Brighton Noise

We’ve had a hurricane, tornadoes, droughts, and if mosquito bites are anything to go by, pestilence. Are we heading towards a biblical scale environmental collapse? Best catch one of these fantastic gigs while you can!

On Tuesday at Concorde2 is the wonderfully named The Growlers. It’s all abstract, cookie Americana. Which is what you’d expect really. Co-headliners are the ever-so-hot-right-now Fat White Family (who aren’t fat or related, incidentally). Support comes from Brighton’s favourite gothic grunge phenomenon The Wytches. Who are absolutely spiffing live, old chap, and deserve all the hype. Rock music eh? It’s mental.

There used to be a very strict line between rock and pop. You were one of us, or one of them. Not anymore. To prove that very point on Wednesday, at The Haunt, is Don Broco. They move like a hardcore band, dress like Lostprophets, but they sound like a Top Shop Nsync. Kids these days, eh, where’s the rebellion anymore?

On Friday is Edinburgh’s finest indie lifers Idlewild. They’re tearing up the shop with an acoustic set at The Old Market. The Scottish indie scene was a fruitful place to be, post-millennially, and no one would begrudge Idlewild as being the main catalysts for that. If there’s one thing you could level at Roddy Woomble and co it’s that they write fantastic songs. See Don Broco. You could try that next.

Also on Friday, it’s well old punks The Dickies at The Haunt. They’ve played about a hundred million gigs and are probably playing right now, this very moment, as you read this. They are that into it.

On Saturday AND on Sunday at Concorde2 is indie legends, Peel favourites, and all round UK guitar aristocracy (perhaps guitaristocracy?) The Wedding Present. If you go to a gig and watch the band with your hands in your pockets, you’re in for a treat. Joking aside, TWP are one of the last great forces for good in the universe and deserve their rarefied position. You don’t play consecutive nights for nothing, you know!

It really is turning out to be an elder-statesmen-of-indie week this week. At The Old Market On Monday is ex-Pavement cuddly surrealist Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks. So it’ll be ridiculous lyrics, expert lo-fi (if that’s not a contradiction in terms) and possibly a few classics chucked in for good measure.

– Chris Kusmiski