Ahead of their first headline show at Brighton’s iconic Green Door Store, I sat down with Bighead Tea Drinkers to get a feel for their musical journey and creative process that led them to this moment. From the minute they introduced themselves, their laid-back attitude and comfort with each other was apparent. Pint in hand, all the more eager for their performance, I sat down to ask them a few questions.

“We knew fuck all about music, but we learnt through this band” Marshall Tyce

Freddie Brindle and Marshall Tyce, lead singer and drummer respectively, formed the band when they were only 13-years-old, with a variety of members over the years, but their move to Brighton set in motion the future of the band as we know it today. On the hunt for new members, Marshall and Freddie found bassist Kian Ramsay after moving in together and eventually decided to join forces. With lead guitarist Ellie Rosehart, the story is a bit more cinematic.

“We were at an induction event at BIMM and I had submitted our song Tokyo,” said Marshall, “and Ellie came up to us after and it must have been a week or two before we started rehearsing all together.” I asked Ellie what drew her to this track, “When I first heard Tokyo, I was like this is the kind of band I want to be in… I learnt two of their songs that night and sent it to them like ‘I want to do this'”.

After solidifying their line-up with Kian and Ellie officially joining the band, they faced a new challenge: merging each of their unique musical influences to form a cohesive sound.

“It definitely does all come from different places… which I think makes it unique” Freddie Brindle

From Halsey to Primal Scream to Catfish and the Bottlemen, Bighead Tea Drinkers are tuned in to the sounds of passionate artists from a variety of musical stylings. Their earlier tracks like ‘Never Seen a Fox in The Daytime’ show a clear influence taken the punk and 80s rock sounds, while newer tracks like ‘Tokyo’ blend their influences into a more alternative pop/indie feel. With all the mixing and recording being done by the band themselves, the quality of their single releases is incredibly impressive. “We’ve got a bigger variety of avenues to go down when we’re writing songs now as well” says Freddie on their creative process, “it definitely helps”.

With Freddie at the helm of lyric writing and each band member contributing to the overall sound, writing each of their own parts and collaborating together to create a cohesive track they can all be proud of it’s no wonder these emerging talents are seeing such success.

Hours later after opening acts Q-Days and Not Sarah, Bighead Tea Drinkers take the stage launching first into their upcoming single “Where Is The Love” (to be released on March 10). Right from the first chords it’s clear that this band is something special, they’re tight on stage but still leave room for some stand out moments, particularly from guitarist Ellie Rosehart during their track “When She Goes” and phenomenal drumming from Marshall Tyce throughout.

Their set was strong and dynamic which reflects their discography well and is hopefully indicative of their future releases as well. By the time they finished there was a palpable feeling in the air, an enjoyment of an overwhelmingly fun show but also something else. We were left with the distinct and indescribable feeling of watching something incredible right as it comes into its own.