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Number one selling artists The Hoosiers rocked Audio on Bank Holiday Monday 30 May for their comeback tour. They showed their continued love for their south coast fans by spending the day with two competition winners ahead of the show. Juice FM’s Guy Lloyd joined Irwin, Martin and Alphonso on their tour of the city. The trio dubbed the more intimate venue, the ‘guestlist’ gig, but didn’t let the size hold them back as they opened with single ‘Choices’, and instantly had the crowd jumping. The wide-age range of the ‘guestlist’ showed the continuing cross-generational appeal of what the band call “instant-hook pop”. The trio left fans happy as they closed with their biggest hit, ‘Goodbye Mr. A’. Local support act, The Special Ks, were the perfect warm-up with their electro-fused rock setting a tempo that the headliners more than ably picked up.

Audio, 30 May,
Rating:
Richard Hook

As the name suggests, this is a performance event showcasing works in progress, unfinished ideas offered up for audience feedback. In many ways, the audience feedback section was the most interesting part of the evening, if only because it can be occasionally brutal: but that’s somewhat the point – it’s all about deconstruction, then moving on and advancing. The variance of the pieces (and their current quality) means it’s unhelpful to judge them individually in this pocket sized review, other than to say they all show great promise. The evening as a whole, however, is vital, and demands your attention.

The Basement, 8 June
Rating:
Andrew Allen

Simply put, The Vagina Monologues are a series of true stories about woman (of all ages and ethnicity) and their relationship/feelings with their vaginas. Some of the vignettes were frankly harrowing; rape and abuse are never easy subjects to listen to. On the flip side some are brutally honest and hilarious. ‘Angry Vagina’ was a great opening to the second half which, on balance, was slightly better than the first. The group pieces were a little clumsy and although acted perfectly well by all, the older members of the cast gave their pieces more gravitas and poignancy.

The Barn Theatre, Southwick
7 June
Rating:
Paul Macdowell

Eight talented dancers revealed their choreographic voices through five powerful vignettes of intense physicality that spoke collectively to form a coherent yet surprising piece of dance theatre. And what voices! The first generous and delightful performance set the tone for the rest of the piece. Recurring themes of animality and desperation were complimented by moments of light hearted relief but never in a flippant way. The score and lighting were exceptionally executed. It resonated with an ‘Aphex Twin’ like fervour, skilfully crafting the powerful industrial digital sound-scape with which we physically vibrated. The overall effect was moving and dramatic, completely captivating and very rewarding.
Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome, 7 June

Rating:

Enna Andrews