OFFICE FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT + CIEL + KINSELLA – THE BRASS, HASTINGS 28.1.22
The Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival is a renowned multi-venue event that takes place in the lead up to Mardi Gras (‘Fat Tuesday’). This traditional time for carnival and partying culminates the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of lent. A new element surrounding this year’s music festival is a monthly showcase of rising talent titled ‘Under the Radar’, hosted by broadcaster Melita Dennett from BBC Introducing in Sussex and Surrey. Tonight is the first of these, with further shows scheduled for 25th February and 25th March, and takes place in The Brass, a pub in Hastings town centre, not far from the railway station.
Doors open at 7.30pm, and the venue soon starts to fill. The bar is close to the entrance, creating a slight bottleneck, but once beyond there is a fairly sizeable stage area and dance floor, colourfully lit in a nightclub style. Host Melita’s passion for music shines through, opening proceedings with an infectious enthusiasm.
Tonight’s acts seem to have equal billing, and first on stage are The Office for Personal Development. As their name suggests, they are a concept rather than a mere band, combining the retro aesthetic of 1980s and 1990s corporate culture with the bizarre language of motivational coaching and management speak. The presentation is slickly delivered by ‘Director’ Trevor Deeble, over a musical backdrop that is suitably evocative of the era in question, with ‘Head of IT’ Del Querns and ‘Office Junior’ Bellza Moore launching disco-tinged synth pop from their respective work stations.
The office vibe is all pervasive. Set lists and effects pedals are stowed in open briefcases on stage. There are even pot plants next to the keyboard stations. Staff workwear consists of double-breasted suits with lime green ties to match the organisational branding. It is well worth visiting their website to check out this scarily convincing brand identity. As someone old enough to have fully participated in the world of work through the 1980s, I find it all mildly terrifying, but also tremendously funny and entertaining.
The Director, a folk music star in another life, is an engaging and charismatic presence. Vigorously animated, he bestrides the stage throwing power poses, and makes forays into the audience to bring the message up close and personal. His vocals are suitably drenched in effects. The Head of IT appears intently engaged in his task of launching swathes of retro synth, his demeanour brooking no distraction. This bearded figure is well known locally as the founder and CEO of Bexhill retail concern Music’s Not Dead. The Office Junior looks particularly convincing in her thick-rimmed specs and chalk stripe suit. Too youthful to be served alcohol, she is nonetheless eminently capable in her work, which includes deft keyboard operation and the supply of lush backing vocals. The Director quips that as the Office Junior, she works twice as hard for half the pay, a depressingly accurate pastiche of business reality.
Current single ‘You Are In Control’ is the standout number for me. A skittering machine beat underpins a deliciously delicate keyboard hook and a relentlessly upbeat stream of motivational phrases. Dreamy backing vocals and thick slabs of warm synth embellish the catchy chorus. It’s a thoroughly entertaining set, and at the end I feel moved to purchase something from their merch outlet. Though tempted by their branded office stationery of mugs and mouse mats, I settle for the gloriously useless souvenir of a 3.5 inch floppy disk, which apparently contains 90 seconds of music in an “ultra modern” mono MP3 format. Watch out for The Office for Personal Development. I suspect their motivational message will be widely distributed in the coming fiscal period, and may well become all-pervasive.
Office for Personal Development:
Trevor Deeble – Director (vocals, keyboards, guitar)
Del Querns – Head of IT (keyboards)
Bellza Moore – Office Junior (keyboards, vocals)
Office for Personal Development setlist:
‘Take Me Back’, ‘You Are In Control’, ‘Everything Is Going To Be OK’, ‘Love Me Again’, ‘Best Days Of Our Lives’, ‘Do It All Over Again’, ‘Invisible To Me’
Rising stars of the Brighton scene, CIEL have been extensively reviewed by my colleagues at the Brighton and Hove News, although it’s the first time I’ve seen them. A three-piece with bass, guitar and drums, they produce a dreamy alt pop that has hints of the shoegazing bands of the 1990s. The live experience is more dynamic and urgent than their videos and recorded output might suggest, propelled along by thumping toms and driving basslines played well up the neck. The guitar work flits between excitingly thrashy and expansively atmospheric.
Vocalist and bassist Michelle is Dutch. A clingy top with an op-art print emphasises her strikingly svelte frame, and she is a mesmeric presence, grooving on a lilac Precision whilst delivering high and lilting vocal lines. Guitarist Jorge, who is Spanish, utilises a broad sonic palette with the signal from his Fender Jaguar routed through an array of effects. He looks effortlessly cool with a bleached hairdo that appears to have mullet aspirations. Bearded drummer Tim keeps the more ethereal musical elements grounded with a brisk shuffle beat accented by powerful and precise fills.
The songs are interesting, and satisfyingly well written. There’s some variety too. For ‘Awake’, a more reflective piece, Michelle lays down her bass to elegantly prowl the stage whilst a whirlpool of decaying guitar effects swirls over a steady but insistent beat. From my point of view, they save the best until last with ‘The Shore’, its dreamy vocal floating languidly over an absolutely gorgeous chord progression. If you get a chance to catch CIEL live, I strongly recommend you check them out.
CIEL:
Michelle Hindricks – vocals, bass
Jorge Bela Jimenez – guitar
Tim Spencer – drums
CIEL setlist:
‘Back To The Feeling’, ‘Fine Everything’, ‘Baby Don’t U Know?’, ‘Awake’, ‘Far Away’, ‘Naked’, ‘The Shore’
You can find out more about CIEL here: linktr.ee/cielmusic
The final act of this evening is Hastings-based singer-songwriter Kinsella. She has a powerful and soulful voice, and well structured songs, delivered tonight by a backing band of guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. It’s contemporary pop, with a jazzy guitar feel and slightly funky rhythms. The house style seems to be to start sparse, with vocals and guitar, bringing the groove as the song progresses. It’s not a genre of music that I’m that familiar with, and I feel unqualified to offer much comment.
The only sensible comparison that comes to mind would be with Corinne Bailey Rae. It’s pleasant enough, and very well executed, and Kinsella clearly has her own fanbase in a large group of younger and predominantly female patrons with heavy makeup in the modern style. They have been waiting patiently through the previous acts, and seem to be enjoying the set immensely. I can quite see how, given a break and a bit of radio support, Kinsella’s music could become popular with a wider audience.
Kinsella setlist:
‘Sweet FA’, ‘Real Love’, medley: ‘Let Me Love You’/‘Location’/‘Erika Badu’/‘The Light’/‘Unconditional’/‘Running’, ‘Mr Big Stuff’, ‘The Weekend’, ‘Sober’, ‘BTMMC (Boy That Made Me Crazy)’
The Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival runs from Friday 25th February to Tuesday 1st March. More information, including the ‘Under The Radar’ showcases, can be found on the festival website: hastingsfattuesday.co.uk
