Category: Festival

Brighton Psych Fest, multi-venue across Brighton, 30th August 2024

It feels like Brighton is set up for city festivals, with so many great venues clustered throughout its streets, and a bundle of places to eat and drink along the way. The latest addition from Brighton Psych Fest made a serious impression on the circuit, its inaugural outing a big success and its footprint firmly imprinted in the walkway of local calendar events. The array of artists playing seemed to work really well, as different groups of ticket holders headed in different directions to catch the more obscure or established names, depending on their leaning. It also provided another opportunity to support local independent venues, with participation from The Arch, Green Door Store, Komedia (basement and studio), The Prince Albert, The Hope & Ruin and Concorde 2. 

Amongst those playing, some French psych-pop from Juniore, and a walk into the experimental world of Secluded Bronte where they simply dismissed tech issues by carrying on without the backing track at points, gave an early indication of the diverse line-up. All the way from Vermont, it was a pleasure to catch Lutalo playing their understated but impactful collection of hazy indie tunes – discovering new artists is always one of the benefits of line-ups like this, and we’ll be looking out for more from Lutalo for sure.

Over at the biggest of the stages at Concorde 2, we took in an eclectic mix of acts across the evening, starting with Geordie Greep. Taking his solo material on a field trip far away from black midi days, Greep has introduced hints of jazz and blues and plays with confidence in his new-found fusion of dark dance music. Next up, NewDad brought edgy shoegaze to the the table, songs from their album MADRA sitting comfortably alongside their sweetly sprinkled version of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven. 

top left and bottom row: NewDad, top right: Geordie Greep

A big draw for Psych Fest, The Horrors came out to play like they’d never been away – so many tracks to choose from and sadly only time for a dozen. Still, the appreciation from the audience was palpable with the first three tracks immediately delving into their revered catalogue in Whiplash (Lout), then Three Decades and Mirror’s Image (Primary Colours). A band who have consistently produced quality music since their inception nearly twenty years ago, this was a great booking, and closing with Who Can Say and Something To Remember Me By left the crowd in a very happy place.

The Horrors

Last up for us, Scaler brought the psych in bucketloads with loud and proud electronic instrumentals lashing against a backdrop of distorted visuals, Concorde momentarily transformed into a late night industrial Euro night club as the crowd donned their 3D glasses and danced the night away.

Scaler

Tickets for next year’s Brighton Psych Fest are available now – seems like a pretty safe bet.

Concorde 2

Words and photos by Callum and Siobhan

Published 4th September 2024

Truck Festival, Steventon, Oxfordshire, 25th-28th July 2024

Blistering sunshine and blistering sounds as Hill Farm once again played host to the now long established Truck Festival at the weekend – a dairy farm aptly adapted to offer up the cream of the crop. With big names across its duration including headliners IDLES, Jamie T, Wet Leg and The Streets, Truck continues to entice in the best of acts old and new, with more recent breakthrough artists counting Dog Race, Carsick, English Teacher, Lime Garden, Ebbb, Luna Lake, VLURE and Bob Vylan into its entourage. The site is a great size, easy to get around and go on then, let’s give a special mention to the usual bane of everyone’s festival existence – yes, the toilets were plentiful and the toilet roll replenishing team could be seen regularly around the portaloo huddles, big tick!

Middle row: Coach Party, Bottom row: Luna Lake

I guess good weather makes it easier (we missed the pre-weekend downpours) but the atmosphere across the fields was equally warm and relaxed, and clearly a lot of thought and planning had gone into making sure there were areas for everyone to enjoy. Good to see some families attending instilling a love of live music into the next generation to safeguard all those grassroots venues out there, without whom most of these artists would be nowhere near playing festival stages. Also encouraging to see that dinosaurs are welcome…

Lots of band T-shirts on display, with Dog Race taking the prize for most self-deprecating merch (see above). You can tell how popular a band are getting when they play an early slot and still people flock to see them. Having only caught them in pretty small venues so far, it was good to see that nothing is lost in translation on a bigger platform. They definitely have the ability to go their own way, the vocal setting them apart from many other indie-royalty contenders – certainly a big draw at The Market Stage. Elsewhere, lots more new music to catch and enjoy with lots of daytime support for Luna Lake and Coach Party on the main Truck stage, and a similarly favoured reception over at The Nest for The Manatees, Eliza May and Mary in the Junkyard, amongst many others.

