Category: Live Music

Franz Ferdinand at Brighton Dome, 4th March 2026

Following the release of their sixth studio album The Human Fear last year, Franz Ferdinand are touring across the UK and Europe and still deservedly pulling in big crowds. It’s a reflection of their back catalogue and continuous progress that there were three, maybe four, generations gathered at Brighton Dome to see them play, each of which were contentedly singing along to the songs old and new.

The band have somehow managed to retain that tricky combination of cool artsy attitude mixed with absolutely belting tunes. Not withstanding their mountainous debut Take Me Out which clearly remains a firm fan favourite amongst the whole venue, they’ve amassed so many instantly recognisable songs that many of us would probably choose something different to place at the top of our wish-list. Aside of the absence of tracks from Always Ascending, there was something from every album on the set list tonight so odds of hearing your favoured era were high; the show kicking off with the scholastic romance of Dark of the Matinee followed by the contemplative regret of Walk Away. With tracks from the latest album including Audacious and a hugely well received Hooked, a selection of past hits also found their way into the party encompassing No You Girls, Jacqueline, Darts of Pleasure and the now standard final showcase of the mighty This Fire.

A hefty light show covered minimal stage design which was worked to the max. It’s apparent that the newest line-up have played together consistently, as they sync like a well oiled machine kicking out tunes that will inevitably be stuck in your head the next day.

Ultimately, and in contrast to the old adage, Franz Ferdinand’s songs are both big and clever. A pleasure to hear them live – get along to one of the shows if you have the chance.

Review by Callum
Photos by Siobhan – 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 6th March 2026

The Youth Play, The Slow Country, HIGHDRIVE & Batmilk at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 26th February 2026

Last week’s Hidden Herd event brought us music from Brighton and London (via Manchester) with an intricate blend of genres and influences. Openers for the evening were relatively new local outfit Batmilk; with the softest of vocals in play it was good to note the lack of chatter in an already pretty busy crowd. The music was complemented by audio of bat calls and night flights. With a smattering of shows already under their belts, it will be interesting to see how Batmilk progress when they inevitably spread their wings and head out to play on the wider circuit.

Another Brighton band followed – HIGHDRIVE clearly taking their lead from the grunge and shoegaze scene of the 90s, mixing fuzzy guitars with textural vocals and varying shades of light and dark. With a couple of singles in hand and making their mark on the live scene, it’s looking like 2026 may well be a busy year for the 5-piece. 

As The Slow Country set up on stage there was only just room for all 7 members and their plethora of instruments. Whichever vintage shop they’d been to, there were some impressive wardrobe pieces on display – a throwback to the kitsch of the 70s mirrored in some of their setlist. However, things switched up throughout their catalogue of songs with forays into alt-folk edged with glam, multi-lead vocals and instrument switches keeping everyone on their toes.

Headliners for the night, The Youth Play managed to serve up a performance that felt raw and accomplished at the same time. Post-punk with hints of shoegaze probably covers it best, but it feels as though the band are evolving their sound as they go and will definitely be worth keeping an eye on as they push forward. A solid end to proceedings and good to see the venue so busy – pictures below.

Hosted by Hidden Herd

Batmilk

HIGHDRIVE

The Slow Country

The Youth Play

Review and photos © Siobhan O’Driscoll 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 2nd March 2026

Meryl Streek at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 4th February 2026

The lights go down, a news reel begins, the content is a bleak reflection of poverty and injustice in Ireland, and Meryl Streek makes an understated entrance onto the stage. The understatement however lasts for approximately 5 seconds before he begins the incessant pacing of the floorspace, only interrupted by forays into the crowd, all the better to get his message across at close quarters. While the songs are full of crucially bleak messages, there is none the less a sense of hope that emanates from them, a reminiscence of early punk days where the bands were often considered some kind of threat to society when for the most part they were simply challenging the oppression and inequalities of the world. Fittingly, Meryl is wearing a UK Subs T-shirt (subs an abbreviation of subversives rather than substitutes), the graphic providing the only hint of colour on stage save his signature bunch of red roses.

Swinging a hand held strobe to light his way, there is a clear and close bond between musician and audience, with a solid amount of time spent in the crowd and one of the happiest mosh pits you could wish to see, notably during Death To The Landlord. It’s a full-on, no-frills, frenetic performance and it’s impossible not to be caught up in the energy. Defiant, demanding and vitally important to the integrity of today’s music scene, we need artists right now who are prepared to stand up and shout about the craziness of the current political landscape; thankfully it appears that Meryl Streek still has plenty to say.

Pending tour dates here

Review and photos © Siobhan O’Driscoll 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 5th February 2026

Madness & Squeeze at Brighton Centre, 14th December 2025

If ever there was a gig that made the ideal pre-Christmas party, this was it. A stalwart of the British music scene since the late 70s, Madness brought their Hit Parade tour to Brighton Centre last night, and with it a sold out venue and a matinee performance added to help meet demand. As if that wasn’t enough, support came from creators of so many lyrically sublime songs, Squeeze. 

