With the beginning of a new year, Brighton has started 2026 off strong, introducing new bands, and spotlighting the talent that’s on offer. Whilst conditions have been less than ideal in getting people out, as per usual, the indomitable spirit for music in Brighton has meant crowds remained packed and events were on. With that has come some great new additions to Brightonsfinest and my personal listening rotation.

I started off this month with a visit to The Prince Albert. With a huge mural dedicated to iconic musicians on its exterior wall, I was right in assuming this was a venue that values good music. Its music venue space is situated upstairs and it was here that I had come to see the band Larlin. Established in 2024, Brighton based alt-rock band Larlin have already forged an impressive body of work in a relatively short space of time. Their set was a mix of both their released and unreleased work, all of which played into Larlin’s indie rock influences. Lead vocalist Maryann possesses a seriously powerful vocal. It was both polished in its execution whilst maintaining a rawness that made the poignant lyricism all the more penetrating. Their song ‘Limbo’ follows this gradual build up that finishes with so much intensity from its guitar and vocal. Whilst ‘Better On Screen’ follows a more melodic, indie guitar, pop rhythm, which made it’s genuinely insightful lyrics so much more emotive. The confident and collected air to each band member meant you truly felt like they were a band completely in their element, producing their sound. The slightly hedonistic quality to the sound and lead singer Maryann meant whilst it was a polished set, it still maintained an unrestrained quality, which really made the power behind Maryann’s vocal so much stronger. The combination of delicate guitar riffs, alongside a definite indie rock vocal made their sound reminiscent of a ‘Wolf Alice’ in both feel and intensity. Larlin currently have three singles released alongside a ‘Better on Screen Alt version’ which came out last summer. Fortunately for us, their first EP is set to release early this year. With ambitions of more performances on the festival circuit and a further label release, Larlin are a band I am hoping we will all see a lot more of in 2026. All members of the band showed incredibly strong performances, and with Maryann’s strong, dynamic vocals, commands such a magnetic presence on stage that it’s hard to not become completely captivated by a Larlin performance.

Anyone familiar with Brighton will know that whilst it’s a hub for the creative industry, it’s not just its music scene that demonstrates this. In enjoying a night of music, or a day trip to the city, enjoying a drink and some food can be very central to a good time. This month I went to an independent cafe called Pink Moon. Located on Ship Street, slightly tucked away from the main strip, Pink Moon offers a cosy and unique cafe experience in the heart of the city. With decor including pictures of Patti Smith, Mazzy Star and a great selection of vinyl records on display, it’s a music lover’s dream. Alongside a selection of hot and alcoholic drinks, it’s the food menu that also makes Pink Moon stand out. It has an Asian influenced dim sum menu, bao buns, dumplings, soups, with a special selection of in-house iced teas. All made on site, and their baked goods I found exceptional in their creativity and freshness. It was also a highly calming atmosphere, with its contemporary/boho furniture and design, the perfect space for social and working activities. Alongside being a cafe, it runs a seriously cool array of after hours events. Ranging from music, to film clubs, exhibitions and art workshops. An event space I will be sure to visit again and sample more of their menu during its cafe hours. Set up by a couple who decided to open a business instead of going on honeymoon, Pink Moon is without doubt a labour of love and a business forged on good foundations with its own distinctive identity. A new personal favourite for sure!

The Green Door Store is a definite institution in Brighton’s list of grassroots venues, with a great array of music always on offer, weekday and weekend and it was on a particularly stormy night this January that I attended one of their mid week music nights and especially pleasing to see a very good turnout in spite of the less than ideal weather conditions for Ristretto.

