Weekend Gig Picks

Posted on 07/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

It’s a bumper weekend for gigs as ever in Brighton with loads of local talent getting out there and playing live.

Late night on Thursday is the third Night Sweats even – a gig where the doors don’t open until 9pm and the headliner isn’t onstage until after midnight. It’s on at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, and Royal Blood headline supported by Broker, She Crazy, Eager Teeth and Light Parade.

Friday Night is the Tiny Dragons single launch at Latest Music Bar that we mentioned in a post earlier this week. There’s also a Brighton Rocks night being held at Sticky Mike’s headlined by Jipsy Magic, and we’ve also spotted that Luo are going to be supporting Easter Island Head at The Hope.

On Saturday, we’ve got a rare afternoon gig to plug. The Blind Tiger has an afternoon of music featuring A-M-I, Southpaw, The Cotard Delusion, Grasshopper and Crisis Warning. If you’re after something to do in the evening you could do a lot worse than head down to the Physics House Band’s free monthly club night Kaleidoscope at at Sticky Mike’s, where Caveman Genius are playing live.

Sunday is all about the local support slots – Jennifer Left is supporting Polly and the Billets Doux at the Hope, meanwhile Calico and Dog in the Snow will be supporting the Hidden Orchestra at the Blind Tiger.

Bent Cousin / Bentpaperboy video

Posted on 05/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

A few weeks ago we raved about the Bent Cousin Everybody’s Got One EP. It’s still getting lots of plays at Brighton Music Blog towers, and now the band have released a video for lead track Bentpaperboy. MTV got the exclusive premiere but that was only a few hours ago, so it’s not like we’ve been caught napping. They haven’t even posted it onto their Facebook yet. Here it is:

With any luck, Bent Cousin will be playing live soon to make up for the fact that they had to cancel their single launch. As soon as we find out more, we’ll let you know.

Us Baby Bear Bones / What Starts with a U, Ends with an I

Posted on 05/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Us Baby Bear Bones have announced details of their debut EP. “What Starts with a U, Ends with an I” is being released on 10th June on Brighton Based label Love Thy Neighbour (who have also put out Abi Wade’s releases so far, as well as putting on countless great gigs around town).

The EP will be limited to 216 copies, the covers of which are a segment of a massive picture painted by band member Puff Gandolfo (have we mentioned how much we love the revival of proper rock star pseudonyms?).

The band gave us a taster last year uploading You to YouTube, and the EP will also include Rain which was previously available on the Sea Monsters 2 compilation. For now, you can grab Rain as a free download over on bandcamp:

Us Baby Bear Bones next gig is supporting Fiction at the Green Door Store on 19th March.

Tiny Dragons / Come Alive

Posted on 04/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

About a year ago, we went along to see Tiny Dragons launching a single at the Prince Albert. So we were a bit confused by their press people sending us an email about their upcoming “debut single”. It turns out that this is their first single being run through the industry machine rather than being a home baked DIY affair. No matter – Come Alive is great. A bit more rock and a bit less funk than last time we saw them, but still as tight as they come.

It’s been a great year since we first spotted them. In that time they’ve supported Bastille, The Blockheads and the Fun Loving Criminals, and there’s a Stranglers support slot coming up too. They’re launching the EP this friday at Latest Music Bar. Tiny Dragons are a fantastic live band – it should be a great gig!

Willkommen’s ECHO featuring Damo Suzuki

Posted on 03/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

On Friday night, Brighton’s Willkommen collective hosted another of their mini-ECHO festivals with a headliner Damo Suzuki of CAN backed by some of Brighton’s finest young musicians.

The show featured an amazing supporting line up: Sons of Noel and Adrian, Soccer 96 and (from London) Eyes & No Eyes, all perfect headliners in their own right. The music was amazing, and there were also visuals supplied by the Innerstrings Psychedelic Lightshow. A definite candidate for one of the gigs of the year.

Jon Southcoasting was there to take some pictures.

Eyes & No Eyes

Soccer 96

Sons of Noel and Adrian

Damo playing with Alastair Strachan and Patrick Lawrence

Marcus Hamblett, Alastair Strachan and Patrick Lawrence

Marcus Hamblett and Alistair Strachan playing with Damo Suzuki

Damo Suzuki

Interlocutor

Image

So you’ve done the weekend now, except for that post-Saturday hangover-recovery dance, and you’re starting to wonder about your next big thing to do?

