PORRIDGE RADIO + SPEED TRAINING – CHALK, BRIGHTON 18.11.21
The first time I saw tonight’s headliners Porridge Radio was at the last Great Escape new music festival two years ago. It was late on the Saturday night and I and a friend had decided to call it a night, but as is with the festival, we thought one more band before we get the train home. We looked at the schedule and saw that Porridge Radio were playing at The Green Door Store, I’d never heard of them before, but loved them that night and have been a fan ever since, seeing them live a few times since, the last time I think was supporting Mercury Rev at Komedia a couple of summers back.
Tonight was a homecoming show and the start of a tour that takes them up and down the UK through November and early December and their biggest show to date in Brighton, and you could tell how much the band enjoyed playing to the home crowd.
Support tonight came from South London/Belfast band Speed Training. who dropped their first ever song last month ‘Hot Wheels (On The Race Track)’. Check it out HERE.
This I think was only their 8th gig and I think they need some more time to get a more cohesive sound. I found them rather disjointed and they reminded me a bit of Black Midi with strange song structures and a lot of saxophone added to keyboard and guitar. I wish them well and they told me post show, they hope to be at the Great Escape next May.
Visit their ‘linktree’ HERE for more information.
Porridge Radio took to the CHALK stage at 8:30pm, and the four piece were joined on stage tonight by their friend Maria on violin, who added lovely layers to their sound. They played a twelve song set, mostly taken from their Mercury nominated album ‘Every Bad’, plus a few new songs.
The crowd were in a buoyant mood and you could tell how much it meant to singer and guitarist Dana Margolin, to be playing her hometown and to a near capacity crowd.
Standout songs were the singles ‘Lilac’ and ‘Sweet’ which really got the crowd singing along and sounded great live. They played a couple of new songs during the set which I also really enjoyed.
They saved the best till last, finishing the set with ‘Sweet’, which had the audience dancing and singing along. The show ended promptly at 9:40pm and the crowd left in a joyous mood, another great show by one of my favourite Brighton bands.
Porridge Radio are:
Dana Margolin (lead guitar)
Georgie Scott (keyboards)
Maddie Ryal (bass)
Sam Yardley (drums)
Porridge Radio setlist:
‘Homecoming’
‘Born Confused’
‘Lilac’
‘Splintered’
‘Circling’
‘Give/Take’
‘Good For You’
‘Long’
‘7 Seconds’
‘Water Slide’
‘Sweet’
Visit their Bandcamp page HERE and visit their website porridgeradio.com
