Brighton after dark: 30th April 2013

And so Alex Turner began Arctic Monkey’s Mercury Music Prize acceptance speech for the generation-defining Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. A veritable prince in the realm of self-deprecation, Turner’s quip summed up what made them so important from the start: sharp wit, no ego, but shot through with the innate confidence few of us are blessed with.
Other classic award show moments easily tumble off the tongue: Jarvis displaying his rump to a Christ-imitating Jacko at the Brits in ’96; Ryan Jarman almost killing himself jumping on a table full of glass at the NME awards in 2006; Emeli Sande bringing us all to tears in 2013.

Actually, maybe not that last one…
Whether you see award shows as vindication for the acts’ hard work or a pompous sideshow you can’t disagree they are always memorable.

With this in mind Bmusic are delighted to announce we have been asked to present our very own award at this year’s Brighton Music Awards [SOUND HUGE AND UNWIELDY EXCITEMENT KLAXON].

It will be called ‘theLatest.tv Bmusic Viewer’s Choice Award’ and, in fitting with the name, it will awarded to the artist or band that people just like you can nominate as the best band or artist to have featured on our programming thus far. Head over to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BmusicTV, find our poll and there you have a single – but powerful – vote. The top five are nominated for the award, win complimentary passes to the show and go through to a second voting phase on www.brightonmusicawards.com, with the triumphant winner announced at the show on Friday 21 June.

It’s musical democracy incarnate! This being the case, we’re not going to mention any bands because we don’t want to influence your choice (plus we like them all). But we will be giving one voter a free pair of tickets to the award show. So… Ready, set, go!
Words: David Hillier

Sade Ali considers the post club muse

This week I thought I’d write about those times when you’ve left the club and you just don’t know what to do! This happens to me nearly every time I go out. It’s either: you had a really good night and you don’t want it to finish because you’re still in the party mood, or you have had the worst night and don’t want to waste it so you need that after party!

I know that half of you reading this have done one of these two things: 1. Gone to Buddies to pig out and waste time deciding where you can go. 2. Hung around outside the club (Volks springs to mind) trying to find a motive. You will then see a few guys disappear with a few girls (let’s keep it PG and not say too much about that) and the rest try to fit into as few taxis as possible to go to the ‘after party’.

If neither of these sound like you then you’re more than likely the strange person that me and my best friend have bumped into down North Street because we decided to just go for a walk. It’s never a good idea because the people on their way to work do not look impressed by us and I’m not too sure the morning staff in the newsagents like us much either. Also, the Pavilion Gardens seem to be a lot more fun after you’ve been on a night out, either that or you end up on the Pier once it has opened and make the mistake of going on the ghost train (I can definitely say it’s a lot scarier after a few drinks!). But none of these can beat the time me and my best friend decided to have a booze cruise on a blow up boat by Brighton Pier.

I do love brighton after clubbing though; the streets turn into a completely different world, everyone is willing to talk to anyone and you meet the best people. ‘Tom Lol’z’ had to be the best! Me and my best friend were delaying going home as usual, and a young gay guy came strolling round the corner. He then said: “Guys, I really don’t want to go home yet.” As we burst into laughter he asked if he could tell us his life story in ten seconds! We accepted, he was lying, it wasn’t ten seconds. Ten seconds turned into three hours. But I have to say he was the funniest person I’ve met!

So, I want to hear your funny stories about once you’ve left the club, and the weird people you have met on your travels home. The best stories will get printed. Tweet them using the hashtag #BrightonAfterDark

Don’t miss

All Killer, No Filler
The perfect night packed solid with a great mix of hits all night long, from ’80s pop, funk and soul to rock and indie anthems guaranteed to make sure you stick on that dance floor. Classic tunes, great priced drinks and cheap entry.
Pav Tav, Sat 5 May, 11pm–3am, £2–£4

Bacon Fat
From the people that brought you the ‘Stay Sick’ night, the same well known DJs take you back to the ’50s and ’60s with a whole plethora of R’n’B, Blues and many more tunes to keep you jigging and jiving with the best of them.
St James’ Tavern, Thu 2 May, 9pm, free

Runway
Runway Fridays is the weekly club night combining house, R’n’B and some proper mashups. Start your weekend right on the beach at Shooshh. Be an early bird and get your friends together for free entry before 10.30pm and cheap drinks before midnight.
Shooshh, Friday 3 May, 10pm–4am, Free Entry b4 10.30pm, £3–£5

OMG LOL
OMG LOL is brought to you by Air Promotions, the well-known events company followed by the popular local programme This Is Brighton.
As they prepare to film their latest episode, you too can join in at one of the coolest club nights in town.
Audio, Tues 30 April, 11pm, £1–£4

Brighton Noise

Andy Hinton on this week’s best gigs
My mum wanted me to devote the entire column over to what is clearly her gig of the week, Michael Ball at The Brighton Centre, but I’m all grown up now so sorry Mum, but I’m going to talk about some bands that you won’t like at all.
Today the first of our Great Escape Featured Artists went up on the site. Our hope is that by the beginning of the festival there will be a wide range of recommended artists that should appeal to different musical tastes.

We’ve begun with the bundle of energy, Parquet Courts, who I was banging on about a few weeks ago. Also lined up this week is London lad King Krule who one of our writers described as “Mike Skinner on downers” and I’ve described as like “a young Billy Bragg brought up on the noughties (not ’70s/’80s) London”. I think he’s the best and most original thing in the line-up so far. Another Noise writer hates him. That’s what it’s
all about, people!

This week sees an eclectic mix of gigs. On Tuesday at The Green Door Store is San Francisco-based psychedelic drone duo, Barn Owl. On the always interesting Thrill Jockey label; an indication for those in the know that they’re a band worth seeing. On Wednesday raw, post-hardcore Dundee outfit Fat Goth are at the Latest Musicbar supported by two of Brighton’s finest; Clowns and Pink Narcissus. Friday and Death Grips are at Coalition. Critics darlings, the New Yorkers are about as alternative as hip-hop gets. They are even too weird and extreme for a rap obsessive like myself but no doubt this gig will be rammed. They should be supporting Michael over at The Brighton Centre, now that would be funny.

Sunday post-Brit Poppers Athlete play their debut, Vehicles And Animals, in full at The Haunt. The fact that they are still actually around confuses the hell out of our previewer but his fondness for that album is pulling him towards the venue like a huge powerful magnet, or something.

Monday and a favourite of mine, Still Corners are at The Albert.
“Their mixture of mellow hypnotic drumming, icy female vocals, swirling analogue synths, weird BBC Radiophonic Workshop sounds, nods to ’60s French torch singers and film soundtracks is coolness personified” – i.e. I think they’re great!
For more information visit www.brightonnoise.co.uk