The Hinds were known as Deers until a Canadian lawyer said it created confusion with his band – that apparently aren’t even called Deers. The refreshingly unpretentious Spanish girl group from Madrid have gathered a crazy amount of hype in a short time. Their lo-fi grungy garage pop came to surface after they put a couple of demos on Soundcloud, which excited the music blog world, got them a support slot for The Libertines in Paris and catapulted them into becoming one of the most exciting new bands around. Three Brighton bands were in support with Bar Rats, Dog Legs, and Our Girl creating a fantastic line up, for what was a fun Friday night at the super cool Joker pub.

Bar Rats were the first act, performing their easy going garage rock. The simple rhythms and Kings Of Leon-esque vocals were well received and made for a brilliant beginning to the show. Although they don’t give themselves a great write up, they had a great relaxed stage presence which matched their alternative sound. Definitely a band to put on your headphones when you’re out skating.

The duo Dog Legs, may not be to everyone’s taste, but I loved their oddball lo-fi punk. Liam Bradbury on a 3 piece drum kit with Moe Meade on lead vocals and guitar managed to make a surprisingly complete sound. Songs about their love for ice cream, and a cobra snake could come across as worthless rubbish, but that is what punk is about isn’t it, taking the piss out of the conventional mainstream music which is just as meaningless. Their jokey attitude made for a great atmosphere, and there were glimpse of true song writing ability. A real fun set.

Our Girl completely captivated the sell-out crowd, with heads bobbing all around. The three piece, lead by the immensely talented Soph Nathan, create a powerful shoegaze sound with some brilliantly emotive lyrics. They are a band you have to experience for yourself, with each song sounding like it’s part of a film score. After getting their one and only released song played by Lauren Lavern, I’m sure things will quickly take off for this band which is still in its infancy.

A buzzing crowd welcome the Hinds on stage, who were definitely in a party mood for the last show of their tour.  The quartet, once a duo, controlled the audience from the off, using their infectiously enthusiastic personalities to put the crowd into a raucous mess in an instant. Similar to artists like Marc Demarco who play relatively laid back music, the Hinds managed to get the crowd pogoing and moshing, and then stage jumping (including a hilarious failed attempt) and crowd surfing during ‘Castiga En El Granero’.

Constant chatting to the crowd between songs created a phenomenally playful atmosphere throughout their show, brought on by the endless fun and laughter that drives this band. With only two 7” singles to their name, it was great to get a glimpse of the bands other material, ‘Easy’ and ‘Warning With The Curling’ being my new favourites, and it looks set to continue their ballooning popularity. The Hinds shout, shriek and overlap their vocals, atop of an effortlessly loose guitar riff which is given freedom by the continuously sharp drumming.

After a hugely enjoyable show, the Hinds literally ran out of song. They came back on stage with the intention to repeat a couple of songs but instead gave us an exclusive listen to a new song, giving the band and the audience one last chance to literally lose their shit before they go into hiding to complete their debut album. Cannot wait.

Iain Lauder

Website: HindsBand.com
Facebook: facebook.com/hindsband
Twitter: twitter.com/HindsBand