Hope & Ruin Tenth Birthday, headlined by The Four Horsemen (or was it Lime Garden?)

Posted on 15/02/2025 by brightonmusicblog

Happy Birthday Hope & Ruin! The venue in it’s current form opened it’s doors for the first time ten years ago this week, and the birthday celebrations kicked off last night with a free gig fronted by the mysteriously named Four Horsemen. A few crumbs had been dished out on social media that the previously unheard of band was actually local heroes Lime Garden, who’ve had their heads down recently working on new material. Their set was a first airing for some of these tracks as well as some old favourites, and – since it was valentines day – a cover of Careless Whisper where they were joined by Alfie Beer (from goodbye, formerly in Fliptop Head) on trombone. They were ably supported by Ladylike and Harper for a packed out show at the venue which has more than established itself as a corner of the local scene. The fun continues tonight with another free gig featuring How Long You Been Driving, Wimp, Francis Pig and That Band Called Susan.

Dome Studio Live – Holiday Ghosts / Currls / Room Service

Posted on 20/10/2024 by brightonmusicblog

Back when we first started the blog, Dome Studio Live gigs were a regular fixture. Initially the nights had started as a collaboration with Juice FM, before they split away and started their own new music nights. The Dome then partnered with The Source Magazine until they changed from being a print magazine to online only. After that the Dome put the nights on themselves and branded them as Spectrum. Then in 2017 the Dome Studio Theatre closed, only reopening last year.

Over the years we saw the likes of AK/DK, Gazelle Twin, Traams, Physics House Band, The Miserable Rich, Jacko Hooper (who still plays as well as running the Folklore Rooms), Jennifer Left (who’s gone on to become landlady at the Hand in Hand) and many, many more at the Dome Studio nights.

Since reopening the new music nights have been run by Ned from QM Records / Normanton Street (who also used to feature on the blog in the early days), who have approached the project with a much wider vision than the pre-closure nights, as well as looking outside of the city borders for acts. Friday night’s Dome Studio Live though was a night of local guitar based acts – headlined by Holiday Ghosts, supported by Currls (with a brand new bassist) and Room Service (with strong fan base in attendance, judging by the tee shirts). It was great to be back.

Ladylike and Goodbye at Alphabet gallery

Posted on 13/10/2024 by brightonmusicblog

There’s been a bit of an anomaly since the introduction of streaming that while you can get your recordings online the moment you’ve finished recording and mixing them, there’s always going to be a bit of a lag to get a physical product out in the world. Ladylike released their latest single Horse’s Mouth back in July, but the physical option – on flexidisc – is just coming out now and was available as part of the ticket bundle for last friday’s show or at the Merch stand. If you didn’t make it to the show you can pick it up on their bandcamp page. Support at the gig came from newcomers with familiar faces Goodbye, who we’ll be keeping an eye out for, as well as a Mandrake Handshake DJ Set, who aren’t a Brighton band but Elvis’s support for the local scene is unsurpassed, so warrants a mention. Here’s our photo gallery:

Opal Mag “Looking For” single launch at the Green Door Store

Posted on 14/09/2024 by brightonmusicblog

Last week Opal Mag released their new single “Looking For“, and celebrated the launch with a gig last night at the Green Door Store (supported by Glass House Red Spider Mite and Frances Mistry). We were down the front with our camera to catch the action:

Sad Dads / Surf Instructor single launch at the Prince Albert

Posted on 22/08/2024 by brightonmusicblog

I haven’t made too many posts recently. Some gig pics are still going up on Instagram, but last night wasn’t just some gig. It was the launch of Sad Dads new single Surf Instructor, supported by Room Service and Telecom, as well as the reveal of who was behind I Flipping Luv Brighton. There was a raffle (where two of the prizes were won by Miles Soft Top and Maximilian, surely some kind of fix!), excursions from the stage into the audience, swimming pool noodles being thrown about, even a light sabre fight from Room Service, and a whole load of love in the room. Some bands take music very seriously indeed, but last night showed that you can have a great time when you don’t

Surf Instructor is out now

Unofficial Great Escape gigs 2024

Posted on 10/05/2024 by brightonmusicblog

Over the past few years I’ve worked hard to round up all the unofficial gigs that take place over Great Escape weekend. This year I’ve had people asking when I’ll be making the post, and others asking for their gigs to be included. A lot of eyes will be on the unofficial gigs this year after bands pulled out of the main festival, so let’s get straight to it. There’s links for almost everything, so check back in for set times / line up changes. Where I haven’t put a line up it’s because it’s not listed yet, or it’s a multi day event. If I’ve missed anything please let me know!

