MERYL STREEK

JOY. Present
MERYL STREEK+ support
WEDNESDAY 4TH FEBRUARY 2026
HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON
£14 adv + fees
20:00-23:00
18+

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Born and raised in Dublin, avant-garde punk producer Meryl Streek remembers his childhood in Ireland fondly. “Growing up it was great,” he says. “I had a lot of family around me and things were good, we were a working class family of independent screen printers.”

During the leaner and more difficult years that followed, Streek grew up and the world changed around him. He lost several family members, and austerity closed in on the country. As the recession hit and work became steadily thinner on the ground, he moved to Canada—a 7 year experience that shaped Meryl Streek both as a person and as an artist, as he explains, “Seeing how countries work outside of Ireland, and seeing how unfair Ireland's work ethic and living situations are, I came back here fueled to try and make a change.”

With his father a talented drummer in his own right, and the call of punk rock’s ethics and morals so strong, it was perhaps an inevitability that Streek would eventually fall into that same world. “My dad was an unbelievable drummer,” he enthuses, “Like unbelievable. I was raised being around punk bands like Crass and anarcho-punks Rudimentary Peni. I remember seeing him play growing up as a kid and that was the start of my growth as a musician.”

Fast-forward to 2021 and holding over 15 years of touring and drumming experience under his belt in various projects, Streek had developed a taste for life on the road, despite its many challenges—but something had to give. “It's tough, and very shit financially,” he sighs. “Also dealing with people you don't like on a daily basis isn't good for the head.”

Playing the same beats in “absolute car crash bands” for years and relying on others to make money to survive, Streek was delighted when he found a new way to crossbreed different beats and genres electronically. “I love all music but I find I have a great ear for hitting strings that touch the heart. I actually listen to a lot of more dream pop records and easy-going music. I'm not always walking around screaming,” he quips.

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