The Warren report
Beatboxing, audio-visual hip-hop and the anatomy of a piano – all this and more at The Warren, thanks to Otherplace Productions
Could Brighton get any more rock ’n’ roll? Well, possibly. Already a mecca for music lovers, this month sees a bumper crop of top bands and musicians hit the city as the Great Escape and Brighton Fringe turn things all the way up to eleven.
This weekend, Great Escape delegates will squeeze into the city’s clubs and venues in the hope of catching the best new bands from the UK and international circuits.
One of the hottest tickets is always The Warren, a pop-up venue just off West Street run by Otherplace Productions. Last year, crowds filled the garden to see the likes of The Strypes and Iggy Azalea and this weekend will see the venue rock to acts including Ella Eyre and Gorgon City.
The Warren has been a favourite haunt of in-the-know music lovers since it first launched three years ago thanks to its smart bookings and regular weekend shindig Fringe Club where punters and musicians alike pack in to see barnstorming shows from some of the city’s most brilliant bands.
Post-Great Escape, there’s plenty to keep audiences dancing at The Warren with mind-blowing human beatboxers and witty, whimsical pianists; ‘doom-wop’ Motown mariachi bands and candlelit folk singers; audio-visual hip-hop mash-ups and 15-piece carnival bands.
Get in quick to buy tickets for Tom Thum; this astounding beat-boxer was one of the stand-out hits of 2008’s Brighton Fringe show Tom Tom Club, which sold out most nights. He returns to Brighton for a series
of highly-anticipated shows with musician Jamie MacDowell on May 16-18 at 7.15pm.
Gavin Osborn is a more understated talent with a box of songs that are both hilarious and heartrending and which have made him a favourite both of critics and famous fans including comedians Stewart Lee and Daniel Kitson. Catch his shows on May 17 & 18 at 3.30pm.
Want more? Almighty Planets sample rich vintage soul samples with live hip-hop and electronica to make an audio-visual show described as “like watching a sci-fi B movie soundtracked by an Elvis impersonator smothered in Cash brass” (May 25 at 11pm) while the award-winning Simply Soweto Encha will blow your mind with their a cappella take on soul, jazz, do-wop and R&B (24-26 May at 6.30pm).
And finally, don’t miss your chance to watch a grand piano be dissected by ace musician Will Pickvance in his funny and family-friendly Anatomy Of The Piano. Part recital, part fantasy lecture, Pickvance examines the physical, emotional and spiritual make-up of this beautiful beast accompanied by cartoons, live animation and a lot of charm
(May 24 at 8pm).
www.otherplacebrighton.co.uk
