The Miserable Rich live album

Posted on 16/11/2014 by brightonmusicblog

The Miserable Rich were one of the finest bands ever to have emerged from Brighton, and we don’t say that lightly. After three superb albums all of which received excellent reviews and an awful lot of touring, but very little commercial success, the band sadly called it a day at the end of 2012.

However, a live album has now emerged, along with a collection of the band’s formidable array of covers. The recording comes from Germany, where they had a small but dedicated following, and from the band’s final year so they are very much at the top of their game. The concert is from one of those small intimate venues so the crowd feels mostly invisible except when the drinking songs take over and we get a gorgeous warm-hearted sing-along on the chorus of Pisshead!., What we have here is like a greatest hits collection of alternative versions of some really excellent songs, beautifully played and sung, as they always are.

If you haven’t heard the Miserable Rich you should listen to this. if you have you will want to own it. We really hope the band recoups its energy, reforms and starts creating more music of such high calibre.

Demob Happy play the NME New Breed Tour at the Haunt

Posted on 13/11/2014 by brightonmusicblog

For the last few weeks the NME New Breed Tour has been making it’s way around the country and last night the tour came to Brighton. The main support on the tour has been Honeyblood, but a local support has been chosen for each date by headliners Superfood and NME. Superfood’s choice of Demob Happy isn’t so mystifying – the two bands have toured together in the past and both played a packed out secret show at Nowhere Man Cafe at this year’s Great Escape. Demob Happy were onstage early and played a cracking set of scuzzy psychedelia, closing with new single Succubus. We were down the front and caught the band in action (click on the pics to view large):

Demob Happy

Honeyblood

Superfood

IYES – Glow

Posted on 04/11/2014 by brightonmusicblog

First time we heard Glow was a while back, in demo form on Soundcloud, the second demo IYES had put up after getting the whole of the internet’s attention with Lighthouse. Both tracks have long disappeared from Soundcloud and IYES have been pretty quiet in 2014, save for a few remixes, but then a couple of months ago Glow came back into our lives, soundtracking an ad for the new Sony Smartphone.

News came in earlier today letting us know that the single – sounding even better than ever in it’s newly re-recorded state – comes out on 22nd December on Love by Mistake, a new imprint of Sony records run by the band. The debut album is due in Spring next year and if you want to catch the band live they’re playing at the Hoxton Square bar and kitchen on 3rd December.

October Top Ten

Posted on 02/11/2014 by brightonmusicblog

We probably posted more new music in October than we had in any month in the three years we’ve been writing (we turned three on Friday!). Here’s our top picks from what we’ve heard:

1. Fujiya & Miyagi – Daggers (Stephen Morris remix)

When we’re not listening to bands from Brighton, there’s a good chance that New Order ends up on the stereo, so when we read last week that one of our favourite Brighton bands had been remixed by a member of New Order it was almost inevitable that we’d love it.

2. Native Roses – Shadows (Ambassadeurs remix)

More Ambassadeurs than Native Roses, this remix of lush textured electronica didn’t bear a great resemblance to the original, but it’s beauty won us over.

3. Great Pagans – Tangled up in Chemistry

Great Pagans album Cupid in Error was one of the highlights of the month. We could have picked any of the tracks – it’s all good – be we chose Tangled Up in Chemistry

4. Normanton Street – This Wolf

We gave Normanton Street’s Much Respect EP a post of it’s own a day before it’s release last week, and deservedly so. The track we’ve chosen for our top ten is the beautiful stripped down This Wolf.

5. Heliopause – City of Glass

Heliopause have popped up quite frequently on the blog over the years, as folk, then nudging post rock, and most recently as more straightforward indie. It suits them.

6. The DuBarrys – Undress Your Soul

The DuBarrys had a self titled EP out this month, and lead track Undress Your Soul is a beautiful folk-pop classic in the making.

7. Fire Eyes – Hide Out

Random Acts of Vinyl’s latest 7″ release by Fire Eyes is a great track on it’s own, but it confirmed it’s place in our top ten with remixes by the Bad Seeds’ Barry Adamson and AK/DK.

8. Eva Bowan – Lacerta XI

Eva Bowan’s latest EP Hyperspectacle has been released by local label KLDCP and is possibly her most accessible, most cohesive work yet. We loved EP opener Lacerta XI.

9. Dog in the Snow – Concrete Wall

Technically, Concrete Wall came out last month, being released as the B-side to Dog in the Snow’s Africa single, but it only got posted up to Soundcloud this month, and it’s still getting a lot of plays around these parts.

10. Nightkites – Drones

We got the heads up about Nightkites’ future garage from GAPS who posted up a link to the music on their facebook page. The EP is named after the paranoid yet slightly hopeful standout track Drones.

Spectrum’s October showcase at the Dome Studio Theatre

Gallery

Posted on 01/11/2014 by brightonmusicblog

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Spectrum in association with Resident records are putting on monthly gig’s of new Brighton music, following on from the long series of similar events they curated with Source magazine. October’s gig at the Dome Studio Theatre featured four bands on … Continue reading →

yourgardenday Flat Stream EP release and launch

Posted on 01/11/2014 by brightonmusicblog

Robin Coward photographed by Southcoasting Photography

Robin Coward’s award-winning yourgardenday released the Flat Stream EP over a year ago in a limited edition CD. It’s a brilliant collection of songs and is now getting its well-deserved digital release (via itunes, amazon, play etc) on Monday.

There’s a hometown launch gig in Brighton on Friday 7th November from 7:30pm at the Latest Music bar in Kemp Town. Entry is free if you show them the download of the EP on your mobile device, or it’s a suggested £3 donation.

