Brighton Rocks #44 : Jamie Broughton / Big Long Sun

Posted on 04/04/2025 by brightonmusicblog

Last Week Big Long Sun released their new EP I Can Hardly See A Thing, relatively hot on the heels of last year’s Big Long Sun : Speaking album. More lo-fi in nature and bringing in an even wider array of influences than before it feel’s like the sky’s the limit for Jamie Broughton and his band. With Preston Park in full bloom, we skipped taking photos down at the beach (has anyone other than me and the people in the photos noticed that the rest of the Brighton Rocks series photos are at the beach?) and took advantage of nature’s spring display to catch up and get the low down on Brighton.

Best thing about Brighton?
Brighton feels as though it’s in its own vacuum. This is what I love about it. A space in which to consider and bide time, disconnected from London and all its overwhelming aspects. I like that there is an air of acceptance and individuality. The music scene is one symptom of this phenomenon. But there are many others. I just wish we had an actual good venue open after midnight and not just the abysmal ‘dead wax’.

Favourite local bands?
I like Nina Winderland and her band a lot, and I love Woody Green, especially when he plays with a band behind him. Both of those artists are great songwriters and (more importantly) really inspired poets.
Check out their poems.
Both are making books I believe.
I’m not crazy on all the bands, I think my taste would be more at home in a slightly more diverse musical landscape but…
Billy marsh, what a front man…
Great artists are also at work in this city –
Bill Redshaw, Darling vinciguerra, Hugo Winderlind.
Also as a final note, we got no jazz in Brighton really, but hill collective are dope – check out their stuff.

Best venue?
Alphabet. A lot of the other ones I have become tired of.

Best rehearsal space / studio?
I like rehearsing in basements and bedrooms and other amateur locations. The time pressure and protocol of rehearsal spaces is not conducive to creativity.

Best club?
Hahahahahah. none that I’ve found or feel compelled to inhabit. Another greatly lacking aspect of Brighton actually.

Best record shop?
I like across the tracks, but I don’t have spare cash anymore…

Best places to eat?
Abyssinia – amazing Ethiopian place.

Best pub?
I don’t really like pubs. I prefer houses and parks and the beach and the forest.
If I went for a drink with someone I think I’d go to alphabet. Love that place.

Favourite Brighton celebrity?
Willow Bumble. What a legend.

Last time you had any Brighton Rock?
2018 – what a disaster teeth and pain and confusion that was

I Can Hardly See A Thing by Big Long Sun is out now

Brighton Rocks #42 : Opal Mag

Posted on 14/02/2025 by brightonmusicblog

On a bright but chilly day earlier this month we popped down to the beach with Opal Mag to chat about Brighton and also her new single Love to See You Shine, which is out today:

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
Being able to live by the sea for sure! It’s so calming. Also, being able to walk everywhere within an hour, it’s a city but with a small town feel.

Who are your favourite local bands?
I think Lime Garden, CIEL, Ellis D, Hutch and Moon Idle are all great, also goodbye, who are supporting me at the end of the month at the Hope and Ruin. There’s so many amazing bands that come out of Brighton, it’s hard to choose!

What’s the best venue?
Green Door is a classic but I was really impressed with the new venue Alphabet, it looked like a speakeasy.

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
I like to rotate between Brighton Electric and Southlanes Studios to rehearse, but just recently I had a great time recording in 17b studios in Kemptown.

What’s the best club?
I don’t go clubbing but I like a Hope and Ruin/Presuming Ed’s or a Great Eastern DJ night.

What’s the best record shop?
I sadly don’t have a record player but I’m dying to get one. I went to a live show at Family Records the other night which was super fun!

Where’s the best places to eat?
I’m obsessed with O’Shio, Goemon and Shaanxi.

What’s the best pub?
Great Eastern is a good vibe or The Basketmakers.

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
Reggae guy, he always walks around with a big boombox and cool outfit.

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
I don’t think I’ve ever had one, I’d be running to the dentist for a broken tooth repair.

Love to See You Shine is out now at all the usual streaming places. Opal Mag plays a launch gig at the Hope & Ruin on 28th February supported by goodbye and Grace Equi

Brighton Rocks #41 : JP from Hutch

Posted on 17/01/2025 by brightonmusicblog

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
The people, the vibrant music and art scene, the seaside, Brunswick Square on a sunny afternoon if you need a nap

Who are your favourite local bands?
There’s no way I can narrow this down so here’s a bunch: Tinman, Ladylike, Lambrini Girls, Maximilian, Soft Top, Frances Mistry, Ideal Living, Telecom, COWZ, The New Eves, Arjun Nala, Flip Top Head, Goodbye, Trip Westerns, Stanford Family Band, Ellis D, Van Zon, Comforts, Attic O’Mattic, Harper, Big Long Sun, Arcadia Residential… i really feel like I could go on forever

What’s the best venue?
Green Door Store will forever be in my heart, and I always enjoy a night at the folklore rooms

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
Under The Bridge has a truly wonderful community of people who make that place a hub for all kinds of music enthusiasts

What’s the best club?
I F***ing Hate Clubbing, surely

What’s the best record shop?
You’ll likely find my rifling through the crates at Across The Tracks. But also the record selection in Puck is very good.