Top left: The Manatees, Top Right: Eliza May, Bottom row: Mary in the Junkyard

With some happy memories of being squashed in The Barn as it was years ago, seeing the likes of Eagulls (miss that band), Bloody Knees and Bo Ningen, its new lease of life as the Rockin’ Chair saw a no less salubrious songster entertain the masses. Up against strong competition at other stages, Shaun Williamson brought his feel-good karaoke party ‘Barrioke’ to town, with one of the strongest setlists you could hope for at a festival and a fetching gold lamé jacket to boot. Whatever you were expecting it lived up to the hype, with audience participation not only welcomed but encouraged, as he worked his way through Don’t Stop Me Now, The Only Way Is Up and The One And Only to name but a few, a masterful emcee for sure.

No surprises though that another stand out set from VLURE turned the volume up to the max and beyond. Love to see some of the VLURE regulars at the barrier and it’s clear to see why their fanbase is growing and growing. Seemingly constantly working to bring new tracks to their much loved catalogue of thumping dense rave-topped punk poetry, they just can’t help but outshine the rest. After taking an impressive support slot at their last Glasgow show, rapper and SAMA protege Psweatpants joined as the band’s special guest, providing collaboration on stage and mosh pit management – a welcome addition to an already slick performance. A masterclass in how to beat the heat and win over a festival crowd.

VLURE with a stand out set at The Nest

Another outfit absolutely taking things by storm, Bob Vylan had the crowd eating out of their hands from the get go. Not missing the chance to highlight their clash with The Kooks, a few lines of Naive were tongue in cheekily shared before their usual pre-set meditation ritual. Great to see all ages in attendance, with a nod to two of the younger members of the audience for their glittery Dream Big signs. Protagonists of protest songs they may be, but the positivity that comes along with Bob Vylan is a marker of how good they are, and they brought the numbers along inside and outside the stage area – intense in tents and out if you like. Go and see them if you can, it’s a beautiful experience.

Bob Vylan playing to a huge crowd inside and outside The Nest

So how do you end an event of this size and stature? After days of festivities and ferris wheels, The Streets were possibly the perfect act to see things out. After their much acclaimed Glasto set, expectations were high and easily matched. Mike Skinner seems at the same time very comfortable in his headliner role and equally puzzled by most everything in the world, many chats with the crowd melding into lyrics and talk of trucks of the articulated variety. Fusing hits old and new in rapid-fire quick succession, it was a reminder of the quality of songs he’s put out into the universe, and an inevitable singalong to the perfectly formed Dry Your Eyes couldn’t really be beaten as a winding down to proceedings.

The Streets closing the main stage in style

Another year done and dusted, but not before the requisite closing firework display covered the sky, signalling the end of an excellent event and time for everyone to grab hold of some after-sun and a reel of memories. Thanks to all involved for having us along.

Truck team: Siobhan & Callum

Published 1st August 2024

The Great Escape, Alt Escape and Independent Showcases, Brighton, 15th-18th May 2024

To be fair, Brighton is always full of live music. Take your pick of any night of the week, and you won’t have to walk far to find someone playing somewhere. Every May though, this amplifies many times over as The Great Escape, Alt Escape and multiple other shows open up at existing music venues, clubs and pop-up locations across the city. With so much to choose from, it’s never possible to see everyone on your wanted list but, from Wednesday to Saturday last week, we had a good go. Here’s the low down on who we saw, including some established favourites and lots of first time captures…

Wednesday15th May

A wildly strong opener from Baba Ali and a perfect start to the eclectic mix to follow, they command your attention without even trying to grab it. No frills, just an accomplished mix of synth, fuzzy guitars and dance beats, gaining some new fans by the end of their set for sure.

How to follow that? Well, it’s likely that Mickey Callisto could follow anyone and keep the crowd in the palm of his hand. Mickey has the voice, the moves, but seemingly no ego. With songs touching on themes of inclusion, togetherness and unity, and an unabashed rendering of Hey Jude, it was a great showcase for unsigned talent, and he made every stage he played his own (there were two more over the weekend). 

Left (and header shot): Baba Ali, Right: Mickey Callisto

Thursday 16th May

Splitting to take in different shows, the first of several sets for Vanity Fairy confirmed a voice on point, and an always eccentric but down to earth stance. Winning over audiences with sheer charm and infectious tunes, this is a feel-good act that never fails to leave the crowd smiling.

Elsewhere, some fine new discoveries with nostalgia-ridden folk from Woody Green, then Twst (think Welsh Grimes meets a hyper-pop Willy Wonka). Serious riffs and moves from New York’s Psymon Spine, and contagious indie-pop from Melbourne’s magnificently named The Belair Lip Bombs, took us deep into the afternoon. Squeezing in to see Bernard Butler (along with many, many other fans), we stumbled into the end of Slate’s lively set – a complete contrast to Bernard’s humble and understated performance, looking like he was loving the opportunity to play to a small crowd rather than impress the industry. An unplanned but fortuitous stroll along the road had the happy consequence of landing in the charmed world of Enjoyable Listens, melancholy and humour in equal measures. 

