Peacock Freakshow Review by Brian Watson
Peacock Freakshow
Queen’s Bar and Coffee House
Bridlington, 9th August 2025
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. Because who doesn’t? Kiss me quick hats, fish and chips on the front, suicidal seagulls, and of course the finest progressive rock festival I’ve been to in many a long year. That’s not to denigrate all the other splendid prog festivals that are out there. And I should know for I have been to a lot. But as I increasingly find, the longer the festival, the harder it is to keep me rooted to the spot for two or even three full days. And dozens of bands. So it was refreshing to find a 5 band all-dayer, 45 minutes train journey from ‘ull. That was done for 8.30 p.m-ish. Leaving time for another route march back to the train station. For it did take a while to haul my aged bones there when we rocked up (see what I did there?) in Bridlington at lunchtime, nestled away as it was in the lovely Old Town district Somewhere I’d not ventured before, despite many trips over many years.
Taking place in the achingly cool outdoor terrace area of the wonderful Queens Bar and Coffee House, the Peacock Freakshow was the most fun I’ve had at a gig/festival for an awfully long time. Because everything was perfect. And I mean everything. I’ve been to loads where the venue was great, the food/beer was great, the sound was great, the bands were great, and the crowd were great. But rarely if ever when all those milestones are reached. And as it was outside I could puff away at will on my fruity vape, without needing to go for vape breaks.
I have to give a massive shoutout to the very lovely Tom, of the band Argham, who invited me to the festival when I bumped into him at the recent Trilogy/Haze show in Hull.
So, not knowing quite what to expect, having only had a quick chance to listen to the bands on streaming/Bandcamp beforehand, we took our seats at a traditional wooden beer garden table with a pint of Neck Oil and a cider for the lady (Mrs W - no Coldplay style kiss cam snafus for me). It’s fair to say the audience were an eclectic bunch, and I definitely felt under-dressed, especially when the headliner came on. But more of that, and them, anon.
First up were Leeds’ own Janata, although the members are from all over, having met at uni and stuck together. They delivered an intoxicating, sometimes angry and abrasive, yet always melodic set. They’re inspired by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Yes, and King Crimson. ‘First Dog in Human History’, and ‘Columbo’, which are available to listen to for free on their Soundcloud, for example, have nods to all of the above plus some fine Rush-style moments too. Always nice to see a Rickenbacker bass on a stage. They were discordant when the material demanded it, yet with plenty of excellent riffage and foot-tapping/head nodding slash banging moments aplenty. A fabulous start to the day indeed. They have been gigging around Leeds only since 2024, but you wouldn’t have known - they sounded incredibly tight, aided by a truly excellent FOH sound. Expect to see them appearing at larger festivals in the not too distant future.
https://soundcloud.com/janata-162595883
Cowfish have been going since the 1990s, but even they probably haven’t performed under such difficult circumstances. Reduced to a two-piece due to the lead guitarist being stuck in Italy and the bass player, we were told, exploding in a bizarre Spïnal Tap incident, they nevertheless managed to deliver a great set, carried along by audience goodwill and the great musicianship of founder Tim O'Connor and Roy on drums. Their mission, when starting out some 30 years ago, was to to meld fine-tuned lyrics to earth shattering riffage with wit and charm and they truly delivered on that. Of course they missed the two other members but they performed their set with aplomb and good grace.
Described by one reviewer as a "Korg driven psych out machine”, Argham formed in East Yorkshire in 2022, with the aim of “blending monster belting riffs, with melodies and beats to an ethereal landscape. Mashing up genres and styles from across the ages into a wall of sound”. Mission accomplished, gentlemen. Led by keyboard player extraordinaire, Tom Morris, who also takes on vocal duties, Argham were responsible for more than a hint of excitement in the old swimsuit area, thanks, I was informed by Tom afterwards, to judicious use of bass pedals. The man’s a genius, to be honest, and prog keyboard enjoyers absolutely must check them out. There’s three singles and a live cut on bandcamp at the moment, guaranteed to excite most aficionados of the genre, but especially those organ enjoyers out there (you know who you are), with an EP planned. But they have to be seen live. It’s atmosphere laden, Hammond-tastic stuff.