Tuesday 14/5/24
Fail Better presents the Great Excuse / Prince Albert (Staff Party, Claw machine, Dog of man, Lavinia Whatley, Shark Stuff, Powellovision, Hotfiends, jack Pout, Brassic Parp, Under The Ivy, Two for Tea, Nine Dead Mice, Bee & Jackrabbit, M Woodroe)
The Great Boycott / Gladstone

Wednesday 15/5/24
SON Estrella Galicia presents Escape from the Albert (NOT FREE!) / Prince Albert (Swim Deep, Currls, Projector)
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed (DJ Night)
The Great Boycott / Gladstone
Palestine Fundraiser – 6pm-late (suggested donation £5) / Green Door Store (Secret Headline, Holiday Ghosts, The New Eves, Atticomatic, Ideal Living)
Brighton Noise / The Considerable Departure / Pipeline

Thursday 16/5/24
The Beluga Escape / Southern Belle
Joy / Unbarred RSVP Party / Unbarred Brewery
Acid Box Abyss Superfuzz Weekender / Daltons (Honk, The New Eves, The Stanford Family Band, Fez, Hutch, Sahra Halgan, Holiday Ghosts, Bon Enfant)
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
Brighton Rock’n’Roll Circus / The Font (12.00pm – The Outers, 12.45pm – m4x, 1.30pm – COWZ, 2.15pm – Shady Baby, 3.00pm – Better Joy, 3.45pm – Georgie Boyd, 4.30pm – TASH, 5.15pm – Lemondaze, 6.00pm- Enjoyable Listens, 6.45pm – JW Paris, 7.30pm – Sam Scherdel, 8.15pm – KEELEY, 9.00pm – Sick Love, 9.45pm – Berries)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed
The Great Boycott / Brighton Electric
Strange Method / Bee’s Mouth (Kwasi, Harry Heart, Champion Fever)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Hope & Ruin (PSYMON SPINE, The Belair Lip Bombs, Smol Fish, The Tubs, Florry, My First Time, For Breakfast, Hutch)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Fiddlers Elbow (Joe & The Shitboys + Others)
Turtle Tempo’s Gr8 Escape / 1Up (Abi Clements, alx frncs, Bexx, Bryony Dunn & The Forest, Charlie Vaughan, Coco and the Lost, Daisy Veacock, Fox Jackson, frances mistry, Georgie Moon, hey bailey, j.flowers.mp3, Jack Howard, Safety Jacket, Szou)
Faber Alt / Bella Union (Keaton Henson, Tess Rose Jackson, Fyfe Dangerfield, Tawiah, Sam Brookes)
Alternative Escape / Secret Comedy Club, 42 Brighton Square (Marissa Burwell, No Windows, HMS Morris, Hotel Mira, Asha Jeffries, My Life Story)
Blinding Talent presents The Alternative Escape / Inn On The Square (Honeybadger, Tropic Gold, Brave Liaison, Dead Air, Sick as Thieves, Roses in December)
Platform B / Sussex Music Mag / Gladstone (World News, Lando Manning, Maximilian, Everyday Saints, Ladylike, Secret Headliner)
The Alternative Escape at The Venue / The Venue (Mithras House) (Amalia Susanu, Bedroomer, Frederick Skellten, Picture Day, Spooky Huge, Austen Showers, Brighton Uni Music Society, Like Robers + Adam Swain, Bedbugz, The Backdrops, Fever Rouge)
The Greatest Ape / Bella Union
Rain Dog Presents / Grand Central (Porchlight, dirtsharks, currls, marth eve joe perfect & the champagne socialists, Van Zon, Moon Idle, Modessa, Route 500, Lariat, Ideal Living)
Brighton Noise / The Considerable Departure / Pipeline
Smithereen Takeover / Black Lion (Chit Chat, Car Park, Porchlight, Meat Sweaters, Slate, Bernard Butler, Alien Chicks, She’s in Parties, Yard, Jools, Tom Vek, Enjoyable Listens)
Smithereen Takeover / Mesmerist (LLSN, Gracie Moore, Neomi, Genevieve Hayward, Daisy Chute, Emily Barker, Make Friends, Secret Show, Really Big Really Clever)