Still very much in the genesis of their live performances, the five piece blends elements of jazz and funk into a highly soulful, and at times sultry combination. Lead vocalist Mya led the set with confidence and commanded the stage space so well. The band was established last year, through lead singer Mya. Who upon forming the band, developed their first song purely through the group ‘jamming’ together. Point being, the songs are developed organically, through the creative collaboration of the band members, a testament to a band that align so well in their creative vision. Although the band has not been performing for long, Ristretto has harnessed key elements of their jazz and funk influences, to create a well established sound. The use of conversational segments in the songs between Mya, the band members, or the audience were really effective in evoking their more jazz orientated sound, whereas the funk elements remained strong in the rhythm of the guitar riffs, drums, bass and keyboard. Mya has a soulful voice, which lends itself so well to Ristretto, the contrast in the power vocally, alongside at times a much softer lyric and intensity meant a nice balance throughout Ristretto’s set. There’s the more funk orientated songs, faster in pace, alongside a slower tempo, at times more jazz noir influence. As a combination it works well and I’m looking forward to seeing how Ristretto develops this in the future. Outside of the music, they all hold a great personal style that sought to reinforce how cool this band’s musical blend sounds live.

A place I’m no stranger to, and where my enjoyment remains unwavering is Valentino bar. As someone who enjoys an element of glamour every now and then, the all red decor, 1920’s art work, and tassel lampshades create a distinctive and quite lavish space. It is located above Tinto Taperia, a highly central location, but away from the main high street. The point of entry, a tucked away black door and buzzer makes for a definite feeling of exclusivity but with emphasis on comfort, service and surroundings that remains more informally decadent. It’s a cocktail bar primarily, with a menu of house cocktails and a wine selection. With an expert cocktail bar team, if classic cocktails are more to your taste, the bar is more than able to put together some great quality classics. It also possesses a balcony area that looks over the Pavillion gardens, a beautiful addition during the summer. It’s a super stylish space and has always proved a consistently great venue. It provides a slightly elevated, highly distinctive setting without the formality to make it feel stifling or too pretentious in its design. A definite gem in Brighton’s cocktail bars and one I don’t think I will ever stop finding enjoyable.

Later in the month, I went to La Vie En Musique at IronWorks Studios. A show which aimed to showcase a variety of french music and cabaret. It was here I was introduced to the work of French/English musical duo Greenness. It consists of singer songwriter Cecile Frangi and Graham Pratt the duo blend French and English lyrics with their indie folk music. With titles including Best Song At Brighton Song Contest in 2019, sets at Glastonbury, and a residency at Brighton Dome, Greenness already hails a significant set of accolades. In spite of these achievements, Greenness graced the stage at Ironworks with such an understated confidence and charm. Lead singer Cecile, opened with a cover of Francoise Hardy’s ‘Tous les garcons et les filles’. This Hardy classic set the correct tone for Greenness, which followed a delicate and well curated set of their own songs. Whilst their set was acoustic, the duo has also experimented with other musical influences, outside of folk. Their most recent album ‘Honeymoons’ incorporates electronic and more ambient sounds which strike a beautiful balance with Frangi’s vocals. Their set was all engrossing yet stripped back, while the quality of the vocal and production meant their folk acoustic completely commanded the room. With a large portion of the room not French speakers, the ability from Greenness to still communicate so much through a predominantly French set is testament to how they have produced a universal sound with their music. With their unique combination of bilingual, folk electronica, it’s a band that’s created a sound truly their own. This experimentation makes for a highly enjoyable listening experience, that is the product of pure creativity and collaboration. A truly distinct addition to Brighton’s music scene.

With the end of January ‘Up Close’ has made some more great discoveries in music and places to go. It’s vital that grassroots venues, independent businesses and independent music acts remain supported during these winter months. I’m finding that there is quite literally something for everyone, in a space for everyone, all the time in Brighton. Next month has some exciting things in store for Up Close; I will be talking to band ‘Charm of Finches’ ahead of their upcoming tour, and of course more events promise to make February another great month for music here in Brighton. All bands I have featured in this month’s column, with released music, will be available to stream on this month’s ‘Up Close Playlist.’

Bella Munoz