More about: Lady Bird

Hi Gigwise! Joe here from Lady Bird. Thanks, for the opportunity to talk about some of the music in Brighton we’re excited about at the moment. I studied in Brighton for several years and love the place and Alex still lives there.

The first band I’m gonna mention are Squid; they were all good friends of mine while I was at Sussex and had a big impact on my development as a musician. They’re one of the most exciting new bands about at the moment and to me their sound is a statement of the limitless possibility of matching experimentation with sincerity. Arthur I lived with all three years and he’s the first person I wrote some of my own songs with. Both our bands played some of our first shows in our final year living room and I was inspired by observing their development as a group.

The next three bands I want to mention are all from up the road in Tunbridge Wells - Smile, Scowl, and Bruised are all very exciting punk/post-punk bands emerging from The Tunbridge Wells Forum scene. I hope they won’t let the pandemic impact their development negatively in any way. They put a show on at The Forum in January and packed the place out with a really mixed group of observers, all full of energy. I’ve not seen the place buzz like that since Isaac and Sam were playing in Bareface together when we were teenagers. There was a mosh pit by the first drop of the first song of the first band! My hopes are alive with these lot so keep an eye on their development. 

Back to Brighton… Nokia Mansion make trap-punk and have been key players in opening my attention up to the genre. Along with Parafiction they’ve reminded me to stay open-minded and have tapped an emotional space of musical insight I’ve not experienced before. They’re also full of energy and great intentions - their presence in Brighton is sure to evolve so check them out while they’ll still respond to your DMs. Parafiction have unfortunately split now but will both be releasing music themselves, James as AntiJambo and Jules in various forms so I’d encourage you to follow both of them as developing artists. 

Since touring with us last year Guru have gone on to sell out shows of their own both in and out of Brighton and impress every time I watch them play 'cos every time they’ve grown better - not only their performance but also their song writing quality is in constant generation. An amazing bunch of lads who I hope will one day let me drum for them. Their releases speak for themselves. 

When Alex first moved to Brighton him and his girlfriend Tash heard a gig going on in a living room over the road. We traced a word they thought they heard in a catchy chorus and our friendship with Gaffa Tape Sandy was born. One of the best up and coming bands about, as far as my radar is aware. Emotive punk swagger with penetrating vocal exchanges between the front-man-and-woman combo machine. Reeeeeeally get to know these guys if you don’t. They make me laugh and cry and dance in one moment.

Verbz and Mr Slipz have just signed to High Focus, which has been a household in Brighton for years and another important entity in my development as a drummer - listening to Leaf Dog and Jam Baxter and trying to make my beats sound like what I could hear on their records was an essential part of expanding my vocabulary. Without that effort I wouldn’t have been able to adapt to what Sam had written when we first got together and Lady Bird would be a very different entity.

I came across Penelope Isles when I was at uni and have enjoyed watching their development. Their first release was a staple in my first car. They’ve brought out a few records now and their vibrations are only getting deeper. Based around a brother-sister relationship at their core, they’re only growing in capability so join the ride if you’ve not already.

The final artist I’d like to give a mention is Greta Lindsay, an indie acoustic singer-songwriter with jazz influences. She’s been working on some dub mixes since lock down and will be releasing her first singles in the coming months.

Thanks again Gigwise for your interest in our band and in all the music you support. All the best,

Joe LB Xx

Lady Bird’s new EP Brainwash Machine Setting is out now. Stream it here. 

More about: Lady Bird