brighton culture » Music in Brighton

FILM/MUSIC: Vampyr – Steve Severin event, 29/01/12

Graham — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:06:39 +0000

Walking into a packed foyer, it was nice to see I wasn’t the only one excited by the prospect of Steve Severin, founder member of Siouxsie and the Banshees, performing a soundtrack for ‘Vampyr’ by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It didn’t matter whether the majority of people were there as fans of the Severin, Dreyer or, like me, both.

GIG REVIEW: The Besnard Lakes at Brighton Ballroom, 23/11/11

Graham — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:17:50 +0000

The Besnard Lakes probably have an amazing record collection. Shelves of 70s soft-rock rarities, obscure progressive concept albums and original copies of out of press early 90s shoegaze classics.

GIG REVIEW: Cautionhorses / Ragweed / Toe, the Cowley Club, 22/10/11

Graham — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:19:17 +0000

The gig started with Toe. But before they came on we were subjected to choral, opera and 20s music, which was a pleasant change from the sort of nonsense you often get between bands.

Timber Timbre gig review, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Brighton, 01/09/2011

Graham — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:58:32 +0000

"I don't believe in ghosts, but I have seen the demon host." With lyrics like these, who needs harrowing music to convey a sense of the impending apocalypse? But then with instruments sounding this lush, you wouldn't want Timber Timbre to go acapella...

PREVIEW: Sain Zahoor, World Sacred Music Festival, Brighton 2/10/11

Graham — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:33:38 +0000

Terms like ‘transcendent’ and ‘trance-inducing’ are generally overused in music. From Lady Gaga to Mogwai, all kinds of artists have been characterised as a premier purveyor of experiences beyond the mundane. Someone who probably deserves the label more than most is Sain Zahoor, a 70 year-old street musician from Pakistan who is playing Brighton as part of the annual World Sacred Music Festival.

Soundwaves Festival, Brighton, 14–17/7/2011

Graham — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:33:45 +0000

From beer to beards, Brighton seems to have a festival of some description every weekend over the summer. Unlike many of them, Soundwaves isn’t an excuse to flog you expensive yet enticing food and drink while a dodgy funk band plays in the background. A registered charity dedicated to experimental sound, it’s supported by local institutions like Brighton University as well as the Arts Council and that bastion of the musical avant-garde, Wire magazine [...]

Six Organs of Admittance gig review, Komedia, 11/6/2011

Graham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:20:16 +0000

Six Organs of Admittance at Komedia, Brighton 11/6/2011 by Adam Bambury Last time Ben Chasny visited Brighton he had a full band in tow. They blasted the audience with electrified squalls of noisy distortion, focusing on the frequent dissonance that pulses through his extensive oeuvre rather than the equally common moments of sun-dappled beauty. Tonight [...]

Sufjan Stevens gig review, Brighton Dome, 14/05/2011

Graham — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:41:50 +0000

Sufjan Stevens mesmerised the Brighton Dome last night. There were dancers, balloons, confetti, angel wings and a fluorescent stage show. Behind the band, outsider art-inspired video projections that attempted to send us to a different mental cosmos. The setlist was mainly sourced from his latest album Age of Adz. But there were a few songs from the All Delighted People E.P. as well as older material from Illinois. The night kicked off with a bang when Seven Swans reached its rousing crescendo.

Barn Owl gig review, The Hope, 2/5/2011

Graham — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:24:35 +0000

For a couple of bearded guitarists specializing in droning instrumental soundscapes, Barn Owl have a pretty high profile. Previous releases have been put out by likes of hip noiseniks Not Not Fun. Their most recent release, the brooding and revelatory Ancestral Star, came out on Thrill Jockey.

Skindred gig review, Concorde 2, 26/04/2011

Graham — Sun, 01 May 2011 11:55:27 +0000

A swirling cacophony of noise engulfed a sold out Concorde 2 as Skindred kicked off their 2011 tour in fine style. Their unique kaleidoscope of genres (is there a word to describe the combination of punk, heavy rock and reggae!?!) fused together to create an exhausting night of pogo bouncing, old fashioned moshing and even the retro robot.

