Brighton after dark: 11 February 2014

Sade Ali shares her dos and don’ts of clubbing

It’s coming to the end of winter and nightlife is nearly at its prime in Brighton. The weekends are spent with you and your friends living it up, but once you get inside your favourite clubs there are some things that you should know before hitting the dance floor.

DO: Look like you’re enjoying it
Confidence is key when getting into a club. A smile and a giggle here and there go a long way. It shows that you aren’t taking yourself too seriously and you are enjoying yourself and your company. Confidence is one of the most attractive things about a person. Just make sure it doesn’t seem like you are laughing at whoever you’re dancing with.

DON’T: Not dance on the dance floor
If you are trying to get the attention of your friend, tell a story to a girl or guy you’re interested in, or just straight up don’t want to dance, get off the dance floor. Do not be that person who stands with their friends and ends up rejecting an offer to dance by saying “I don’t really dance.” If you are on the dance floor, you’d better be ready to start moving.

DO: Feel the rhythm and stay in the box
Front to back, side to side, a little bit of ‘dutty wining’ and you should be fine. Nothing too extravagant and no one is going to question you. Also if you can’t dance, just stick to the two step. Imagine a box on the floor and just keep moving your arms, feet and the rest of your body inside it.

DON’T: Overuse one part of your body
If people are confusing you for Mr Bean, or walking past you either imitating or laughing at you, you are doing something wrong. Too much arm, too much leg, or too much hip gyrating can ruin a perfectly good dance.

DO: Keep good spacing
Space is so important. When dancing with the opposite gender you have to know how much space to have between you both. The first time you dance together is not a good time to be touching groins. Depending on the type of dancing will determine the space, but you should know in the first few seconds what is appropriate and what is not. Also grinding to Justin Bieber is never really a good look.

DON’T: Pull out the dance moves that were funny in infant school!
Thanks for your concern, but the dance floor doesn’t need to be ‘wormed’ and it isn’t offering anything to throw in your imaginary shopping cart. Yes, pretending to mow the lawn or do breast stroke in time with the beat can be funny at first, but can get real annoying in a matter of seconds.

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Brighton Noise

Alastair Reid on this week’s best gigs

The phrase “a hard act to follow” is often used to describe upstart support acts or rising stars in local scenes, but the dark, personal romanticism of Anna Calvi’s music, on Tuesday at All Saint’s Church, may as well send the rest of the week sulking and sobbing back to their practice rooms.

Calvi is classically trained and refused to sing until her mid-twenties but has proven to be a prodigious talent. Inspired by Nina Simone, Captain Beefheart, David Bowie, Gus Van Sant and David Byrne, among others. David Byrne provided backing vocals on her critically-acclaimed, eponymous debut and last year’s follow up, One Breath, was produced by the ever-ambitious John Congleton to similar plaudits. Composer Anna Meredith and Woman’s Hour support.

For a thematically similar but rawer, less polished performance, Della Lupa is at the Latest Musicbar. Steph Brown and her band hold a likeness to Calvi in their sultry and experimental nature, this time piano-led over guitar, but have yet to reach such accomplished heights as their competition on the night. Half the price though, whether that is testament to their talent or Calvi’s is up to you.

After a couple of days off – unless you want to see Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish and The Defiled (don’t) – Parquet Courts are the pick for Friday at the Concorde. The Brooklyn three piece were the toast of last year’s Great Escape and have continued apace following last year’s Light Up Gold. Live performances of their psych-stoner punk grooves regularly receive rave reviews.

The other choice is Fat White Family at The Hope, a talented group of young, drunk, doped-up, depraved and disturbing Londoners. Certain bands like to channel a ’70s, squatter chic, but if reports are to be believed this six-piece live it, the full baggy-eyed, hollow-cheeked, gap-toothed affair. Debut album Champagne Holocaust is regularly described as staggering between genres while still sounding coherent, an apt analogy for the whole act. How they manage to pull it off we have no idea, guess you’ll have to go find out.

On Saturday, masterful local songstress Dog In The Snow is at the Brunswick – like a delicately European St. Vincent – while I’m Being Good get dirty at the Cowley Club with their experimental stoner rock. Paws, Scotland’s favourite punk rock sons, return on Monday at Sticky Mike’s. I’m exhausted just thinking about it all.