Here’s the lead track from the EP ‘Something in the Music’

New Music – Fujiya & Miyagi, Tigercub, Tyrannosaurus Dead, Ewan Hoozarmi, Abraham Moughrabi, Morning Smoke, Prince Vaseline, IYES

Posted on 30/10/2014 by brightonmusicblog

At the start of the week we posted what we said was “probably” our last New Music post of the month. As it turns out, there’s been so many great tunes in our in box we’ve decided to squeeze in another.

This evening we got very excited when Fujiya & Miyagi posted a brand new remix of Daggers from their latest album Artificial Sweeteners put together by Stephen Morris from New Order

Blood Red Shoes have launched their own label called Jazz Life, and the first release will be out on 1st December from Tigercub with a newly recorded version of live favourite Centrefold:

Tyrannosaurus Dead‘s new album Flying Ant Day is out a week next monday. To get everyone in the mood they’ve shared the track Bagged & Boarded:

Ewan Hoozarmi has a new free download up on Soundcloud. Reaching Dragons is five minutes of funky electro-house:

As well as tomorrow night being Normanton Street’s EP launch at The Haunt and Spit Shake Sister’s single launch at Bleach, it’s also the next Spectrum at the Dome Studio Theatre, which this month is headlined by Speak Galactic. Joining them on the bill is Abraham Moughrabi, who’s recorded a live video of Cross The Line for the Site and Sound part of Spectrum in advance of the night:

One of the supports at the Spit Shake Sisters launch tomorrow is Morning Smoke. They got in touch to let us know about their new single Hunger which is out on December 1st:

As I’m writing this, I’m missing out on Prince Vaseline playing live at the Prince Albert supporting 80s Matchbox spin off group Piano Wire. If you didn’t make the gig either (or maybe if you did and you’re reading this later), here’s the video for their new track Orchid:

Finally a new remix by IYES who are on the brink of releasing some new material of their own very soon. Here’s their taken on Jack Garratt‘s Worry, which they’ve turned into a much more upbeat, dancable affair:

First listen : Normanton Street – Much Respect EP

Posted on 30/10/2014 by brightonmusicblog

We’ve given Normanton Street mentions before when they’ve popped onto our radar, and now we’re happy to host the premiere of their new Much Respect EP.

The six track EP comes out tomorrow and features (in their words) “three distinct vocals, jazz influenced guitars, warm bass grooves, tight rhythmic drums along with memorable saxophone melodies”. Laid back opening tracks Fly Lady (Get Money) and New Dawn contrast Ned and Nicholson’s rap with Phoebe’s soulful vocal, then No Drama takes things in a jazzier direction. Grass is Greener serves up some old school hip hop before Rakim (The 26th Year) takes things up a notch, and the stripped back acoustic R’n’B of This Wolf is the perfect showcase for Phoebes voice. Take a listen for yourself below:

The band have been on the road playing gigs in support of the new EP this week, playing in Nottingham, London, Leicester, Manchester and Sheffield, but return back to Brighton for the official launch party tomorrow night at the Haunt, with support coming from Time for T, New Street Adventure and Wolflung.

New Music – Clowwns, Eagles for Hands, J Tropic, Black Honey, Nightkites, Mount Bank

Posted on 27/10/2014 by brightonmusicblog

Here’s what’s likely to be our last new music post of October, with half a dozen brand new tunes for you to feast your ears on.

First up is the subtly renamed Clowwns (formerly with just the one w), with a video for their upcoming single Shame on You. They’ve been one of the city’s best live bands for a while, so it’s great to hear the music getting out there.

Spirit Hips is the new single from Eagles for Hands. The track is less housey than the other singles that he’s put out this year, but still packs a massive dancefloor punch. It comes out on 17th November, and is followed the following Monday (24th) with a gig at Sticky Mike’s.

Who U Are is the third and final track from J Tropic‘s Love Up EP, which comes out today on Duly Noted. We’ve featured the other tracks – Love Up and Solid Gold, and the third track doesn’t disappoint.

Sticking with Duly Noted records, we’ve got a new track from Black Honey, which is going to feature on their debut EP Sleep Forever. Bloodlust is the fourth track on the EP which is going to be onsale at upcoming gigs:

Next up we’ve got a track from a brand new Brighton band called Nightkites. Drones is the lead track from an EP of the same name which is available to download now from Soundcloud. If you were a fan of Burial, this should be right up your street.

Finally, we have the a new track from Mount Bank, foxing our attempts to write about it giving it a title of the symbol of a crescent. The track is some lovely ambient electronica, unassumingly aimless for the first minute before a repeated piano motif brings everything together:

New Music

Posted on 20/10/2014 by brightonmusicblog

Here’s this week’s dose of new music, starting off with a couple of releases which are out today.

Great Pagans new album Cupid In Error is released on Anti Ghost Moon Ray today. You can hear the whole lot over on their soundcloud, but as a taster, here’s album opener December:

Eva Bowan‘s new EP is also out today. The EP is entitled Hyperspectacle EP and it’s been released on KLDSCP records. Here’s lead track Lacerta XI.

On a vaguely KLDSCP related theme, here’s 316 by Mount Bank, a new electronic project featuring Physics House Band’s Sam Organ as one of their number, and Luo (some of who’s previous releases came out on KLDSCP) with Parallelogram.

Dog in the Snow‘s new single Africa came out earlier this month, and the band have just put the b-side up on Soundcloud. We reckon Concrete Walls is just as good as it’s flip, but we’ll let you judge for yourself:

Feel It is the new track from High Tyde. You can catch the band supporting Little Comets at The Concorde 2 on 31st October.

Finally we have another remix of Play by Fickle Friends, following on from last week’s remix by Foreign Skin. Brazil’s Cesare injects the track with a bit of South American sunshine and turns it into a summery house tune: