady Neptune
Pop Mutations & Night School present:
Molly Nilsson
+ Lady Neptune
Monday 13th October
Beech Avenue Social Club
18+
Molly Nilsson is a Swedish born artist, producer and songwriter residing in Berlin since 2005. Nilsson first started composing in 2007 and made her first live performances in Europe around the same time. In 2008 Nilsson self-released her first album, These Things Take Time, on CD-R. In 2009 she founded her own label Dark Skies Association with which she would continue to publish her work together with UK based record label Night School Records. Nilsson is known for her productive pace in releases, averaging on one album a year, as well as publishing self directed music videos.
Molly Nilsson has performed more than 500 live shows, mainly headlining, in Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and Asia. Her 2015 release Zenith was followed by a sold out European tour and received critical acclaim in independent media and has been re-pressed 3 times. It was nominated to the Manifest Music Awards 2016 for Best Pop Album. In 2016 she performed at the
20 000 capacity festival Field Day Festival in London. Her song “I Hope You Die” has as of today 7.1 million views on YouTube. Her music has been featured in various films, TV series, fashion and skate videos, is frequently played on international radio stations such as BBC, NPR and KCRW, as well as national radio in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and France. 2018 Molly Nilsson supported American band MGMT on their sold out European tour as well as their parts of their US tour.
Her latest album Extreme was released in January 2022 was followed by headlining tours of Europe and US. The album made number 10 on Fader’s list of Best Albums of the year. The single Pompeii was named Best New Music by NPR. 2022 she was awarded a songwriting award from Swedish composers and lyricist organization. In 2024 she was granted the Villa Aurora residency stipend in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles where she recorded the conceptual album Un-American Activities. She is currently working on her 12th full length album.
Dharmacide
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Dharmacide
+ Special Guests
Friday 10th October
The Flying Duck
18+
Dharmacide are known for their eclectic fusion of genres,
combining elements of shoegaze and dreampop. Their sound
is characterized by intricate guitar riffs, powerful drums,
and deep, soulful vocals that create a unique atmosphere.
The band has grown since its inception, and some of its members
are also part of other projects, such as Depresión Sonora,
Alcalá Norte, TourJets, and San Marino.
Their latest singles have been produced, mixed, and mastered
by Mark Gardener of Ride.
To date, they have appeared on the lineups of BBK LIVE,
Primavera Sound, Eurosonic ESNS, The New Colossus Festival,
Vida Festival, Tomavistas, and Monkey Week, among others.
In addition to opening for international bands such as Tess Parks,
Bodega, and Just Mustard on their visits to Madrid.
Milan W.
Pop Mutations & The Glad Cafe presents:
Milan W.
plus Tristanne
Wednesday 8th October
The Glad Cafe
18+ show
In the cobbled streets of Antwerp, where shadows play and the wind whistles through ancient walls, Milan W. (aka Milan Warmoeskerken) has become a cornerstone of the Flemish experimental scene. Whether as a member of semi-cult bands like Flying Horseman and Condor Gruppe, as an electronic composer on the late Ekster and JJ Funhouse labels, making synthpop with Mittland och Leo, and wading through playful Schlager with Gerard Herman.
Under the Milan W. moniker, he crafts music that is intimate yet expansive. Traditionally electronic-oriented, his latest work meanders through guitars, saxophones, and heartbroken crooning. Milan W. is a testament to an artist who ceaselessly ventures beyond the horizon, pushing musical boundaries with a wink, a nod, and the quiet laughter of the uncharted.
Under her stage name Tristanne (formerly known as Tristan), Isolde Van den Bulcke makes
music she defines as sitting in a ‘grey zone’. By valorizing self-reliance and learning as much as possible from the get-go, the musician and producer hasn’t let hardship nor pursuing a niche genre hold her back. She studied jazz vocals for 8 years, released 2 ep's before her debut album 'Wellif' in 2022.