Top: The Belair Lip Bombs
Second Block Left: Psymon Spine, Top Right: Woody Green, Bottom Right: Vanity Fairy
Third Row: Bernard Butler
Bottom Row: Enjoyable Listens

Heading into the evening, Holiday Ghosts shone not only with their songs but also writing different sets to match each venue they played. Delivering the fan favourites, they powered through like seasoned professionals, showing exactly why they’re such a popular local choice. And speaking of popular choices, if you haven’t had the pleasure yet, do get to see Peter Xan if you have the chance – hard to put a finger on the genre as there’s a lovely blend of influences in there, and as their performance evolves there is more and more crowd interaction, forming a definite festival highlight.

Peter Xan

Friday 17th May

Post-punk artist Enola kick-started our Friday, followed by much hyped Cork band Cardinals – a solid set from them which sparked an interest to hear more, and it seems very likely that we will all be hearing more as the buzz around them continues to grow.

Left: ENOLA, Right: Cardinals

Friday night was a must for earplugs, starting with Lipworms – the latest and perhaps most rounded formation of the band’s members providing refreshing Can-influenced krautrock to get lost in. Another band high on a lot of people’s lists, Fcukers sat perfectly in a club setting; NY youth sounding like they maybe listened to a lot of British dance music, acid house and garage. Heavy on the backing track, but still a strong live performance – easy to see why their name came up a lot. Onto a UK band also causing a stir, Ebbb combine their experience in a variety of past collectives to fuse dance beats and relentless rhythms together for an almost tribal sound. Despite their pretty much non-existent online presence, they’re building support steadily and surely.

Left: Lipworms, Right: Ebbb

Saturday 18th May

Last day – still just about standing, and Faux Real managed to pack out their venue early in the day. With much of the singalong performance coming from within the crowd, it felt like a fun karaoke event, and the party atmosphere definitely rubbed off on the crowd. Next up, Dog Race provided some goth influenced riffs with a Lene Lovich-esque vocal. This obviously was to be followed with some Swedish pure pop – historically something that’s fared pretty well in Brighton – and a nice pick me up in the afternoon sunshine from Honey. Over at the Canadian showcase, a lovely vibe and some soulful songs from Witch Prophet and Kuzi Cee. 

Top row: Honey, Bottom left: Kuzi Cee, Bottom Right: Witch Prophet

With a cinematic feel and a band who excelled individually and as a whole, Clara Tracey captivated the audience with a strong set. And flying the French flag to finish the  festival for one half of us, PPJ were welcomed back with a hi-energy, dance inducing performance that jumped between styles and sounds, drawing people in tighter the more they played, and pushing the limits of what’s achievable live to create a really impressive set.

And for the other half of the team, a brilliant sign-off to complete proceedings from Brighton-based Polite Bureaux – only discovered them last year but already firmly on the favourites list, each live set and those broken beats getting better and better every time. If the show has to be over, this is the way to end it.

Polite Bureaux

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Words / Photos by Callum / Siobhan

Published 24th May 2024

SON Estrella Galicia micro-festival at The Prince Albert, Brighton, 23rd March 2024

Bringing together beer, food and music seems like a pretty on-point pitch for a Saturday in Brighton, and a packed Prince Albert proved the theory correct.

The first of this series of micro-festivals outside London, the concept is the brainchild of Son Estrella Galicia, the cultural arm of the family-owned Spanish brewery that mixes a multi-sensory experience with consideration for sustainability – of the environment and also specifically of grass roots venues. With beer tasting in the afternoon and freshly made Mexican street food on offer from local gastronomers Carlito Burrito, there was plenty to enjoy throughout the day.

A significant part of the event was of course the music, with DJ sets downstairs in the bar from Kike Louie, Lee Petryszyn, and Henry WP keeping the atmosphere flowing until the evening opened up live music sets upstairs. First up, local psych/jazz ensemble Plantoid filled the stage with a melange of percussive instruments, guitars and vocals from Chloe Spence straight out of  the Grace Slick school of melody. Then an astute booking for the headline slot, Panic Shack are already a welcome visitor to the Brighton circuit, their short, sharp punk-influenced songs and obvious camaraderie as a bunch of friends having fun giving a healthy antidote to the mainstream music industry’s typecasting of women in bands. With a set full of catchy hooks and their own take on voguing, Panic Shack are surely set to fill much bigger venues than this, but the chance to see them in one was quickly grabbed by those lucky enough to snap up tickets.

Hopefully, the success of the day will bring further events like this to Brighton, we’ll certainly be keeping our fingers crossed for more to come.

Plantoid

Son Estralla | Carlito Burrito

Panic Shack

Review and photos © Siobhan – 16beasleystphotography.com