Entertainment – Joe Fuller: Two gig picks: melodic post-hardcore and sex & cross dressing in subversive opera

One exciting thing when listening to the brilliant ‘Imposter’ on IT IT ANITA’s Bandcamp page is that it sounds like Touché Amoré, who put on one of the best rock gigs that I’ve ever seen in Brighton There are more dirgy, noisier elements too, taking clear cues from Sonic Youth and Pavement.

The Belgian band played The Great Escape last year, plonking their drumkit in the middle of the crowd and the noisy and ferocious set was one of the most memorable of the weekend. ‘L’Invention Du Chien’ is a more feedback-focused drone song reminiscent of Boris with a poppier vocal not a million miles away from Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard. We can therefore expect a gig with multiple moods and tones to keep the atmosphere fresh and invigorating.

Alcina bewitches young men with magic mushrooms

Later next week we have a psychedelic reimagining of Handel’s opera Alcina, translated into English. I saw Glyndebourne’s stunning Saul production last year and can’t wait to hear the ever-melodic Handel performed live by the exciting Brighton based opera company Opera Alumnus.

Saskia Wesnigk-Wood is directing this production, set in Mexico, 1965, which sees Alcina bewitch young men with magic mushrooms. The men are fleeing being drafted into the Vietnam War and witch-woman Alcina gets into some romantic scrapes that I won’t spoil here.

I’m hugely excited by this production: regular readers will know I love anything that tries to bridge the pop/classical divide, and sex and drugs might do the trick. Regardless, Handel’s music is always beautiful, and the tickets are astonishingly cheap to boot.

IT IT ANITA, Latest Music Bar, Tues 15 Nov, 7pm, £5
Alcina, St George’s Church, Thurs 17–Sat 19 Nov, 7.30pm, £12