‘Sexy Tears’ is a bold departure from Tristanne’s critically acclaimed pop-jazz debut ‘Wellif and let you veer into uncharted territory, from the first tone the bittersweet and hauntingly violin tones fade in on opener ‘Steady Mouth’. In a split second Tristanne let you vanish in a dazzling matrix deep down a rabbit hole A place where Piero Umiliani’s 70’s sleazy giallo era sensually resonates with Oneothrix Point Never goldwave frequencies.
With a whisper of panting tension, her soothing voice and sonic subliminal temptation she
unravels her own lush love secret domain, unlocking deeply hidden lost emotions and mutated feelings.
While mellifluous harp chords in ‘If Only’ set a scene for a tantalizing new world utopia the
percussive clutter of ‘Whordus’ syncopes and mutate this future dream with a chiastic slide into a videodrome for a jilted generation.
With the help from her musician friends Elisabeth Klinck (violin), Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė
(kanklès), Kaat Vanstralen (flute) and Gert Malfliet (drums) Tristanne’s ‘Sexy Tears’ will hit
you straight in the heart, like a modern-day Cupido with a well aimed dazzling sonic arrow. Ready to stay there forever.
British Birds
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
British Birds
+ Special Guests
Wednesday 1st October
The Glad Cafe
18+
The apocalypse is coming and British Birds, hatched via tape loops and cheap nylon stringed guitars, are providing the soundtrack. But not in the wretched way you might think. No- disco bass, thumping drums and earwormy vintage synth bolster frontman Bobby’s staunch, stylistic guitar and theatric, cathartic lyricism- the sort of soundscape that’ll get you out of any end-of-world scenario alive and hopping.
It’s in the dreary, normally drizzly, market town of Chorley this four-piece meticulously crafts their psychedelic racket, all from within the soundproofed walls of their makeshift art-house-apocalypse-bunker. From the outside, it's an inconspicuous canal-side garage but inside is a nucleus; all wonky and botched up.
British Birds were formed in 2023 after the closure of frontman Bobby Mambo’s DIY venue Brock n Broll HQ which hosted acts such as Burger Records’ Boytoy of New York, Salt Lake City’s Max Pain & The Groovies, Castrovalva of Leeds, Manchester-based Fruit Tones, and Hannes Ferm from Stockholm. Bobby proceeded to piece together his new space with screen printing facilities and a recording studio which is largely built around his love of analogue equipment. This place provided the anvil and hammer to British Birds’ debut LP In Search of Mr Rykyn, a self-reflective, self-made, self-released record, released in February 2024, full of swirling melody, nostalgic sensibility and unshakable melancholy.
Since then, the four-piece band made up of frontman Bobby Mambo, bassist Ellie Winstanley, keyboard player Emma Townson and drummer Mike Ainsley, have hit up and packed out major venues including London’s Islington Assembly Hall, Junction 1 in Cambridge, Cluny in Newcastle and The Crescent in York, during tour support slots for the likes of DIY legends The Lovely Eggs, garage rockers The Bug Club and prolific shoegazers Pale Blue Eyes.
British Birds have since released a high-energy and off-kilter six track EP, Sucking Funny, which serves as a demonstration of their noisy, wild, mad-cowbell infused live performances.
Both their releases, along their their multitude of standalone singles, have gained them kudos and airtime globally, most notably three coveted live sessions on BBC 6 Music’s Riley & Coe show, spots on Emily Pilbeans monthly BBC Introducing Mixtape, and plays across the water on world famous stations such as KEXP and WFMU. Louder Than War’s Nathan Whittle gave the album a ⅘ star review, and William Wolstenholme from BBC Introducing Lancashire, who selected “My Bar” to showcase the band on his BBC Radio 2 live show with Jo Whiley.