Friday 17/5
Alt Alt Escape / St Nicholas Church (13.00 Ebony Grace, 14.20 Merrick Winter, 15.10 REID, 16.00 AK Patterson, 17.00 Heights, 18.00 Scarlett Fae, 19.00 Soft Top, 20.00 Night House, 21.00 The Leaning, 22.00 Cub Zoa)
Shy Cat Publicity / CNTRL_ESCAPE / 1Up café (Currls, Comforts, Amethysts, Soft Top, Martha Eve, Maximilian, Ochre, Marta Per, ZZZ Sunnie)
The Beluga Escape / Freemasons
Joy / Unbarred RSVP Party / Unbarred Brewery
Mr Bongo & E Soul celebrates the Great Escape / Mr Bongo Shop – 6 Gloucester Yard
Acid Box Abyss Superfuzz Weekender / Daltons (Kottu, Plantoid, Opal Mag, Hot Garbage, System Exclusive, Electric Cowboy Club, Karma Sheen)
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
East Solidarity Tap / East Street Tap (Orchards, Noah and the Loaners, Gurf, Cowz, Francis Pig, Definitely not Haunted, Mascot Graveyard, Le Rox, Georgie Boyd, Enjoyable Listens, Dan Ottewell)
Brighton Rock’n’Roll Circus / The Font (12.00pm Poppy Rockett, 12.45pm Work In TV, 1.30pm Morning Tourist, 2.15pm Wild Mother. 3.00pm WEZ KING, 3.45pm TOM SAINT, 4.30pm Barking Poets, 5.15pm Perchard’s Wall, 6.00pm Floodhounds, 6.45pm RETROPxSSY, 7.30pm CARSICK, 8.15pm Safari Inn, 9.00pm Noah And The Loners, 9.45pm Avalanche Party)
END OF THE TRAIL / FIERCE PANDA / Grand Central (Enjoyable Listens, China Bears, Noah & The Loners, Sasha Assad, Dan Ottewell. The Marble Arches)
Slackscape / Gladstone (Hutch, Holiday Ghosts, Cordelia Gartside, Hollow Hand, Nina Kohout, Vanzon, Baby Gem, Jopy)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Hope & Ruin (Flat Party, Ugly, Plantoid, Ellie Bleach, Maruja, Ducks Ltd., Home Counties , Caitlin Rose)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Fiddlers Elbow (Really Big Really Clever, Battlesnake, Triple Drain)
Escape to the Pipeline / Strong Island Records / Pipeline (Slow Fiction, Cardinals, Ugly, C Turtle, The New Eves, Lipworms, YHWH Nailgun, Woody Green)
The Greatest Escape / The Dorset (Top Left Club, Electric Cowboy Club, The Tribulizations)
The New Alt Escape 12-6 / The Walrus (Tyler Crude (BCNR), Borough Council, Holy Loaf, The New Eves, Ike (Tapir), Fliptop Head)
Extreme Music 6-11pm / South Lanes Studio (Meat Sweaters, Ben Narcis, Heights, George Dewhurst)
Escape to the Future / Fitz Regent (Sametime, Comforts, Collect Call, Blue Eyed Giants, Fighting Colours, Alex Saint Ivy, Ahno, Night House, Maximilian)
Palestine Fundraiser / Folklore Rooms (Holiday Ghosts, C Turtle, The New Eves, Fliptop Head)
The GOOreat Peliscape 2pm-10pm / Pelirocco (Oral Habit, Quaking Aspens, The Roebucks, Everyday Saints, Jopy, Owners Club, My Fat Pony, The Stanford Family Band)
ROM / Shipwrights Yard Sessions / Shipwrights Yard (Faux Real, My Life Story, Genevieve Heyward, Canty, Rendolent, Caitlin Rose, Feet, King Hannah, Ishmael Ensemble, Queen Cult)
The Alternative Escape at The Venue / The Venue (Mithras House) (Imogen Thomas, Jack Samuel, Frederick Skellten, Slowwave, Park Crescent, Mike Fillery, Fire Escape, Cas, Grace and Danger, Flavours, My Fat Pony, Two Pounds Down, Lunar June, Oral Habit)
The Greatest Ape / Bella Union
Smithereen Takeover / Black Lion (Currls, Secret Show, Frozemode, Snayx, Noisy)
Smithereen Takeover / Mesmerist (Jack Boyd, Floral Image, Dirty Blonde, Leona Rue, Blaire Davie, Milo Korbenski, Fraulein, Will and the People, Tatyana)
QM Escape / The Actors (Goetia, DRNE, Ellie Pepper, Red Shakes, Cherry Seraph)

