Tag Archives: The Hope

Interlocutor at the Hope

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Wednesday night we saw Interlocutor at the Hope.

Octopuses - the band

Octopuses

First up were the new band Octopuses, formed by Adam Bell out of the remnants of Foxes! with Alan and Rob Grice, Alan Odgers and the legend-in-the-making Tom Matthews playing the part of unlikely font man. The band play ragged but fast-paced indie pop, with strong songs and a beefy rhythm section that belies the off-ball keyboard riffs and laconic artless vocals up front. overall a most enjoyable confection and one worth watching.

Crayola Lectern

Crayola Lectern

Next up was the Crayola Lectern playing songs from his forthcoming album, a beautiful psychedelic monstrosity being released on the Bleeding Hearts label. Crayola Lectern is a nervous live performer, trying out one song and stopping when he seemingly couldn’t remember it.  But he was accompanied by Alistair Strachan on trumpet and percussion, who gives a rich rewarding texture to the enchanting piano-based melodies.

Interlocutor horn section

Horn section

Finally, the headliners gathered on stage, all dozen or so players with a fantastic concoction of blue-eyed soul led by Alex White, of Electric Soft Parade. A big meaty brass section, some stiff guitar riffs and the superb manic drumming of brother Tom helped to power an excellent collection of songs, including a Steely Dan cover for which Alex sort of apologised and then played a blinder. Billed as an album launch of sorts, it wasn’t quite as the album isn’t finished, but judging from the collection played here it is going to sound amazing. Really looking forward to that one.

Alex White and Interlocutor

Alex White

So three great bands playing some fabulous new music through a messy soundsystem in a hot sweaty little venue with sticky walls and terrible beer. It was made even more memorable by Chris Tomsett’s brilliant innerstrings psychedelic light show, which is becoming a regular feature at a lot of Brighton gigs these days, so much so that it seems it isn’t really a rock gig without it. All in all, a great night.

 

(Photographs by Jon Southcoasting)

Laish – back in Brighton

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So, you’ve finished with Oxjam and the mass of musical fun this past week? Wondering where the next great sounds are coming from? Look no further because hurrah, this Friday, Laish are back in town.

Laish playing at The Haunt, Brighton

Laish playing at The Haunt, Brighton

Daniel Green’s band have just completed a European tour and are now on a short home country trek, stopping off at the Hope on Queen’s Road, this Friday 26th October.

They’ll be supported by Maia – a 4-piece alt- folk band from Huddlesfield who have supported the Low Anthem, Anais Mitchell and the Unthanks, as well as playing the Cambridge Folk Festival and No Direction Home – a mix of gigs which pretty well describes their sound.

They’ve also got Nick Edward Harris on the bill, and having seen him support Emma Gatrill (also a Laish band member) at her album launch earlier this year I would highly recommend you get their early to experience his amazing intricate rhythmic guitar playing which is out of this world.

Laish, in case you didn’t know, come out of the excellent Willkommen Collective. Dan plays drums for Sons of Noel and Adrian when he’s not penning some of the most charming, honest and authentic songs to have come out of Brighton or anywhere for many a year. Their first album was released a couple of years ago, and was one of our records of the year – Mojo magazine termed it “Beguiling songs of love”, Line of Best fit “Clever and accomplished”. An excellent EP ‘Obituaries‘ came out earlier this year  and a second album is now in the can and this blog for one can’t wait.

Listen to the title track from the Obituaries EP here 

Tickets for this Friday’s gig are £6 in advance (£7 on the door) and you can buy them here: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/185957

(Photograph of Laish at the Haunt earlier this year by Jon Southcoasting)

p.s. also recommended this week: Thursday: RESTLESSLIST at the Pavilion theatre

Heliopause and Do You Feel What I Feel Deer Supporting Mice Parade at the Hope

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Well, that was officially the loudest acoustic gig that we’ve ever been to. Acoustic very rarely means acoustic these days, and everything at The Hope last night was plugged in and turned up to eleven, even though the instruments involved were acoustic guitars, strings and an autoharp.

Heliopause

First up were Heliopause, playing their first proper gig since May. Since then, their numbers have reduced and the band now just consists of Rich Davis and his laptop (although he’s hoping to boost the numbers by the end of the year). His short but loud set – thank goodness for ear plugs – comprised mainly of songs this year’s Lumo Tape album, a little more stripped down perhaps than other outings, but not suffering for it. The opening support slot came up as a competition run by Mice Parade along with their label Fat Cat. The label tells me that it was a pretty close run thing to choose between the entries, and that their second choice was excellent as well, but that Heliopause had the edge, being a bit more appropriate for the other bands on the bill.

Do You Feel What I Feel Deer

The second Brighton band were Do You Feel What I Feel Deer, whose single Save My Heart we wrote about last month. Before the gig I was concerned that one of the things that makes them so special might get lost if they played as a duo. Thankfully, they brought along a string section with them (well, two violins and a cello), and they were able to share the beautiful arrangements which make them more than just another folk duo. Vocals were shared evenly between Rachel and Eleanor, sometimes swapping the lead line mid-song, and the songs themselves are beautiful – otherworldly folk with close harmonies and instrumentation to die for.

Mice Parade

Headliners Mice Parade aren’t from Brighton, or even from Britain, but they are signed to Brighton based label Fat Cat. They’re touring their new album Candela as an acoustic trio, and main man Adam Pierce brought along two fantastic musicians along with him, a scandinavian ukelele player, and Dan Lippel – one of the finest classical guitar players I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live. Together, the sound they made was something beautiful. Thoroughly recommended.

Do You Feel What I Feel Deer are playing tomorrow night at Bombanes, and are supporting Mary Hampton at the Hanover Centre on 10th November. Heliopause support NZCA/LINES at the Green Door Store this thursday.