A bountiful 2025 lies ahead for British Birds, with their first twelve-date headline tour to look forward to in Autumn, to celebrate the release of their second album Silence Daedalus, self-made and self-released as ever, and out on the 15th June 2025. 500 vinyl copies will be available via bandcamp and in select record stores across the UK.
GEE TEE + 1-800 MIKEY + Fruit Tones
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
GEE TEE
+ 1-800 MIKEY
+ Fruit Tones
Wednesday 1st October
The Flying Duck
18+
Modern Nature
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Modern Nature
+ Special Guests
Monday 29th September
The Old Hairdresser's
18+
When Modern Nature toured their last album, 2023’s
No Fixed Point In Space
, it became apparent to Jack Cooper
–
the band’s main creative force
–
that they were already pulling away from the free, open
-
ended approach they
had spent five years working
towards; almost as if the music had become so abstract and elasticated, it now had
to snap back towards something more structured. As they found themselves naturally locking into more fixed
grooves, he realised a new direction had been set. Their new album
–
The Heat Warps
–
is the triumphant
manifestation of where that new direction took them.
In the aftermath, Cooper’s songwriting, which had become increasingly impressionistic, found a new focus and
the idea of making an album that followed a similar pat
h to the last two increasingly seemed obtuse. The purpose
was to forge a radical change. The core trio of him, Jim Wallis (drums) and Jeff Tobias (bass guitar) were
augmented by a new guitarist
–
Tara Cunningham.
Modern Nature’s recent records have refle
cted an insular life. Cooper had moved out to the countryside in 2021
and had, in his words, been “hibernating” while he started a family. He felt this new band was a symbol for his
reawakening and the perfect vessel for him to continue to explore themes t
hat he’s sung about with Modern
Nature
–
collectivism, our relationship with the natural world, the weight of consciousness
–
but with more
directness and purpose. The key was the new dual guitar sound.
“I’ve always been drawn to bands where two guitarist
s work as a unit to move around and colour the rhythm
section,” explains Cooper. “I’d been listening to the demos Television did with Brian Eno in the day and then that
night I played with Tara for the first time at an improvised music show. We have a very
similar approach to the
guitar and that extends to the way we sing, so it gives the music an interesting balance.
“What we do is mirrored; a symmetry on either side of what Jim and Jeff are doing in the rhythm section. We’ve
played with lots of amazing m
usicians who continue to orbit around what we do, but Tara joining the band felt
like finding the other side to the square. Previous records have been performed by upwards of fifteen people but it
was apparent the four of us could achieve something more po
werful and more direct.”
In the time Modern Nature has been a band, the world has undoubtedly changed. The words Cooper had been
writing previously were somewhat ambiguous but it had started to feel like he was sitting on the fence and that
was something
he needed to address.
“Every day we’re confronted with a confusing and scary world,” he says. “Making music and creating things can
feel flippant or unnecessary, but my own world view was defined and influenced by art and artists who weren’t
afraid to hig
hlight and offer solutions: Public Enemy, The Smiths or a wider American counterculture.”
“The community we’ve built our life around
–
artists, musicians and the people who gravitate to these things as
way of communicating
–
are struggling to reconcile ho
w they fit into an increasingly cruel world. This album, the
themes and the lyrics are directed towards them because I think there are still reasons to be optimistic. There are
amazing things happening all around us and it’s up to communities like ours to
double down on the things we
believe in. It feels as if being part of a group like Modern Nature and making an album that’s open, optimistic and
ambitious is in itself part of the solution.”
As the new band started to play together more, the energy, excit
ement and telepathy between them gained
momentum and it became clear they needed to make a record that captured that. They locked into a process
where they booked a couple of shows, directly followed by four days in the studio (the all
-
analogue Gizzard
Rec
ording in east London). They’d spend two weeks living in each other’s pockets
–
a very condensed rush of
creativity.
“It’s rare to hear a recording of a band playing in a room together,” adds Cooper. “And that interaction, the
discrepancies in timing, syn
ergy, in pitch, that’s where the magic really is, I think, and that’s what we wanted to
capture.”
