White Magic For Lovers, Catrin Vincent, Platonica Erotica & Charlie Keen’s Silver Birch at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 24th April 2026
Hosted by Hidden Herd
A night filled with ambience and alt-folk waves as a well matched collection of artists graced the stage at The Hope & Ruin on Friday night. First up, Charlie Keen’s Silver Birch took the ancient art of the ‘one-man band’ in a new direction. Not often that a trombone makes an appearance at gigs and nice to see it taking the spotlight here, sharing duties with a synth and another rarely spotted device in the shape of a Shruti Box. A very cool way to begin, with the room quickly starting to fill up throughout the set.
Some dark, dreamy and delicate tunes next from Platonica Erotica, offering up elfin dance moves with a languid performance evocative of a 1940’s underground jazz club. Simple but effective, proving that sometimes less fuss does indeed reap more flavour.
Another accomplished solo set to follow from Catrin Vincent. Love to see the confidence to wait for people to stop talking before embarking on the first song, and it was with good reason that the chatting didn’t rekindle other than between tracks, when tales of being stuck on a boat and past band adventures with Another Sky were shared. The purest of vocals kept the crowd enthralled; an impressive delivery start to finish.
Headliners for the night were White Magic For Lovers, creating an intimate staging of their laid-back lounge sound, incorporating velvety sax and lithe flute lines. A masterclass in sophisticated restraint, their playing felt effortless – the perfect conclusion to end proceedings.
Review & Photos by Siobhan O’Driscoll – 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 28th April 2026
Breaking Glass Magazine 