The only problem with a 5 band bill, when all the artistes are playing at the top of their game, is that it has to end. But not quite yet, so time for another Neck Oil and a leg stretch. Just in time for Birmingham’s Sweetpool to take the stage. Now so impressed with Sweetpool was I, that I chose to play one of the tracks from their outstanding 2024 album ‘Triple Earth Star’ on my 400th and final Not the AmericanPrög Show on Progzilla Radio recently. You’ll have to listen to the podcast at https://progzilla.com/not-the-americanprog-show-400 to find out which. The band create a thrilling, intense melting pot of psychedelic punk, flamenco, angular pop, and space noises - think Can, Hawkwind, Pigbros, even The Groundhogs, with a dose of post punk attitude. Songs like ‘In Winter’ and ‘Back to the Factory’ happily fly off into almost trance like repetition, powered by a pulsating rhythm section alongside the drone of what they call the ‘E pedal’ and augmented by bubbling synths.
https://sweetpool.bandcamp.com/
Headliner Seas of Mirth appeared at Progzilla alumnus Ian Fairholm’s Eppyfest recently, and received rave reviews. And after tonight’s set I can see why. They were truly splendid. One of my most favourite recent musical discoveries in fact. Truly bonkers, and with fashion choices that were, shall we say, somewhat bolder than the traditional prog festival garb of supermarket jeans and a faded band teeshirt. SoM are part of that vanguard of young, exciting bands that truly are the future of progressive rock. For without bands like SoM then prog has no future. They’ll be around after many of us old guard are dead and gone and old men have stopped arguing over whether Genesis were better with Peter Gabriel, Marillion with Fish, or Yes with The Buggles.
If you saw Henge at Fusion festival you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from SoM in terms of stagecraft and energy. Musically, then Cardiacs have to be your first touchstone. But don’t call them The Cardiacs (or Steven Wilson Steve) or else their fans will throw things at you. Like Marillion fans did when Cardiacs supported said prog stalwarts on tour many moons ago. Which shows, hopefully, how far we’ve come. Throw Stereolab, Talking Heads, Parliament/Funkadelic, Gong, Moulettes, Henge, Animal Collective, King Gizzard etc, and Frank Zappa into the mix and you should now be properly sighted on where SoM are coming from. And going to, as they have played Glastonbury, Bearded Theory, Lindisfarne, Nozstock, Boomtown, Isle Of Wight, Solfest, Moovin, and Equinox. The only thing that’s going to change, in my opinion, is the size of the stages they appear on.
For those of you who think that prog begins and ends in the 1970s be advised that ‘The Wall’ this ain’t. And yes, Charlie Bramald, there was dancing. Lots of it. Quite a bit of it by me, in fact.
They’ve been going for 10 years or so now, mixing up styles and genres while also being known for their aquatic twist. Aaagh, indeed. Their most recent album Kriller, a vinyl copy of which I snagged to help the band (there’s quite a few of them) with petrol money, is described as a deep-ocean inspired ode to nightlife, community, creativity and the state of the marine environment. And who am I to disagree?
With an extensive instrumental checklist intact, the sonic span widens into areas of psyche, dark funk, jazz, disco, ambient, latin, club beats and chime-pop. The prog-folk elements remain from their first three records, but this time around, comparisons have been made to the likes of Cardiacs, Stereolab, Talking Heads, Parliament/Funkadelic, Gong, Moulettes, Henge, Animal Collective, King Gizzard and Frank Zappa.
Live, there is a huge emphasis to bring the tunes to life in an enthralling sensory experience, made possible with big luminous sea creature props emerging through the course of the set, and various interactive opportunities (aka dancing, Charlie) for the crowd. Even at a small, intimate venue like this, the level of showmanship was second to none. An impromptu sojourn into the audience went down well, and all in all, I was rapt from beginning to end. See them live at the earliest opportunity, and don’t forget your octopus costume. And so to bed. To sleep, perchance to dream. And in the words of Alan Partridge, aah, ladyboy.