Kele at Digital (Live Review)

Judging by the amount of Bloc Party T-shirts on display tonight at least half of Kele’s audience must be hoping to hear some of his earlier output. Despite a Bloc Party medley and the final track, however, the night is all about his new material.

Read more at Brighton Calling

Kele - On The Lam on Spotify.

Thanks to Sam Hiscox for the photos.

The Wave Pictures (Live review) + Save The Freebutt

Here's a review I wrote for Brighton Calling



The Freebutt demonstrates yet again why it's such an important venue for our city and why everyone should sign the petition. Not only because it's the home of One Inch Badge Records (certainly one of the UK's oddest but often totally-on-the-money record labels) who are promoting tonight's show but also because it plays host to bands that wouldn't get a show in Brighton otherwise. Tonight's act don't fall into that category having played down here a number of times already but considering some of those performances were at the now closed and fate undetermined Engine Rooms it seems even more appropriate to mention the Freebutt's plight.

Read more at Brighton Calling

The Wave Pictures - I Love You Like A Madman on Spotify.

Vitalic at The Brighton Coalition 18.03.10

Vitalic or Pascal Arbez (as his Mum would call him) is a man who likes to bide his time. With a gap of four years between his first and second albums and a similar period since his last performance in Brighton, his fans have gotten used to waiting for him. Tonight's performance is, therefore, a surprise as he boards the stage at the remarkably early time of 9.15pm.

Shielded by an impressive array of mixing desks and effects equipment hooked up to his laptop he waits for Willerby's last track to fade away. A drum roll rattles out of the speakers, a kick punches it's way through, the bone shattering bass line rolls in and it's all systems GO! Vitalic churns through hits from both 'OK Cowboy' and 'Flashmob' mixing each track together, introducing new themes and layers with the twist of a knob and the cross of a fader. Each track is tweaked making the live experience quite unlike the material on record, at each stage he manages to throw something new into the mix, always increasing the intensity. The entire set feels like it's ascending, building in ferocity so consistently that each climax is immediately smothered with the introduction of an even heavier kick drum and an even more frantic cymbal scatter.



It's more like seeing an electro DJ set circa 2007 than a live performance because it's so tight. Percussion sampled live is set out in 4/4 patterns, buzzsaw synths are layered together with a techno style progression and here and there the odd snippet of female vocal is littered. Predictably 'La Rock 01' is the hit of the night with the crowd (who have certainly done their bit to get into the mood for it so early) raising their hands into the air. The newly installed lights, lasers and smoke machines do an impressive job of making it look like 3am in the morning rather than the 10pm that it actually is. Confusion arises when Vitalic cuts the track short and slams straight into 'Galvanise' by Chemical Brothers which he then mixes back into 'La Rock 01' after a minute or so to huge appreciation from the crowd who are throwing themselves up and down by this point.

It's amazing how truly up-for-it the audience are. They've somehow managed to ignore their body clock which is repeatedly notifying the brain that it's way too early for this kind of thing, extra respect goes to the guy asking for pills considering that when it all wraps up at 10.30pm he'll still have half an hour to wait until the clubs open. He was probably coming up on the bus ride home, although, thanks to Vitalic's performance tonight he won't be the only one feeling slightly euphoric as they leave the Coalition.

Thanks to Mike at The Recommender for the awesome photos.

Vitalic - Poison Lips on Spotify

Chapel Club at Audio (Brighton) 08.02.10

After a hectic weekend, a gig on a Monday night can be just the thing to take the edge off of the four more days of work looming ahead. If your definition of a hectic weekend included the increasingly popular past time of feeding plants and making cat noises then Monday night wouldn't have been the place for you.

The Hornblower Brothers provided a much needed beam of sunshine on a day that had already seen a flurry of unwanted flakes drifting down from the sky. Their jaunty indie and amusing subject matter helped to compensate for the missing seratonin. All five of the lads dropping their instruments midway through a cheery number to sing unaccompanied and without microphones was an intriguing way to steal attention from the bar and turn heads towards the stage. A whole evening of this 'jazz/tropical/punk' (myspace) might have been enough to shake off the dreary weather and Monday blues but they were merely the first of four bands on the bill.

