music, photography and more
The Kooks, The Ks & Day We Ran, Brighton Centre, 5th October 2025
Playing their homecoming show on the Never/Know tour, The Kooks headlined at Brighton Centre last night with support from The Ks and Day We Ran. Mike Burnell was there to shoot all three sets – gallery below.
Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo
Published 6th October 2025
Theatre of Hate & Skeletal Family at Chalk, Brighton, 2nd October 2025
A line-up full of memories from the 80s at Chalk on Thursday night, but with the levels of musicality audibly upgraded over the years. There are occasions where you see a band from your youth and something feels like its got lost over time, however, both Theatre of Hate and Skeletal Family on supporting duties sounded absolutely on point.
Skeletal Family happily reformed after their initial disbandment in the late 80s, with their back catalogue garnering lots of interest from a new generation of fans. Now fronted by vocalist Anneka Latta, their set was fast-paced and energetic, the stand out for me after all this time still She Cries Alone.
Theatre of Hate took to the stage to a warm welcome from the Brighton crowd. Playing their 45th anniversary tour and celebrating their seminal album Westworld, what stood out immediately was the quality of their playing, each instrument deserving a spotlight of its own. With Kirk Brandon very strongly on vocals and guitar, and Stan Stammers making the bass-lines look easy, the original line-up was still very much making its presence felt. But a big shout out also out has to go to Chris Bell’s ferocious drumming and some magnificent sax playing from Clive Osborne that added shots of light and dark to the classic set list.
Diving straight into two Westworld tracks, the band kicked off with 63 and Judgement Hymn. A profusion of singles and album tracks followed. A highlight for me was hearing The Hop, not the one I expected to have stuck in my head afterwards but there it was. Closing up with Poppies and Do You Believe In The Westworld, it felt like plenty had already been brought to the table. None the less, after a quick break and much noise from the crowd, the encore finished things in style with a hat-trick of favourites in Incinerator, Original Sin and the mighty Propaganda.
An excellent night of live music, and proof if needed that the impact of the original post-punk generation is still very much to the fore.
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 4th October 2025
VLURE at Rough Trade East, London, 1st October 2025
It’s been a waiting game holding out for new music from VLURE; a fusion of excitement with the smallest tinge of fear – because seriously, how was it going to get any better than their past catalogue? The drip feed of tracks from debut album Escalate put aside any concerns; early live plays of Feels Like Heaven already easing into the psyche, grime-peppered Something Real adding yet another layer to the band’s genre-defiant stance, and the anthemic Better Days fighting against the broken political landscape currently drenching the country with alacrity, authenticity and a conviction that the world can, and will, be a better place. It’s infectious – I defy you to leave a VLURE gig without some kind of weird ring of contentment wrapping you up like a utopian scarf.
Last night’s album launch at Rough Trade East hit a different level. Billed as a stripped-back electronic set, the songs came with new arrangements and almost impossibly slick transitions between tracks. Simultaneously confrontational and emotional, their total absorption in the music makes for a performance of gargantuan proportions. The rest of the LP’s tracklist hits just as hard. Opener I Want It Euphoric kicks in with the heavy palpitating backbeat of late night clubland, And For A Second will undoubtedly make it into the live favourites list, then the reflective How To Say Goodbye, with its repeated mantra ‘take a breath and hold it’ segues perfectly into the ferocity and poignancy of This Is Not The End.
Escalate is a triumph of belief over superficiality. The wait is worthwhile when the end gift is something that cannot be bettered.
Buy the album and grab tickets for one of the pending tour dates here
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 2nd October 2025
Skindred & Blackgold at Concorde 2, Brighton, 18th September 2025
Skindred played a headline show at Concorde 2 in Brighton to a sold out crowd, their fusion of metal, ragga and jungle landing a massive performance as always. Support for the evening came from masked machiavellians Blackgold. Mike Burnell was there to capture the show in pictures, gallery below.
Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo
Published 19th September 2025
Ideal Living at Alphabet, Brighton, 10th September 2025
It’s not his more well known 15 minutes of fame quote, but Andy Warhol was once cited with “they always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself”; a sentiment borne out by a visit to a venue that’s brought a new stage to the Brighton gig circuit to see a band whose latest reinvention is making waves of the tidal variety.
