Album reviews, music news and more…
Monday, January 30th, 2012
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.
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
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.
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
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 [...]
Saturday, January 22nd, 2011
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 [...]
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
Psychic Chasms sounds mischevious; like an adolescent sugar rush; or a young festival-goer meandering around a campsite after their first magic mushroom high.
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Just days after twittering to say that the event was “NOT cancelled!” and encouraging fans to buy day tickets, the organisers posted a message on the festival’s website last night, saying that slow ticket sales and financial problems have made it impossible to go ahead.
Saturday, May 30th, 2009
More fun and vibrant than a Hare Krishna march, this is The Half Sisters – self appointed “busking queens of Brighton”. Squishing folk and pop together into a cuddly, dancing monster of a band, they’ve drawn big crowds and a lot of attention playing shows around town…
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
Selected acts to watch at The Great Escape Brighton 2009. A weak line up, made worse by some truly horrific additions. It was hard to pick the best, because there simply aren’t that many good bands playing.
Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Interview with Glissando, before their show at the Brighton Freebutt, 2nd February 2009… “Their music could be compared to Efterklang, Bat For Lashes and Godspeed You Black Emperor; it demands patience, but rewards you with an experience that’s warm, intimate and soothing to the spirit… sitting in the cosy, dim-lit upstairs bar of the Freebutt, they talked about the tour, their album, and Richard’s label, Gizeh”
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
A Great Escape Festival preview with suggested itineraries, locations and times, videos and info on the best bands playing.