Saturday 18/5
Alt Alt Escape / St Nicholas Church (13.00 Sekinue, 14.20 Reema, 15.10 Bee and Jackrabbit, 16.00 Michael Baker, 17.00 LLSN, 18.00 Franklin Mansion, 19.00 Yumi And The Weather, 20.00 Sock Drawer, 21.00 Hutch, 22.00 Karma Sheen)
The Beluga Escape / Gladstone
Hanover Psychedelic Club Presents Technicolour Hours of Emergent Happenings NOT FREE / Annunciation Ballroom
Fake Escape / Prince George (Amber Burgoyne, Alex Johnson, Comforts, Reid, Rosie Mark, Madz and the Martians, Mistress, Intimate Friends, Rose White, McEvoy, UrgentSea)
East Solidarity Tap / East Street Tap (The Menstrual Cramps, Orchards, Noah and the Loaners, Gurf, Cowz, Francis Pig, Definitely not Haunted, Mascot Graveyard, Le Rox, Georgie Boyd, Enjoyable Listens, Dan Ottewell)
Brighton Rock’n’Roll Circus / The Font (12.00pm Shark City Mayors, 12.45pm Max Bianco, 1.30pm TUCO, 2.15pm RAPTUROUS, 3.00pm Harmony Bo, 3.45pm Generation, 4.30pm Ventrelles, 5.15pm Soaked, 6.00pm Cross Wires, 6.45pm Hadda Be, 7.30pm 88 BUNKFACE, 8.15pm Marseille, 9.00pm Another Day, 9.45pm Laurie Wright)
END OF THE TRAIL / AJM / Folklore Rooms (Georgie Boyd, Better Heaven, Bollo Bollo, The Raymonds, Candid, The Ultra Violets, The Outcharms, Dirtsharks, Noah & The Loners)
The Fake Escape / The Rosehill (Bunty, New Gardeners Society, Sebastian Müller Alien Alarms; Rollinson; Cederick Knox; Amoeba.av; A Basic Fault, Mafu, MOSS.)
The Greatest Cape / Presuming Ed
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Hope & Ruin (Van Zon, Cruush, Bumble B. Boy, Flip Top Head, Glasshouse Red Spider Mite, Full Flower Moon Band, Parker Fans)
No Friends in the Industry / Love Thy Neighbour / Fiddlers Elbow (Handcuff, Marathon + Jools)
Filthy Pedro Presents: The Great Peliscape 2024 (Alt Alt Great Escape) / Pelirocco (9:30 Fruity Water, 8:45 Red Peril, 8:00 En Heat, 7:15 Lucy’s Diary, 6:30 The Phone Call, 5:45 The Clocks, 5:00 Boy in the Cupboard, 4:15 Mike Fillery & the Other Two, 3:30 Melt Plastic Group, 2:45 Larry Pickleman)
Escape from the Escape / Saviour Records / Pipeline (Carpark, Naïve James, Nuns of the Tundra, Holocene, Laura’s Dream)
END OF THE TRAIL / PLAY IT LOUD / Pipeline (Enjoyable Listens. Noah & The Loners. TBC, Niche Crush, Georgie Boyd, Genevieve Hayward )
Live Music @ 1Up (Nature TV, Natsuma, Sunda Blue, Arjun Nala, Sabrina G, Mud Coffee and Aperture.)
Folklore Alt Alt Takeover / Folklore Rooms (THE HALFWAY KID, IDEAL LIVING, SAMUEL NICHOLSON, ROWENA WISE, EDWIN RAPHAEL, TATYANA + LILY LYONS)
Club The Mammoth / Daltons (Girls In Synthesis, Floral Image, Karma Sheen, Looking Glass Alice, ELLiS-D, + secret guests)
Alt Alt Escape / Rossi Bar (Secret Headline, Lip Worms, Trip Westerns, Ideal Living, Kill The Icon, Daay, Harper, )
Escape to the Future / Fitz Regent (Snake Eyes, tbc, Hops, Icebeing, Giant Peach, China Bears, Porcelain Doll, John Jones, Wave Chase)
First Word Records 20th Birthday (£10 tickets) / Alphabet (Essa live + DJs)
The Alternative Escape at The Venue / The Venue (Mithras House) (Kathleen Marsh, Victoria Bishop, Billie Boatman, Demsey, Lana Death Ray, D’Arcy, Mudd Factory, Car Boot Sale, Fever Rouge, Ry-Guy, Trashed, Amongst Liars)
The Greatest Ape / Bella Union
Family Store presents the Substantial Abscond / Brighton Electric (the Kitchen Sink, Gurf, The Baby Seals, Crab)
Smithereen Takeover / Black Lion (Chum, Jopy, Stanford Family Band, Owners Club, Secret Show, Shader, Shambolics, Laurie Wright, Projector, Monakis, Secret Show, City Dog)
Smithereen Takeover / Mesmerist (Ruby, Marnie Marie, Cowz, Hutch, Aysanabee, Last Living Cannibal, Secret Show, Sametime)

