Brighton after dark: 13 August 2013

Bmusic

Summer In The City
August presents an interesting time for fans of live music; it is a period of transition. While to many the month marks the end of the summertime, carrying with it the impending doom of returning to school or work, it is also a time when you can see some of the most poignant and life-changing gigs of the whole year.

Brighton has always had a richly varied live music scene, with audiences spanning generations. That said, the student population of the city will remain one of the most consistent sources of concert-goers. As the summer comes to close, many of these students will return home, moving on with their lives, with only a select few choosing to remain in the city. This emigration causes the city to lose not only a generation of music fans, but also a selection of very talented musicians. Certainly they may return on occasion to visit friends or play an open-mic show, but it will never be the same as when they were a constant addition to the performers in the city.

In moving on, the old generation of student performers is replaced by the new, and with this can come a completely fresh collection of sounds, styles and genres. Just as music itself will always be progressing and moving forward, so it goes with the Brighton music scene. Many university acts that we have come to love over the past few years may well stay here, but they have also paved the way for many more talents to grace the stage in the years to come.

But for now, summer is still here. Sure, many students may have already moved on to different things, but many of those left are about to have their last hurrah in Brighton. This is why, now more than ever, it is a great time to check out any local performances. For some of these guys, it may be the last time they ever perform in this city, and with emotional stakes like that, you would be hard-pressed not to be moved by their efforts.
Twitter @Bmusic_TV
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Words: Matthew Berryman

Sade Ali checks out the all new vodka Revolution

‘Wow’ is a perfect word to describe my experience at Vodka Revolution’s re-launch party. I was lucky enough to be invited to the brand new club to try out some of their new drinks, shots and food. Well, I don’t quite know where to start – the night was amazing!

It doesn’t even look like the same club; there is a new, comfortable homely feel to the place. Not to mention the fact there is so much more going on, you have the main bar area with beautiful VIP tables, the Cuban rum attic upstairs, the restaurant with an outside sheltered seating area, a gorgeous new smoking area, the side bar with comfortable seats perfect for hen do’s and the downstairs club room with a huge dance floor and more bars.

The staff were dressed to impress and were joined on the night by four burlesque ladies on stilts in glamorous costumes. The food is on a par with a quality restaurant at the price of a typical Brighton bar. I also took part in a mini cocktail masterclass and made my very own ‘zombie’ while Natalie made her own strawberry mojito – delicious. I’m going back to try out a full masterclass so I will be filling you in next week on what happened and how you can try it out for yourself.

I met a few guys: Andy Crossly, Tom White, Gary Tomlinson and Dominic Smith, all from Redhill and Reigate. I decided to ask what they thought of the new club. It turns out they just got back from Vegas and were finishing off their break with one last memory. The boys told me they didn’t have to pay entry and were greeted with a free drink which was already scoring points for them as they entered!

How would you describe the new club in three words?
“Different, elegant and fit.”

What drinks have you tried so far?
“The strawberry infused vodka shot – apparently you’re meant to sip it, then shot it – and a beer.”

The boys gave their ratings to the new club and awarded four eights and an impressive nine. They definitely liked the new place a lot more than the old, and that it was going to be a good night. Also, the likeliness of Tom ending up in a strip club was apparently very likely, Hah! I couldn’t stay with the boys that long as I had way too much to see and so little time; next week I will be telling you more about the rum attic and cocktail masterclasses.
Twitter @SadeAli

Don’t miss

Pop Candy
Sunday should really be your day of rest and relaxation but hey, why not make this night of pure non-stop pop the perfect ending to all that weekend fun instead!
Basement Club, Sun 18 August, 11pm, Free

Apocalypse
For those about to rock, get down to Apocalypse for a night of nu-metal and post ’90s alternative tunes. One of Brighton’s best nights to party to rock and metal.
Belushi’s Below, Sat 17 August, 10pm, £5/4

Sounds Like Saturday
From the same people that brought you Trash Mondays now bring you this racous night of pumpin’ music from commercial and retro to R’n’B and Hip-Hop. Dance away until the early hours.
Coalition, Sat 17 August, 11pm, £5

Schtumm!
Help Schtumm! celebrate their sixth birthday on Friday with special guests Kink. Get caught up in all of the party excitement at one of Brighton’s most energetic and lively nights.
Audio, Fri 16 August, 11pm, £8

Brighton Noise

Andy Hinton on this week’s best gigs
I knew it was going to happen eventually. I put the dates into the wonderful Brighton Noise search facility and am faced with a gig-less desert. It’s like staring into the abyss where you’ve heard of none of the bands and half the gigs are free. Research is needed.

Our bread and butter, and the thing that sets us apart from others is the fact that we attempt to list every gig in town. Not just the touring bands and nights at The Green Door Store but a tiny folk gig at your local or an EP launch at the West Hill Community Centre. Unfortunately this is the donkey work but it’s actually surprisingly easy to do when you get the hang of it. We’re therefore looking for more volunteers to help us. If you can spare, say half an hour a week ,to list five gigs we’ll love you forever. Interested? Send me an email: info@brightonnoise.co.uk.

Anyway ,even in the quietest week for yonks I’ve found four decent nights. On Monday Bosnian Rainbows are at Sticky Mike’s. Their music is a clever kaleidoscope of influences and well worth checking out. They are supported by Brighton’s own prog-jazzers Physics House Band. I don’t quite get the appeal of the prog resurgence myself but they have a massive local following. Whispering Bob Harris would have loved them.

Into Electronica? The Green Door Store is the place to be on Wednesday for Diskordance. A night headlined by the ambient drone of Arboria Auralist. I hope they won’t mind me saying that they remind me of the fabulous Blanck Mass.

Die! Die! Die! are described as a pop-punk band but they are certainly more Pavement than Blink-182. They’ve been around for years, sound tight as hell and have a sackful of catchy, cool, riff-fuelled tunes. They’re at Sticky Mike’s on Friday.

The final pick of the week is more woozy electronica at The Green Door Store on Sunday with Yong Yong and Wanda Group. This is strictly for serious fans of this genre. The lack of BPMs is replaced by some seriously lovely creative production.
More info at www.brightonnoise.co.uk
Twitter @BrightonNoise