Alphabet joined the roster of the city’s music venues a couple of years ago. Artfully designed, it’s good to see that it’s still holding its darkened speakeasy ambience with style, not to mention having great sound quality. One of Brighton’s many collectives, Ideal Living, took to the stage here with a set full of new material that was recently unveiled in the Sussex hills at DedFest, taking everyone by degrees of surprise and delight. The band have always dabbled with the experimental, clashing instruments and styles to put their message across. The new material though is more cohesive, and challenges the listener with its juxtapositions – sombre songs, verging on melancholy but with a wild ingestion of hope, stories that reflect the state of the world but push for everyone to make things better. It’s emotional and well, kind of lovely.
Profits from the show were to be donated to charities supporting the ongoing crisis in Palestine and, on my walk back to the station, a bunch of teenagers were climbing lamp-posts and ripping down the right wingers’ flags. All in all, not a bad state of play. It feels like Ideal Living have found their zenith and it’s safe to say that if you choose to listen in, you won’t be disappointed.
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 14th September 2025
Magda & Drive Your Plow at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 10th September 2025
A reminder of why you should always get to gigs early to make sure you catch the whole line-up; I could only make it for the first two bands at last week’s Hidden Herd new music showcase at The Hope & Ruin but they proved to be more than worth the trip.
While their Insta handle may be magda-rockband there is more to Magda than basic rock songs. Their sound leans towards the crunchier end of punk and all that followed, the likes of Pixies and The Stooges sneaking into the mix here and there. They pulled in a big crowd for the opening slot and entertained with a countdown of their tracks as well as the music itself. My guess is they’ll have people coming back to check them out again.
Next on and presumably taking their name from Olga Tokarczuk’s mystery novel, Drive Your Plow seem like a force to be reckoned with – one of those bands high in numbers and also in talent. The fusion of the different parts was slick but by no means soft-hitting. There’s lots to take in, experimental in a sense but clearly those experiments are meticulously planned as their performance is on point. It’s loud, purposeful and sonically chaotic at times but somehow, somewhere in the midst of the pandemonium, it levels out into something very clever. Probably best to take a listen and decide for yourself…
Hosted by Hidden Herd
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 13th September 2025
Frances Mistry, flypaper, Lynnie Snow & Wilshaw at the Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 28th August 2025
Openers on Thursday night at Brighton’s Hope and Ruin were Wilshaw, characterised as indie-rock but bringing something smoother. It felt like the songs were quite personal which gave them an edge of vulnerability, and regular tempo changes kept things interesting. Kieran and Robbie from the band appeared again later, taking on different roles in the flypaper line-up, though the two acts gave quite contrasting energy.
In between, Lynnie Snow started her slot almost masked by a baseball cap and huge wraparound sunglasses. Joined on the second song by her band (the band with, as yet, no name), the setlist was characterised by her subtly strong vocals giving a distinct nod towards the Kate Bush school of theatricality. A confident performance and one that seems likely to grow as more live shows are added to the calendar.
Next up, flypaper is the solo project of Rory Sear, formerly with indie-fuzz outfit Beachtape. The music is reminiscent of Travis in places, the songs incorporating an introspective sound with elements of indie/folk rock storytelling. It will be interesting to see how pending album Forget The Rush pulls all of this together (release date 7th November).
Closing the evening, Frances Mistry cleverly weaves socio-political commentary into warmly accessible tunes. Thought provoking for multiple reasons, this was probably the most captivating set of the night with an ethereal quality. Shout out to Holly for playing bass from the sound deck whilst managing the audio – a neat trick if you know how. With almost half the setlist given over to recently released album conversations with those i love, this was a great chance to see how the music has evolved and progressed; a very enjoyable end to the evening.
