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Serendipity

Fortune wears a mask
To the masquerade ball
Its outline and figure
Is all that you have to go on
But still you ask
For her hand to dance.
The music is unfamiliar
And the other couples
Pirouette around you both
Effortlessly and elegantly,
Heads held high,
Their suits and dresses
Smarter than yours;
Cleaner and newer.
When the music stops
And the ladies and gentlemen
Remove their masks
Each is pleasantly surprised
But underneath yours is another
And her's, the same;
Serendipity is the host
Of tonight's mystery ball.

Things to do in Brighton & Hove - Friday 28th March - Thursday 3rd April

http://www.thebestof.co.uk/local/brighton-and-hove/community-hub/blog/view/things-to-do-in-brighton--hove---friday-28th-march---thursday-3rd-april

Things to do in Brighton & Hove - Friday 28th March - Thursday 3rd April

• 25th March 2014
• Author: Tom Sayer
• 0 Comments

Friday 28th March

The Beautiful Word, Momotaro and Lunar Maria: Folk pop meets electronica meets French trip-hop. Something for all your musical desires.  6pm, £FREE before 9pm, Blind Tiger Club – 52-54 Grand Parade, BN2 9QA

Half Crown: Recently winning the Best Unsigned Band of 2013 Award from S&M, this local band are far from your typical 5-piece indie outfit, combining influences from blues and folk to rap and rock. Support from The Local Herd and Rainslicker. 8pm, £5, Prince Albert - 48 Trafalgar Street, BN1 4ED

PSSA Presents RENT: A Broadway musical/ rock opera set in New York, the story is based around a group of struggling friends trying to cope with modern day life. Fri- Sun 7:30pm and Sat-Sun 4pm, £9, Wagner Hall – Regency Road, BN1 2RT

Saturday 29th March

VegfestUK: Britain’s premiere vegetarian and vegan festival returns in its 6th year with talks, workshops and lots of other meat-free activities. Sat and Sun 11am-6pm, £2, Hove Town Hall – Norton Road, BN3 4AH

The Chocolate Festival: If vegan food isn’t your thing, who doesn’t love a bit of chocolate? This weekend’s event will be a delight for your taste buds, so why not treat yourself and try something new? Sat and Sun 10am-6pm, £5, Corn Exchange – Church Street, BN1 1UE

Funny Women: A monthly night of the best female stand-up. This month’s main acts are the American comedians Abigoliah Schamaun and Lynn Ruth Miller with a host of great supports. 7:30pm, £10/8, Komedia - 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN

Sunday 30th March

La Luz: All female American surf/doo-wop quartet from Seattle cross the pond for their exciting European Tour. Sure to be a busy one so get down early. 7pm, £7, Green Door Store – Unit 2,3&4 Trafalgar Arches, BN1 4FQ

Ugly Duckling + support: Alternative hip-hop trio from California, Ugly Duckling have a fresh vibe with a very listenable sound that’s somewhere between early Will Smith and Jurassic 5. 7:30pm, £10, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar -9-12 Middle Street, BN1 1AL

RM Hubbert: Scottish Album of the Year winner, RM Hubbert combines intimate folk with music technology for a serene stripped back sound. Support from Myyths and Grasshopper. 7:30pm, £9, Komedia – 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN

Monday 31st March

Tinie Tempah: The hit single ‘Pass Out’ was one of the defining anthems of 2009. Five years later and Tinie Tempah still going strong! Catch him in Brighton on the UK of his new album, Demonstration. 7pm, £25, Brighton Centre – Kings Road, BN1 2GR

Flash Mob Jazz: A weekly night where the house band plays a selection of swing and old-time classics that are sure to get you dancing, or at least tapping your toes to the beat. 9pm, £FREE, The Mesmerist – 1-3 Prince Albert Street, BN1 1HE

Tuesday 1st April

Eternal Love: Combining contemporary language, stunning costumes and terrific live music, Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of The Story of Abelard & Helouise is one not to miss! Tue-Sat 7:45pm, Thur & Sat 2:30pm, £11.90 – £32.40, Theatre Royal – New Road, BN1 1SD

Flooding Rivers: Electrified folk and country music, with noisy bluegrass-influenced electric guitar, whisky-soaked hollering, freight-train drums and doghouse bass.  Support from Delta Bell and Lewis McKale. 8pm, £4/3,TheHope – 11 Queens Road, BN1 3WA

Wednesday 2nd April

Andrew O’Neill: Heavy Metal - A History: A comedic and musical journey through the ins and outs of Heavy Metal. For fans of metal and non-moshers alike. 8pm, £10/8, Komedia – 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN

