Outta Mind Presents: Exotic Pets and TV FACE Turn Dubrek’s Saturday Matinee Into a Wall of Noise

There is something refreshing about a daytime gig. While most people were already thinking ahead to England’s World Cup fixture later that evening, Derby’s underground had other ideas. On Saturday 11th July, Outta Mind Presents transformed Dubrek Studios into a sweat-soaked celebration of noise, punk and alternative rock, proving that great live music doesn’t need a late-night slot to leave its mark.

The original bill had taken a hit after one band was forced to pull out at the last minute. Plenty of promoters would have struggled under those circumstances, especially with major football dominating the day’s attention. Instead, Outta Mind doubled down, and the Derby crowd responded. Dubrek filled up nicely for the matinee, creating the sort of atmosphere that reminds you why grassroots promoters deserve every bit of support they receive.

Exotic Pets opened proceedings and wasted absolutely no time getting the room moving. Their early track Dr Pepper set the tone immediately, arriving with frantic punk energy, noisy guitars and enough attitude to wake up anyone who’d wandered in still clutching a coffee. It was fast, infectious and impossible to stand still through.

One of the most impressive things about Exotic Pets was how effortlessly they shifted between styles without ever losing momentum. Dangerous Times followed with a more intricate approach, driven by intelligent drum patterns and a distinctly math-rock feel, before the band moved into songs that blended garage rock with bursts of punk and alternative rock. Female backing vocals regularly appeared throughout the set, adding another layer to arrangements that constantly evolved rather than sitting comfortably in one genre.

The standout moment arrived midway through the performance. Beginning with crunchy, synth-like bass tones and little more than drums underneath, the song slowly built into something that felt deeply rooted in the darker side of early 1980s post-punk. There were shades of Gary Numan in its cold atmosphere, while waves of reverb, effects pedals and shimmering guitars pushed the closing section towards shoegaze territory. It was beautifully constructed and one of those songs that demanded your full attention before exploding into life.

From there, Exotic Pets refused to let the energy dip. One moment they were delivering melodic 90s-inspired alternative rock, complete with more female vocal harmonies, and the next they were unleashing an overwhelming wall of noise that completely filled Dubrek. The volume was colossal without becoming messy, creating that physical sensation where every drum hit lands squarely in your chest.

Their frontman never relied on exaggerated stage theatrics. In fact, he seemed remarkably understated between songs. Once the music started, though, he became a completely different presence, delivering every lyric with conviction while the band wrapped him in layers of distortion, feedback and controlled chaos. It was a superb opening set that constantly surprised.

If Exotic Pets laid the foundations, TV FACE arrived determined to tear the building down.

A lengthy wave of feedback introduced the headliners before they launched headfirst into a blistering slice of garage punk. The opening songs barely paused for breath, each one feeding directly into the next while maintaining relentless momentum. Every member of the band contributed to the assault, with thunderous drumming driving everything forward, heavy pumping bass lines anchoring the chaos and razor-sharp guitar solos cutting through the noise whenever they appeared.

Lyrically, TV FACE balanced humour with biting social commentary. One song took aim at the streaming economy and the damage it continues to inflict on working musicians, while the band’s between-song banter became increasingly political as the set progressed. At one point, the frontman joked with the audience, asking if they liked free pasties “in the name of making Britain better again”, before twisting the punchline into a reminder that equality and liberty shouldn’t come with a price tag. It was delivered with exactly the same tongue-in-cheek attitude that ran throughout the performance.

One of the evening’s most memorable moments came courtesy of the bassist, who revealed she is currently the Poet Laureate for Lancaster before delivering a spoken-word piece that flowed seamlessly into the next song. It was an unexpected pause that somehow made the return to TV FACE’s ferocious punk noise feel even more explosive.

The band’s sound was immense. Raw, aggressive and unapologetically loud, every song crashed into the next with barely a moment to recover. The female backing vocals added another welcome dimension amongst the distortion, while the rhythm section remained relentlessly tight throughout. You genuinely felt as though the band could be heard halfway across Derby city centre.

Outta Mind Presents deserves enormous credit for the way this event came together. Losing a band at short notice could easily have dented the afternoon’s atmosphere, yet it never felt like a compromised bill. Instead, the extra breathing room allowed both Exotic Pets and TV FACE to deliver expansive, unforgettable sets that showcased exactly why grassroots venues like Dubrek continue to matter.

Football may have dominated the national conversation that evening, but inside Dubrek Studios the only thing anyone was talking about was loud guitars, thunderous drums and two outstanding bands who left absolutely everything on stage. Sometimes two bands are all you need.

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