Hosted by Hidden Herd
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 1st September 2025
Victorious Festival, Southsea Common, 22nd – 24th August 2025
Header shot © Hannah Mesquitta
Actions have consequences, and sometimes those actions have unintended consequences. The Streisand Effect was first used as a term in 2005 after the singer Barbra Steisand attempted to block the publication of an aerial photo that included her home in Malibu. The image’s intended purpose was to highlight the impact that coastal erosion was having on the area. However, Streisand sued the photographer for violation of privacy and lost the case, which subsequently brought more attention to the environmental issue and helped to increase public awareness of the project.
It’s no secret that Victorious Festival has been involved in its own controversy this Bank Holiday weekend. On Friday, Irish folk band The Mary Wallopers had their set cut brutally short after taking a pro-Palestinian stance on the Common Stage. The story has since found its way onto numerous news sites including the Irish Independent, BBC and CNN, and this only served to raise the band’s profile whilst giving them a much larger platform to spread their message. By attempting to censor the band in real time and then publishing a misleading statement on the incident afterwards, the festival organisers unintentionally created more drama and backlash than simply allowing the band to stand up for what they (and many) believe is right. Further consequences of the organiser’s decision to cut The Mary Wallopers off included several bands scheduled to perform on the Saturday pulling out in solidarity, including The Last Dinner Party, The Academic and The Cliffords. Saturday’s Common Stage headliners Vampire Weekend also waded into the situation during their performance stating that the Irish band ‘deserve an apology’. With the ongoing backlash (mostly online of course) and acts themselves calling out the decision to cancel The Mary Wallopers, the festival organisers were forced to issue a further statement saying, ‘We are sorry that this situation has come about and will be making a substantial donation to humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian people’. I do hope Victorious are sincere about this commitment to the people of Palestine, and that they avoid censoring bands in future by instead seeking to protect freedom of speech and expression.
Drama aside for now, I did in fact manage to see some bands over the weekend. First up we have Ash on the Castle Stage. Walking on to the theme from The A-Team (see what they did there?), they launch into A Life Less Ordinary followed by another summer favourite Oh Yeah. At the midpoint of the set, we get a punk-inspired calypso cover of Harry Belafonte’s Jump In The Line (Shake Senora) with things coming to a thunderous close following a great rendition of Burn Baby Burn.
Ash © Hannah Mesquitta
After the incident involving The Mary Wallopers earlier today, it’s up to Wunderhorse to liven things up on the Common Stage. Starting things off with Midas there’s plenty of passion on display here, and it’s clear why they are creating a bit of a buzz right now. Next up, we’re back to the Castle Stage to see Everything Everything. Again, the weather is the perfect backdrop for their brand of electro indie floor fillers. Songs like Pizza Boy, Kemosabe, Jennifer and Cold Reactor have the crowd up and dancing along to every beat, and the band are clearly having a good time as well.
Left: Wunderhorse, Right: Everything Everything © Hannah Mesquitta
It’s then back over to the Common Stage to catch the last half of the Kaiser Chiefs’ set before Friday’s headliners. The Chiefs are replacements for Michael Kiwanuka who has unfortunately had to pull out due to ongoing illness. I’ve never really been a fan of the Kaiser Chiefs personally, but they roll out all the hits you’d expect in quick succession and there’s even a mosh pit during Angry Mob. Careful now.
So, we’ve made it to the end of day one, and it’s up to Queens of the Stone Age to end things on a high note. The band immediately launch into the mind-melting You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire, followed by No One Knows, which the crowd transform into a mass sing-along akin to how the main riff from Seven Nation Army has become a staple at sports events. There’s plenty of banter in between songs, with frontman Josh Homme at one point asking the crowd, ‘Are we gonna give each other a night we’ll never remember?’ I hope not, as the set is packed with bangers including Paper Machete, I Sat By The Ocean, Little Sister (a request from the crowd) and Sick, Sick, Sick. With the set drawing to a close, the band end with two heavy hitters Go With The Flow and the always awesome Song For The Dead. Here, drummer Jon Theodore hammers out all the parts Dave Grohl originally played beat for beat, but somehow better! It’s heavy, it’s groovy and as the band are building towards the end of the song, it’s time for the obligatory headline act fireworks, which signify the end of day one and I leave site with plenty to think about.
