Things To Do in Brighton & Hove - 4th July to 10th July 2014

Things to do in Brighton & Hove - Friday 4th July - Thursday 10th July

• 2nd July 2014
• Author: Tom Sayer
• 0 Comments

Brighton & Hove's Definitive What's On Guide

 

Friday 4th July

Love Supreme Festival @lovesupremefest
Starting Friday for weekend ticket holders and with one day tickets available for Saturday and Sunday, Love Supreme covers a wide range of jazz from pop to soul, including sets from Jamie Cullum, Earth, Wind & Fire and De La Soul.
From 4pm, Sat and Sun 11am
Weekend tickets £125 camping/ £110 non-camping
Day tickets £55/30 under 18s
Glynde Place - The St, Glynde, BN8 6SX

Formidable Vegetable Sound System @BrighthelmURC
4-piece band Vegetable Sound System are the world’s most triumphant experiment in ‘ecological electroswing’ busting out energetic, quirky mashups of speakeasy-style antique-beats with live ukulele wonk, hyperactive horns and the principles of permaculture
7pm, £6
Brighthelm Centre – North Road, BN1 1YD

Saturday 5th July

Paddle Round The Pier @PRTP
A free weekend beach festival, filled with charity fundraising events in the water and on dry land, with live music, stalls and activities for the little ones. Fun (hopefully) in the sun for the whole family.
9am Sat and Sun, Free entry
Brighton Seafront - West Pier

Jim Holland - Shoegazing @jim__holland
It’s shoetime! Polite comedy maverick Jim Holland brings intelligent wit, conversational delivery and two tone shoes to his debut show of dapper introversion.
8pm, £5
Upstairs at Three & Ten - 10 Steine St, BN2 1TE

Sunday 6th July

Hush Hush @whiterabbitpub
A weekly showcase of local acoustic acts, featuring Jenny Stanley, Sam Brothers and host Chuck SJ Hay.
8pm, Free entry
White Rabbit - Kensington Gardens, BN1 4AL

Tom Craine @TomCraine
Previewing his show for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, Tom has previously written for Mock The Week and a host of Channel 4 Comedy Shows. "Wise, funny, lyrical" - Observer.
8:30pm, £5
Komedia – 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN

Monday 7th July

The Brunswick Open Mic @Brunswickpub
An intimate platform to perform your latest songs or simply to listen to the best local acoustic talent, with cabaret seating, a well-lit stage and a silent audience.
8:30pm, Free entry
Brunswick – 1 Holland Road, BN3 1JF

Tuesday 8th July

Jamie Knox @JamieKnoxmusic
A Brighton-based singer-songwriter from South London performing with his 4 piece band, combining elements of the uplifting energetic with the soul of the brooding melancholic. Support from Rory Indiana and Fools Empire.
7:30pm, Free entry
Green Door Store - Unit 2,3&4 Trafalgar Arches, BN1 4FQ

Wednesday 9th July

Naked Upstairs @timefort
A lovely evening of live music performed for your listening pleasure under candle light, in the 'secret upstairs' at the Good Companions. Featuring Joe McCarthy, Ellie Ford, Oktoba and Time for T (solo).
7:30pm, Free entry
Good Companions – 132 Dyke Road, BN1 3TE

Thursday 10th July

Roam @audiobrighton
Eastbourne pop-punk 5-piece embark on a headline UK tour, starting in Brighton. Expect high energy music and a fresh melodic sound.
7pm, £6
Audio - 10 Marine Parade, BN2 1NB

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Preview - Shakedown Festival - 19th July 2014

For those of you looking to get involved with the summer festival season without forking out hundreds of pounds on tickets, travel and camping gear, Shakedown Festival might very well be the one for you!

Shakedown was established in 2011 as a one day music festival, originally held in Stanmer Park. Due to the success of previous years, the festival now boasts a three stage line-up, being held just outside of Brighton in Waterhall. This year's line up is filled with great dance acts including Basement Jaxx, Duke Dumont, Groove Armada and Zane Lowe, who has performed every year at the Festival.

The is a free coach service to the festival operating from St. Peter's Church at the Steine from 11am til 7pm, returning between 8pm and 1am. There is no parking on site so this is the best way to get the festival.

Tickets £45 + booking fee or £75 + booking fee for VIP.

http://www.shakedown.co.uk @ShakedownUK

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Reviews 

My Top Five Brighton & Hove Open Mic Nights -

A guide to my favourite weekly open mic nights, including the old and the new.

Ten Artists Not To Miss At Love Supreme 2014

For those of you heading down to Love Supreme, here is my pick of ten acts to be sure to catch to guarantee you a great weekend.

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For more reviews, interviews and music features, check out whattomwrites.blogspot.com or follow me on twitter @tomsayeruk for updates.

Brighton and Hove Open Mic Guide - My Favourite Five Open Mic Nights

With the city bursting at the seams with local talent, particularly solo acoustic singer-songwriters, it is important to get in some live performance practice of your new material before your next acoustic showcase, support slot, EP launch or headline UK tour.

