After a relentless weekend of music, there was only one thing needed to ease off those post-festival blues and that was to get back up on the proverbial wagon. Leather jackets, flared trousers and fedora hats, smoking cigarettes outside The Hope & Ruin upon arrival, the obvious connotations being that of 60s revival psychedelia. It’s easy for shows to get swept under the carpet somewhat following The Great Escape weekend, credit to Acid Box however as the turn out still stood relatively strong for the second support act of the night, Teetotum. Heck, those who managed to catch them should consider themselves exceptionally fortunate. Rarely do you see a support band allows you to put so much faith and confidence in them.

With their slicked back hair, widespread rockabilly-inspired shirts and flared trousers, Teetotum are arguably Brighton’s most exciting new prospect. Even from an early point in their existence as a band, they pack tightly screwed guitar hooks and three-part harmonies into their psychedelic twist on R’n’B, Americana and doo-wop influences. Not afraid of trying the impossibly ‘hard’, the group managed to execute each segment of their set with exquisite professionalism and perfection, not at any point did they seem to shake, even as the guitarist apparently started a different song by mistake, it fell upon deaf ears as the group managed to endear the audience into laughing it off with them.

The tambourine beginnings of ‘Just My Luck’ breathed a new life into all that The Coasters taught us, it cuddles into groove and breathes swagger. Frontman, Ross Robertson carries an alliterate name that throws him back to that 50s style, he has the same grace and movement as an early Jagger and is not afraid of luring the crowd into his mindset of shaking along to the music. The likes of ‘Closer’ and ‘One More Time’ are the types of songs that are not purely to be watched, they are songs that really grip you and entice you, the type that would fit into some sawdust ridden Wild West bar. Watch out for this bunch, if you do not catch them moving swiftly through the ranks of the Brighton music scene, it’s a shame. If they do not get asked to put together an OST for the next Tarantino/Rodriguez flick, then it’s a real, real shame.

Teetotum are a hard act follow and it would be interesting to see how the French headliners, Os Noctàmbulos would follow. Their sound relies upon a similar psychedelic vein but ventures down a sightly wispy, surf-orientated root. First and foremost, they found presence and character onstage from the beginning. The sound was marred initially by buzzing guitar leads as the guitarist struggled to find the cigarette shaped reverb pedal but it soon fell into place for the group though. It’s fascinating to see how somebody can play guitar so fast, through the likes of ‘Damaged’ and ‘Song For Oliver’ a signature Jonny Greenwood sensibility was touched upon. It’s ferocious and eruptive, unsympathetic and his hand flew with energy up and down the six hapless strings.

What was really interesting about seeing Os Noctàmbulos was the eery, Adams Family image and style they seemed to breathe. The songs erupted like a slightly darker twist on The Allah-Las or The UFO Club, they carried that same twanging surf style however the show appeared slightly uncanny with the image of the band. One member was covered in long hair which masked his entire face as he occasionally spat gulps of wine across the stage, the frontman who wore intriguing facial hair, a female bassist who yelped and screamed occasionally down the microphone and finally, the drummer who appeared like the orchestrator of the band – the one who ran the show, almost like the father figure. It was exceptionally interesting to see and they are a band I fully recommend seeing again. The songs are a step away from the occasionally lethargic staple of contemporary psychedelia, instead putting them through a chaotically precise, Dick Dale style.

The songs consistently carried tempo and energy which was the essential factor that the crowd really, really needed tonight. After the exhausting weekend, they needed to be kept alert so for that reason in itself, it was crucial that Os Noctàmbulos brought the show to a slightly tired looking crowd. The likes of ‘One Mistake’ and ‘Not Everyone’ were abrasive with their quick fire rhythm and guitar sections, keeping crowd members under their thumb of wild control.
Tom Churchill

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