Queens of the Stone Age © Hannah Mesquitta
Saturday’s schedule has been moved around a bit due to several bands pulling out after the events that took place yesterday, but the line-up still includes sets from long serving Brit Poppers Shed Seven and Travis, with Vampire Weekend (Common Stage) and Nelly Furtado (Castle Stage) as our headliners for this evening. Despite the last-minute changes, I’m able to catch Circa Waves who are playing over on Castle Stage, whilst The Manatees are doing their best to keep the 90’s revival alive on the Under The Trees stage. Public Service Broadcasting are due on the Castle Stage next, and once they hit their stride, things really start to pick up. Tracks like Blue Heaven, Spitfire and Go! get the crowd really going. The energy starts to build, and the last three songs take the band’s Kraftwerk leaning tunes into Chic territory. People Let’s Dance, Gargarin and set closer Everest feature guest appearances from a trumpet and sax player, with some added background dancing from an astronaut thrown in for good measure. Public Service Broadcasting might look like geography teachers on a sabbatical, but boy are they fun to watch.
Top: The Manatees, Bottom: Public Service Broadcasting © Hannah Mesquitta
Sunday’s lineup includes the usual mix of older indie bands including The Zutons, Reverend & The Makers, Bloc Party and festival closers Kings of Leon, alongside pop staples such as Craig David and his TS5, Gabrielle and Melanie C.
Top: Reverend & the Makers, Bottom: Bloc Party © Hannah Mesquitta
Upon reflection, the weather was better than last year, and it’s fair to say that the majority of people attending the festival enjoyed themselves. It’s just a shame that the incident on Friday was handled the way it was, as I came away from the experience feeling disappointed. Victorious Festival bills itself as a festival with something for everyone. Just be sure to leave your political views at the entrance.
Left: Caity Baser, Top Right: Craig David
Bottom Right: Bradley Simpson © Dave Sloan
Top: She’s Got Brass, Bottom: Kojaks Revenge © Hannah Mesquitta
Left: Lani Jordan, Top Right: The Showhawk Duo
Bottom Right: Circa Waves © Hannah Mesquitta
Top: Crystal Tides, Bottom: Massaoke © Dave Sloan
Left: Andy Foster, Top Right: Florence Noon
Bottom Right: Starsailor © Hannah Mesquitta
Top: The Monkey Butlars, Bottom: Silent Movie Star © Hannah Mesquitta
Left: Joel Dommett, Top Right: The Pill
Bottom Right: Scouting for Girls © Dave Sloan
Top: Greenness, Bottom: She’s in Parties © Hannah Mesquitta
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Photos by: Hannah Mesquitta – Instagram | Dave Sloan – Instagram
Review by Ryan Howarth
Published 30th August 2025
Reading Festival, 23rd August 2025
Header shot: Reading Festival © Ben Awin
Amongst the big players on the UK festival circuit, Reading and Leeds is pretty well ingrained into the annual celebrations that bring the best of new and established artists to a wider crowd. Our Saturday was mud-free – you can’t have all the traditions – and filled with an impressive selection of genres; end-of nighters Bring Me The Horizon and Limp Bizkit (complete with an AI version of the Gallagher brothers on screen for their entrance) proving as popular as ever with huge performances and huge support.
Throughout the day there were other notable crowd-pullers; Example and Becky Hill both playing to a rammed, bouncing Chevron stage where all ages seemed to know the words for a singalong, while Conan Gray showcased the rise from YouTube star to main stage with a more chilled set that none the less grabbed the attention of many.
Example © Ben Awin, Reading Festival
Conan Gray © Ben Awin, Reading Festival
And some of the smaller stages, as with all these events, were the best place to find newer talent by the bucketload. Shout out to the BBC Introducing stage for putting the likes of The Pill, V.I.C. and Nxdia into the spotlight, their presence locally and nationally is giving so many artists the opportunity to be seen and heard and is a massively important platform that consistently needs and deserves support.
