Local concert promoters, JOY. have announced that their Ciel, Ralph TV, & Hanya gig at The Prince Albert in Brighton has had to change from 15th July to 10th August 2021 due to the current covid situation.
The Brighton & Hove News Music Team are certainly no strangers to Ciel and Hanya, having seen them both perform live and direct on several occasions. They are certainly well worth checking out!
So let’s meet the bands:
Ciel:
Ciel produces shoegaze style mellow dream-pop and we have seen them perform live six times so far: 19th December 2018, 23rd February 2019, 9th June 2019, 9th September 2019, 11th December 2019 and 17th January 2020.
So it’s fair to say that we have witnessed the evolution of the once solo project of Michelle Hindriks from The Netherlands. Michelle attended the BIMM musical school a few years ago and Brighton called her back and so in 2018 she decided to come and live here.
When we initially saw her, (on 19th December 2018), it was the first time as a four-piece band, thus it was their debut gig and in fact was Michelle’s very first performance in the UK. With a few line-up changes here and there along the way, they are now settled as a trio.
They have recently released ‘Pretty Face’, which was produced by Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles fame. Prior to that, they dropped ‘All My Life’ on 11th November 2020. Last year they also released their ‘Movement’ EP – Grab it HERE. Check out their work on Bandcamp HERE.
Brighton based quartet Ralph TV released their new single ‘4U’ on 23rd February 2021. To me, it has the uplifting feel of summer on the horizon and sounds not too distant to Prefab Sprout meets Japanese band The Fin. Vocalist and bassist Will explains: “This track is one where we’ve tried to encompass all of our elements into one. The funky side and the dreamy side working in tandem with each other.” He adds: “Even though we still record all of our tracks DIY style we have also consciously tried to make this one sound a bit more polished by focusing on developing our techniques and songwriting.” Check it out HERE.
‘4U’ follows on from their debut album ‘Cabin Fever Dreams’ last year. The band comprises Will Osborne (vocals/bass), Benjamin Brown (guitar/synth/vocals) and brothers Isaac Vopser (drums/vocals) and Luke Vopser (lead guitar/vocals).
They have also been known as Ralph’s World or RALPHSWRLD in the past but now Ralph TV is firmly in place.
They unleashed their debut self titled EP back on 12th January 2018. The EP contains 5 tracks that are singular and catchy. Mixing futuristic R’n’B with a lo-fi aesthetic they create a soothing combination of pop music and the avant-garde. This was a much-welcomed follow up to the cozy, warm, tones of single ‘Homebody’. Listen to/order the EP HERE.
Check out Ralph TV’s music on their Soundcloud page HERE.
Another band that the Brighton & Hove News Music Team have witnessed live on several occasions are Hanya. The first occasion was on 12th February 2018 and then followed by 25th November 2018, 14th September 2019, 30th October 2019 and 17th January 2020.
They were conceived above LazerZone in Brighton are the brainchild of Heather on vocals/guitar and Jack Watkins on drums. They specialise in their own unique style of garage rock and shoegaze.
On 27th October 2018, they dropped their debut 5 track EP ‘I Used To Love You, Now I Don’t’. This was followed a year later by the track ‘Dream Wife’, which then became the lead track for their 4 tune ‘Sea Shoes’ EP. Last August saw the arrival of ‘Texas’ and then on 17th November they released ‘Monochrome’, which I loved so much, that I played it for many hours on end! It sounded like the natural follow-up to The Sundays ‘Here’s Where The Story Ends’. It’s a truly fabulous work of art – It’s so good that it hurts! Last month they dropped ‘Lydia’ – Purchase it HERE.
Hanya will also be performing live in Brighton at The Hope & Ruin on Wednesday 10th November 2021. Purchase your tickets HERE, HERE or from Resident music.
Check out the Hanya releases on their Bandcamp page HERE and visit their website HERE.
Tickets for Ciel, Ralph TV, Hanya 10th August 2021 gig can be purchased HERE or from your usual ticket agency.
