Little Grim’s fresh concoction of new wave sound is certainly one that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon and has offered yet another brilliant insight into the level of creativity behind the human imagination. On a sweltering evening in The Joker, the band play not only a terrific set, but will have certainly gained a few new followers from tonight.

Firstly, ALL of the bands playing tonight were fantastic in their own right and each could easily hold their own entire review, so it would be simply wrong to not credit each of their talents here. Opening is Matias, a fresh faced solo performer with an accompanying session band who bring a hybrid of tropical funk that was the perfect opening to the evening. Matias’ vocals are incredibly strong and the guitar solos within each of his tracks share an immense level of Hendrix-styled inspiration and are executed accordingly. Matias may be a newcomer to the scene, but he is by no means one to be brushing over. Tonight’s other supports are: Lacuna Bloome, whoes tightly coordinated gritty sound provides the distinct level of crunch that was definitely needed tonight and provided a great deal of excitement and Yellow Bellies who, in my personal opinion, offer the stand out set for the entire evening. The band’s style of western cross funk is simply sublime and features interest and intrigue throughout, not a single bassline feels lacklustre and singer, Reilly Sams, has one of the best and most diverse voices I have come across this year. When put all together, The Yellow Bellies’ sound is simply miraculous; I have seen headline acts who are unable to generate such a level of enthusiastic response, this band are Brighton talent at its very finest.

With such strong support acts, Little Grim have a lot to follow, as they enter the stage the crowd are certainly hyped enough for their set. The band open with an incredibly strong level of energy and a sound which is like some kind of bizarre crossover between rock titans Royal Blood and the dreamy vocals of indie sensation Gengahr, but the result is beyond fantastic! It is always exciting to hear a new sound which feels unknown and exotic and almost every song in Little Grim’s set tonight maintains that fresh factor. As the set gets fully underway the band flicker between heavy riff-inspired material and other tracks which utilise a concise tropical sounding bass and experimental synthesiser, all combining into a simply delightful feast for the ears.

Not only are the entire band expressing an immense level of creativity and talents from their own instruments, but the carrying vocals from Joseph Murphy are exquisite. Joseph’s hold a vast level of range and he is not only more than capable of maintaining the strongest of notes, but high usage of angelically high pitches are accomplished with a great amount of precision. Equally, between each song interval, Joseph makes for a brilliant frontman and a humorous connection amongst the band and audience becomes ever so apparent, which seems to bring the room closer together before leading into another killer track, ‘Silence’.

Influence truly does come from all walks of life and Little Grim have proved this to no end as they burst into the track ‘Salamander’. They announce it is the result of listening to Skrillex over and over again and, whilst the track doesn't hold the dubstep that I was first expecting, it does feature an immense level of riff and rock that was definitely needed to spice the set up just that little bit more. The track is shortly followed by the band’s latest single ‘Hoodie’ and is met with an incredibly large response from the room as Joseph exudes one final flourish of flamboyant frontman persona.

Overall, Little Grim, along with all of the supporting acts, should be incredibly pleased with their performances tonight. Not only were the band able to draw a respectable crowd despite being an upcoming group from out of town, but it is clear that all those in attendance tonight have had a brilliant time. Equally, all three supporting acts tonight have been able to once again prove that Brighton truly does have one of, if not the, most exciting music scenes in the country.
Ben Walker

Website: littlegrimmusic.com
Facebook: facebook.com/littlegrimuk
Twitter: twitter.com/LittleGrimMusic