What's On Guide in Brighton - Friday 25th July - Thursday 31st July

Things to do in Brighton & Hove - Friday 25th July - Thursday 31st July

• 23rd July 2014
• Author: Tom Sayer
• 0 Comments

Brighton & Hove's Definitive What's On Guide

 

Friday 25th July

Bridge Over Troubled Lager
@TOMVenue
Expect wit, elegance and clever musical pastiche. This is the show where music and comedy meet, have a few drinks, fight, then stagger home singing hits from the 60s. Something to offend everybody.
8pm, £12/10 +£1 bf
T.O.M - 11a Upper Market Street, BN3 1AS

The Dubarrys
@TheDuBarrys
A fundraising event for the local domestic abuse charity RISE, showcasing the music of The Dubarrys, Monastery, grasshopper and Clipper. With a prize draw on the night to win an ipad mini, vouchers, gifts and much more.
7pm, £5/6 otd
The Haunt - 10 Pool Valley, BN1 1NJ

Saturday 26th July

Cable Club
@CableClubGigs
A great three-band line up at the famous upstairs of the Prince Albert featuring Glossy Coat, CUBA and one more act to be confirmed! Join the Cable Club!
8:30pm, £5
The Prince Albert - 48 Trafalgar Street, BN1 4ED

UK Foo Fighters
@ukfoofighters
The UK's finest Foo Fighters tribute act will be playing a double set of all of your Foo Fighters favourites, from Everlong to All My Life, with surely Monkey Wrench thrown in too!
8pm, £10 adv + bf
Concorde II - Madeira Drive, BN2 1EN

Sunday 27th July

Liane Carroll
@lianecarroll
The long-awaited return to The Brunswick of one of the most loved faces in the British jazz scene. Having seen her performance at Cheltenham Jazz Festival this year, I can say this is one not to miss!
8pm, £10
Brunswick - 1 Holland Road, BN3 1JF

QM Sessions 
@mesmeristbar
A bi-weekly showcase of local talent, hosted by Brighton-based hip-hop/soul band Normanton Street. Goes down great after their fantastic roast dinner. Sunday night is sorted!
8pm, Free entry
Mesmerist - 1-5 Prince Albert Street, BN1 1HE

Monday 28th July

Michael Fabbri
@MichaelSFabbri
Michael previews his new Edinburgh 2014 Solo Show, an un-themed collection of thoughts - that’s it really. Nominated Best Club Comic, 2012 Chortle Awards, he also Supported Micky Flanagan on his Out Out tour.
8:30pm, £5
Komedia - 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN

Tuesday 29th July

Scooby Doo
@TheatreRoyalBTN
Scooby-Doo and the gang are back by popular demand and with even more Spooky Mystery and fun - this time in the Pyramids... Warner Bros.’ Cartoon Classic Comes to Life!
6:30pm, Wed-Sat 2:30pm & 6:30pm, £21.40 + bf
Theatre Royal - New Road, BN1 1SD

Wednesday 30th July

afieldoftrees
@thehopebrighton
The long awaited EP launch from the local psych/folk outfit. With a solo acoustic set from Jimi Maffei and a stripped back set from Joymask.
8pm, £3
The Hope - 11 Queens Road, BN1 3WA

Thursday 31st July

Frankie Forman
@FrankieForman
Soulful and sultry, Frankie Forman sings from the heart. Likened to Mazzy Star and Portishead, her sound is a sexy Western esque trip-hop blues. With support from local acts EZ Stone and Pipe and Tabor.
8pm, Free entry before 9pm
Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar - 9-12 Middle Street, BN1 1AL

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Keep Brighton Hippodrome for Live Performance

With many of Brighton's great music venues changing hands and being shut down, we find that every pub with a PA is now running music nights. Whilst this is in no way a bad thing and as a consequence the local scene is full to the brim with fantastic talent, there is definitely an undeniable gap in the market for dedicated music venues, and what better place than the stunning Grade II listed Brighton Hippodrome?

The beauty of living in a city with such a rich cultural history is that all around we have signposts to our past, from the cast iron green railings on the promenade to the wreckage of the West Pier, which has found a new function as a photography hotspot all year around. I think that it is a terrible shame that this stunning venue is looking to be turned into a cinema, particularly as Brighton already has The Odeon, Cineword, Duke of York and Dukes at Komedia.

Below is a link to an online petition against the plans to turn Brighton Hippodrome into a multi-screen cinema. I urge you all to sign it and see if we can save the Hippodrome and support its return as a live music venue.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/keep-brighton-hippodrome-for-live-performance

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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 EP/LP Launches in June 2014

With so much music going on in Brighton, it can be hard to keep track of everything. Here is a list of CD/EP/ launch nights this June to keep you afloat.

Sat 7th June - Wild Rivers - Sticky Mike's - All The Lights LP

Who: Clark Maides and Josh Renton
Genre: Indie Pop
Info: OUT NOW, Wild Rivers' 11 track debut album is available for just £3.
Contact: www.facebook.com/wildrivers

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Fri 13th June - Via Tirana - GDS - Full Moon EP

Who?: One man and a guitar, amps and lots of effects.
Genre: Electronic, noise
Info: The EP was recorded with experienced producer James Gasson at Brickhouse Sudio.
Contact: www.facebook.com/viatirana

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Sat 14th June - Half Crown - The Haunt - £7 entry - Everything Goes LP

Who?: A diverse and charismatic group with an infectious energy that spreads across the whole band.

Genre: Blues, Folk, Hip-Hop, Reggae 

Info: The band recently won the Best Unsigned Band of 2013 Award from S&M

Contact: www.facebook.com/officialhalfcrown

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Mon 16th June - Fools Empire - GDS - This Is Not For You!

