Soviet Underground Brighton: Red Wave Cult Classics Return to The Hope and Ruin
Soviet Underground Brighton is back for round two. The London-based collective, known for reviving the sound of the Soviet-era underground music scene, will return to The Hope and Ruin on Sunday 13 September, having first played the venue in 2025.
Presented by Club the Mammoth, the night will pair Soviet Underground’s own debut album with a set of covers paying tribute to the “Red Wave” — the wave of Western-influenced underground bands that rose from behind the Iron Curtain to become mainstream phenomena. Expect songs from Kino, Nautilus Pompilius, Zoopark and more, reimagined by a band that’s spent years studying the aesthetic and atmosphere of that era.
What to Expect from Soviet Underground Brighton
Soviet Underground describe their mission as recreating the spirit of Leningrad’s Rock Club — the legendary Soviet-era venue where the underground scene first found a stage. Rather than straightforward tribute covers, the band blend post-punk edge with vintage cold-wave textures, filtering the Red Wave sound through a distinctly Western lens. As Brighton Gig Focus noted in a 2025 feature, the band’s work reads as both homage and genuine curiosity — an invitation into a corner of music history rarely explored outside its own region.
Alongside the covers, the band will perform material from their debut album, released in June 2025 and shaped by the music its members grew up with. It’s as much a personal statement as a historical tribute, and it’s this combination — homage plus original voice — that’s built the band a growing following since their first Brighton show.
The Line-Up
Joining Soviet Underground on the night are two acts with strong local ties. The Beyene Affair are three working musicians who built the project purely for their own enjoyment — an excuse, by their own account, to spend time together and make music they love. Their sound pulls from a wide palette, taking in Khruangbin, Jungle, Tom Misch, Girma Beyene, Thee Sacred Souls and El Michels Affair.
Joanna and the Dropouts, a Brighton and London-based four-piece formed in 2019, complete the bill. Frontwoman Joanna fronts the band on vocals and her distinctive baby blue Fender, channelling influences like The B-52’s and Wanda Jackson, alongside Ross on bass, Charlotte on keys and Jimmy on drums. Fans of Shannon and the Clams, The Black Keys and The Cramps should feel right at home — the band have previously played Glastonbury’s Croissant Neuf Stage and the 100 Club.
Gig Details
Soviet Underground Brighton takes place at The Hope and Ruin, 11-12 Queens Road, Brighton and Hove, BN1 3WA,
on Sunday 13 September, with doors from 18:30. The event is 18+.
For a night that trades on atmosphere as much as nostalgia, The Hope and Ruin’s intimate upstairs room feels like the right fit — close enough to make the era-specific detail in the performance land, loud enough to do the Red Wave sound justice.
Looking for more live music in the city this autumn? Browse our full guide to Events in Brighton, or explore Things to Do in Brighton for further ideas.
