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Skin

Nov 02, 2025 By Nick Roseblade Photography by Nick Roseblade Web Exclusive

There were a lot of firsts at The Bee’s Mouth tonight. Firstly, it was Heather Ross, AKA Skin’s, first gig in the UK. It was the first live Assault Bouquet’s first ever live show and it was Lover’s Leap’s first Brighton show. And it was almost the first time that I was aware that a noise show had soundtracked a life drawing class. Luckily for the artists, and model, this wasn’t the case.

What I love about noise shows is how immediate, and simple, the set up is. Normally it’s a folding trestle table filled to the gills with pedals, tape players, contact mics and anything else the artist has brought. Tonight was no different. Promoter Dean Lloyd Robinson’s altar of noise looked to be groaning under the anticipation of what was to come.

Lover’s Leap was up first and opened with the sound of waves gently breaking on the shore. Given that the gig was in Brighton I very rarely see, or hear, the sea when in town, but this nod was very appreciated. From this the textures of sound were built up gradually. This was a theme of all the performances of the night, so sorry if I repeat myself a bit. The set then skewed into some tasty power electronics with screaming/ranting over a ghastly crashing sound. This also built up to searing noise. At a point two mics were being used and in a moment of “What’s the point of it all?” one was thrown on the floor that when started to feedback and added another layer to what a pretty heavy/layered experience was already. During this section Lover’s Leap was stalking through the crowd shouting somewhat inaudible diatribes. Suddenly it all started to drop away, and a wonderful synth melody started to poke through the fugs of sound that were hanging in the air. This section had a John Carpenter quality to it. The only real audible vocals I made out in the entire set followed now “Hand in Hand” was repeated a few times. Then, as the music was in a subtle death throe Lover’s Leap just walked through the crowd leaving the music blaring. A few moments later and there was deafening silence. After we realised that, that was probably a wildfire of applause sprung around the crowd. Eventually Lover’s Leap came back and started to unpack his gear. It was an excellent start to the night. I had been a fan of Lover’s Leap for a few years and was excited to see what the live show was like. I wasn’t disappointed. The noise was pretty harsh at times but also the way it elegantly dropped away was also excellent.

After a short break Assault Bouquet took to the stage. Assault Bouquet is a side project of Zen Zsigo who has been creating music under the Cremation Lily moniker since the late 2000s. I was very excited to see what Zsigo would do. He did not let the crowd down. The set started with a deep bass rumble that was felt in the pit of your stomach as much as heard. Pristine melodies then started to bleed through the mutated soundscapes. It was really moving and beautiful. Normally at noise shows I am moved by what the act is doing. Their laboured screams and the rubbing of contact microphones across abrasive surfaces touches me somehow. I get their pain/annoyance/suffering, but this was very different. I felt as if I knew exactly the same pain as Zsigo. Then he started screaming. Unmic-ed. It sounded like a wounded animal, or the howls Bobby makes when in jail in Twin Peaks series one. Then a wall or harsh noise kicked in and it was everything. The layers of static were incredible. Checking my notes for this section I just wrote “Glorious noise”. From here my notes get sparse. I think this was because I was just watching. Awe struck. This is one of the first times I have been so utterly transfixed by a performance that I couldn’t write anything. I had lots of thoughts and ideas, but I physically couldn’t draw myself away from what I was witnessing. I felt that if I did, it would break the spell and it would be over. Then the screaming started again. Again unmic-ed. There was a clever bit, in all fairness it was all clever bits…, but there was a clever bit near the end of the set where I thought that this would be the crescendo to end the set. But no. Zsigo took everything up a notch to another level of noise I didn’t realise was even possible. Again, my notes are sparse here, but all I really remember is Zsigo screaming, almost in tears it felt like, “I feel like I’m dying” over and over again like a gruesome mantra. And then it was over. He gave us a slight nod and took himself away behind the performance area, there is no stage at The Bee’s Mouth, and when he was composed came back and packed up his flight case and stowed it in the recess behind the altar of noise. Assault Bouquet was a marvellous soundscape of pain, suffering, a little bit of redemption and some pain to finish off. What Zsigo does so well is the balance of beautiful melodies/hooks and violent harsh noise. He is one of the best to ever do it and destroys any of the competition on any gig he plays at. It is a tough act to follow, but the expectancy was high for Skin.

Skin’s set started off with distressing jittering sounds. These were underpinned by bass throbs. Then Ross started screaming. Like Zsigo without a mic. What was more impressive here was her bellows drowned out the PA, which was REALLY LOUD at this point. After the show Ross confessed that she “can’t use mics anymore as I’ve blown PAs before”. This I can believe. Watching her stand there and just shout and being able to hear her perfectly was one of the strangest sensations I’d ever felt. Logic told me that these vocals should be inaudible, but they weren’t. Clear as a bell. As the set progressed the screaming gave way to some really wonky, but clean, well clean for tonight, sounding soundscapes. Ross’ recorded work has his almost ambient feel to it. Like she’s recording in an adjoining room to where you are now. Listening almost feels like eavesdropping on something very personal and private. The same was true of tonight. It felt impersonal to listen, but I couldn’t draw myself away. Much like Zsigo’s set, my notes are sparse. Throughout the set Ross changed tapes. Each change ushered in a different feel. Just to clarify. The music didn’t stop when the tape ended. There are no backing tracks here. There were always distressed sounds happening, but the cassettes added another layer of texture, there is that word again. Three in a row. After one of these changes, it sounded like a harbour symphony. This tied into the uneasy, swaying, creaking shipwreck sounds of earlier in the set. Or it was all in my head. It’s hard to tell at these shows sometimes. One thing was for certain the sounds Ross created swelled and grew. Then dropped down and swelled and grew some more. Near the end she started to shout again, and it was goosebump inducing and wonderous. And then it was all over. Insert an explosion of applause and it was time to go home.

As I waited and then walked Western Road laden down with two old stereos, this is a story for another time, I thought back on what I’d seen. It was a gig of firsts. The main was the first time I didn’t write very much during a set due to being pulled in completely into the artists world. These three musicians are doing very different things, but they all contain a thread that links them. It was their ability to layer, I can’t stop I’m sorry, their sets with abrasive abstractions whilst underpinning it with melodies, rhythms and hooks. It’s impressive stuff. When I try to describe noise shows to friends who have no interest, or understanding, of what goes on they just say something like “It’s just distortion pedals and screaming” but it really isn’t. These performances were something much more than that. They bared themselves emotionally in ways that were frankly uncomfortable and delightful. If any/all of these musicians come to your town, you owe yourself the experience of seeing them live. As there is something about these sets that truly, and in the best possible way, gets under your skin.