Over on the Festival Republic stage (another great champion of new music), US electronic duo Snow Strippers impressed, and Balming Tiger pushed the idea of K-pop to its limits. Always at the top of our list, the powerhouse that is Glasgow’s VLURE never disappoints – consistently a quality booking for any event, it was worth the trip for their set alone. Their debut album Escalate is due to drop at the end of September – get in on the accompanying tour dates if you can.
It seems like Reading has evolved for the better over the years – the site felt better distributed and easier to get around than it once was, and all the security and stewards we spoke to were super helpful. With the other days featuring acts including Chappell Roan, Hozier, Mannequin Pussy and Travis Scott, there has clearly also been a shift in the monopoly of male indie acts too, which is always good to see. There was no escaping the cloud of dust that was ever present (maybe mud’s not such a bad alternative) but once the dust has settled, this year’s Reading Festival can be considered a big success.
You can sign up for first access to lowest prices for Reading 2026 here
Review by Siobhan and Callum
Photos by Ben Awin
Published 26th August 2025
All Points East, London, 24th August 2025
In a bit of a coup for All Points East, The Maccabees reunited to headline yesterday’s event in Victoria Park, London. This coincided with the 10-Year Anniversary of their final album release, the critically acclaimed Marks To Prove It. To celebrate, the band also collaborated with APE to put together a line-up of artists that they love from across the years right up until the present moment.
Some fantastic shots from a sun-filled day in our gallery by Mike Burnell below.
TTSSFU, Hamish Hawk, Sex Week
Katy J Pearson, GB
The Juice, Bold Love
Westside Cowboy, Sorry
Murder Capital, Divorce
Willie J Healey, Prima Queen
Dry Cleaning, The Cribs
Nilüfer Yanya, Bombay Bicycle Club
CMAT, Black Country New Road
Everything Everything, Man Woman Chainsaw
The Maccabees
Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo
Published 25th August 2025
Cosmorat, crysometimes & Kate Peaches at The Rossi Bar, Brighton, 21st August 2025
The collaboration between promoters Hidden Herd and Parallel Lines is shaping up to be a quality addition to Brighton’s breakthrough music offering. Following the success of the inaugural show featuring Velvetine, Swallowtail and Le Lamb, last week saw the second event draw on more local talent. Kicking things off, Kate Peaches donned a nun’s veil and brought echoes of Vanity Fairy’s irreverent glam to the stage, pulling in an early crowd. Next up, crysometimes, who have graced the Hidden Herd stage multiple times before, seem to have fine-tuned their set to a point where the crowd knows the songs and is ready to jump in with additional melodies to enhance their pop-punk sensibilities. Singer Megan made a second appearance later in the evening, guesting with headliners Cosmorat – speaking of whom, firstly, I’m not entirely sure how they all fitted on the tiny stage and secondly, their energy was unbounded as they ploughed through their set filled with indie-pop-folk-grunge (did I miss anything?) tunes. By their final number, party mode was in full swing, leaving a happy crowd behind and a sense that all bodes well for future events – gallery below.
Hosted by Hidden Herd x Parallel Lines
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 24th August 2025
DedFest, Crockstead Fields, East Sussex, 16th August 2025
If you put together a bit of a checklist of how best to spend a summer Saturday then chucked all your ideas in a hat (or a field in this case), you could well find that DedFest had you covered. Going with the obvious – a scenic spot in the Sussex countryside and a chance to catch up with friends, families and dogs included, seems a decent way to start. Add in a huge collection of already popular and emerging artists on the Brighton music scene, an onsite distillery, some great food and breezy sunshine and you just ramped things up to a different level. OK so you couldn’t have guaranteed the weather, but it felt like nothing else was left to chance; for an event with 22 acts running on alternate stages for 11 hours, the timings were spot on, the sound quality was better than a lot of venues, and everything you needed was right there within a few minutes walk – even camping if you so wished.
Brought to you by DedBest Distillery, this year joined by promoter Hidden Herd, it was awesome to see an extension of the Brighton grassroots music community spill over into something that could (and hopefully will) become a regular feature on the boutique festival calendar – a space that felt very safe, relaxed and inclusive, an opportunity for the artists to shine and support each other – I genuinely didn’t hear anyone with a bad word to say.
