The Old Market is a lovely setting for a gig, a vast purpose built theatre style venue which is exactly the sort of space that Brighton lacks for. It was great for us at BrightonsFinest to be able to host some of the best acts we’ve worked with this year for an end of year show in such a classy space. Little details like the bleacher seating, the quality lighting rig, the bands getting their own dressing rooms and access to the stage from the wings creates an atmosphere that is much more special and, to my mind ‘grown-up’, than we are used to seeing local acts on the up. There were a few glitches with the sound, which was unfortunate but not totally unexpected as the three acts we presented all had large, complicated setups that were completely different from each other. As an audience member I felt the musicianship and consistently high quality more than made up for the occasional blast of feedback!
I was annoyed to be running five minutes late for Apples & Eve’s last ever performance, I stepped through the bar and found it eerily quiet, not a soul in sight. As I poked my head into the auditorium it became clear this was because everyone had turned up early and saved themselves seats. Glancing around I saw a room full of happy, attentive listeners fully absorbed by the group on stage as they played through the familiar songs of their set with the usual charm and an even greater confidence than previously displayed, ensuring this last show as a band was a triumphant one. Released as a single at the beginning of the year ‘L’Homme’ was remarkable tonight, the sweet harmonies of the chorus both up-lifting and beguiling, I’ve always felt it sounded like the beginning of an adventure, so it was bittersweet to hear it tonight at the end of one. My pick of the evening was the song ‘Night Ghosts’, with Eva introducing the song by explaining that night ghosts are the thoughts in your head that keep you awake at night. Filled with rich harmony parts sung by every member of the band this atmospheric track had me imagining some dark night of the soul, camping in the desert in an Ennio Morricone scored western! The duo at the core of Apples & Eve – singer Eva Rose and drummer Fran Perry – tell us they are moving on to pursue solo projects. We’re sad to see them go but excited to see what they each come up with next.

Next up were Time for T, a band I had yet to see live but one I found I instantly warmed to. They had an easy-going manner and fine songs to boot, which often seemed to tumble from sparse beginnings into rambling choruses only to break back down again. They describe themselves as playing an eclectic mix of modern folk and rock but I found the grooves I was hearing reminded me of 70’s groups like The Doors or even recalling some of the early bluesy work of The Beatles – to my ears their music certainly has deep roots which is no bad thing. I loved the bluesy soul chops of tracks like Tornado and Great Grandma and enjoyed their experiments with reggae; front man Tiago made us all laugh when he introduced the song Human Battery by letting us know it has spent 8 months on their setlist called ‘new reggae song’; the song itself had a very sweet refrain about needing to need less things which stuck with me. Although they might have been unaccustomed to such a large stage (Tiago began the set by letting us know he felt much more nervous than he usually does) they certainly rose to the occasion. Their honesty and openness went a long way to winning over the crowd, whether they were filling the room with a warm chorus or reeling us in with an intimate verse I found myself a willing convert.

Next up we had our headliners, BrightonsFinest long time favourites The Mojo Fins, playing a slow building set which started with a couple of acoustic numbers from their 2012 release The Spirit EP before taking things up a notch and treating us to a set comprising mostly new material from their forthcoming third album, with only two songs (Owning My Condition and the epic Heligan) from Shake The Darkness and only the instrumental ‘secret’ track Paper Lanterns from their debut. The Fins have expanded their personnel for live performances, with an extra pair of hands allowing them to add more depth and detail – and the new songs are very detailed with electronic beats, synthesisers and pianos jumping to the front of the mix and redefining a group who I had always considered to be primarily a guitar band. The Mojo Fins impressed me with their ability to incorporate all this additional instrumentation without creating an awful racket: their arrangements allowing every instrument appropriate space to shine. These new songs tended to be more upbeat and bombastic, especially when compared with the sombre mood of The Spirit EP. New single Introverts was an absolute triumph, sounding huge as their penultimate number and showing off their new sound at its most fully realised. Other highlights included Grass, a catchy sing-along jangle recalling some of their early 90’s influences without surrendering to them (also a rare chance to see Stephen Brett performing without guitar); mid-tempo groover Arterial Road got everybody’s feet tapping and I loved Longwave Reach, awash with electronic beats, glassy synths and a memorable harmony filled chorus.

The strength and amount of new material has gotten me very excited for the album we’re expecting the band to release some time next year. They overcame some awkward issues with their monitors to deliver one of their best live performances to date, each song executed perfectly with none of the long tuning breaks they’ve been occasionally guilty of in the past. On the strength of this I think there’s every chance 2014 could be the breakthrough year the band so rightly deserve. I’ll certainly be watching them closely over the next 12 months.

Terry Moore