Liturgy gig review, Hector’s House, 22/04/11

Graham — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:27:46 +0000

Liturgy are a band that defy conventional categorisation. So much so, they've created their own genre - "pure transcendent black metal". This is no idle boast. Interviews with formidably titled frontman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix reveal an unusual amount of thought has gone into the band - he's written a manifesto focusing on the positive side of chaos and even invented a new kind of drum style, the ‘burst beat’ (more like ‘systems in nature’, apparently).

Crystal Stilts gig review, Audio, 24/3/11

Graham — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:53:45 +0000

Words: Tom Garrard Photographs: Max Clark Having burst through into the indie consciousness with their 2008 LP, Alight of Night, the Brooklyn noise pop act have kept busy since by releasing singles through Slumberland Records (home to musical comrades The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and A Sunny Day In Glasgow) and are now [...]

Abouretum gig review, Jam, 19/03/2011

Graham — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:51:01 +0000

Where is everybody? It's one hour before Baltimore's finest psych-folk-prog rock combo Arbouretum are due to take the stage in Brighton, and the venue is practically deserted. Only two couples lurk at the back of the low ceilinged room, sat at tables with their drinks and looking more suited to an evening of stand-up comedy rather than the earnest odes to archetypal imagery and psychic wholeness [...]

Preview: Arbouretum, Jam, 17/03/2011

Graham — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:07:08 +0000

Arbouretum’s new album The Gathering was to an extent inspired by The Red Book by Carl Jung, or more specifically, Jung’s pursuit of the inner images that led to the book’s writing. Dave Heumann, the singer, guitarist and main lyricist of Arbouretum, explores his fascination with the esoteric through dense, grungey songs that somehow bring [...]

Jamie Woon Gig Review, Audio, 22/02

Graham — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:12:30 +0000

Jamie Woon’s atmospheric, soulful pop led him to a place in the BBC’s influential Sound of 2011 poll, and this was reflected in a busy Audio on Tuesday night. Woon’s music shares more than a likeness to fellow finalist James Blake’s more radio friendly output, although Blake’s [....]

Crystal Castles Gig Review, Brighton Dome, 17/2/2011

Graham — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:36:02 +0000

The sheer aural power of Magnetic Man would intimidate many acts who were about to follow them on stage, but then Crystal Castles are in the same league when it comes to having an intensely noisy, distorted, cutting-edge live sound. Usually manic, Alice Glass was slightly inhibited by [.....]

Crystal Castles, Brighton Dome Gig Preview

Graham — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 16:36:53 +0000

Febuary 17th The NME Shockwaves tour hits the coast, with The Vaccines, Everything Everything, Magnetic Man and electro heroes Crystal Castles on the bill. Expect a typically intense show from CC featuring songs from their second self-titled LP. Would a guest appearance from Robert Smith, who appears on Not In Love, be too much to [...]

BIMM Early Term Gig Review, 19/1/2011

Graham — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 10:50:11 +0000

Ben Scott headed down to Komedia to see whether the BIMM class of 2011 are up to scratch.

BIMM’s conveyor belt of talent is in full swing again as shown by the sold out performance at Komedia last night. The wide variety of bands proved the old adage, that ‘you can never have too much of a good thing,’ to be true. The [....]

Lightning Bolt @ Audio, December 11th

Graham — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 10:23:45 +0000

The noise-rock duo from the States bring their madness to Brighton. Expect DISTORTION. And insane drumming. [youtube s1OkjR6VVMs]

Best of 2010: Elliott Smith tribute night

Graham — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:38:26 +0000

The music of Elliot Smith provides inspiration to many musicians in Brighton. So one autumnal evening last September, Mark Benton of Man Ray Sky and Seadog arranged a special tribute night to the man and his songs [....]