Live Review: Joan & The Giants @ The Alternative Escape, Planetary Group and Impressive PR Stage, Brighton, UK (9/10)
OK… I’ll be honest: I ducked into the Secret Comedy Club for no other reason than it was a venue near the coffee place I’d just left, and I was curious what bands might be playing. It wasn’t on my ‘go-to’ list. I’d heard the name Joan & The Giants – an Australian alt pop band—floating around The Great Escape chatter, but I hadn’t done my homework. Within about thirty seconds of them starting, I realised I’d made the best accidental decision of my day!
The band eased in with this shimmering, atmospheric intro that kind of makes the whole room collectively lean forward. Then singer and frontwoman Grace Newton-Wordsworth, resplendent in a stunning long cobalt blue outfit, opened her mouth and, genuinely, the air shifted. Her voice is one of those rare things: warm, raw, and absolutely unafraid to crack open a feeling and hand it to you, which is a rare gift indeed.
Musically, they sit in that sweet spot between alt-pop and indie rock: glossy enough to feel modern, gritty enough to feel real. Big, emotional choruses. Guitars that shimmer rather than shout. Drums that know exactly when to hold back and when to explode. I would even say there is a cinematic quality to their sound – like every song is built for a festival sunset or a late-night montage in a coming-of-age film.
Indeed, Grace performs like someone who has lived every lyric twice. She’s magnetic without trying to be, switching between vulnerability and power with this effortless confidence. When she introduced the current single “Mamma Don’t Cry” and mentioned the personal story behind it, you could feel the whole crowd get the feels, and yes, actual goosebumps too.
The rest of the band deserves their accolades, too. Tight, expressive, and clearly locked into each other. No ego, no overplaying – just a group who know exactly how to build a moment and let it land. There were points where the dynamics were so well controlled that the whole room felt like it was breathing with them. By the final track, people who’d wandered in for a casual look (like me) were fully invested -industry phones out, heads nodding knowingly, that little ripple of “who are these guys?” spreading through the room. If that’s not a great sign, I don’t know what is.
In short, I came in with zero expectations. I left actually invested and wanting to tell everyone I know that Joan & The Giants are absolutely one to watch. They have what it takes: emotional, polished, and genuinely moving—the kind of band that sneaks up on you and stays with you long after the last note fades.
If their UK debut is anything to go by, they won’t be playing small rooms for long. I look forward to more music, more dates… Bring it on.
‘MAMMA DON’T CRY’ – WATCH NOW
