Brighton · 23–24 October 2026
Two days, ten venues
Words and Photos: Sara Louise Bowrey
Tickets to 2027 ON SALE NOW (Super Early Bird)
Brighton’s Mutations Festival has once again shoved its way to the top of the UK’s alternative music festival calendar. Returning for its eighth edition on 23 and 24 October 2026, the festival took over ten of the city’s core grassroots music venues, bringing together more than 90 acts for a two-day mash-up of brand new music, established favourites and some seriously frenetic live performances.
Mutations ran the gamut of experimental post-punk and psychedelic rock, punk-fuelled indie, and electronic dancefloor chaos, and delivered exactly what a good city festival should: a chance to discover your next favourite band while catching some firm faves doing what they do best in intimate, sweaty settings.
And with both Storm Austen and Storm Babet threatening to put a dampener on proceedings, the weather certainly didn’t want to make things easy. But Brighton’s music fans are a resilient bunch, and neither the rain nor the wind was going to put a damper on proceedings.
There were loads of other discoveries along the way, but a real home-town moment came when Brighton’s own Squid took to the stage at Chalk ahead of Friday night’s headline act. The venue was packed, and their fiercely loyal following hung on every beat and every word. Their distinctive mixture of art-rock, post-punk and experimental indie oozed confidence, with the band feeding off an audience that clearly knew every twist and turn. It was a brilliant reminder of Brighton’s strong musical pedigree.
But Friday night belonged to Fat Dog.
The band have built a formidable reputation as a live juggernaut, and Chalk was absolutely rammed by the time Joe Love and his musical accomplices took to the stage. There was barely room to move, but that certainly didn’t stop the crowd from throwing themselves into every moment.
Opening with ‘Smile And Wave’, Fat Dog wasted no time getting momentum going. Love was predictably soon off the stage and among the audience, while the band’s gloriously chaotic mixture of electronic dance beats, punk energy, saxophone, violin and Middle Eastern-inspired rhythms turned the venue into one enormous dancefloor.
Tracks including ‘All The Same’ and ‘King Of The Slugs’ kept the fires burning before the closing run of ‘Peace Song’ and ‘Running’ brought the night to a suitably euphoric conclusion. This was an exhilarating headline performance and a reminder that Fat Dog remain one of the most exciting live bands around.
Saturday brought another packed programme, although the weather had other ideas. Storm Babet made its presence felt, and a water leak and electrical problems forced the evacuation of Green Door Store, interrupting Really Good Time’s set. Full credit to the organisers, who quickly rearranged the remaining performances across other venues, ensuring the festival could continue.
There was no shortage of musical firepower elsewhere. Snayx delivered an absolutely pummelling performance at Chalk, with their ferocious rhythm section and commanding frontman Charlie Herridge turning an afternoon slot into a full-blown exercise in crowd participation. Circle pits and bouncing bodies were everywhere, proving that festival energy doesn’t need to wait until after dark.
Meanwhile, Leeds rockers Pulled Apart By Horses brought their trademark muscular guitar sound and full-throttle attitude to Revenge.
But Saturday’s biggest draw was undoubtedly Mike D 5D, featuring Beastie Boys founding member Mike D, who took over Chalk for one of the weekend’s most anticipated performances.
With the venue packed to capacity, the atmosphere was electric even before the band appeared. Opening with ‘Hello Brooklyn’, Mike D immediately set the tone for a performance that effortlessly balanced the legacy of the Beastie Boys with newer material.
There was no shortage of nostalgia, but this was far more than a trip down memory lane. ‘Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun’ provided a thrilling reminder of the Beasties’ enduring influence, while tracks from the new album ‘Thank You’ demonstrated that Mike D is still creatively moving forward. The full band’s muscular arrangements gave everything a fresh energy, and by the time ‘So What’cha Want’ brought the set to a close, Chalk was a sea of sweat, movement and very happy fans.
If Mike D provided one of the weekend’s biggest headline moments, Panic Shack delivered one of its most entertaining performances.
Over at Revenge, the Welsh five-piece were on typically brilliant form. Their infectious blend of punk attitude, sharp humour and unapologetic energy had a packed audience completely in their hands. Songs such as ‘Baby’, ‘Personal Best’ and ‘Smellarat’ came thick and fast, with the band sounding tighter and faster than ever.
There is something wonderfully infectious about Panic Shack. They clearly enjoy every second on stage, and that enthusiasm spreads straight into the audience. With their debut self-titled album providing a tonne of great tracks, this was a fittingly riotous way to round off a weekend of live music.
TTSSFU
Hailing from Wigan and now taking Manchester’s vibrant music scene by storm, Tasmin Stephens, better known as TTSSFU
Band site
Plantoid
…the stewards of the UK’s prog-rock scene
Band site
Dove Ellis
With shades of Jeff and Tim Buckley, the Galway-born artist writes tunes so strong they seem as familiar as old friends. (The Guardian)
Band site
The weekend
Mutations: in a nutshell
Of course, these headline performances only tell part of the story. Across the ten venues there were countless other reasons to keep moving between stages.
The inevitable clashes meant nobody could see everything, and that’s perhaps one of the few frustrations of a festival with such an embarrassment of riches. But that’s also part of its appeal: there is always another venue, another band and another potential discovery just around the corner.
Mutations has become something of a mini-Great Escape for those who prefer their music loud, adventurous and a little less predictable. It brings together the excitement of discovering emerging artists with the pleasure of seeing established performers in relatively intimate surroundings, all while supporting the independent venues that make Brighton such a vibrant musical city.
From Fat Dog’s dancefloor mayhem to Mike D’s Beastie Boys anthems and Panic Shack’s punk-fuelled party, the eighth edition had plenty of memorable moments.
Two days, ten venues, more than 90 acts, a couple of storms and an awful lot of noise. Mutations once again demonstrated that the future of live music is in very good hands.
Silver Gore
…on a mission to create fun electro earworms that, once heard, you’ll struggle to get out of your head (Rolling Stone)
Band site
Mouth Ulcers
…reshaping dark post-punk into something urgent, youthful and intoxicating (Beyond the Music)
Band site
Modern Woman
Modern Woman’s debut album Johnny’s Dreamworld shapes a unique blend of eclectic influences into a whole new dynamic avant-garde art form. (Louder Than War)
Band site
Elsewhere
What the others said
I, again, left with so many memories and good new music in my playlists. Mutations Festival is definitely enough to draw me back to Brighton every year from now on.
…since its comparatively humble beginnings in 2015, Mutations has steadily harnessed a reputation for being one of the most vibrant autumnal musical outings available.
The frankly Herculean efforts of Form’s team remain the most vital part of the weekend. Between multiple bands dropping out due to illness, trees on tracks, and a flood at Green Door Store, it seemed bands could have been destined to wander Brighton like aimless stray dogs. Splitting them between The Prince Albert and Alphabet with barely an hour’s notice, Form found them good homes and kept the ball rolling when many may have just given up.
Leave a Reply