Sunday 19/5
The Beluga Escape / Lion & Lobster

Maximilian / Surrender album launch at Fabrica

Posted on 05/04/2024 by brightonmusicblog

Last week Maximilian released his debut album Surrender, on Dead Dog records, and last night he played it live start to finish at Fabrica supported by Skydaddy and Brighton’s Opal Mag.

Playing an album all the way through in sequential order isn’t the most obvious thing to do – A set of songs which might make for a good gig can be quite different to a playlist / ordering that makes for a good album, but Maximilian created an immersive world last night aided and abetted by some of Brighton’s finest musicians that more than lived up to the challenge – intimate, and uplifting, the evening felt like it was over far too soon.

As I find myself saying for the second post in a row, if you missed the gig, Maximilian is on the bill at Homegrown Festival next weekend, so you can catch him again then.

Glasshouse Red Spider Mite / Erstwhile single launch at Green Door Store

Posted on 02/04/2024 by brightonmusicblog

Last Friday Glasshouse Red Spider Mite played their first headline show, promoting their debut single Erstwhile, which came out on 20th March (which you’d have spotted if Instagram showed you our story on release day). Support came Van Zon, who we can’t get enough of these days, and out of towners Plainmoor. If you missed the gig and want to hear more from the band, you can catch them (and Van Zon) at Homegrown festival on Saturday 13th April

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Lime Garden play a sold out Chalk

Posted on 10/03/2024 by brightonmusicblog

Hot on the heels of the release of their top twenty debut album One More Thing, Lime Garden closed their UK tour on Friday night with a sold out gig at Chalk. Support came from Ladylike (who are locals so also feature in the gallery below) and Ugly.

There was a shoutout to Chloe’s mum up in the balcony when they played Mother, quips about seeing the four coolest women on International Women’s Day, one of the friendliest mosh pits I’ve seen in a while, and, by all accounts, massive queues at the Green Door Store after they announced that’s where the afterparty would be.

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Projector / Now When We Talk It’s Violence album launch at Green Door Store

Posted on 24/02/2024 by brightonmusicblog

This week Brighton Music Blog favourites Projector hit the road to promote their new album Now When We Talk it’s Violence. There’s a whole bunch of other tour dates (go check their website), but obviously the only one that really matters is their hometown gig, which took place at Green Door Store last night. It was everything you’d hope for and more – the album played through larger and louder than you’d have heard it at home, a mosh pit, band members removing layers of clothing, a Pixies cover, and fantastic support sets from Ideal living and Vincent Vocoder Voice. Go stream the album (or better still, buy it) today

(click through the images to view large)