Where’s the best place to eat?
Riccis deli

What’s the best pub?
The Great Eastern, when there’s a vinyl DJ in the corner

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
Alfie Beer

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
Every time I go to an Acid Box DJ set

The brand new Hutch single Rustle is out today, available to stream at all the usual places. Next week the band head out on a co-headline tour with Trip Westerns, playing at the Komedia on 31st January

Brighton Rocks #40 : Billy Marsh / Ideal Living

Posted on 03/07/2024 by brightonmusicblog

It’s been a little while since we made a post, and it’s been a long while since we made a Brighton Rocks post. And it’s actually been more than two months since I sat down with Ideal Living‘s Billy Marsh at the Fortune of War to kick start things again, but what with one thing and another here we are now timing things to coincide with Ideal Living’s two new singles Roam and OFD.

Back in April there was no imminent Ideal Living single that we were aware of, but the band had been working hard, touring with Flip Top Head earlier in the year, and at Homegrown festival. They had been due to play at the Great Escape, but were one of the first to pull out because of Barclay’s sponsorship and their links to arms companies supplying Israel. Never ones to waste an opportunity, they ended up playing around half a dozen unofficial gigs over the weekend. Outside of the band, Billy has been busy running Dead Dog, promoting gigs all over town as well as putting out the Hutch EP and the Maximilian album.

What I was struck by at the time was Billy’s passion for the local music scene – the aspiration not just for Ideal Living to do well, but all the other bands around too – and for his desire to do something about it too rather than just wanting things to go well, one eye on opportunities now, the other on the future

Onto the singles, both of which have featured in their recent live sets, if you’ve been lucky enough to catch them. OFD is a reflection on the breakdown of friendships, and has a hint of Tom Waits about it, until the rage erupts two thirds of the way through. Roam talks urbanisation and changing landscapes, and is what they’ve closed their sets with the last couple of times I’ve seen them – the acapella close still sends shivers down my spine

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
To many things but the sea is a pretty good part

Who are your favourite local bands?
Even harder but I guess The New Eves, Flip Top Head, Attic o mattic, Van Zon, Maximilian, Hutch, but yeah, so many

What’s the best venue?
My favourite is Green Door Store but have lovely memories in so many places

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
Brighton Electric is good

What’s the best club?
No idea like the I Hate Clubbing nights a lot

What’s the best record shop?
To many to choose form I reckon they’re all good

Where’s the best places to eat?
I really like fire and charcoal

What’s the best pub?
So many good ones but Hand in Hand is nice, I like playing Toads in there

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
Bertie beer

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
When I was l like 8 years old. I don’t like the stuff but the book is good

OFD and Roam are out today, and the band headline the Hope and Ruin on 4th July

Brighton Rocks #39 : Eva Lunny

Posted on 05/06/2023 by brightonmusicblog

If you’ve caught BMB favourites Hutch over the last year or so, you might have seen them joined by Eva Lunny on harp and electronics. This Friday she steps forward and releases her own solo album Sonics & Meditations which is coming out on Bella Union’s Private Pressing imprint, and plays a launch party at the Rose Hill on Thursday. We caught up with her for our first Brighton Rocks of 2023:

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
I think it’s the people and their attitude around just giving things a go, especially in the music scene. It’s the perfect place to start off a new band or project and play live for the first time as there’s a lot of lovely venues that draw in a very supportive crowd who just want to see what you’re up to.

Who are your favourite local bands?
Plantoid are incredible, I think they’re definitely on the path to something very exciting. They’re all absolutely incredible musicians and their music takes you on a real journey.

What’s the best venue?
The Rose Hill always puts on more experimental artists, I feel like Brighton lacks spaces for these kinds of shows. I also love the Folklore Rooms, it’s so beautiful there and always showcases a lot of great artists who are on the more folky side of things.

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
I love Under The Bridge as they’re very focused on the community and the space is kept affordable as well. The staff are super nice!

