The event kicked off on Thursday and commenced my adventure at The Latest Bar, one of the key partners in the The alternative and the first band I saw there was the impressive AK/DK which was an great start to the festival. See our review at the Green Door Store for more about them live.
Common Tongues
After this I headed up to the Marwood cafe for something a little less manic and caught the very end of The Cadbury Sisters who sounded interesting and stayed on for the next band Common Tongues who put on a solid folky set although I had to bail out as the temperature in the room was becoming unbearable but with the howling wind outside it did not take long to cool down.
For another change I now headed to the Fiddlers Elbow and caught CoCo and the Butterfields, a hard band to describe as they are a bit folk, bit rock and even have a little bit off rapping thrown in but they kept my attention and I ended up staying there till the end of the night. Good music and good beer always a good combination.
Friday night begins at the Mesmerist and catching the last band Sons & Lovers with whom ! was quite impressed by them. They are your basic rock / pop with a bit of a gothic undertone. There was a good size crowd who were getting into their performance until they lost them by trying to do a quite song. I could barely hear them but they made up for it on the next song though with the singer manically jumping around in the crowd screaming his lungs out.
I then headed into Kemptown and grabbed a burger on the way before checking out Neighbourhood as I'd not been in there before and chilled out in the lovely garden before heading into the basement to hear I Am A Camera who were a blend of drums heavy modulating keyboards and an excellent vocalist. Unfortunately the basement was small and fairly well packed so I only lasted a few songs before moving on but a band I would like to see again at a better location.
After wondering around for a bit continually looking at the listings for something to jump out I decided to call it an evening and prepare myself for the excitement of the following day. A good band name can make all the difference at an event like this. I've not seen any of the band before and apart from a few it was the band name that drew me to check them out. None more so than Alarm Bells. The name just screamed 80's punk attitude and I was not disappointed. Only intended to drop in for a song or two but was captivated and stayed for most of the set at the rammed Fish Bowl. Not seen a singer bounce around the stage like that for ages…
This made me late for Nothing But Thieves at The Mucky Duck, only catching the last few songs. A bit like buses, the ones you want all turn up at the same time. Luckily all the venues are only 5 minutes walk away from each other so easy to nip between venues. Yet again another band I'll catch next time they are in town.
To round off the afternoon session was a little treat. After getting myself on the One Inch Badge invite only list I got down to Boutique to see The Physics House Band. This was one of the bands I've been meaning to check out for a while and I was not disappointed. Full on heavy mental bass ladened joy which saw me nicely to tea time so I popped home to recharge the batteries.
It was not long before I was back in town and heading for the Fiddler's Elbow once again, for what was on the original program as TBC but ended up being Preachers Son another solid performance and entertaining set which again held my attention for longer then I'd expected.
Alarm Bells
After this I headed for another visit to The Latest Bar for a diverse trio of bands. First up Pawws… now I hope this is not taken the wrong way but… It was also Eurovision night and this band would not have sounded out of place on that big stage and would probably have done better than the usual dross we submit. As they were finishing in the downstairs bar Will Joseph Cook was starting their set in the upstairs bar. A bit more mellow than the high energy vocals downstairs and a few octaves lower. A nice gentler band to sit down and let the music drift over you which I did until the noisy neighbours downstairs started making some noise and it was back down to see Fé. A fairly standard rocky affair and enjoyable 'Does what it say on the tin'.
It now starting to get late and there is only one place to be, Northern Lights. I had poked my head in on a previous night and caught a song by a band, which I can't remember but the place then was mental and rammed but tonight it appears there had been a number cancellations and lineup changes and The Graphic were playing to an almost empty room. Pity as it was great music but that's what's both good and bad about the event. If you get the party swinging you are a magnet for even more people, leave the crowd kicking their heals or listening to sound check to long and they are on to the next party.
Brighton was definitely buzzing on Saturday with street performers ranging from kids busking for lose change to more organised events. I think the whole day had a continuous soundtrack. Must have heard dozens of different styles of music and over 50 performers all in one day. Check the venues you have never seen before, see some random bands, if you don't like it on to another venue close at hand and see what is happening there. The quality of all the bands I saw was good if not better, this is the best of the best bands locally and on the circuit. All you have to do is find the venue or bands that match your style.
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