Rock Bar at Belushi’s Brighton – Snake in the Grass review
This is a review of Snake in the Grass – a regular Sunday rock night taking place at Belushi’s on the Brighton seafront. This review is from Sunday 11th May.
The band Jalopy, who headlined tonights gig.
what is snake in the grass?
Snake in the Grass is the brainchild of Andy and Seth from local rock band Flange. Andy is an Australian who has been living in Brighton for a few years now and was surprised at the lack of a good local rock scene. He told me you have indie, and folk which is well catered for, as well as metal, but straight up rock which isn’t especially fashionable right now is not as well served. I’m no expert but I certainly haven’t seen an abundance of rock nights myself.
The aim of Snake in the Grass is to provide a place for local rock bands to play, and a very affordable night out for fans. Its on every other Sunday, from 6PM to 1AM, 4 bands play and entry and drinks are cheap.
reviews of the bands
Tonight I managed to catch 3 bands, Jalopy were the excellent headliners, Tool-like From beneath it devours supported along with Bula.
From Beneath it Devours
From beneath it devours are a three piece prog-rock/borderline metal band who sound a lot like Tool. They played 3 tracks tonight, each one lasting around 10 – 15 mins. Vocals came and went, but the majority of the music was instrumental. At times complex and weird, at others repetitive and boring, this band left me confused. I think a little trimming of tracks could be in order, and a barely audible recital of a William Burroughs poem was a tad odd. I couldn’t quite work out if I liked them or not, but they were certainly more interesting than some local bands I’ve seen.
myspace.com/frombeneathitdevoursuk
2.5/5
Bula
This band seemed like they were mostly out to have a good time. Punk rock with short songs and tunes was a bit of a change from the previous band, but the novelty soon wore off. People did seem to be having a lot of fun though, on and off the stage, and it felt a private party more than a gig. Not a bad thing at all, and although this band lack great songs they make for it with enthusiasm and a good attitude.
2.5/5
Jalopy
Jalopy in contrast to the other bands were a little less full on rock and sounded far more like they had the potential to progress away from the local scene. Their music is relelentless, the sound huge and the skills of the drummer and guitarists second to none. The songs might not be fashionable but they are incredibly good. Watching this band I forgot I was supposed to be writing a review or taking photos and got lost in the music, which is something that happens much less often than you would think and speaks volumes.
4/5
the night overall
I must admit, I wasn’t expecting much from this night, I’m generally not a fan of local bands as there are so many proven signed bands visiting Brighton, but watching the headliners tonight changed my opinions somewhat. There was a great sense of community and the feeling of a scene going on, quite a few people knew each other. It wasn’t cliquey though, people seemed friendly and approachable and very unpretentious, which is more than can be said for some the more trendy places about town. For fans of grunge, rock, metal and alternative rock this is well worth checking out.
4/5
what next?
Having been impressed tonight and wanting to expand our musical reach, Brighton Culture has invited Andy to write a column for us on the local rock scene in the town, which will keep people up to date with bands playing this venue and others. Hopefully this will give anyone interested an opportunity to get stuck into the scene, and let people in bands know where to go to get gigs.
There are more Snake in the Grass nights coming up on May 25th (with a fire eater promised), June 8th and June 22nd. Belushi’s has a rock night every Sunday, with another group organising those. Belushi’s is underneath the Brighton St Christophers Inn.
Tickets are £2, and only £1 after you sign up as a member.
