RITA BRAGA WITH L.A.S.H. & RACHEL CAWLEY
Peer Hat favourite, Rita Braga (Lisbon) is a Portuguese singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for her eclectic and whimsical style, moving between minimalism, cabaret and experimental pop. With a distinctive voice and a playful approach to songwriting, she draws inspiration from a wide range of influences, including vintage tunes, film music, and surreal storytelling. Her repertoire includes songs in more than 10 languages.
As a solo artist, over the last fifteen years she has toured extensively all over Europe and also in the US, Brazil, Australia and Japan.
Fado Tropical (2026) is Rita Braga’s first album sung entirely in Portuguese. Inspired by research into 19th- and early 20th-century fado archives, texts and scores, Fado Tropical revisits the origins of the genre while exploring new sonic territories.
Her 4th album, Illegal Planet (Comets Coming, 2023), was described as “An engrossing disc that somehow reveals more layers with each listen” (Shindig! Magazine). “Rita’s music knows no frontier and her ability to combine convention and experimentation delivers a sound that manages to sound traditional and futuristic at the same time.” (At The Barrier – Best of 2023)
Before that, she released Time Warp Blues (2020), co-produced with Andrea Rocca in London; Bird on the Moon(Lunadélia Recs, 2018/Moorworks, Japan 2019), which was listed in The Wire magazine’s “Top 15 Ukulele” list; Gringo in São Paulo (2015), an EP written and produced while on a residency in Brazil; and the critically acclaimed debut album Cherries That Went To The Police, produced by Bernardo Devlin.
She wrote and performed a sci-fi minimal ukulele pop operetta called A Quantic Dream. The show combined a dream sequence, astrophysics, burlesque, animation and lighthearted existentialism.
Braga graduated in Music Sciences at the New University of Lisbon and completed the MA Performance Making at Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2019. She has also worked as a visual artist, doing illustration and animation, alongside composing soundtracks for animated shorts and TV commercials.
Her numerous collaborations include work with Ana da Silva, Felix Kubin, Ian Svenonius (The Make-Up), The Legendary Tigerman and Nik Phelps.
CREEPY CRAWLY is the folky dream-pop moniker of Bristol-born, Manchester-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter RACHEL CAWLEY (who will be playing a solo set). Blending the hazy, weightless textures of ’90s dream pop with Americana-tinged folk sensibilities, Creepy Crawly crafts immersive, bittersweet sonic worlds that linger between vulnerability and quiet resilience.
Cawley’s sound draws as naturally from the timeless British folk storytelling of Sandy Denny as it does from the ethereal drift of Cocteau Twins, alongside contemporary kinship with artists like Widowspeak and Squirrel Flower. A lifelong affinity for dense layering and intricate arrangements—rooted in her background with piano and woodwinds—serves as the foundation for tracks that reward close, patient listening.
Following the June 2026 release of sophomore album I Feel It On My Skin, Creepy Crawly enters a new chapter with the forthcoming EP Wet Dog (out January 22, 2027). Written entirely on a charity-shop nylon-string guitar, the collection marks a subtle shift in approach: leaning into the creative detours that come from writing outside her primary instruments, resulting in songs that are more guitar-forward yet unmistakably intricate.
Previous Reviews:
A compelling blend of torch-lit ballads and occasional moments of scrappy, noisy catharsis.
GoldFlakePaint
For fans of the elliptical pop of Aldous Harding or the wry stylings of Kirsty MacColl.
Finely Tuned Sounds
An atmospheric debut album – pure and touching.
Tonic Grain
Wonderful folk-adjacent indie dream pop featuring catchy choruses and fuzzy-tinged anthemic instrumentals.