Brighton After Dark: 9th April 2013
Bmusic
Lose your dreams, and you will lose your mind, ain’t life unkind?
By now you can’t fail to have seen that the Mick, Keef et al will be headlining a little stage in Devon come June. Elsewhere, global names are being lined up for interstellar shows in fields and barns over the summer; Springsteen at Wembley, Kraftwerk at Latitude, Timberlake and Jay-Z at Wireless, etc. Very exciting it is too.
You improvise!
In one way or another Bmusic representatives will be at most of these, if only in a punter capacity, because we love big gigs, love the beer-strewn community that only comes with shouting back the lyrics to a treasured song with 40,000 strangers. But an experience last Thursday got the rusty little cogs in our mind whirring. Casablancas circa 1am, not expecting much more than a drink and a twirl with some friendly strangers.
Instead we witnessed one of those rare things; a venue full of people from all swathes of fashion tribes totally getting down to a live band they’ve never heard of. It turns out it’s a night called Casa Jams where any funk soul brother worth his salt can get up and play with the band. And play they did, a veritable treasure chest of soul classics and rock staples.
Jam nights like this can so easily lend themselves to cringe; bland musicians playing right-wing crowdpleasers in a manner that would horrify their heroes. But here they bounced off each other and the crowd, and kept the ceiling dripping with enough sweat to stay damp until next (Ruby) Tuesday.
And they seemed to reflect everything we want to do at Bmusic. Yes, we are here for the big boys and beautiful girls; but we’re also here for the small-town heroes who are a long way from losing their dreams. Long may these continue.
Words: Ben Darling
A Noise Reel Extended Feature of Woodland Blue ‘Safe House EP’ launch event (featuring Time For T and The Common Tongues) is available now online at www.facebook.com/BmusicTV
Sade Ali’s tips to prep for a good night out
Even if you are used to clubbing, starting off the night without stressing takes some serious work. Here’s a few tips on how to prep for a good night out.
1 Make sure you are in a party mood. If you aren’t, get into one. You may want to play your favourite ravin’ music at a reasonably high volume.
2 Get friends you can go ravin’ with. Clubbing is no fun alone. Unless you’re that one that actually does find it fun (anyone heard of Nikita?).
3 Chose the club you want to go to. Make sure you can get there and back (taxi, bus, designated driver ’n’ all that!) Or even just there will do for now, it’s always interesting to see someone trying to blag the night bus driver at five in the morning!
4 Pick an outfit that’s preferably in fashion. Girls, you want to look sexy but not trashy. *Yolo* leggings are not cool anymore! And guys, double denim is not a good look!
5 Take a shower and put on a nice scent. Nothing too overpowering. You don’t want to give anyone an asthma attack!
6 Also if you are a girl, it’s a good idea to wear makeup, but don’t overdo it. Apply a small amount of foundation and concealer if necessary, and put on a light blush. On your eyes, apply eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner. A smokey eye is very pretty and draws attention to your eyes, so it would be a good idea to try that out. Again, don’t overdo it – you don’t want to look like a panda!
7 Eat a good meal before you go out. You need to keep the energy levels up. And it might stop you from pigging out at Buddies after the club. We’ve all had one night where we spent way too much in there, although if you do, get the mushrooms! Mmm!
8 Make sure you have your I.D. There’s nothing more embarrassing than being the loser that can’t get in the club! Now it’s time to go rave!
It’s official: Hed Kandi Brighton are re-branding Friday nights, there has been an outcry for quality in Brighton night life.
MAYFAIR Fridays is all about getting glammed up, enjoying great music, affordable drinks in a safe environment and a great opportunity to get your social buzz on, enjoying life in the city feeling and looking fabulous. Looking to celebrate your birthday like a Royal? They will ensure your special day is memorable, with great music in a premier club. No queuing, in fact you will be escorted like the VIPs you are, to your very own VIP table and waitress service provided to you. You will get a bottle of bubbly and a special birthday package with sparklers to light up the place!
Don’t miss
Ultimate Power
The power ballad is most certainly back! Make sure you charge your batteries for an event making noise all over the country. Ultimate Power will give you ‘the best night of your life’ with heavenly sounds from Bon Jovi to Meatloaf. The news has spread so get there fast or you will miss out on a classic.
Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Sat 13 April, 11pm–3am, £5, www.drinkinbrighton.co.uk/stickymikesfrogbar
Bastard Pop
The supreme mash-up of sounds returns on Thursday to tune your mind to the Audio beat. Resident jockey MILTON returns to deliver the tracks which force an explosion of dance. With 241 cocktails on the menu, Thursday night is the time to rock your socks off with the best.
Audio, Thurs 11 April, 9pm–3am, Free entry before 12am via Facebook guest list, £3, (£2 NUS)
Secret Discotheque
Ready to go back in time? Secret Discotheque serves up the songs you used to love and will soon love again. Expect your memory to be lit up by classic sounds which will have you swinging in no time! Coalition seems to have it all going on so don’t get left out.
Coalition, Thurs 11 April, 11pm–6am, £2–£4
La Fever
Don your most colourful slacks and allow your flair to flourish
as La Fever hits the scene every Tuesday in Brighton promising cheap drinks and Latin flair which won’t let you stop dancing!
Life, 11pm onwards, £3/free before 12am
Words: Henry Smith
Brighton Noise
What’s music for? Like any art-form it’s to generate some kind of emotional response; joy, happiness, excitement, sadness. As someone who sees an awful lot of live music there is one response that is the worst of the lot: boredom. That’s a rather roundabout way to get to my point which is this: New York band, Parquet Floors, Audio, 22 March.
That night was the reason I go to gigs. A visceral and mesmerising experience. The energy emanating from the band osmosed its way into the crowd. They will be one of the must-see bands at the Great Escape.
Now for the live delights on offer this week. For those who like their music distinctively lo-fi, Furrow are the band for you. They’ve recorded umpteen tracks in a caravan and released them on cassette. Their live shows are supposedly rather chaotic and their track ‘Rites Of Spring’ is 1min 22secs of ridiculous catchiness. They are at The Albert on Wednesday.
From young indie upstarts to late ’80s indie stalwarts, on the same night at The Haunt is The House Of Love. Best known for their big hit ‘Shine On’ they have patched up their differences and reformed, just like erm…every single other band from that era. I know which gig I’ll be at that night.
On Friday at The Blind Tiger are French band Team Ghost who combine analogue synths with guitars to create a distinct sound. Their EP, Curtains goes from the jagged attack of the title track to the Eno-esque ‘25.2’ and the building crescendo of ‘Team Ghost’.
Saturday sees London Hip-Hop collective, Lazy Habits headline the Playgroup night at Concorde 2. This is jazz and funk infused hip-hop but with a full band; horns, bass, two drummers and two great rappers. I saw them a few months ago at The Blind Tiger and my hip-hop-phobic friend declared them to be “actually really good”. The truth was they blew the place apart.
If you want to end the weekend with something rather less raucous the rather lovely Americana of Night Beds is at The Hope on Sunday night. Not a million miles away from Bon Iver’s debut his remarkable voice combined with lyrics of vulnerability and tremendous melodies will soothe you into the working week.
More information and loads more gigs can be found at brightonnoise.co.uk