With a more than impressive back catalogue of their own, Squeeze took the reins first and bought right into bringing hit after hit to the party. Amongst the most revered songwriters of our time, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook have a knack for mixing humour with melancholy, and classic tracks like Up The Junction and Another Nail In My Heart stand up as great songs as much now as they did when they were first released. Alongside tracks from their pending new album Trixies, the latest line-up gave it their all with old favourites Cool For Cats and debut single Take Me I’m Yours.

The band have a busy 2026 planned with the album set for release in March and a headline tour later in the year.

Squeeze

And so to the return of the Camden 7 (plus extras). Celebrating their biggest hits, and there is an enormous pile of them, Madness played a setlist of gigantic proportions, kicking off with the building anticipation of One Step Beyond – no need to wait for the crowd to warm up when you have an intro like that – then heading straight into Embarrassment and The Prince.

The tunes just kept on coming; lovely to hear the likes of Grey Day and Bed and Breakfast Man, then entering into what Suggs declared to be ‘showtime’ a ridiculously good four-in-a-row consisting of House of Fun, Baggy Trousers, Our House and It Must Be Love. The last of these received the biggest sing back from the audience, who were rewarded with an immense confetti downpour.

There are few bands who can put a smile on people’s faces quite so quickly and easily; Madness have somehow managed to retain their early energy and mischievousness while becoming a household name for multiple generations.

Finishing with a giant balloon filled encore consisting of a ska-fuelled version of Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, Madness and Night Boat To Cairo, it’s fair to say the crowd sang their hearts out to every single note of the evening. A brilliant night from the Nutty Boys, turning Brighton Centre into a House of Fun for all – an array of red hats making this a truly fez-tive event.

Madness

Review by Callum
Photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst

Published 15th December 2025

Winter Gardens, Big Fear, GIFTHORSE & Snowy Mountain at the Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 10th December 2025

It’s been a year of consistently high quality new music showcases from local promoter Hidden Herd, and this week’s offering was no exception.

A gentle start to proceedings with flurries of dream pop from Snowy Mountain. Dressed in space attire ready for take off, the songs were fittingly other-worldly – notes of Portishead with a slightly more positive vibe if you will. And always good to see the room busy from the off; it seemed people were keen to see all four acts – a good decision as it turned out.

Snowy Mountain

GIFTHORSE

Maintaining the momentum, alt-pop outfit GIFTHORSE provided flowers and a refreshing burst of nostalgia without feeling like a carbon copy of any of the multitude of influences that seem to bring their sound together. There’s an impossible to ignore Blondie comparison to be made both in their sound and in Charlie and Naomi’s resemblance to a fresh-faced Chris and Debbie – lots more layers to unravel too though, with elements of 60s’ Spector bands and pure pop acts like Eighth Wonder each springing to mind. A sleek performance, would like to see again.

Big Fear

Taking a more indie-rock approach, Big Fear were up next, bringing loads of energy to the table. Recent single Mildew was a stand-out and is a good introduction to anyone not familiar with their music. We discovered it was keyboard player Ben’s birthday and the crowd were clearly impressed enough to offer up their own rendition of Happy Birthday  between tracks. To be fair, their set felt like a bit of a party – always nice to see a band enjoying themselves and it’s inevitably infectious.

Winter Gardens

I’ve seen headliners Winter Gardens numerous times over the years and, I have to say, I think their current output is the best it’s ever been. They manage to give shoegaze a strong injection of the guitar/synth bands of yesteryear topped with some phenomenal drumming that takes things to an altogether more urgent level. Shades of light and dark keep the music and performance dynamic and absorbing, Ananda and Jasmine’s vocals blending beautifully together. I have a sense that the crowd would have been happy for them to play for twice as long but, for now, this was the perfect ending to a great evening.

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

Published 14th December 2025

Solid Pleasure & Death Drive at Daltons, Brighton, 9th December 2025

A meeting of minds as Tenebris Presents bring swathes of darkwave beats to the jet black walls and kitsch of Daltons on a suitably stormy night by the sea. From electro-pop through house and EBM, the prevalence of music-making duos has been a constant, and tonight sees two on the line-up.

First up, London-based Death Drive waste no time in warming up the crowd, layering driving sequence patterns with piercingly intense vocals. With a multitude of sub-genres categorising music now, there maybe isn’t an obvious one for their sound, but industrial goth feels like a reasonable fit. Relentlessly pulsing latest single Don’t Hide is one of the stand outs of the set, fundamentally memorable and danceable. A strong performance on their debut trip to Brighton.

Death Drive

Having caught Solid Pleasure supporting Amsterdam’s indie-royalty collab Long Fling recently, it’s great to see them take the headline slot this time – to be honest and with no deference to the other party, they stole the show last time. A fusion of techno-synth and reverb-heavy vocality, the two-piece provide a slice of Twin Peaks’ Red Room ambience lightened by the inclusion of some updated 80s’ classics – to say cover versions ironically doesn’t really cover it; but there are insertions of Blue Monday and Sweet and Tender Hooligan that reflect rather than repeat the originals. Probably their most accessible track Lux Interior is an easy singalong homage to The Cramps’ frontman, while recent single New York takes an avant-garde trip to the local disco noir. A skilfully executed set, and a chance for more next week as they play at Green Door with Francis Pig and U Men on 18th December – be there or be regretfully missing out.

Solid Pleasure

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

Published 11th December 2025