ART BRUT + SCARE TAXI – THE HAUNT, BRIGHTON 23.02.19
Can it really be 15 years since Art Brut released their debut single ‘Formed A Band’? And 6 years since they last played Brighton?
It can indeed, as that is the first thing singer Eddie Argos tells us after coming onstage. The first is simply the result of time’s arrow, but the 6 year gap comes from Eddie suffering a period of ill health and hospitalisation during which he nearly died. But now the band is back, with a set of new tunes inspired by Eddie’s hospital time, after Eddie’s mum (the band’s biggest fan) rang and told him that she’s been watching Jools Hollands’ TV show and seen Sleaford Mods and IDLES on it, meaning that “shouty indie music” is back.
For the uninitiated Art Brut are rather like classic era Pulp fronted by a stand up comedian – there are many breaks into anecdotes and satirical gags – whose vocal style (talking loudly over music) is summed up by the lyric “Yes, this is my singing voice, it’s not irony, it’s not rock ‘n’ roll… We’re just talking to the kids”. Or as Eddie admits tonight “…talking to people in their late 30s who still like indie music”. Their latest release is the album ‘Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out!’ which was released 23rd November last year via Alcopop! Records.
Tonight’s sold out crowd at The Haunt in Pool Valley, Brighton, is a refreshing mix of young and old, rather than just the usual men of a “certain age” (like me) who might have been expected. The gig is near the end of a sold out UK tour and Eddie is more effusive and manic than usual, if that’s possible, as they run through a mixed set of old and new tunes. The usual tactics are applied; call and response, Eddie “Art Brut?” Crowd “Top of the Pops!” Eddie “Tories?” Crowd “Out!” plus reverse stage invasions, audience sit downs and the monologue about encores being silly before the band crouch on the floor and pretend to have left the stage after the last song.
All in all a classic live band, whose personnel this evening was Eddie Argos, Ian Catskilkin, Freddy Feedback, Charlie Layton and Toby Macfarlaine.
Tonight’s setlist reads:
‘Formed a Band’, ‘My Little Brother’, ‘She Kissed Me (And It Felt Like a Hit)’, ‘Hospital!’, ‘Alcoholics Unanimous’, ‘Axl Rose’, ‘Summer Job’, ‘These Animal Menswear’ (with Alexander Boag from These Animal Men on additional guitar), ‘Arizona Bay’, ‘Kultfigur’, ‘Too Clever’, ‘Emily Kane’, ‘Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out!’, (first encore) ‘Hooray!’, ‘Bad Weekend’ / ‘Demons Out!’, ‘Post Soothing Out’, (second encore) ‘Modern Art’.
Find out more information about Art Brut HERE and listen to them HERE.
Support tonight came from relatively new Brighton band Scare Taxi featuring former These Animal Man Boag (who joined Art Brut on stage later) Tara Guitara and Deano – TAM being a teenage fave of Eddie Argos it turned out. Scare Taxi’s Trash Rock might have seemed an unusual combination with Art Brut’s Pulp-isms, but a great support set was played.
Find out more information about Scare Taxi HERE.
