Well this is a bit of a result, as this afternoon Brighton’s finest up-and-coming act, Shady Baby, have announced that they will be headlining at the Green Door Store on Friday 10th February and that it will be free entry! Doors swing open at 7pm and the support acts will be announced in due course.
Brighton & Hove News know how fab Shady Baby are having witnessed them in action over the past few months and so would recommend punters head on down to the venue located at Unit 2, 3, & 4 Trafalgar Arches, Lower Goods Yard, Brighton Train Station, Brighton, nice and early in order to secure entry.
We reviewed Shady Baby back in November at the same venue. This is what we said…..
Act three of the night was indie-rock/punk newcomers Shady Baby who we recently witnessed here at the Green Door Store for day two of their annual ‘234 Fest’ – Review HERE.
The outfit consists of Brighton-based Sam Leaver and his old childhood friend Laurie Debnam, with Nick Varnava and Tom Jackson completing the line-up. Sam is on lead vocals and plays Epiphone guitar, Laurie’s on Fender guitar, Nick is in charge of an Ibanez Mikro (which is perfect for young rockers, or as Nick put it to me “it’s a bass for kids”, but don’t be filled by that, it certainly packs power), and finally Tom can be found sitting to the rear behind moa moa’s drumkit, which is used by all four acts this evening. This greatly helps with a rapid turnover!
They entertained the full room for 32 minutes (from 9:19pm to 9:51pm) and let loose on eight exciting numbers. I reckon that this is now about their eleventh or twelfth performance, but they seem so tight already. They must practice quite a bit, or maybe they just have “it”.
From the very first notes of tune one (‘Starting To Slip’), they showed the punters exactly what they were all about. Tune two, ‘Lonely Town’ – the B-side of their new ‘Come To Life’ 7” single, that I incidentally purchased tonight for £8 from the band – sees Sam’s vocals mimicking a Heartbreakers and Stooges American punk slur, which is most pleasing. I wasn’t the only person present to think this. Track three was ‘Feel It Too’ and this continues with the retro 1970’s US punk vibe. It was here that I was thinking to myself, that these lads really do need to apply to play Rebellion 2023 in Blackpool, as they would go down a storm.
Laurie was flitting between his Fender guitar and his Squier guitar for the performance, but the Squier’s strap had given way and he was forced to sit on the stage and play it. Sam’s Epiphone guitar strap also gave him problems as well, but the lads weren’t phased and carried on! Sh*t happens…move on!
Shady Baby are a fab band and it’s no wonder that they have already picked up support and airplay from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and Radio X. I have a good vibe for these lads as they are certainly showing promise.
Halfway in the set, for tunes four and five, they took things to a smoother level with ‘All Too Late’ and ‘Master Of None’. Their ‘Come To Life’ single got an airing next, and I was thinking that although it’s a single, for me personally it’s far from their best track. They closed with ‘Held In’ and ‘Let It Slide’, both of which are epic and remind me of THUMPER. Something that I conveyed to members of Shady Baby after their set. They were most pleased! The all out punk of the guitars and drums on ‘Let It Slide’ was my highlight of the night. At 9:51pm they had done their bit and were rewarded with very loud applause from the packed room! Job done lads!
