There’s no doubt about it, the Brighton music scene is at the highest peak it’s ever been. In 2018 alone we’ve been honoured with a Tigercub homecoming show at Concorde 2, Glum’s first ever headline show at Green Door Store, Fur’s immense take-down of The Haunt, along with top bands Drip Gloss and BLUSH. However, on 26th February, while the snow fell down on our city, High Tyde came back to Brighton’s The Old Market in a set that proved that they’re the youth’s choice for best Brighton band.

Not only that, but the first support of the night was from Brighton’s Thyla. After having recently featured in NME’s 100 Acts to Watch List in 2018, and being my pick to be the next Brighton band to go nationwide, they played an excellent set that warmed up the modest crowd delightfully. Of course, all of the singles sound amazing at this point. ‘Ferris Wheels’ and ‘Pristine Dream’ are both soaring indie-pop tunes, brimming with delectable guitar lines and enchanted vocals from frontwoman Millie Duthie. It’s their new single, ‘I Was Biting’, released on 6th March, that was the best of the lot, though. ‘I Was Biting’ is a pounding, bass-heavy banger that evokes the pop sensibilities of The Bangles as well as the ethereal sounds of the Cocteau Twins.

Next up were East London’s Bad Nerves, who were a different proposition entirely. A band built on fleeting, dizzy punk numbers interweaved with lively choruses, they certainly won over the crowd quickly with their powerful live display. Most of this comes through frontman Bobby Bird’s frenetic live display as, throughout, he never stops moving, pounding across the stage with the mic, and the stand, grasped in his hands, shouting his enraged lyrics. No doubt their best song, and their biggest reaction, came through latest single ‘Radio Punk’. It’s a furious and frantic punk song that kicks off in rapid fashion and gets quicker and quicker until its abrupt finale.

Before High Tyde hit the stage, the 500-capacity venue was exposed to a short three-song build up of lad rock’s finest. First, Arctic Monkey’s ‘Brianstorm’ whipped up a frenzy with the teenage crowd, then Fatboy Slim’s ‘Right Here, Right Now’ got the Brighton singalong going and, finally, Kasabian’s ‘Club Foot’ created exactly the right atmosphere for High Tyde to walk on to rapturous applause. Opening with their latest single, ‘In Your Head’, they already had the crowd in the palms of their hands. A sweeping track, ‘In Your Head’ opened simply, with earthy vocals from frontman Cody Thomas-Matthews and a straightforward drumbeat, before a gnarly riff built the energy of the crowd up straight into bouncing and moshing.

Essentially built on bursts of energy inside three-minute indie-pop bangers, it’s surprising not only how many recognisable songs they’ve got, but how many they can fit in an hour set. 2017 single ‘Young Offenders’, in particular, kept the pace at an intense high. Opening with a bang, it hurdles from one sparkling guitar line to another at headlong velocity. At times even the youthful audience struggle to keep up with the heavy pace that the four-piece create, but there a many a time where both band and audience come together terrifically.

At an average age of 20, which is quite remarkable considering they’ve been around for three years, High Tyde are an insanely tight live band that have found their niche. They write fast-paced pop songs that evoke a 00s indie vibe, but manage to pull it into this decade sublimely. Ultimately, it’s a celebration of the band and, with stage invasions, crowd surfing and even an on-stage proposal, it’s exactly that.

Liam McMillen

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