Brighton’s psych trio Oral Habit bring debut EP to Family Store Records
The band played their new EP ‘Garage Frock!’ amongst the racks in Brighton.
Photo: Daisy Bourgoin
The day before their new release dropped, Oral Habit played through the four-track EP in full, filling what is generally a calm and quiet indie record shop by day into an electrifying space, full of guitar riffs and an excitable audience.
The band opened with the titular track, Garage Frock, and it was received so well that the audience requested they close the set with it too! Upbeat — and with a great riff lying at the core of the song — this was the perfect way to set the tone for the in-store.
Sauerkraut followed shortly after, with Charlie Hales’ vocals adding depth to the track. The live performance of this track was met with an even more punky feel than the studio recording by adding guitar riffs and a kind of energy that was undeniably felt by everyone who had the pleasure of watching such an exciting performance.
I’m Free and The Coast rounded off the live performance of the EP, with a slightly less intense feel. Although it still harnessed the garage style that drew me to their music in the first place, and was a nice change in tempo, allowing us to appreciate the individual instruments themselves, instead of getting lost in the hazy psych of the opening tracks.
The band then played a few tracks from their back catalogue, and the set drew to a close with another play of the EP’s title track: Garage Frock. The end of the set was met with a large round of applause from people who had been in when the band were first soundchecking, to the people who had wandered in mid-performance, enticed by the garage sound when walking through the Brighton Lanes on a warm Thursday evening.
The band hung around after the set, chatting happily with people who had watched the performance, including me. They were so kind as to give me a copy of their record — I can assure you it’s already been spun multiple times, less than 24 hours after the set! The studio versions hold up nicely, and I would highly recommend grabbing a copy if you can. Lovely people and an all-around amazing band, go catch their set if you can!
Garage Frock! is available on 7” vinyl via Oral Habit’s Bandcamp here.