Appreciate that so far, very little has been said about the music – well, there was an abundance of it from different genres and it seemed like everyone had their own personal favourites, the joy of a festival like this being that you can lock in the familiar and make new discoveries on the same day. Stand outs for me were the crazy energy of congratulations, the persuasive hooks and beats brought by Mulimba, a formidable performance of goth-tinted shoegaze from Winter Gardens, and a frankly sublime set from Ideal Living whose musical journey feels like it has stoically fought its way to become the visceral thing of beauty that we witnessed at the weekend.
Amongst the bigger players on the festival circuit, DedFest felt a bit special – I look forward to seeing what the future holds.
congratulations
Keg
left: Trip Westerns, right: Mulimba
enjoying the sunshine…
Moon Idle
left: Nature TV, top right: The Rapports, bottom right: Sansom
DogFest
Telecom
Atticomatic
left: Gaffa Tape Sandy, right: Projector
Winter Gardens
Ideal Living
‘it’s a sign’
Shout out to all the artists who played, full line-up for the day comprised: Gaffa Tape Sandy, Nature TV, Keg, Atticomatic, Projector, The Roebucks, congratulations, The Stanford Family Band, Comforts, Telecom, Trip Westerns, Moon Idle, Mulimba, Lucy Darke, Ideal Living, Lean With The Breeze, Winter Gardens, Fukushima Dolphin, Room Service, The Rapports, ChitChat and Sansom
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 20th August 2025
At the Edge of the Sea Festival, Brighton, 8th-9th August 2025 – curated by The Wedding Present
A long-standing occurrence on the Brighton festival calendar, and taking its name from the band’s 1988 track At the Edge of the Sea, David Gedge is back to curate this year’s event with his band The Wedding Present. It’s a takeover of the iconic seafront venue Concorde 2 which brings fans from far and wide every year and is unsurprisingly sold out.
With more to come today, Mike Burnell was there last night to catch The Wedding Present play to the packed room.
Hosted by Lout Promotions
Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo
Published 9th August 2025
Live – Comforts | Mulimba | Winter Gardens | Fukushima Dolphin at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 23rd July 2025
Quite the mix of musical styles on display at The Hope & Ruin on Wednesday, starting with a sprinkling of psychedelic folk-rock from Fukushima Dolphin. Maintaining the tradition of experimental Brighton duos and throwing in a massive hat for good measure, it was a gentle and upbeat start to proceedings.
Next up and kind of stealing the show a bit for me, Winter Gardens are a prime example of an act who’ve developed over the years from decent but tentative beginnings to mastering the art of making shoegaze stand out in style. Hints of The Cure and Cocteaus come through, but their performance is all of their own, tight-knit and with momentum constantly building. An excellent set.
Another change of pace and genre as Mulimba blends threads of hip-hop, rock and gospel to a backdrop of heavy beats. Technical issues caused some delays and ultimately made for a condensed set – would be good to catch more.
Headliners for the night were Comforts, delivering indie-rock with mandatory hooks and plenty of energy. Making a dent on the festival circuit, they release their debut EP later this year. Good to see the room busy on a school night and surely something for everyone in the mix. All four acts play at this year’s Dedfest on 16th August – tickets here.
Hosted by Hidden Herd x Dedfest
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 27th July 2025
Velvetine, Swallowtail & Le Lamb at The Rossi Bar, Brighton, 17th July 2025
Take two promoters with a love for live music, three acts putting their own mark on live performance, one short walk from Brighton train station to The Rossi Bar, and you have yourself an excellent way to spend a very misty Thursday night.
First up, and with the crowd already flocking in (no apologies there, many more ovine puns I’m omitting to include), Le Lamb combine theatrics with musical shades of dark and light, elements of avant-rock through to psych-noir – if there is such a thing – popping up across the set. Always intriguing, don’t be surprised to see bigger dates coming through for them soon.
The filling in the sonic sandwich came from another local act, Swallowtail. More juxtapositions of genres, think hefty shoegaze that lures you in and smacks you round the shoulders just as you’re getting comfortable… in a good way, in case of any doubt. The ones to watch list just keeps getting longer.
