Heavenly | Brighton + Sassyhiya
Heavenly Brighton
Heavenly live in Brighton at The Hope & Ruin on 26th March 2026! Get tickets above, or from SeeTickets.
Heavenly are an indie pop band who released four critically acclaimed albums between 1991-1996, becoming key figures in the independent music scenes of both the UK and US through their associations with seminal labels Sarah Records and K Records. Highly influential on what has become known as “twee pop”, they inspired generations of musicians with their perfect blend of punk energy and pop sensibility.
Originally forming in Oxford in 1989 from the ashes of legendary punk pop combo Talulah Gosh, Heavenly features Amelia Fletcher (vocals/guitar), Peter Momtchiloff (guitar), Robert Pursey (bass), Cathy Rogers (keyboards/vocals) and Ian Button (drums). Members of the indiepop scene in the UK and the burgeoning Riot Grrrl scene in the US, Heavenly created a unique blend of infectious melody and sharp-edged lyrics. The band’s original catalogue ran from jangly debut “Heavenly vs. Satan” (1991), through the harmony-rich “Le Jardin de Heavenly”(1992) and riot grrrl-influenced “The Decline and Fall of Heavenly” (1994), to the Britpop era “Operation Heavenly” (1996).
Heavenly reformed in 2023, after a 27 year hiatus. Amelia and Rob had been angrily approached by their daughters, wanting to know why their parents’ old songs were all over their TikTok timelines. Having established that this was not an algorithmic blip, and that there was genuine interest in their old songs, the band decided to play a few shows. Reunion shows in London, Paris, Madrid and New York sold out quickly, with both original Heavenly fans and a much younger audience clamouring to see the group live. Newly rejuvenated, the band started writing songs again. A new 7” single “Portland Town” was released in July 2025 and their fifth album comes out in February 2026. On their spring 2026 dates, the band will play songs from the band’s past career alongside tracks from the new album. This combination is important to the group. “If you’re just doing your old songs and nothing else, you’re almost like one of those cover bands—but of yourself. That would have felt pretty weird pretty quickly,” says Amelia Fletcher.
Their spring 2026 tour also marks three decades since the release of “Operation Heavenly.” The band had expected their fourth album to be their most successful but they never promoted it properly due to the death of original drummer Mathew Fletcher just before its release. Drummer Ian Button now completes the Heavenly line-up. https://heavenly.bandcamp.com/music
+ Support: Sassyhiya were formed when Helen and Kathy, real-life partners and co-songwriters, joined up with Pablo and Neil (drums and guitar). Helen had previously been in Boys Forever and Basic Plumbing, collaborating with much-missed Veronica Falls musician Patrick Doyle. She and Kathy then formed Barry, a stripped-down punk outfit. Sassyhiya feels like a culmination of all these elements. Take You Somewhere, their debut album (Skep Wax Records), is maybe as sophisticated as DIY indiepop can get. https://sassyhiya.bandcamp.com
Upcoming Love Thy Neighbour shows:
22102025 – Helen Ganya. The Brunswick
26102025 – The Lovely Eggs. Brighton
29102025 – Mumble Tide. The Prince Albert
31102025 – Lack of Afro. Patterns
01112025 – Scott Lavene. Hope & Ruin
02112025 – Search Results. Prince Albert
05112025 – CIEL. Patterns
05112025 – ROIS. Green Door Store
09112025 – Lonnie Holley. Lewes Constitutional Club
13112025 – The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Concorde 2
14112025 – B.A. Johnston, Hope & Ruin
14112025 – Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip. Lewes Constitutional Club
15112025 – Stick in the Wheel. Lewes Constitutional Club
18112025 – Laura Groves. The Prince Albert
24112025 – The Belair Lip Bombs. Volks
28112025 – mclusky. Chalk
28112025 – Ozric Tentacles + System 7. Concorde 2
04122025 – Immersion. Alphabet
04122025 – SANAM صنم (Beirut). Patterns.
06122025 – Chainska Brassika. Alphabet
12122025 – Die Twice. Patterns
13122025 – Cubzoa. Alphabet
13122025 – John Otway & his band. Lewes Constitutional Club
14122025 – Hard Skin. The Hope & Ruin
24012026 – Niall McNamee. Folklore Rooms
31012026 – Naima Bock. West Hill Hall
03022026 – Junior Brother. Prince Albert
17022026 – caroline. Chalk
20022026 – Mermaid Chunky. Revenge
19032026 – Gong + Henge. Chalk
20032026 – Beans on Toast. Concorde 2
26032026 – Heavenly. Hope & Ruin
09042026 – Martin Carthy. Lewes Constitutional Club
01052026 – Love. Concorde 2
10052026 – Sean Rowe. Green Door Store
19052026 – Charlie Parr. Green Door Store
Accessibility: The venue is only accessible via a flight of stairs however they can offer access via a back door at street level to the venue if mobility is an issue or you use a wheelchair. There are 3 large steps via this route so assistance to gain access and to exit the venue would be required. We can arrange this if you contact us in advance of a show. Please bear in mind that they can only allow access in between bands due to sound issues. Two disabled toilets upstairs, both gender neutral. If you require a carer at the venue, please contact us at info@lovethyneighbourmusic.co.uk for guestlist, with evidence such as a blue badge or access card. If strobe lighting is an issue or if standing for long periods of time is an issue, please contact us in advance. They can provide chairs in the venue although if the event is very busy this will impede visibility. If you wish to make use of a chair to view a gig, we advise arriving early to secure a position. They are happy to accommodate assistance dogs.
Heavenly Brighton
Heavenly Brighton