Category: Gig Gallery

Freya Beer, Miler & NYSSA at The Prince Albert, Brighton, 28th May 2025

Beating the midweek slump, a trip to The Albert for the latest music showcase from Hidden Herd / Crafting Room was a welcome distraction. A strong start from Toronto singer-songwriter NYSSA with some deep tones to her voice reminiscent of the Patti Smith / Marianne Faithfull era, and an unexpected fusion of genres as synth-punk meets a classic rock ‘n’ roll undertone. I suspect the crowd would have happily listened for longer. The middle slot was filled by locals Miler, a new incarnation of their former moniker Harper. Their offering has a dream-pop shoegaze base that almost takes on a country twang at times, and with a new name and new music there’s sure to be more chances pending to catch them around Brighton.

Headliner Freya Beer has honed her style into an atmospheric juxtaposition of light pop and dark gothic soundwaves, her vocal is hauntingly frail at times but packs the most powerful of punches. She has spent some time recently supporting the peerless Dr John Cooper Clarke on tour and frankly, if JCC is backing someone, we should all pay attention. With a set including an icy cover of Britney’s Toxic and commanding latest single Cry Baby, the evening very much ended on a high.

NYSSA

Miler

Freya Beer

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 30th May 2025

 

Flat Party, Black Bordello, COWZ & Ski Lift at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 7th May 2025

Back at my favourite venue for a quartet of bands offering up a discerning assortment of genres last Wednesday – first up at The Hope & Ruin are south London based Ski Lift, indie pop with a touch of new wave. Benji’s vocal is reminiscent of a young Pete Shelley and the dynamics of the band fit together well, getting things off to a great start.

Brighton’s own COWZ follow – always lots of fun to watch, their saccharine alt-pop lands like a warped Eurovision entry. Part kitsch, part razor sharp lyrics, they’re a duo to be reckoned with and always add a shot of energy to any line-up.

Black Bordello take the next slot, intriguing and hard to pinpoint genre-wise. There’s a definite goth vibe visually but the music takes a few twists and turns along the way. Experimental vocals push the songs in different directions with hints of Kaleidoscope-era Siouxsie, particularly on opening track Acid Mary. The set manages to be both brash and gentle at the same time and leaves an impression for sure.

Completing proceedings, an accomplished performance from Flat Party with a confident stage presence and some clear Britpop epoch influences. A nod to their appreciation of Suede comes through in Jack’s vocal, and I can’t help but think that overall they’re a bit like you would have hoped Blur would be before they started making cheese (musically and literally). Lots of unreleased tracks suggest that 2025 is going to be a big year for Flat Party – on our recommended list.

Hosted by Hidden Herd

Ski Lift

COWZ

Black Bordello

Flat Party

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 12th May 2025

Panic Shack at Patterns, Brighton, 6th May 2025

It’s hard to imagine that a Panic Shack gig would ever be anything other than bags of fun, some left-field choreography and a bunch of songs that stick two fingers up to misogyny and general societal inequalities while kicking out some stupidly catchy tunes – and this was no exception.

I maintain that Patterns is the wrong shape and layout for live music, especially on a sold out gig as, apart from being in one or two decent vantage points, a big section of the crowd isn’t going to actually see much of what’s happening on stage. That didn’t stop the party though and openers The Pill set things up nicely with an already rammed venue and a punchy set of their own.

Panic Shack have long since reached the point of being a reliably good live band, and it’s great to see them still looking like they’re having an absolute ball. With a set list including Gok Wan, Baby, Who’s Got My Lighter? and The Ick, they gave an impressive performance and surely pushed the sales of their QR coded lanyards through the roof with an on-point sales pitch (other bands take note – if you’re having trouble engaging the crowd, just have them collectively chant ‘LANYARD!’ and it’ll probably be fine). The sugary-sweet days of 90s ‘girl power’ are thankfully behind us but make no mistake, the power of women in music, friendship and fun is very much in the present.

Hosted by Lout Promotions

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 8th May 2025

Sean Paul at Brighton Centre, 23rd April 2025

Multi-million selling dancehall star Sean Paul is filling venues on his Bring It tour, last night entertaining the crowd at Brighton Centre with songs spanning his 25 year career.

Mike Burnell was there to capture some awesome shots of the show, gallery below…

Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo

Published 24th April 2025

 

Amplify Her Live at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 17th April 2025

A project founded in 2023 by Andrea Dee, Amplify Her creates a space where women in the music industry support each other’s progress whilst championing gender equality. Last week’s Brighton showcase at The Hope & Ruin saw three talented artists perform, and offered a great networking opportunity for women in multiple creative roles to meet and make connections. The evening was opened by Andrea, speaking about the reasons she set up Amplify Her, noting that the lack of women booked for festivals was not reflective of the current chart scene, which is often filled and topped by successful women artists. Andrea then noted two guidelines for the night – 1. speak to a stranger and 2. if you’re here for the first act, stay for the last act (this one should be a given for any gig, and the same goes in the other direction – come to see the headliner, get there for the supports).