Well, you’re sorted. On Wednesday we have a gig by Alex White’s new band Interlocutor, Alex being the other brother out of the Electric Soft Parade and one of Brighton’s most prolific and talented musos. Interlocutor are an 11 piece alt-soul-rock band, and if Matthew E White or Lambchop’s your bag you will love this. Wednesday night they’re playing their new album right the way through. It will be great.

In support we have the amazing Crayola Lectern with his psychedelically-infused torch-rock, and the ramshackle indie-pop of Octopuses, comprising ex-members of the now legendary Foxes! And if that isn’t enough, these three bands will all be bathed in the warm glow of the Innerstrings Psychedelic Lightshow, a satisfying sight worth the meagre entrance fee on its own.

This one will sell out, so get your tickets pronto from the usual local stores or online at http://www.wegottickets.com/event/208205

Clowns supported by Frank Melena Band at Green Door Store

Posted on 01/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

We truly are spoiled in Brighton. Not just because of the massive choice of music that’s on offer, but because so much is so cheap. Last weekend we went to Brighton Electric – It was three pound on the door which worked out at a pound a band. Last night Clowns played at the Green Door Store and it was free!

Frank Melena Band

We missed Victorian Hunter – because of a club night being held later on it was an early gig. We arrived at the bar to see a few members of the band still wearing animal heads. Probably a band worth going to see for the visual spectacle if nothing else. We grabbed a pint and headed in to see Frank Melena Band, who are also notable for their outfits – The bulk of the band sported wrestling masks, some wore ladies fur coats, and the bassist wore shorts with matching fur boots and had fairy lights taped around his mask. Musically, the band performed a reasonable set of angry garage punk, at times trying out a bit of politics in the banter between songs to a largely indifferent crowd. A punk band needs a punk audience, which isn’t the audience that were at Green Door Store last night but with the right crowd they raise the roof. Oh and one last thing, don’t go googling Frank Melena to find out who the band are named, because it’s not a who, it’s a what

Clowns

One of the main reasons I’ll keep going to see Clowns is that every time I see them they outshine all the other bands on the bill. As a unit the band are tighter, the songs have better hooks, and main man Miles Heathfield not only looks like he believes every single word that he sings, but that he wants you to believe it too. Clowns rock hard, but they’re also accessible. There’s humour, but they’re also very dark. Miles’ suit could make him seem aloof, but he always gets in amongst the crowd while he’s performing. These contradictions are their strengths, and they’re what make them so compelling. One of last night’s highlight was upcoming single Love Vigilante, which the band had asked the audience to film on their phones to make the video. If I was in a band and wanted audience video, I’d have done it in a venue with much better lighting – Green Door Store is notoriously dark!

Clowns next gig is at the Con Club in Lewes on 12th April. See you there.

Jacko Hooper / New downloads

Posted on 01/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Jacko Hooper, who impressed us at Sea Monsters back in January, has put a couple of tracks up on Bandcamp. Not an official release, just a free taster while he works on his debut ep. 21, Promises is gentle and fragile, while These Echoes is more upbeat and jaunty. It doesn’t show on Bandcamp, but when you make the download, you also get his cover of Cat Power’s Keep On Running too.

If you’re enjoying Jacko’s voice, and were wondering what it might sound like accompanying electronic music rather than acoustic guitar, then we recommend Luo’s recent Antidote EP (which we wrote about a few weeks back and haven’t stopped listening to since). Jacko features on track three Mistakes.

Laish on your sofa (or somebody’s)

Posted on 01/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Daniel Green of Laish played the Brighton Sofar Sounds gig in January with the full band in somebody’s front room and then went to the London one solo, and played this stunning version of Warm the Wind there. Absolutely beautiful and I defy you not to be moved.

Did we say the new Laish album is out shortly? Are you ready for it?

the story of SONAA

Posted on 01/03/2013 by brightonmusicblog

A lovely short video of the Sons of Noel and Adrian story. They’re playing in support of Damo Suzuki tonight at a SOLD OUT gig at the Green Door Store. If you were lucky enough to get tickets it’s going to be better than awesome. Get there early to see Soccer 96, and Eyes & No Eyes who kick things off at 6:45pm.