just celebrated its most exciting year yet, with a sizzling lineup that established this festival as one of the UK’s most innovative showcases for independent and emerging music. JOY concerts teamed up with Manchester Psych Fest for a whole day of music which took us across all of Brighton’s best music venues, turning the city into hot spot for best new music for the third year running.
I first headed for Concorde 2, on the iconic Brighton seafront. kicked the day off with a beautifully uplifting set. The London-based group presents a unique blend of psych rock, Hindustani Classical music, and full-on 70’s vibes with colourful florals and shiny long manes. Sitar player Rod Bourganos took us away with some jaw-dropping riffs, a unique instrument played with precision, control, and a lot of passion.
The second act of the day was one I’d been itching to see again since May this year, when I first discovered them during The Great Escape festival. Irish quartet has been making headlines since their formation in late 2025, and their rise to the top seems only to be gaining speed. Despite playing a very early slot, their performance did not disappoint in terms of energy and intensity. Opener ‘Jacky’ instantly riled up the crowd with its scratchy, gritty guitar riffs – bass and drums dropping in in truly thunderous fashion. There is also a certain tenderness to Bleech 9:3 that makes their sound unique and unforgettable. Songs like ‘Ceilings’ or ‘Torniquet’ perfectly balance emotional vulnerability and musical fervour. The grunge/garage rock band deserves to be on everyone’s radar.
At this point the sun was setting, painting everything in deep colours. We caught some fresh air and then headed back in for Mary in The Junkyard, the London-based art rock trio whose poignant and melodic tunes, reminiscent of early-days My Chemical Romance, made me an instant fan. Vocalist Clari Freeman-Taylor enchanted the whole room with her cherubic vocals, beautifully contrasted by the viola’s deep resounding notes.
We picked up rhythm again when we headed to Volks to catch , Australia’s hottest new thing. In the midst of their EU/UK tour, and just off releasing their third EP, Sex Mask are at their absolute best yet. With a sound that defies expectations and refuses definition, Sex Mask’s set was sweaty, unstoppable, frenetic, and alluring. Blending punk and electronica, the trio’s energy was relentlessly high from start to finish, and we left the venue wishing we could do it all over again.
For the second to last act of the night, we chose to head to Komedia to catch , without much of an idea of what to expect. The Portuguese trio was my favourite discovery of this festival. Their exclusively instrumental set was a powerhouse of sound, transforming the basement of Komedia into a dark, steamy, exclusive dancefloor. By the end of their set, I felt re-energised, ready to take on the last set of the evening.
No other band could’ve been a more perfect pick to end Psych Fest than Brighton’s own . This quartet has taken the city by storm with their white-hot live shows, who attract more and more fans every time. There is no world in which you won’t have to elbow your way to the front at a Lemonsuckr gig; there is no world in which you’re not leaving that gig having had one of the best nights of your life.
Lemonsuckr’s sound oscillates between synth-heavy pop and garage rock and is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. Frontman Guy Ferris is incredibly magnetic and commands the crowd with a simple smirk or a raise of the brow. Songs like ‘Rugrat’ or ‘H.E.A.T.’ never fail to send the audience in absolute frenzy; I was dancing so much I could barely tell up from down. Lemonsuckr will soon be playing much bigger stages, but for now I felt so incredibly lucky to have seen them in such an intimate venue. We’re witnessing something big in the works.