First up, some smooth soul rifts from Tia Ice, incorporating poetry into her songs and drawing the crowd in with her narrative of personal reflection. Taking the middle slot, a fusion of folk and Americana from Mookie switched the pace up, with bags of energy from her and the band. Lastly, headliner Adriana Lord took us on journey of storytelling spanning history, heritage and motherhood, all backed with some beautiful songs and an almost meditative atmosphere. A great line-up and a very welcoming crowd of people – you can check out more Amplify Her events here.

Tia Ice

Tia with Andrea / Networking

Mookie

Adriana Lord

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 21st April 2025

Hot Face,  Jock & Telecom at The Prince Albert

Channeling the pop-leaning surface of 60s’ psychedelia, Telecom opened up Wednesday’s Hidden Herd showcase with a smooth set of soft melodies and double vocal harmonies. With a sound reminiscent of tracks like See Emily Play and My White Bicycle, the five piece fit well together and are clearly building a local following as they progress.

The rest of the night took a noisier turn with gritty garage-punk from Jock bringing a bunch of abrasive tunes and bags of energy – think Television meets The Slits on double speed. It comes with a contemporary twist and a sense that the trio are having an absolute blast, an attribute that always get picked up by the crowd and adds to the atmosphere.

Headliners Hot Face continued the frenetic pace with a bundle of fuzzed up songs, some frenzied guitar playing and all three band members taking turns on vocals. There are many current artists picking up the punk mantle but not a huge number that manage to make it feel authentic. Hot Face take this in their stride  with nods to the spiky sound of Wire and pure punk originals The Clash. Not hard to see why they were picked up by the prestigious Speedy Wunderground label, definitely worth a repeat visit.

Hosted by Hidden Herd

Telecom

Jock

Hot Face

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 19th April 2025

Pale Blue Eyes at Dust, Brighton, 11th April 2025

On the road with their latest album New Place, Pale Blue Eyes played to a packed venue at Brighton’s Dust on Friday night. You can’t fault their precision as they run through a selection of the new songs, interspersed with some welcome tracks from earlier records – Honeybear and Under Northern Sky sitting back to back, comfortably slotted between newer tunes Rituals and The Dreamer. The trio – Matt Board (guitar, vocals), Lucy Board (drums) and Aubrey Simpson (bass) are joined live by Lewis Kellett-Johnson on keys and additional guitar for an incredibly tight-knit set that feels reminiscent of Stereolab’s French Disko era. Often presented under the shoegaze mantle, it feels like their performance takes the genre and injects a huge bounce of energy, reflected back from the ever increasing head-nodding and foot-tapping throughout the crowd. 

A great night’s entertainment, the band have a couple more dates to come this week at Oxford’s Bullingdon on Wednesday 16th April and Islington Assemble Hall in London on Thursday 17th April – get along if you can.

Set list:
Scrolling, TV Flicker, Rituals, Honeybear, Under Northern Sky, The Dreamer, Motionless, Our History, Our Lost Words, Now And Again, Chelsea, Sister, Half Light

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 14th April 2025

Lip Filler, Bacci Pouch & SLAG at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 2nd April 2025

I suppose three out of four ain’t bad but still, circumstances meant that I missed all but the last few bars of opening act Reubin X, a combination of delays at my end and a super short set from them as they were without their keyboard player. Another time perhaps.

So my night kicked off properly with SLAG, very popular locally and just announced for The Great Escape. Vocals switching between light and dark, the band seem to be growing in confidence and comfortable flipping genres as the mood takes, indie-pop meets spiky art rock keeping the audience on their toes.                                                                                                             

Bacci Pouch provided the filling in the night’s punk-leaning sandwich, with riffs reminiscent of The Undertones and a top speed version of The Rockefeller Skank. A tight threesome with not too much of a nod to nostalgia, though its influence is there for sure. 

Last up, Lip Filler played a compelling set, animated moves and spat out lyrics pulling the crowd into their powerhouse performance. If Radiohead were angrier and surrendered to angular dance moves, there might just be a comparison there – as it stands I’d guess it’s much more fun to see Lip Filler.

Hosted by Hidden Herd

SLAG

Bacci Pouch

Lip Filler

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 7th April 2025

Winter Gardens, everyday saints & Rats-Tails at The Prince Albert, Brighton, 20th March 2025

A gentle start to the evening with London-based dream rockers Rats-Tails. At times, the vocal is almost whispered, which only serves to draw in the early crowd’s appreciation more. A few pops of psychedelia, and the clarinet inclusion, ensure the overall sound challenges the expected and adds some sharpness to the baseline etherealness.

Onto local outfit everyday saints, with some clear influences shining through from goth/alt 80s onwards, both sonically and visually. Plenty of darkwave leaning mixed with a bunch of palpably danceable hooks, the band manage to capture that integration of gloom and pop cultivated by the likes of The Cure and Garbage. Definitely ones to watch.

And for the headline slot, a very popular booking in Winter Gardens, and rightfully so. The band have continued to develop their signature sound which culminates in a fusion of melancholic shoegaze with some sweeping Lush-esque undertones. Latest single Anthropocene demonstrates their evolution to becoming one of Brighton’s most sought after acts. 

All in all, a night that makes a mockery of those events that say they can’t find women to front their line-ups when there’s so much blatant gender-diverse talent around…

Gallery by Siobhan
Hosted by Hidden Herd x Crafting Room

Rats-Tails

everyday saints

Winter Gardens

Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 24th March 2025