The buzz of excitement runs through the vast landscape as the Brighton Pier is packed out in celebration of Head South Records’ continued summer anniversary events, the combination of free tickets and the dying embers of the British Summer are enough to create a frenzied and joyful crowd and they hum and chatter ahead of the stage lights coming on. One roadie making a last minute sweep of the stage wrongly receives cheers from the crowd but as a couple of moments pass, the stage begins to fill with the arrival of a drummer, bass guitarist and keyboardist each receiving a smattering of cheer and applause as they begin playing their instruments. The arrival of Jack Dunn finally see’s the crowd get what they want and the volume levels increase as he confidently makes his way across the stage, guitar slung over his shoulders and a big beaming smile, he grabs both hands onto the microphone and yells, “BRIGHTON!!!!” which gets one huge roar from the crowd before they settle in anticipation, “You mad bastards! Let’s fucking go!!” he says as he strikes down aggressively and repeatedly on his guitar signalling the opening riff of his debut single “Lowlife”.

The sounding of the drums pounding in the background showcase the strong rock vibes to his work as he begins playing a highly energetic intro to his hit single, “Growing up around these parts, there’s fuck all for us to do/Council houses and council parks/Where they’ve let the grass grow too long to even walk through/So we get grief from the fuzz/For kicking a Football against a garage wall/Some stuck up prick that thinks he’s better than this/Calls it anti-social/And he’s reported us all.” which is sang back to him word for word from the vast majority of the crowd in front of him, increasing further as he drives through the song and into the chorus, “And they all think I’m just a lowlife/Because I talk with an accent/And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon/And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school/And they all think I’m just a lowlife/Because I talk with an accent/And I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon/And I always tried my best to be polite, always tried my best to stay in school.”



As the opening song comes to an end, Jack takes a few moments to take in the sight in front of him. Despite being such a newcomer with only one single to his name, he’s an artist that has been on a lot of people’s radars in the UK due to the success of his debut single, with some viewing him as the next big music star to come out of the UK. As the cheers die down to a more reasonable level, Jack takes the time to introduce his backing band onstage and introduce his next track, revealing it as his second single due to be released soon, “Brighton, thank you all for being so fucking loud!” he laughs as he still can’t comprehend a crowd of this size in front of him, “We dropped ‘Lowlife’ earlier this year and we’ve been holed up in a recording studio ever since, just working on my debut album. I know it’s been a long wait, but I’d like to debut my next single for you here tonight.” As he says that the screams erupt from the crowd, knowing they get to hear this before anybody else as the drummer begins to play softly in the background and the bass begins to come through the speakers, “This is called “Silence So Loud”, hope you fucking like it!”

He begins the song with a beautiful and slightly sombre sounding guitar riff, setting the scene for an introspective and less energetic track, he leans into the microphone and sings with a passion and emotion in his vocal delivery, “Man, it’s so hard to have an actual conversation/Cause we’re raised on stiff upper lips and maintaining internal contemplation/Aye, the young lads a bit of a laugh/Life of the party and all of that/But where does he go when the laughter stops?/Left with his own thoughts/Thundering down like meteoric raindrops/And what was once just a caution/A casual wet floor sign/Has spent so long being ignored and unspoken/That it’s turned into/A fucking flash flooding warning.” and the energy increases ever so slightly as the opening verse closes out and leads into the pre-chorus and chorus combination, Jack showcasing his ability to captivate an audience and keep them in silence throughout, “And you feel like you’ve gone too far now from the beaten path/That there’s no real logical way to get back/Ignoring texts and rejecting the sesh/Cause you don’t want to be the lad that makes everybody else feel fucking depressed” he takes a pause before moving into the chorus, observing the view in front of him and allowing the emotion of the song to truly envelop itself in the moment, “Why can’t we just talk it out?/Why can’t we just talk it out?/Why can’t we just talk it out?/Why must the silence be so loud?.”
The song continues as Jack delivers another verse, making reference to losing friends to depression and toxic masculinity which has been a hot button topic over the last four or more years. He delivers the sombre lyrics and matching instrumentation with a subtlety, showing an ability to deliver energetic riff driven rock tracks as well as more introspective and thought provoking songs. One thing that’s clear from the opening track “Lowlife” and his latest offering is that this is an artist that has an ability to write very real songs that have the ability to captivate an audience as evidenced by the nearly silenced entirety of Brighton Pier as the songs comes to close, allowing the audience to applause in appreciation in response only once they know the song has come to it’s end.