Munich weren't having any of that feel good lark though. This band have nailed their name, the city is synonymous with a dreary, dark feeling that these guys create. Somberly clothed and wrapped in scarves, their movement is confined only to that which is necessary to create a wall of sound. Firmly shutting out any light let in by the first band and chasing out the generated warmth, they set the evening's true theme of noise, darkness and depression.



Local band, Lyrebirds raise the stakes on Munich by taking their style and running with it. They add a stronger lead vocal to the Editors/Interpol school of doom pop and a greater degree of intricacy setting them slightly apart from the bands either side of them on the roster. Their music is at once fast and slow, the lyrics stretched and dragged over the top of furious riffs and frantic drums but matched by the sliding synths and wailing solos. Their front man wins the coveted but easily achievable title of 'most charismatic', with a few jabbing fingers and raised arms whilst the rest of the band inspect their battered Chelsea Boots. Visual performances are not high on tonight's agenda.

Final act, Chapel Club haven't been left far to go in this genre. More sharply dressed, motionless men carving out giant arcs of noise from the stack. 'O Maybe I' stands out as the latest single but amidst so much similarity on the bill the rest of the set is just more of the same. They've certainly got a future and alongside a different act would cause more of a stir but tonight wasn't quite their night. Three out of four of the bands choosing not to interact with the audience is an unusual occurrence, especially when it could have generated the distinction that they so badly needed.

Thanks to Mike at The Recommender for the cool photos.

No links to Spotify today as none of their tracks are on there but head over to The Recommender to download a Lyrebirds track.

The Hornblower Brothers - Android With A Heart on Spotify.

Delphic at Audio, Brighton 19.01.10 (Live Review)

Here's my first live review for Brighton Calling in 2010.



The annual BBC list for who's going to be successful in the next twelve months has the ability to make heroes or villains out of its nominees. Last year's list managed to make both out of some of its acts with the critics who put the artists on the pedestal happily trying to shoot them down by the end of the year. This year both Ellie Goulding and Marina And The Diamonds have been offered the chance to follow La Roux and Little Boots by betraying their loyal blog following and swinging straight for the overly manicured fast buck. Delphic don't have this option which leaves them with taking the White Lies route (releasing a good album but never being heard of again) or crafting their own.

Even the most avid fan will have only heard three of Delphic's early tracks before plumping to buy a ticket in the post 'Sound of 2010' rush. The album was released a mere eight days ago which doesn't allow much time to get to know and love its content and there's a distinct sense of 'What's all the fuss about then?' in the smoke laden air. It doesn't look like they're going to break down this wall of folded arms and judging stares. An impressive lighting rig reminiscent of a Klaxons video or Simian Mobile Disco's live set flashing frantically behind the band's eerily lit-from-below faces isn't permeating anything and even the latest single appears not to make a dent. The cracks, however, are slowly becoming visible. Shoulders loosen and feet begin to tap as the final moments of 'Doubt' build into a tweaked and stuttered 4/4 remix leading seamlessly into the next song.

Anyone dedicated enough to listen to the album on repeat for the last week will notice how, aside from the jam-style endings, the band have also spiced up the live element. Smooth electro pop moments on 'Acolyte' are torn and shredded with far more prevalent guitar slashes, dreamy synth breezes are replaced with swirling blasts and yet the vocals remain pristine. The lyrics keep a lid on the songs whilst the drums and bass line bubble ferociously underneath. When these elements are uncovered they boil up and spill onto the dance floor, making enough mess to convince the audience that they certainly warrant the ticket price.

Mid set, live highlight 'Red Lights' appears with Delphic bathed in (you guessed it) red light. It's enough to melt the crowd's initially icy reception and movement slowly creeps through the assembled Doubt(ers) like a gradually building wind through tall grass. The night is finally turning into the indie disco it was supposed to be. It's the intelligence with which Delphic present their dance tinged live music that distinguishes them from the recently (and thankfully) deceased New/Nu Rave genre. Despite the Skins advert flashing away behind their heads, they far more deserve comparisons to LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture's Echoes than any of the later throw away indie/electro/dance/pop types.

