POLITE BUREAUX + CHRISTIAN LE SURF + JOSH LUCK – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 9.4.24
Tonight it finally happened! I actually got to witness a live set from Polite Bureaux having previously, over the past six months or so, been invited to ‘their’ gigs in and around Brighton, including The Hope & Ruin, Green Door Store and at Alphabet for the opening night of ‘Paradise Noir’ club night on 27th October 2023. As ever there is always a clash of concerts to go to in Brighton and somehow this evening at The Prince Albert is ‘shamefully’ my debut encounter with this rising Brighton based (via Bradford) exciting new outfit.
Polite Bureaux has been a name that has been bandied about the local music scene for nearly two years now and a number of folk who know me, including wonderful local duo Fruity Water, who have shared the bill with Polite Bureaux at The Rossi Bar as far as I can recall, have told me to go and check them out as I would enjoy them. Tonight I will decide if they are indeed correct!
Polite Bureaux are making waves not just here in Brighton but further afield and have already attracted the attention of Dublin-based avant-punk project Meryl Streek, who snapped up Polite Bureaux as support act for several shows back in February. Polite Bureaux is the brainchild of one Joseph Smith (Joe to his close mates) and he has been putting all of his energy into the project and on 14th March he dropped his confronting titled 12 track debut longer-player, ‘C*NT MONDAY’, which actually features Meryl Streek on one of the tracks. He also had the assistance of his sister Maya Lili and friend Viv Maher, both of whom are on The Prince Albert stage this evening with Joseph. Maya is taking care of the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A49 synth (which is shamefully far too low down in the mix for me, grrrr), the laptop and excellent backing vocals (when required) and Viv is on the Fender Mustang bass. Completing the live quartet is standing drummer Connor Griffiths, who seriously looks the absolute part and reminds me of the sadly departed George Kamm, the founder of Hohokam, who were reigning big in the 1984 to 1986 period on the account of being signed to Gary Numan’s ‘Numa’ label and touring with him.
As you would expect, Joseph is out front on speak-singing style lead vocals for the duration of their relatively short 32 minute, 10 tune set, which ran from 10:02pm to 10:34pm. It immediately becomes apparent that Joseph isn’t a local lad as his West Yorkshire accent shines through when delivering his rants about life around him. However the family background is of Irish and Filipino Malay roots, and I believe tonight’s quartet all have some Irish roots.
They open with the first of nine cuts from the new album, this being ‘Body Rocker Remix KP’, which sees Joseph immediately absorb himself into the world of Polite Bureaux, via his excessive shoulder bouncing and unusual sideways stance. It’s like turning a light on and immediately Joseph is now ‘PB’. Local duo SNAYX are exactly the same. Talk to Charlie or Ollie seconds before they go on stage and they are different people, but up on stage, they take on an altogether different persona. This opening number immediately gets across one of Joseph’s influences, this being The Prodigy, especially so on the account of Connor’s drumming.
Tune two is the album title track, ‘C*nt Monday’ which is a great dance number, for which Joseph delivers his shaking vocal style, with it’s repeated “C*nt in the white Teslaaaarrr” line. If this were to get into secondary school playgrounds throughout the land, it would be the go to chant of choice! The rappy styled shuffling beat of the unreleased ‘Taylor Mift’ is next in which Joseph repeats phrases starting with the word “Universal”, delineating the perils of the music industry. The faster ‘Dollars And Dimes’ is another example of a PB song not outstaying its welcome. Joseph’s material gets to the point, he says it how he sees it which is refreshingly honest, and is quite possibly a reflection of his dyslexia.
Next up is ‘Dirty Tw*t’ with its initially slower chugging durrrty EBM beat, which then goes into overdrive via Connor’s metronomic drumming, and Maya takes to the backing vocals for the first time, her sound is very good indeed! It’s here that I made a note that this track would go down a storm at Britain’s premier punk festival, ‘Rebellion’ in Blackpool. This being the new younger sound of punk, with its update of John Cooper Clarke infused lyrics with Joy Division bass and keys and then some. I mean Bob Vylan has played there so why not PB? They certainly have the look! In fact, going along similar “new punk” lines, we are next given ‘Uamelon’, with its “I’m a Saint” line which is arguably their modern take on The Streets meets the Sleaford Mods. During this tune Joseph reminds me of a young version of fellow Yorkshireman Adrian Flanagan (from Sheffield), who goes by the moniker of Acid Klaus. Both arguably absorb the rave culture, Underworld et al, but internally there’s the “sod what you think, I’m gonna say what I like punk/Yorkshire/Harvey Smith/Geoff Boycott ethics”. This more than any other tune tonight has a Beastie Boys hip-hop vibe. The drumming is well to the fore and the keys are sadly inaudible.