What’s the best club?
Green Door Store. They put on really silly nights sometimes. Me and my band hosted a Shrek 2 screening there which was definitely one of the funniest things I’ve ever been to at a nightclub and I think the team behind the venue want to make sure that everyone has an event they can enjoy there!

What’s the best record shop?
Bella Union!

Where’s the best place to eat?
I love We Heart Falafel, it’s definitely me and my friends’ go-to.

What’s the best pub?
I’ve always loved The Prince Albert as my older sister used to work there and since then it’s always had a homely feel to me.

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
Probably Fatboy Slim, he’s a real icon!

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
Maybe when I was about 5 years old

The album is available to pre-order from bandcamp and the Bella Union online shop, and will no doubt be available to buy at the new Bella Union shop on Church Street.

Brighton Rocks #38 : Anzahlung

Posted on 01/09/2022 by brightonmusicblog

Anzahlung initially formed as a side project to legendary band The Cravats, the duo made up of The Shend and Joe 91 today released their second album What You Think is All You’ve Got, and are on the bill for ex-Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flur’s gig at the Concorde in October. We caught up with them on a sunny day in Saltdean to quiz them about their Brighton

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
Joe : Brighton is the only place I’ve lived apart from Welwyn Garden City, which is a big C and small c conservative commuter town. Brighton is the complete antithesis to Welwyn; it’s still the only place in the world (that I’ve visited, at least) where I’d feel safe holding my boyfriend’s hand. It also has the most pubs per square mile than any other place in the UK, apparently. Convenient.
The Shend : Anything goes

Who are your favourite local bands?
Joe : Lambrini Girls. One of the most chaotic, energetic and occasionally absurd live bands I’ve seen in ages. Slum of Legs, sadly almost defunct but they’ll always have a special place in my heart. I’ve just discovered R. Dyer’s music, magical stuff.
The Shend : Human Leather, Arxx, Red Deer People

What’s the best venue?
Joe : We’re not short of decent venues in Brighton but the bulk of my favourite gigs have been at Green Door Store. Me and The Shend have played some exceptionally fun gigs there with our other band The Cravats.
The Shend : Concorde 2

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
Joe : Brighton Electric. Staff are super lovely, the facilities are second-to-none and they serve decent beer. Under The Bridge deserves a mention too, Anzahlung have rehearsed there a couple of times, it’s friendly and affordable and they do lots of great community work too.
The Shend : Brighton Electric

What’s the best club?
Joe : I don’t frequent a particular club that often but there are plenty of great club nights in Brighton right now – Mi Piaci, Farmageddon, Traumfrau, Polyglam to name a few.
The Shend : Stay Sick

What’s the best record shop?
Joe : Resident is my go-to for records and has been since I moved here in 2013. Lovely place and glad to see that it’s still thriving.
The Shend : Across The Tracks

Where’s the best places to eat?
Joe : Too many to choose from! Recent highlights have been Adelfia, Khambis, Planet India and Alushi.
The Shend : Grubbs Burgers

What’s the best pub?
Joe : Prince Albert. Usually frequented by an assortment of types but never any hassle, decent venue upstairs and a giant Dot Cotton mural out the back.
The Shend : Prince Albert

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
Joe : I feel obliged to say The Shend… but I’m going with Ben Wheatley. Sightseers is one of my favourite films.
The Shend : David Thomas

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
Joe : I don’t eat rock, my teeth are knackered enough as it is! I do have a Throbbing Gristle stick of rock under my bed, purchased at their 2006 reunion gig in London. I wonder what state it’s in now.
The Shend : Never

Brighton Rocks #37 : Hanya

Posted on 26/05/2022 by brightonmusicblog

We’ve been fans of Hanya for a while at Brighton Music Blog, and our love for them was vindicated by last year’s mini album 100 Metre Sprint, which at less than half an hour left you itching for more. Ove this year’s Great Escape weekend they played at least three gigs, but managed to find a bit of time to catch up with us for our first Brighton Rocks feature in far too long

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
When I first moved here from a small town I would have said it’s the freedom to be yourself and not feel ostracised. Growing up in a small community, listening to exclusively music from the 70s and wearing a ripped Pavement t-shirt, I was definitely a weirdo to my peers – but here I’ve found so many like-minded people, in music or otherwise. Nowadays though I would say the best thing is the fact you can never get lost because the sea is always visible, we’re close to some damn impressive countryside, and there’s a strong music community here that’s unlike anywhere else. That and there’s some amazing pizza always accessible…

Who are your favourite local bands?
Ooft there’s a lot! We’re spoilt for choice and every year there’s more amazing stuff. At the moment we’re digging Penelope Isles, Helen Ganya, Ciel, Laundromat, Holiday Ghosts, Bess Atwell, Ralph TV…(I could go on for hours here)

What’s the best venue?
Hope & Ruin holds a very dear place in my heart. The sound is amazing, Leo and his team make sure of that, and they do some insanely good vegan chicken popper things that are pure evil heaven!!