The Open Mic scene is Brighton is one of the best in the country, with a wide range of genre-specific open mics such as ukulele jam nights, no guitar open mics, spoken word and poetry nights and jazz and funk jam nights.

For the purposes of this article I will be looking primarily at what I think are the best open mics in Brighton for solo acoustic guitar/vocal performers (not to say that the open mics can't cater for different acts, but this is just my focus as I believe that this covers a large percentage of open mic goers).

I have listed all the necessary information below (venue, address, running times, set length, host and demographic). I hope that this is helpful!

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Monday

Where: The Brunswick - 1-3 Holland Road, Hove, BN3 1JF 

(Head down towards the sea from Tesco Express and The Wick Inn on the corner just past Palmeira Square) 

Times: Sign up from 7:30pm, starts at 8:30pm.

(Also sign up online here from 7:30am til 7:30pm on Monday ONLY). 

Host: Tom Ayres.

Set: Two songs.  There is a house guitar and piano available to use.

Demographic: With bright lights, a reasonable sized stage and a deadly silent audience, I would not recommend this for newcomers to the open mic scene. However, if you are comfortable with performing and you want your songs to get a real listen, not above the drunken hubbub of a loud bar, then this is the open mic for you. The night is always very packed and it's a great place to meet people for collaborations so don't be shy!

Covers or Originals: Usually performers opt for originals rather than covers but both are fine.

Website: http://www.thebrunswick.net/

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Tuesday

Where: Hop Poles - 13 Middle Street, BN1 1AL (just up from Sticky Mike's Frog Bar and Casablanca)

Times: 8:30pm til around 11:30pm

Hosts: Amy Forrester and Rosie Powell (the one with the camera!)

Set: 3 Songs. Guitar available and lovely photos will be taken during the night and uploaded within a couple of days. The links to all of the artist's websites/facebooks etc are also shared with the photos so it's great for publicity.

Demographic: Having only started a couple of months ago, the night has gotten off to a great start, drawing in a lot of Brighton's young stars of the future. The atmosphere is relaxed and the friendly hosts make everyone feel very comfortable when performing. There are speakers to the beer garden, so all the smokers can hear you too. With drink promotions including my favourite Havana Rum and coke for just £1.95, this has become a regular date in my diary.

Covers or Originals: Both are totally fine!

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/groups/543409122446482/

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Wednesday 

Where: Druids Head - 9 Brighton Place, BN1 1HJ (opposite Donatellos in The Lanes)

Times: 9pm til around 12pm

Host: Paul McKeown (Also usually holding a camera or stood by the bar)

Set: Usually 3 - 4 Songs. Depending on how busy the night is you sometimes have a little longer or shorter set but usually at least 3 songs. Guitar available and sometimes a piano, although not every week. Will get some snaps put uploaded online the following week too so make sure to add Paul on facebook if you're performing.

Demographic: A very cosmopolitan open mic, this is Brighton's longest running open mic and has been going strong for over 8 years. The crowd and performers are a real mix of international students, older experienced performers from Johnny Cash's era and up-and-coming young musicians. With the homely feel of the pub and a regular good turnout, it's a great place to try out some new songs.

Covers or Originals: Originals to practice/premiere and covers to get the audience more interested.

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Druids-Head/106016126142628

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Thursday 

Where: Victory Inn - 6 Duke Street, BN1 1AH (just down from Nandos and Cornish Pastry Company)

Times: 8pm til 11pm

Host: Tiago Saga (the front-man of local band Time for T)

Set: 2 Songs but opportunities to play again if there is time. Guitar available for all to use. 

Demographic: Held upstairs in the dimly-lit function room, from my experience this open mic hosts some of the more "out there" music, from experimental blues, rap, poetry and old-school folk. A real variety show, with a free beer for each performer and a quiet audience making this a great place to play.

Covers or Originals: Lends itself to originals and old covers. Perhaps keep the One Direction cover to yourself (always good advice!). As advertised "Anything from music to tennis match re-enactment welcome". 

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/victoryinn

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Sunday

Where: Fiddler's Elbow - 11 Boyces Street , BN1 1AN (in the alley across from Wetherspoons on West Street)

Times: Starts 9pm

Host: Oliver Croome

Set: 3-4 Songs. Sometimes longer sets are available. Get in touch in advance to ask about being a featured artist. Guitar available for use and some photos uploaded from the night too. 

Demographic: I've only been to this open mic a couple of times due to working weekends, but it definitely has that lazy weekend feeling about it, which is great. Also, calling it the Sham Rock Open Mic I am sure attracts all the Guinness fans. Again a real mix of all sorts will show up here.

Covers or Originals: Maybe a couple of each. Either are fine though.

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/shamrockopenmic

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For more event listings, music features and review check out my What's On page in the Brighton and Hove Independent (out on Fridays, distributed freely all throughout Brighton and Hove) and follow me on twitter for blog updates @tomsayeruk