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On record, Dark Dark Dark can come across as somewhat twee: all Amelie-style piano and soft clarinet. However, if they continue their first UK tour like this, they won’t be remembered for their delicacy. Pulsing cello and intuitive jazz drumming combined to give urgency to the majority of the set. Cool and reserved throughout, what the band most resembled was an Arcade Fire, stripped of the stadium-sized dramatics. Even on the slower numbers, the Minneapolis outfit proved Brighton’s recent cold snap was nothing to them. They proceeded with the relentlessness and sparkle – if sometimes the excitement – of a glacier.

Latest Musicbar, 26 November
3/5
Jim Milnes

As fans settled into their seats that familiar jingle, Here Come the Girls, began to play evoking images of women flooding to Boots megastore. Instead, the audience were welcomed by 60s pop veteran Lulu, America’s Anastacia and M People’s Heather Small. This unlikely trio join talents to perform hits from the last four decades, including those of their own. Heather’s sonorous vocals were a pleasant return to the stage. Yet, Lulu is the star that cemented the three, bringing together a lively trio with voices to match their dynamic personalities. Not just a show designed for rowdy hen nights; there’s something here for everyone.

The Brighton Centre, November 28
4/5
Simon Robb

A mixed crowd of all ages, we arrived in time to see the last few songs from support band Sunday Girl. Within half an hour, the stage transformed and Ellie was on, drumming with her fellow drummer to start, her hippy trippy with youth and vitality oozing from every paw. Many songs from her new album Bright Lights including ‘The Writer’, ‘Salt Skin’ and ‘Your Biggest Mistake’ were all belters. Ellie returned after the interval with two acoustic ditties: ‘Oscar’ and ‘The End’. A moment of beautiful floatingness, then a twist on Elton John’s ‘Your Song’– Ellie’s new single. The fans loved it. Ellie is passionate, has an amazing voice, musical talent, and she has a great band behind here. I’m definitely buying the album.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 22 November
4/5
Andy Forward

All dressed in semi-revealing gold, The Irrepressibles moved with the precision and grace of living Grecian statues, while lead Jamie McDermott, in shimmering red and black, easily held centre stage with his operatic singing voice. But this enigmatic mini-orchestra’s sweeping melodies and big sound were in danger of being totally lost in the face of their theatrics. Each player’s movements matched the strings and rhythmic composition, but overwhelmed the dreamlike music itself. The music-meets-art nature of the stage show, with its mirrored backdrop and dramatic lighting, detracted from the songs themselves. A stirring but misdirected evening.

Concorde 2, 14 November
4/5
Nicole Holgate