MILLIE MANDERS & THE SHUTUP + JØRA THE FØRTUNETELLER – THE BRUNSWICK, HOVE 10.12.21
It’s wonderful to see promoters and bands making use of some of the great venues we have here in Hove, rather than plumping for the usual suspects around central Brighton. The Brunswick has two stages, one in the cellar bar, which is excellent for intimate affairs with its low ceiling and tight space. While upstairs, where we are this evening, it is a lot more spacious with a good-sized stage and room for around 130 punters.
Millie Manders And The Shutup arrive here as part of their ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ Autumn tour, this being the 23rd show of 26.
Openers come in the form of Norwich rock band Jøra The Førtuneteller, it’s not a name that slips off the tongue easily, but they come here as the sole support for the entire tour and certainly have MMATSU backing, and it doesn’t take me long to see why.
Jøra The Førtuneteller are one of those bands that look nothing like they sound, I was expecting a little indie-pop, but these guys rock a lot harder than their looks. They deliver a cross between alt-rock and indie with stabs of hardcore guitar thrashing throughout their 30-minute set. These are indeed a band to keep your eye on in the future, and they’re certainly not unknown here as there’s a large group of girls at the front who are singing along to every word in sheer ecstasy.
Highlights for me were Invincible, a rather rocking cover of The Beatles, ‘Come Together’ and the set closer ‘Venus, Vidi, Vici’. Jøra The Førtuneteller are another reason to get to shows early and give the support bands a listen as you never know what you might be missing.
Jøra The Førtuneteller setlist:
‘Skins’
‘Invincible’
‘Oxytocin’
‘Come Together’
‘Do It Again’
‘Venus, Vidi, Vici’
Listen to the band’s material HERE.
It’s a quick turnover between sets, and just after 9pm Millie Manders And The Shutup hit The Brunswick stage, opening with the skanking ‘Right To Life’ from 2018’s ‘Shutup’ EP. It’s been a few years since I last witnessed the delights of MMATSU back at Camden Rocks Festival in June of 2019, and I’d forgotten just how much energy Millie and the gang bring with them as they take us on a ride of delicious ska-punk numbers.
These nuggets aren’t just vapid, empty vessels but deliver a social awareness in the lyrics covering anxiety, loss, political unrest and the environment. Hell, they’ve even removed all unwanted plastics from their merch too!
2020’s album ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ debut has added even more ammo to the show, with ‘Your Story’, ‘Broken Record’ and ‘Panic’ being real crowd-pleasers in a live setting and some of the highlights of the set along with the beautiful ‘Glitter Mix’ and my favourite of the night ‘Not Okay’, a fantastic blast of ska-punk-pop and catchy as f**k.
If you’re a fan of the likes of The Interrupters and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones or want a cracking night out, then get down and check out a Millie Manders And The Shutup show, you won’t be disappointed, and you’ll go home singing with a smile across your face.
Millie Manders And The Shutup setlist:
‘Right To Life’
‘Obsession Transgression’
‘Bacchus’
‘Your Story’
‘Broken Record’
‘Here We Go Again’
‘Panic’
‘Poor Man’s Show’
‘Sweet Melody’
‘Not Okay’
‘Burnout’
‘Silent Screams’
‘Bitter’
(encore)
‘Glitter Mix’
‘One That Got Away’
Check out their Bandcamp page HERE and find them on YouTube HERE.
Further info can be found at millie-manders.com