Delphic's final tracks fully lure their audience in with guys at the front singing along, eyes closed and head shaking, it's somewhat of a shame that it's taken them so long to get wrapped up in the gig though. Delphic are the kind of band that should be able to outlast the artificial euphoria surrounding the BBC nominations and their debut. If this performance says anything about their future it's that they'll be better on a much bigger stage and they've got a pretty good chance of getting there.

Thanks to Justin De Souza for the photo

Delphic - Red Lights on Spotify

Alex Metric Live At Marine Parade's Christmas Party. Brighton Coalition, Sunday 20th December

It takes something very special to make leaving the house on Sunday evening an enjoyable venture. Especially when the (normally one minute) walk to the bus stop is festively transformed into a death defying five minute uncontrollable slide. Marine Parade's Christmas Party was certainly special enough to make it worthwhile.

In support of the local label a hefty group of people had made the treacherous journey to the Coalition and were greeted on arrival by Nico warming ears with a seasonally confusing mix of jolly balkan beats. She relinquished the decks to label master Adam Freeland who proceeded to hype the home crowd up with some rowdy, bass-heavy, 4/4 fun. This was, however, merely a precursor for the evening's highlight.

Alex Metric has, until very recently, been a producer of breakbeat influenced electro. In the last year he has secured a show on Radio 1 as part of the 'In New DJs We Trust' programme, developed some new French Touch style productions and most importantly created a live show. It would be understandable for someone so used to being behind the scenes to lack confidence or wall themselves in with an array of keyboards and computers. Metric, however, bounds around stage energetically, rushing between his central solo microphone, drum machine and assorted synthesisers. He's joined on stage by a bassist and guitarist who, for the most part, stick to their live instruments. The noise they create is exactly what you'd expect a live take on Metric's productions to sound like. Buzzsaw synths rip jaggedly out of the stacks threatening to bring the ceiling down by cleaving through its supporting pillars, pounding drums punch chunks out of the brickwork and huge bass lines menacingly rumble mortar loose. It's Alex's vocal that makes sure these waves of sonic destruction aren't dealt directly for the dance-floor. If instrumental sections begin to lose distinction between what's being played live and what's been pre-produced, the lyrics remind us that we're watching a band, not just a producer. Not that this is registering with the crowd who have wholeheartedly thrown themselves into the action with arms raised and only a little confusion over whether they should be dancing furiously or rocking out.

The band power through live interpretations of Metric's back catalogue including 'In Your Machine' and his remix of 'All Alone' by Splittr. It's his more recent output that shows his development, however, as latest single 'It Starts' best exploits the live set up. It harnesses Alex's newly found pop sensibilities. Uplifting vocal harmonies, a frantic bass line and guitar stabs dance over his trademark squealing electro. Set closer 'Gusto' gives up on trying to bring the roof down and blows it off instead. Slow-mo guitar grinds against its synth counterpart in an instrumental that would leave MSTRKRFT gasping and Adam Freeland scratching his head for what to play afterwards.

Of course, that's not really an issue. The stage is cleared and filled again (this time with enthusiastic members of the audience), Boy 8-Bit's 'The Cricket Scores' is dropped and the rest of the evening dissolves into the bottom of a vodka bottle.

Alex Metric - It Starts on Spotify

Thanks to Tom Chambers for the photo.

Mum - Live Review At Brighton's Concorde 2 on Monday 7th December

Here's a review I wrote for Brighton Calling.



Should Múm be burned at the stake for witchcraft? Probably not, it isn't exactly legal. Besides they're not the Wicked Witch Of The West types more the kind of enchanted woodland folk that Enid Blyton would have loved to document. Either way, They certainly had Brighton under a spell at the Concorde 2.

Múm lure their audience in with layers of delicate beauty carefully washed together with guitars, drums, cellos, violins, trumpets and all manner of smaller, less definable instruments. Each song is rich, dense and saturated with melody yet intermittently the underlying drone - ever present but usually humming away in the background - swells up and encompasses all. These huge torrents of noise ride in on waves of subtle percussion, carrying the listener in with them and breaking over ear-shattering bass kicks. The resulting wreckage gradually settles and the girls a cappella rise to the surface, briefly buoying the audience and splashing them with playful trills of bleeping electronica. Then they're dragged back under a trip-hop drum line and finally resuscitated by the awkward rhythms of a restarted heart and the kind of lurching dance mentality that Metronomy share.