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
We’ve now got our own space so it’s been a while since we used anywhere else, but we have always loved going to Brighton Electric and bumping into everyone there. It’s its own hub of creativity for all types of musicians, plus they put on some killer shows once in a while

What’s the best club?
The only place I’ve ever been even close to clubbing in Brighton is Patterns. They have some great DJ’s and live acts pass through, but otherwise the closest we’ve ever been to clubbing in Brighton is playing a gig at Przym once over Great Escape.

What’s the best record shop?
Resident! Always & forever. The Bella Union shop is also a lovely hangout and you usually get coffee there so that’s a win.

Where’s the best places to eat?
Ok, maybe one of the best things about Brighton is how much amazing food there is here. In no particular order…. Bincho Yakitori for dinner, Iydea for lunch, Tlaloc for brunch, a slice of Toby’s pizza at Bison Beer or VIP (Pizza) for anytime you bloody like, Manju’s or Chilli Pickle for indian food, Plateau for an insane natural wine infused lunch/dinner, Happy Maki for sushi wraps, Helmston for insane salads, god damn I can’t do this anymore I’m literally salivating. There are so many others…. every month my bank tells me I’ve spent most of my money on eating out because I just love me a good dish. BRB just gonna go grab a snack.

What’s the best pub?
I love The Black Dove as their music taste is killer, and so are the cocktails. Also Hand In Hand is forever in my heart.

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
I used to serve Matt King (Superhans) coffee and he was a real nice dude.

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
Never!

Brighton Rocks #36 : Great Pagans

Posted on 16/08/2021 by brightonmusicblog

More than five years in the making, Great Pagans return in the next few weeks with their new album Aux Follies, coming out on local label Cupboard Music. We caught up with Alex Painter to give him the Brighton Rocks treatment:

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
I’ve lived in various parts of the country and never felt as at home and at ease as in Brighton. I suppose that’s why I’ve been here 15 years now. Also there’s always someone weirder than you, which is reassuring.

Who are your favourite local bands?
The biggest pleasant surprise recently has been Ensemble 1, the album ‘Guitar, Bass & Drums’ is amazing repetitive, morphing guitar patterns but not dry and emotionless like that could be. Also Japanese Sweets, Owen from Speak Galactic’s modular synth project. He creates really beautiful human sounds with them.

What’s the best venue?
I like the Pipeline, it has that same DIY feel that upstairs at Fitzherbert’s used to have before they gentrified it. But with a better PA. Green Door Store will always have a place in my heart too.

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
Friendliest staff has to be Small Pond, and they have a nice range of cables to borrow when I invariably forget something.

What’s the best club?
Hard to recall after the last couple of years but downstairs at the Rossi Bar has a nice feel. Small, great sound, interesting nights like Flex etc.

What’s the best record shop?
We’re totally spoilt for record shops here aren’t we. I think a special mention should go to the great little well-curated record corner in Family Store though. It’s nice to have a selection chosen by real people and not just what will sell well.

Where’s the best places to eat?
Any of the myriad posh bakeries we’re blessed with in Brighton.

What’s the best pub?
I would consider having my ashes scattered in The Basketmakers.

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
I love the old guy who walks slowly through the lanes in a different glam rock/punk outfit every day. He used to have a little dog and often wears platform boots and like bright blue velour suits. I’d love to know his story if anyone knows?

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
I am a Brighton Rock virgin. Saving myself for that special rock.

Aux Follies comes out on 3rd September, and the band are playing on the bill of a free gig at the Hope & Ruin on 1st September.

Brighton Rocks #35 : Insides

Posted on 14/07/2021 by brightonmusicblog

Back in the early nineties, Insides made waves with their alternative take on pop music, with their debut album Euphoria (which came out on 4AD) now considered a classic. In 2000 the band called it a day but a few years ago after a long stretch of producing, mastering, mixing and everything else that might go on at their own studio they started record again themselves. In 2016 they released the single Ghost Music, which would go on to form one of the tracks on the album Soft Bonds which finally came out earlier this year. They also have the honour of being the first band to have a release on Graham Duff’s new vinyl only Heaven’s Lathe label, selling out the Crumb Dropper in under three hours.

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
The two columns you drive through on the A23 when you get back. Plus both Duke of York cinemas which we hope to get back in to before long. The sea in front & the Downs behind.

