Sidney & Matilda Presents:
Oral Habit
Oral Habit deal in what they call “the ear-rattling psychic dream of choked-up acid punks”,
a sound that feels overpowering, explosive and intense: you could say it’s more closely
aligned to the disoriented racket of mid-60s freakbeat than the pie-eyed beatitudes of the
Summer of Love; equally you could suggest it’s a very contemporary form of psychedelia,
rebooted for the troubled, disturbing climate of 2025.
Initially a home recording project of frontman Charlie Hales now expanded into a trio with
the addition of his brother Felix on drums, and his partner Tippi Lewis on bass, Oral Habit’s
recent EP Garage Frock! offers four short, sharp bursts that expand on the sound of its
predecessor, Cardiovascular Spectacular, throwing up an impressively bloody and chaotic
melange of guitar fuzz, echo-drenched vocals, feedback-drenched solos and primitive riffs
that feels as if it was recorded with everything turned up to full volume, including the
mellotron that decorates I’m Free. Even the one track that initially presents as a ballad, The
Coast, eventually gives way to a crushing, sludgy grind. As statements of intent go, it’s
impressively full-on, as is Charlie’s explanation of the band’s sonic philosophy: “if a
button’s there, it’s there to be pushed.” - Alexis Petridis
£10 ADV
Doors- 7:45pm