All the while this Icelandic band sweep through genres far more frantically than their serene image would have you believe. Fronted by two girls, one clutching a melodica tightly to her breast and the other draped in a patchwork tablecloth. They would scream twee if it was possible for them to utter something so inharmonious and if they didn't morph their string drenched folk into Stereolab's loop based electro-funk so nonchalantly. Their song structures are yet another facet that can be safely filed under 'unorthodox'. Catchy phrases that approach from the horizon and sound as if they should be the chorus sink without a trace never to reappear whilst titanic breakdowns occur frequently. They succeed in keeping the audience on their toes, always threatening to carry them out of their depth but never seriously enough to replace the thrill of drifting in experimentation with the fear of drowning in inaccessibility.

Even if the sea side locale and ultramarine lights fail to affect you it's hard not to submerge yourself in their sound. Better still, imagine you're trying to float on your back. Remain too stiff and it won't work, it's much easier to relax, tilt your head back and bob along in Múm's wake.

Múm - Blessed Brambles on Spotify.

Photo by Sam Hiscox, you can see more of his photography as he documents Múm's tour on their tour blog.

Related Posts:
Metronomy - Live
Metronomy - Nights Out (Album)

Fionn Regan - Live Review at Brighton's Jam on Friday 13th November

Fionn Regan's trips to Brighton are always a pleasure to behold, not least because he manages to draw a far more attractive crowd than any other artist. This visit was no disappointment, shaggy haired, well-dressed boys cradled effortlessly beautiful girls in their arms in anticipation of the tiny Irishman's appearance. Diverting attention away from the tall girl whose blond locks tumble carelessly down her back is no mean feat but Gloria Cycles succeed with ease. Their fronting boy/girl duo competing for who can be the more striking, him looking like a chipper fighter pilot with wartime quiff, regimented moustache and piercing eyes whilst her slender frame, glitzy shoulderpads and angular hair style receive equal attention. Both their look and music is difficult to pin down, shifting from one genre to another with barely a stop for breath keeps the early arrivers on their toes and entertained.

A short interlude follows with an interesting mix of dubstep and country played to the assembled Regan fans and attention is drawn away from the stage transition to a girl with huge round eyes and skin as pale and pure as the driven snow. Danny And The Champions Of The World make a valiant attempt to snatch the focus back but with only four of their huge band the delicate acoustic songs available on their myspace sound bare. They happen to also be Fionn's backing band for this tour and they excel at this duty, even the red head with a cute gold hair band can't negate the headliners presence. He appears clad in circulation threatening trousers, collarless paisley shirt and a waistcoat propping up his huge bowl of hair that bobs around enthusiastically with even the slightest movement of his head. His set is a fair split between new material that will presumably appear on his forthcoming 'The Shadow Of An Empire' album and old favourites that elicit verbal appreciation from the crowd. His new material is a lot more energetic than the old, whilst still the frontman he merges more with the band allowing the instrumentation to grab the fore as often as his distinctive lyrics. The vibrancy of these songs is driven by a new anger that's present in 'Violent Demeanour' containing the lyrics "I have a violent demeanour" which Fionn spits out with a snarl. This new style acts as juxtaposition to his earlier work but he's undoubtedly at his best when Danny & Co dismount from the stage and allow him to expose his heart with just a guitar for company. In these moments he can really draw the crowd in as he disappears into a world of his own and leads them with him. He performs a couple of solo songs and the spell is only broken when the band join him again and close the set out. Surprisingly even the encore doesn't show any signs of favourite 'Be Good Or Be Gone' appearing. It finally finds its place in the second encore where Fionn has decided out of the two he's going to be good because the sound guy is telling him he should have been gone ten minutes ago. He opts for a Gibson 'Flying V' for his classic and closes the night on a new acoustic track about the Napoleonic War full of his trademark wit, intelligent rhyme and nonsensical structure to everybody's delight.

Fionn Regan - Be Good Or Be Gone on Spotify