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In 2015 Matthew Hanson-Kahn was at a party when a drummer asked him if he wanted to sing in his funk band. A bit drunk and full of bravado, and despite never having sung in a band before, he said yes. Later, he overheard another of the band members saying, “Matthew? No, we don’t want him.” That was when he decided to form his own band.

He’d met Nick Goodson a couple of times in the pub. Nick played some rhythm guitar but had never been in a band. With Matthew on vocals and Nick’s guitar, they called themselves Trash Culture and wrote eight songs from ‘ideas in Matthew's head.’ As they improved they were joined by Tim Rank, a friend, on drums. A few bass guitarists passed through until another friend, Robert Dickinson, who also hadn’t played in bands before, learned how to play bass from scratch and settled into the role. This line-up played their first gig at Brighton Electric in 2017. When veteran bassist Mikey Skinner joined, Robert moved from bass to keyboards and the band became Brighton Strangler. Three gigs later, Tim developed tinnitus and had to leave; the band recruited Steve Tinson. The new line-up played their first gig at Brighton’s Latest Bar in November 2018, with Steve managing a full set despite having damaged his arm falling off a bike. His willingness to suffer convinced the band that Steve had commitment.

Brighton Strangler’s punk pop sound, with influences from Joy Division and the Gang of Four, can be heard on songs like Boogie Woogie and Dancing Outrageous, and the crisp melodies of Paper Cuts and 90 Miles. The driving guitar and occasionally haunting keyboards keep the songs simple but catchy, clean yet dirty, and, most of all, fun. They sing about love, drugs or rock n roll, with lyrics that switch between humour and anguish. Nice Guys is a catchy pop song with an indie edge. Let’s Party could become a classic.