Who?: Led by Chelsie Tyrell's vocals and piano, this Brighton 5-piece create ambient soundscapes of beauty and wonder.
Genre: Electonica, Pop
Info: Surprisingly this is Fools Empire's debut EP!
Contact: www.facebook.com/foolsempire

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Mon 16th June - Jack Evans - Sticky Mike's - £3 entry - Stripped Back EP

Who?: A young Brighton-born singer-songwriter
Genre: Acoustic, singer-songwriter
Info: Jack will be playing all the songs from the EP at the gig, plus there is support from Ella Croucher, Giorgia-May, Robbie Skitmore & the Spanish Harlem Incident
and yourgardenday
Contact: www.facebook.com/JackEAEvansMusic

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Tue 17th June - O'Chapman - GDS - £6 entry - Relapser EP

Who?: A curly haired London
Genre: Folk, shoegaze, slowcore, dream pop and lo-fi rock.
Info: "You're just a sad sack." - Simon Cowell
Contact: www.facebook.com/ochapmanmusic

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Wed 18th June - Last Days of Rome - Hope - £4 inc EP

Who?: Recently renamed from Blind Eye Fury
Genre: Metal
Info: This is their first show with the new name and they have an EP for you, which you'll get for free if you attend the launch night at The Hope.
Contact: www.facebook.com/lastdaysofromeuk

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Sat 21st June - Phoria - The Haunt - £7 entry - Display EP

Who?: '....super-smart and endearingly pieced together from a breathtaking blend of whisper-like vocals and euphoric electronics .' - NME
Genre: Alternative, Ambient, Electronic
Info: The first track off the EP has already accumulated over 100k views in under 2 weeks!
Contact: www.facebook.com/phoriamusic

For more Brighton-based gig info, listings, reviews, CD reviews and interviews, subscribe to my blog or follow me on twitter @tomsayeruk.

If you are a local band and have a new release that you would like me to review contact me on tom@tomsayer.co.uk

Tom Hickox Interview - 29th May 2014

After catching the end of a very soothing soundcheck at The Hope in Brighton, I met up with Tom Hickox in a pub around the corner to talk his music, merchandise and alternative career paths.

Did your parents’ background in classical music have any effect on your album? Are there any particular records that you remember being played as a child?

Not specifically, no. I think that when you grow up everything will have an influence on you, but any classical influences on my album were not consciously made. I was not looking to make anything classical, but with my background I guess you could say it’s an innate training, the music is in my blood. I’m really grateful to have had that kind of upbringing.

In terms of songwriting and orchestration, do you see these as separate things or do they happen simultaneously?

I definitely keep the songwriting separate. I like to focus on the key elements: the lyrics, melody and harmony first, to get the core of the song down. Then I’ll think about the right ensemble to play it. I do the majority of the orchestration and arranging myself but I think that it is important not to get ahead of yourself: if you don’t give the song strong foundations then it can never stand tall.

A lot of comparisons are made between your voice and that of Leonard Cohen. How do you feel about that? I personally think you more resemble Guy Garvey (Elbow) and Matt Berninger (The National). Are you a fan of either of those?

I’m a big fan of Leonard Cohen. He has definitely been an influence to me. You can tell within a millisecond if a song is his and that is such a great thing. I think for artists it is so hard to find your voice, both in the abstract and sonic senses but I am thrilled to be compared to such great company. I really like Elbow and The National. They write beautifully crafted music and have a lot to say. Recently one of my songs was played on Guy Garvey’s radio show and he was very complimentary about it. It is so humbling and surreal to have someone who you really admire become aware of your work and become an advocate for it.

In terms of the album artwork, it appears that you are having a conversation with yourself. Was that your intention?

The main thing that I wanted the cover to convey was that I was not just speaking from my point of view on the album; I was inhabiting other people’s voices and telling their stories.  I think that it is important to get the right look for a record, taking care and effort to package it in the best way possible. If the cover is symbiotic with the meaning of the record then it really speaks to the people and transmits well.

You have quite an interesting array of merchandise, including signed lyric handkerchiefs and pocket mirrors? Are you aiming yourself at the middle-class or is it more a style thing?

Not at all. I think I’m not the sort of musician whose supporters would want a t-shirt of. I just don’t think that it suits my style of music. The lyric handkerchief is something I really like because I think it hasn’t ever been done before. And the idea behind the pocket mirror is owner is looking back on themselves through it. Also, from a boring practical point of view, both are light items which are easy to travel around with when on tour. They seem to be selling really well though. We only have about 10 handkerchiefs left (prior to the gig).

How has the tour been going so far? Do you enjoy playing all across the country?

It’s been fantastic. I am always surprised by how different the crowds are in different cities. The venues vary each night too. Some of the shows were sell outs which is great. Others were pretty close to capacity and a couple were a little more chilled but we’ve had a great reception so far. We’re finishing the tour with a full band show in London in a few days. It’s always nice to end with a home show. I could walk home afterwards if I didn’t have my keyboard!

Besides music, do you have any other big interests/hobbies?

I’m interested in art and culture; films, books, pictures, anything that I can get ideas from for songs really. I also spend far too much time watching football on TV, but that’s not been much use for writing a song just yet!

And finally, if you couldn’t make music, what would your dream job be?

I’d be up front with Suarez, banging in the goals! That has always been a dream of mine since I was little, to be a striker for Liverpool. I enjoyed football from a young age but was never particularly sporty. But I am so happy to be able to do what I love by making music. If I can keep making more records with more amazing musicians, writing and recording music that I really believe in and playing it to crowds who really appreciate it, then I will be very happy indeed.

His stunning debut album War Peace and Diplomacy is out now.

www.tomhickox.com

@tomhickox