Druids Head Open Mic: Brighton’s longest running open mic, always with some great new and undiscovered talents to entertain you until last orders. 8:30pm, £FREE, Druids Head – 9 Brighton Place, BN1 1HJ

 

Thursday 3rd April

Eddie & the Hotrods/The Members: A huge double-bill line up with longstanding touring veterans Eddie and the Hotrods, who are sure to wow you with their Rock’n’Roll tunes in this intimate setting. 7:30pm, £15,Concorde II – Madeira Drive, BN2 1EN

River Jumpers: Brighton-based melodic punk rock band, fresh off recording their new single, with a trio of local pop-punk supports: Midday Committee, The Call Back Academy and Six Time Champion. 7:30pm, £4, The Hope – 11 Queens Road, BN1 3WA 

The Feeling Review @ Concorde II

Walking along Madeira Drive is often a nostalgic experience, in particular when you are going to see a band that was just getting started when you were going through your adolescence.

The support, The Gentlemen, was a sort of cross between The Hoosiers and The Script, placed in a blender to remove any lumps of originality, but occasionally holding the audience’s attention with smooth patter in between the rather slushy songs.

The Feeling walked on stage for the last date of their UK Tour into the darkness with clouds of white smoke. Theatrics aside, Dan Gillespie’s festival vocals pierced through Concorde II all the way back to the bar. The band was unafraid to play old favourites early on, with the big singles from 12 Stops and Home all featuring in the first half of their set.

Interluding the performance, an acoustic rendition of Rose for piano and vocals was tender yet powerful; a track that Dan admitted was his favourite from the debut record.

The new material had a more rocky edge to it without losing the melodic strength of the first two albums and it would suggest that there is still plenty of life left in them yet!

Printed Publication in Brighton and Hove Independent

Here is my first (credited) contribution to the Brighton and Hove Independent, the first of my new weekly page, on Page 21.

http://issuu.com/brighton-and-hove-independent/docs/133-march-21-2014

The Take Off and Landing of Everything Review

Longstanding Mancunian outfit Elbow go from strength to strength, following on from their performance at the Olympic Closing Ceremony and their noteworthy B-sides collection Dead in the Boot, with their colossal new record, The Take Off and Landing of Everything. The sheer emotional weight of the songs would be enough to sink the battleships of the toughest of souls with a heart of profoundly personal poetry and marvellous musical melancholy, which has rarely skipped a beat since their debut album Asleep in the Back in 2001. From its heart-breaking lengthy opening track 'This Blue World' the album is a slow and gentle journey, ending perfectly with the wonderful 'The Blanket of the Night'. The album is devastatingly beautiful and deserves all the recognition and support that it is sure to receive. 5*****

The Great Escape Competition

http://www.welovebrighton.com/competitions-offers/win-pair-tickets-great-escape/

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO THE GREAT ESCAPE

Published On March 19, 2014 | By Tom Sayer | Competitions & Offers

Win a Pair of Tickets To The Great Escape 8th-10th May 2014

Brighton’s most intense music festival, The Great Escape, returns in its ninth year with a line-up as strong as ever, featuring over 400 up and coming bands playing in the city across 35 venues over three days.

Founded in 2006, The Great Escape has always had a real mix of all genres, and TGE 2014 is no exception! Withsomething for all musical palettes, The Great Escape is definitely something to stick in your diary!

Amongst the artists announced this year are JON HOPKINS, CHLÖE HOWL, GEORGE EZRA, JIMI GOODWIN, CHARLI XCX, ALBERT HAMMOND, JR, ROYAL BLOOD, JOEL COMPASS, FRANK HAMILTON, HOZIER, AUGUSTINES, DRY THE RIVER, MNEK, EAST INDIA YOUTH and KIESZA

We are pleased to announce that we have A PAIR OF WRISTBANDS to give away to a lucky winner, which grants the wearers entry into all of the core events over the three days (excluding the Dome shows), subject to venue capacity.

Over the past few years, The Great Escape has been widely recognised as “The best place in Europe to discover new bands” (The Times) and this year is sure to not disappoint!

For a chance to win the pair of 3-day wristbands simply answer our question below:

In which year was the first The Great Escape Festival?

a) 1986

b) 1996

c) 2006

Your Answer (required)

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

 I have read and accept the Terms and Conditions of this prize draw competition

Terms & Conditions: 1. By entering this competition you agree to join our mailing list. Once you have received an email from us you have the option to un-subscribe if you wish to. 2. One entry per person. 3. The competition closes at 5.30pm on 16/04/2014. 4. The winner will be randomly selected from all correct entries received after the closing date. 5. Only the winner will be notified. 6. Open to UK and Eire residents only.