Modern Nature - bio.docx
One additional (and slightly unlikely) influence on the record was Andrew Weatherall. Before he passed away,
he’d played Modern Nature on his NTS show and Co
oper was thrilled that he liked them. He made it an aim to
make a record Weatherall might have played to his friends late at night. His motto “Fail we may, sail we must” is
what the Can
-
esque track
Pharaoh
is about.
“It’s difficult to stay aware of the w
orld around you without becoming despondent,” says Cooper. “
Pharoah
makes
the case for finding a personal philosophy and trying to live a life that might inspire others or at the very least not
hurt them.”
Elsewhere,
Radio
touches on the contempt capitali
sm has for the natural world. The line “there’s a fire all around”
offers a kind of gallows humour. Cooper adds that recently they played the songs on a day that the news was
showing footage of the Los Angeles fires. It occurred to him that it was perhaps
an insensitive subject to be
singing about but there again
–
in his words
–
he feels it’s “important not to turn away from these things.” The
same desire not to shy away might also be attributed to
Source,
which touches on the recent riots in the UK
direct
ed towards asylum seekers, inspired by misinformation spread online.
For all this wrestling with the grimmer realities of 2025,
The Heat Warps
is ultimately not a record entirely
consumed by anxieties. Its frequently beautiful sounds offer consolation and
a wide
-
eyed optimism amid all the
upheaval. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the transcendent album closer,
Totality
. As Cooper explains: “It
was fascinating spending time in America as the country geared up for the 2024 solar eclipse. The news stati
ons
covered the event in the same way they’d cover a big football game or the Oscars. Everywhere I went, people
were talking about the eclipse and for a few days it really seemed to capture the public’s imagination.
“My friend’s dad had organised a huge
party and had obviously done his homework. When he was running us
through his preparation and how the day was going to go down, he said, ‘We’re hoping for totality,’ and it blew
my mind.
“The day of the eclipse I was driving through New Mexico and we stop
ped by the side of the road with hundreds of
other people gazing up to the heavens. It felt exciting to be part of something that clearly resonated with people
on such a profound level. It’s a fitting album closer and somewhere in there is a philosophy; a
romantic nihilism.”
And at its heart, right there is the core of Modern Nature’s appeal. Never more so than on this new record.
The Wants
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
The Wants
+ Special Guests
Saturday 27th September
The Flying Duck
18+
An adversarial network of ideas, The Wants welcome the possibility that embracing friction can give rise to something cathartic and unexpected. Formed by Madison Velding-VanDam and Jason Gates in 2017, and with the addition of Yasmeen Night in 2021, The Wants’ sound is defined by the push and pull of its members’ processes: floating rhythms upheaving grounded songwriting, pulsing synths overwhelming live instrumentation. Their new record, Bastard, is an evolution of many of the seeds planted in their debut record, Container (2020), with a refined sense of acerbic emotional urgency and sonic experimentation.
FREAKENDER FESTIVAL 2025
Our three day weekender festival is back at The Old Hairdressers and Stereo, Glasgow We’re talking over 20 live acts that take our fancy! and yours!
Three days, one venue. Limited capacity. You know the drill, so act fast!!
FREAKENDER 2025
Glasgow’s premium party starters and DIY weekender is BACK for our 7th edition!
Sept 19–21 at The Old Hairdressers + Stereo (for the first time)
3 days. 2 venues. All chaos.
First wave just dropped:
Babyshark / The Buttertones / Children of the Pope / DOSS / Former Champ / L.A. Witch / LYLO / NURSE / San Jose + many more incoming
Limited weekend Tickets ON SALE NOW! Grab yours before they are gone, baby gone!