Who are the your favourite local bands?
Map 71, Fujiya & Miyagi

What’s the best venue?
The Rose Hill and Green Door Store

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
Of course our recording studio (Church Road Studio in Hove) is the best place to record, and Ooosh is lovely for rehearsals, although we favour our spare room.

What’s the best club?
The Pétanque Club on Hove seafront, by the Peace Statue is great for Arabic pop music, competitive heavy ball games & emergency toilets.

What’s the best record shop?
Resident, & used to love Wax Factor too, when second hand records were cheap.

Where’s the best places to eat?
Kitgum Kitchen for East African food, Manju’s for Gujarati home cooking & Bardsleys for fish & chips.

What’s the best pub?
The Colonnade Bar in town and the Watchmakers Arms closer to home.

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
Boy: Chrissy Boy from Madness
Girl: Stacy Dooley.
(But enjoyed the rumours about Macca shopping in Furniture Village when he lived in Millionaire’s Row).

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
Reckon 1990. They used to make it in the old Maynards factory by us. Horrible.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sps2EJl19vQ

Brighton Rocks # 34 : Jacko Hooper

Posted on 30/06/2021 by brightonmusicblog

After being away for so long, I feared that we may be writing about venues closing. Instead however, our first proper post back is about a brand new venue for Brighton. It’s location is somewhere familiar for most Brightonians, and it’s being run by a familiar face on the local scene too. The Folklore Rooms is the new name for the upstairs space at The Quadrant, and the man behind it all is Jacko Hooper, who’s been running the Folklore Sessions, which had a residency at the White Rabbit before the pandemic, but has been held at various locations in Brighton since 2014.

What’s the best thing about Brighton?
Might sound a bit cliché but for me it’s the people. There’s so many creative people in this city and so many exciting projects it just encourages you and makes you want to soak it up and be involved. There’s no reason to not get in the thick of it because there’s so many likeminded people. That and the summer…I don’t think there’s a better city than Brighton in the summertime.

Who are your favourite local bands?
Crikey…That’s a hard question. My best pal has a project called Luo which is brilliant. I’m a big fan of a lot of the Folklore community that I work with, my friends Bess Atwell, Oktoba, Route 500, Edie Bens, Son, Arthur to name a few. I’ve been fairly consistently obsessed with all of Nancy’s releases as well.

What’s the best venue?
The Folklore Rooms of course! I’m also the Live Events Manager at The Brunswick, a venue very close to my heart where I gigged extensively in the early days in particular. Two venues across two floors and so much eclectic music, from grassroots shows to touring international acts. – Totally independent too. That’s the good stuff.

What’s the best rehearsal space / studio?
Well I’ve worked at Brighton Electric so I should probably say them. I’ve rehearsed there since I was 14 and walking through the corridors and hearing The Xcerts and Architects and The Cure rehearsing and recording was a pretty inspiring way to go through your teen years.

What’s the best club?
Those days are probably best left firmly in my past. I don’t even know half the names of them. I thought LIFE was still there after it being gone for about two years. I think i’m old now.

What’s the best record shop?
I used to love Rounder Records, such a cool place and I bought so many records and gig tickets there in my teen years. Such a shame when it went…Luckily Resident is also awesome and I’ve seen some great in-stores there as well. It has quite an authentic ‘old record store’ feel to it which is harder to find these days.

Where’s the best places to eat?
Ooo…Well, I’m a couple of years into being vegetarian so my pallet has changed somewhat. Before it would have been wherever had the best burger but now not so…I ate at Easy Tiger recently on Upper North Street and it was amazing. Indian street food to die for, I HIGHLY recommend. Also the veggie roast at Hop Poles was a joy.

What’s the best pub?
My usual watering holes are The Foundry, The Prince George, Basketmakers or The Great Eastern. I like them small and cosy. I’m that guy that whinges to his mates that the music’s too loud when having a pint somewhere. Yeah, I am old.

Who’s your favourite Brighton celebrity?
Gotta be Nick Cave hasn’t it. Painfully cool.

When was the last time you had any Brighton Rock?
Not since I was a kid and to be honest I didn’t really like it then either. I’m the sorta person that eats ice creams by biting into them. I’m mental like that. Rock sort of frustrated me. I want to eat it, I don’t want to earn it.

The first gigs announced for the Folklore Rooms are:

2nd August – Liberty Matisse
14th August – Josh O’keefe
17th August – The Folklore Monthly Showcase (Tickets on sale July 2nd)
28th August – Jack Cade
4th September – The Sweet Ordeal

Jacko Hooper’s latest release is entitled This Was The Earth, which can be bough over at bandcamp as well as the usual digital download sites:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/g-CpwYc0dtw