CREEPING JEAN + THE BEYENE AFFAIR + THE WORRY PEOPLE - Folkestone Quarterhouse Saturday 9th May 2026

I’m not sure I’d have paid much attention to Creeping Jean if they hadn’t put on an impressive performance supporting Rival Sons at Folkestone’s Leas Cliff Hall last year. Everything I’d read labelled the band indie, and hence, not of much interest to me (sorry indie fans!). But to see the band live was revelatory, an explosion of hard rocking riffs and charisma quite unlike anything else. So tonight I’m back in Folkestone, at the smaller Quarterhouse to see Creeping Jean step (or should I say creep?!) into the headline spot. 

I’ve had a look around, and there’s no sign of Jimmy Page in the audience which is a bit of a bummer; I’d hoped that his experience watching the band in London might have been enough to lure him to the South East coast! I’m joking, of course, but an endorsement from the Led Zeppelin legend is nothing to be sniffed at, and I’m surprised that it’s not a little busier in here. At £12.50 a ticket for three bands on a Saturday night, this deserves to be sold out.

Thankfully, a bit of a crowd has formed by the time The Worry People make their entrance. A trio who look scarily young (but so many people do now I’ve hit my mid 30s!), they play the kind of guitar music that I struggle with. There’s nothing wrong with it, and actually, they’re very good at what they do. Guitarist and singer Sam Stewart has a lovely voice that (I think!) is reminiscent of Sam Fender. But, for me, indie just hasn’t got enough groove or riffs to really get me excited. 

In contrast, the three men who make up The Beyene Affair have more groove than most! Smooth and utterly funky, they are impressive musicians who successfully fuse jazz, soul and rock into their sound. They’re joined on stage this evening by Thomas Elliott, who occupies an unusual role in Creeping Jean. Part time tambourine shaker, singer, guitarist, and full time focal point as he dances across the stage, he’s relatively restrained in his guest spot, sticking largely in one place behind the microphone and filling out the harmony vocals. But returning to the stage with Creeping Jean, he’s an intense and dynamic presence; the perfect visual for a band who are as much about the aesthetic as the music. 

And if you’re wondering about the aesthetic, it’s all about flared trousers, snazzy boots and ornate rings, tousled long hair topping the look. It’s an image straight out of the 70s (and probably straight out of founder Olly Tooze’s vintage clothes shop!), and their raucous sound originates somewhere from that same era, though Tooze’s snarling vocals lend a more modern, garage rock feel to proceedings. 

I’m immediately taken with the big, grooving riffs of ‘Ten Kisses’ and ‘The Rattle’, but it’s the chemistry of the band that takes their performance to another level. Some groups just play the songs, Creeping Jean utterly inhabit them, and the energy is infectious. ‘Sassy Got Shakes’ is an invitation to dance, and though I’m sure I’m not “disco fire” like the lady described in the lyrics, I do at least find myself moving around a bit! 

From the dreamy, psychedelic throwback of ‘When’s the Blowout’ through the frantic restlessness of ‘Spice Rack’, there are no weak moments. An hour flies by in a flash, and of course we demand an encore. The choice of the Stones classic ‘The Last Time’ doesn’t exactly shake off the feeling that I’ve stepped back in time, but I’m all for it. 

If they hadn’t left their merch in Southampton, I’d have taken one of everything. Creeping Jean is a band you’ve need to go and see before the stages get bigger. Believe the hype - Jimmy Page knows a good thing when he hears it. 

SETLIST 

Ten Kisses/The Rattle/Spice Rack/When’s the Blowout/Sassy Got Shakes/The Big Cheese/Business is Dead/Money Road/Warm and Fuzzy/Bandit/The Last Time