Jack takes a step back from the centre of the stage, taking a drink from a plastic cup before setting it back down beside a flight case next to the drum riser, he makes a few signals to his backing band before heading back to the centre of the stage. He takes a couple of moments to compose himself before addressing the crowd, “Brighton, thank you so much for having me here today. It’s became a bit of a second home to me over this past year and a half. As a lot of you know, I’m not exactly from around these parts.” He says as the crowd laugh a little before he continues, “But I just want to take this time to say thank you to you all for welcoming me in as one of your own. I want to say thank you to Head South Records for the opportunity to really kickstart this music career, we’re here today as part of the Head South celebrations, they’ve given opportunities to so many artists over the past year and it can’t be underestimated how much they’ve done for all of us, allowing us to live out our dreams and do it in an authentic way. So thank you to Head South Records!”
The crowd cheer as he say thank you to the label, before he continues, “So I’m not going to go just yet, I’ve still got a couple of songs left to perform for you. I think I’m going to need your help for the next song.” He says with a beaming smile as he continues, “But I might even need somebody else’s help with this one. Lads and lasses, please give it up for the incredible CERYS NYLAND!” he says, the crowd erupting into cheers as she makes her way onto the stage.



As Cerys walks out onstage with a guitar over her shoulders, she smiles and waves at the crowd as they cheer her on. Placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder they give each other a half-hug and Jack gives her a friendly kiss on the cheek. Turning back to the crowd he shakes his head in disbelief, “CERYS NYLAND EVERYBODY!” he says once more before the pair begin the opening intro to a cover of “That’s Entertainment” by The Jam. The drums and the trading guitar riffs from Jack and Cerys showcase a highly energetic version of the track, as Jack steps up to the microphone to sing the opening “A police car and a screaming siren/A pneumatic drill and ripped up concrete/A baby wailing and stray dog howling/The screech of brakes and lamp light blinking.” as he primarily delivers the lyrics, Cerys takes over from him on the chorus of “That’s entertainment” drawing cheers each time she sings out as Jack covers the bulk of the songs lyrics and the pair share harmonies later on with the “La la la la la la’s” their chemistry completely evident as they both appear at ease with each other on stage, trading smiles and riffs with each other throughout the track.

As the song comes to an end, Jack raises his arm out in appreciation to Cerys to allow the audience to show their appreciation of her. After a couple of moments soaking in the response from the crowd Jack and Cerys nod to each other as she begins the opening riff to one final song. An extended version of the intro allows Jack to introduce another new track, “Brighton, we’ve got another brand new track for you. This ones called “Sleepwalking” he says as Cerys takes the lead on the guitar intro, again a slightly slower paced track although slightly more mid-tempo than “Silence So Loud” as Jack sings out into the microphone in a loud and assertive tone, “Oh, I know I’ve changed a little since we met/Shorter fuse, lower mood, battling demons and I’m full of regret/We used to drink for a good time/Now I’m drinking just to fucking pass the time/Chain smoking cigarettes/I know you’ve been there for me though all this shit/Hand in hand, standing by my side/I never thought before twenty-five she’d have me in a church, in a suit and tie/Unable to fight back the tears as I said goodbye/You tell me it’s all part of the process, you’ll let me do my grieving/You’ll still be there when the hurting passes/But I can’t shake the thought/Shake the thought/Of everybody fucking leaving.” and its clear to the audience that this is another introspective and emotive track as Cerys steps up to the microphone, her vocals beautiful, emotive and incredibly melodic as she sings, “I could be a shining light for you, shining light guiding you along the way/I won’t let go of my grip on your hand/Like I promised your mam that I’d make sure you’re okay/It gets dark sometimes I know/But I will never let go.” which leads into the chorus as Jack walks across to Cerys microphone and the two share microphones as they sing the chorus in harmony together, “I feel like I’m sleepwalking, sleepwalking my way through this dream/Every day is just passing, in the blink of an eye it seems/Every day just the same, same cycle of fucking pain and misery/I just wish someone would it give it back/All of the years that they took from both her and me.” showcasing their chemistry together once more as they trade vocals back and forth using the same microphone as one another, Jack can’t seem to shift the smile from his face.

As the song comes to a close, he places an arm around Cerys shoulder, the two embracing in a hug with each other before Jack leans into the microphone. “Brighton, you’ve been fucking amazing. Thank you so much for coming out tonight.” He thanks the crowd and his backing band, “Give it up for the outstanding Cerys Nyland.” He says as the crowd erupt, “I hope to see you again very soon, safe journey home. No scrapping with each other. Thank you!” he says one final time as he takes a few moments to take in the crowd, applauding them and giving a wave to handful of people near the front before exiting the stage with his backing band and Cerys Nyland alongside him as the crowd noise slowly begins to fade into the background.

Setlist;
“Lowlife”
“Silence So Loud”
“That’s Entertainment” (The Jam Cover) [feat. Cerys Nyland]
“Sleepwalking” [feat. Cerys Nyland]