Brighton after dark: 2 July 2013

Bmusic

Festival thinking
For many Brightonians, The Great Escape is the ultimate British Festival. Honestly, we would be hard pressed not to agree with them. British music has always benefitted from its underground roots. Bands like Oasis or the Arctic Monkeys all had their humble beginnings before shooting towards superstardom, and many will tell you that once in the limelight, these bands lost much of their live appeal.

With this in mind, it makes sense that many people in Btown would prefer The Great Escape, it is more local, and a lot more alternative to the corporate giant that Glastonbury has become. But many of us forget that the festival itself came from humble beginnings.
The first ever Glastonbury was held in 1970, the day after Jimi Hendrix died. Tickets cost £1 and included free milk from the farm. Only 1,500 attended, compared to nearly two-hundred times that amount today. Since this low key beginning over 40 years ago, the festival has always kept with it a peace-and-love hippy sensibility, despite catering for more mainstream tastes.

So after warming our festival boots in our home city with The Great Escape, and zooming off to Meadowlands it was lovely to see so many Bmusicers out and about at Worthy Farm sharing another weekend of bands, camping and adventures.

Now back at home we realise our festival boots are firmly on. Festivals are not confined to one location at a time, rather they are a lifestyle, a feeling carried by us to them, at them and lovingly back home again. All festivals showcase different talent as well as that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ of a something shared that we carry with us with feeling.
Catch up with the latest Bmusic adventures at www.facebook.com/BmusicTV
Words: Matthew Berryman

Sade Ali’s ‘trust fall’, pole dance & dougie

Two Thursdays ago I and a few friends had a night out in Shooshh! It was awesome! The vibe was good, everyone was just enjoying themselves and although it was packed and my drink lasted about five seconds on the dance floor, it was worth it. DJ Dubl was playing the freshest Afrobeats and the old school Bashment classics. Natalie was definitely getting up to her usual mischief again (you guys should know by now).

Steven was teaching everyone how to dougie and had to be saved from Natalie by the end of the night. Jamellah rocked out in a little green number and got a bit too camera happy by the look of her photo album the morning after, and I even saw Yaser bust a few moves. As goes for me, I attempted to pole dance in Yates before we went to Shooshh, I managed to light a cigarette the wrong way and spent the night thinking I could dance when, let’s face it, I can’t. And it is never a good idea to shout “I love Honey Club” when your clearly standing in the middle of the brand new club (I got a few funny looks after that one).

Farhad had a bit of an awkward moment when he fell over in the middle of the dance floor. He basically just trust falled the floor! (if you’re not sure what a trust fall is…’YouTube it’). I must say though it has to be one of the best nights out I have had in a very long time, although the hangover lasted two days.

I can most definitely say that I will be returning, hopefully next time a little less intoxicated. I remember walking past everyone I knew on the night and shouting “Off my nut” in a very chavvy accent – I’m really hoping some of you have done that? Well, I think I have exposed myself and my friends enough this week. Don’t worry, there’s always more to come. Peace out my fellow clubbers!

>DON’T MISS<

Boogie Wonderland
Groovy baby, yeah! Thursday night is the night for some seriously hot disco, groove, boogie and soul from America’s East Coast, from Philadelphia to New York. Welcome to the wonderland.
Green Door Store, Thursday 4 July, 11pm, Free

Juke Box Hero
You might have jumped into the DeLorean and activated the flux capacitor or it could just be Rob Sheppard taking you back to the ’80s right back to the future with some of the best hits from the last three decades.
Sidewinder, Saturday 6 July, 9pm, Free

Late Night
A midweek after-party? Who’da thunk it! Join the epic party that goes on from… well after dusk ‘til dawn. DJs keep you partying with some of the freshest tunes and bars are open even after 2am.
The Tube, Thursday 4 July, 2am–6am, £2

Thugf*****
Straight from the New York party scene, this successful underground pair come to Brighton to bring you one of the best house nights in the town. Not for the faint-hearted.
Smack, Friday 5 July, 11pm, £9/8/7

Brighton Noise

Andy Hinton on this week’s best gigs
I’ve started writing a preview of the wonderful US alt folk/Americana group Dark Dark Dark, playing at The Blind Tiger on Tuesday 23 July. It doesn’t seem long since they put on a wonderful performance in the decadent environs of the Proud Cabaret Ballroom. A wonderful performance marred by loads of people talking loudly all the way through their set. I noticed that the Latest 7’s club correspondent wrote a piece about club etiquette a while back. I’m not going to bother writing a long diatribe; very tall people standing at the front, people wearing large hats (okay, I’m not very tall but hats?), folk ‘watching’ a gig through a smart phone. All annoying but none of them touch incessant talking. Brighton’s Brakes once wrote a 38-second song about the very subject called ‘Hi, How Are You?’, the chorus, “Won’t you shut the f*** up I’m just trying watch the band”. Talkers, yes you! I suggest you find the tune on YouTube and pay attention or preferably just go to the pub instead.

It’s heading into festival season so that means less (big) gigs and probably more wittering from myself about hopefully things music related.

This week starts with a bang. An American band with the unique name of Scott and Charlene’s Wedding (the singer hails from Australia) are playing on Tuesday at The Green Door Store. Their music is that kind of lo-fi dead cool melodic indie-pop that New Yorker’s seem to do so well. “Evoking the spirit of The Cure at times, SACW play pop like we used to have ” says our writer Tim.

Classic reggae band Misty In Roots are at the Concorde 2 on Friday and Saturday sees the first of two old school hip-hop bands on reunion tours this week. The ridiculously influential Ultramagnetic MC’s are performing their Critical Beatdown album at the Concorde 2 on Saturday.

Monday sees a gig I’m particularly excited about. The brilliant Pharcyde have got back together after a particularly notorious breakup to play back to back one of the best hip-hop albums ever at The Haunt, Bizzare Ride II . This is sold out but if you can beg, borrow
or steal a ticket I urge you to go (if you like hip-hop that is).
More info at www.brightonnoise.co.uk