Closing the evening, Velvetine brought a case load of glammed up alt-rock down from London with them. The four piece have developed a heavier sound and performance over the last couple of years, and seem very at home picking up the headline slot. It may have been foggy outside, but inside the talent roster was clear for all to see. Gallery below.
Hosted by Hidden Herd x Parallel Lines
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 22nd July 2025
WaterBear Music Bar, Brighton – Launch Party, 16th July 2025
The last few years have seen a number of Brighton’s grassroots music venues fall victim to closure and hard-fought applications to change the purpose of neighbouring buildings, causing concern for their future. All of that makes it even more pleasing to see a new venue open its doors. Under the stewardship of WaterBear – The College of Music, what once was Latest Music Bar has become WaterBear Music Bar, becoming their second live music space in the city, set up to host touring acts, student showcases and events tied to the college’s educational programmes.
With a solid opening line-up featuring Congratulations, Sametime, Dirtsharks & Tia Ice, the launch party last week got things off to a great start, and it’s good to see that the venue will be part of the Keeping Music Live campaign launched with the Music Venue Trust, raising awareness of the importance of grassroots venues in offering a start point for a huge array of homegrown and touring artists.
Sam Rushton, Events and Careers Coordinator at WaterBear, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the opening of WaterBear Music Bar. This is a building with serious history. We’re proud to continue that story, creating a space for gigs, talks, club nights and more.”
Gallery below from what will hopefully be the first of many nights of live music to come.
Sametime
Congratulations
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 20th July 2025
Big Special at Resident, Brighton, 14th July 2025
Following the surprise release of latest album, National Average, Big Special are out on the road sharing their excellent new tunes at record shops across the country. Yesterday saw their takeover at Resident in Brighton – an immersive performance as always. Mike Burnell was there to capture some awesome shots for us – gallery below.
Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo
Published 15th July 2025
Allie X & Maiah Manser at Concorde 2, Brighton, 11th July 2025
Touring with her third studio album Girl with No Face, Canada’s Allie X brought her own brand of diaphanous electro-pop to Concorde 2 in Brighton last night. Support came from equally ethereal singer-songwriter Maiah Manser.
Gallery by Mike Burnell
Hosted by Joy Concerts
Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo
Published 12th July 2025
Fast Money Music, The Prince Albert, Brighton, 2nd July 2025
There was a definite buzz around the support act at Brighton’s Prince Albert on Wednesday night. Bringing a composite mix of influences to Fast Money Music, Nick Hinman’s time spent in New York comes through with jagged artful punk undertones reminiscent of big hitters Suicide and Television. That said, there’s a strong hint of the glam era in there from the band too, with a saxophone that wouldn’t sound amiss on a Roxy Music track, and which elicited the most eloquent of compliments with “Your sax is sexy as fuck” hailing from the crowd.
Now based in East London, Hinman’s stage presence suggests he is wholly at ease performing and, based on the audience reaction, it feels as though we’ll be hearing a lot more from Fast Money Music, hopefully with more live shows to come. There’s an album expected for release next year and a couple more shows on this tour supporting Tempesst. I’m pretty sure they’re sold out but if you get the chance to grab a ticket, it’s a high recommendation:
5th July – The Wardrobe, Leeds
6th July – The Globe, Cardiff
Gallery from the Brighton show below.
Listen to Hunky Dory here
Words and photos © Siobhan 16beasleystphotography.com | Instagram: 16beasleyst
Published 4th July 2025
Gary Numan at Concorde 2, Brighton, 24th June 2025
Warming up for Glastonbury, Gary Numan is playing three sold out shows at Brighton’s Concorde 2, mixing songs old and new from his extensive and accomplished career. Mike Burnell was at show number one to catch the atmosphere in pictures, gallery below. Support came from electro-rock outfit Agency V.
Gary Numan performs on the Park Stage at Glastonbury on 28th June, and has more UK dates booked in November.
Photos © Mike Burnell iso400.com | Instagram: iso400mike | X: iso400photo
Published 24th June 2025
Breaking Glass Magazine 