Tickets available at https://www.citizenticket.com/events/freakender/freakender-festival-2025/
Sean Nicholas Savage
Pop Mutations presents:
Sean Nicholas Savage
+ Special Guests
Thursday 18th September
The Flying Duck
18+
Cult songwriter Sean Nicholas Savage is known for a tremendous output of heartbreaking
ballads of an amateur or naive expression. Each new record is an adventure in sensitivity and nuance.
His music is about more than just tunes — it’s about exploring deep emotions and big ideas. As The Fader put it, he’s “a singer-songwriter, madcap philosopher, and all-around scene-pillar.” His work connects with listeners on both a heart and mind level.
Sean Nicholas Savage has been with Arbutus Records since 2009, where he’s become a key figure in the label’s bold, experimental approach to music. Playing Neil Young’s song with Mac DeMarco on stage in Paris, live show barefoot at Primavera, or a concert at CTM Festival – Sean remains the artist with an open heart that always stays true to his listeners.
Recent years have seen Savage writing and performing musicals, and releasing more stripped down recordings with a cinematic influence. Savage’s live shows are minimalist and captivating, due to a raw space created, and paired with hyper intimate and driven performances of his larger than life classical songbook.
Sean Nicholas Savage is coming back to Europe presenting his new album in Summer – Fall 2025.
Tall Juan
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Tall Juan
+ Special Guests
Sunday 14th September
The Old Hairdresser's
18+
In San Antonio de Padua, Buenos Aires, Argentina, a six-year-old boy picks up an electric guitar for the first time. He feels the sharp steel strings and smells the wood while playing his first chords. This moment sparks a lifelong passion for music.
Raised in an inner-city environment, his childhood was half on the streets and half playing music with friends. At an early age he started experimenting with drugs and also playing in local bands. Soon, drugs became a problem and he started feeling a lack of motivation and self esteem. He eventually leaves his hometown for New York City at the suggestion of his sister, in an intent to save him from a deep depression.
In Rockaway Beach, Queens, Juan Zaballa becomes Tall Juan and begins his music career with the support of his New York friends, releasing albums that reflect his personal growth and experiences. His first album, 'Olden Goldies', reflects his English language learning journey and pays homage to his early punk music influences, showcasing his simplistic yet powerful songwriting while 'Atlantico' reconnects him with South American rhythms, displaying his musical growth.
His latest release, 'Raccoon Nights', showcases his evolution as a musician and producer, exploring psychedelic-pop with a blend of synthesizers and new wave overtones. Throughout his music, Tall Juan expresses his emotions and experiences, evolving his sound while maintaining his authentic voice inviting a diverse group of collaborators to join him on his journey.
Aya Gloomy + Mahne Frame
Pop Mutations presents:
Aya Gloomy
+ Mahne Frame
+ Pearling
+ VLURE (DJ set)
Sunday 14th September
The Glad Cafe
18+
Self-produced and from Shinagawa, Tokyo, Aya Gloomy, has been conspicuously world-building in the Eastern hemisphere since 2018. Her wildly hooky pop melodies and distinctive fashion proclivities have garnered attention throughout Japan and beyond. She has performed alongside Mykki Blanco, Yves Tumor, and Kedr Livanskiy in Asia and Australia. Aya’s debut album was released on Japanese tastemaker label, Big Love. Since then she has self-released 2 LPs, Tokyo Hakai (“Destruction”) and Riku No Kotōu. Her most recent singles are on Australian imprint 21 N FUN, a label run by Aya’s perennial collaborator, artist Mahne Frame.
Aya was on the cover of IN Magazine in 2020 and has been featured in Vogue, i-D, and Sabukaru Magazine. In 2021, she guest starred in several episodes of Kiko Mizuhara’s Amazon series, Kiko Kikaku. She is also the subject of Francesca Allen’s sold out photography book entitled “Aya”. Aya also operates a trailblazing vintage shop, Pompom Shop, which has a cult following both online and in pop-ups.
Her new EP “u are the moonlight” is out on 21 N Fun August 2025.