‘Stink’ with its “Ring a Ring o’ Roses” lyrics is now given to us and this very much is coming at me from the world of Pop Will Eat Itself vs Utah Saints, with a heavy dose of ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ (The Prodigy) and Viv’s bass heads on into Killing Joke territory. The room is filled to capacity and they get on board with every tune, especially this one! It’s quite amazing that the depth of sound is coming at us with just four people on stage! After ‘BodyRocker’ the aforementioned Underworld, comes to the fore on ‘Scratchcard’, which wonderfully borrows from ‘Rez’, now there’s a classic! They reference the Bradford Spur motorway which is the 3-mile stretch of motorway known as the M606. This was my choice track of the set, but only just!. The M606 is referenced again for closing number ‘Broke Biscuits’ where Joseph delivers “People like me, people like you” lyrics which tonight sounds not a million miles from Jarvis Cocker and musically it reminds me of ‘Love Is Everywhere’ by Cicero. This has been a short, but sweet….in fact VERY sweet set, and one I will want to witness again and again. See what I mean by checking out PB’s Bandcamp page HERE.
Polite Bureaux:
Joseph Smith – vocals
Maya Lili – synth, backing vocals
Viv Maher – bass
Connor Griffiths – drums, drumpads
Polite Bureaux setlist:
‘Body Rocker Remix KP’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘C*nt Monday’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘Taylor Mift’ (unreleased)
‘Dollars And Dimes’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘Dirty Tw*t’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘Uamelon’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘Stink’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘BodyRocker’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘Scratchcard’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
‘Broke Biscuits’ (from 2024 ‘C*nt Monday’ album)
The second of the two support acts this evening was Christian Le Surf who is an “Angmering-based experimental pop musician combining obscure textures with serene melodies”. Tonight he is aided by a quartet of chums, these being Ben Douglas (electric guitar), Billy Finneran (Epiphone bass), Ewan Waters (electric guitar) and Daniel King (drums) and Christian is on lead vocals and Squier electric guitar. We are given a taster six tune 28 minute set which runs from 9:04pm to 9:32pm.
This evening’s dress code memo must have read “hats” as they are initially all sporting various types of headgear for the occasion, as a sign of unification no doubt. Not that they actually needed it, as together they play as a very tight unit indeed. They kick off with ‘Irene’ which is taken from Christian’s 2019 ‘Asleep On The Back Benches’ EP and has a real Tom Petty vibe going down and so vastly musically different to headliners Polite Bureaux, but is another case of local young lad ploughing his own furrow and making good headway. Song two is ‘Hopeless Building’ which is found on last year’s ‘The King’s Meadow’ EP. This has a real lost 1970’s style vocal delivery not often heard these days. It also features a fancy guitar break from Christian as well. For me this is more tuneful than the opener, but it’s already evident from Christian’s demeanour that he is a very likeable lad who is seriously into his, and others music, having informed us that he has already seen Polite Bureaux play live 10 times! Lucky chap!
We are next served a couple of currently unreleased numbers, the first of which being ‘I Wish You Hell’, which Christian signals is a taster from his forthcoming new album. Well if this is a taster from his forthcoming album, then the future looks very bright indeed, it’s quality radio friendly work with real potential and his best yet. I loved his truly energetic vocal delivery. This track then segued straight into ‘Post-Innocent’, the second of the two unreleased tunes. This had a similar sound and the guitar work certainly shone through. Halfway through this powerful rockin’ number Christian individually introduces his bandmates, before they head on back into the track.
Tonight’s penultimate selection was ‘Happy Static Endings’ as found on his 2019 ‘Asleep On The Back Benches’ EP. A tune which Christian informs us that they haven’t played live for a number of years, but now it’s been reworked. The quintet were rather solid during this track, so they must have been rehearsing like mad. It reminded me of the band Embrace. Christian and his chums signed off with his 2017 standalone single ‘Sex & Violence’, which featured a shuffling drums pattern and a plinky guitar sound with Christian’s solid vocals atop. I strongly suspect my colleague Mark Kelly would very much appreciate this set. It has been an enjoyable listen for me and you can decide yourself by finding your way to Christian’s Bandcamp page HERE.
Christian Le Surf:
Christian Le Surf – vocals, electric guitar
Ben Douglas – electric guitar
Billy Finneran – bass guitar
Ewan Waters – electric guitar
Daniel King – drums
Christian Le Surf setlist:
‘Irene’ (from 2019 ‘Asleep On The Back Benches’ EP)
‘Hopeless Building’ (from 2023 ‘The King’s Meadow’ EP)
‘I Wish You Hell’ (unreleased)
‘Post-Innocent’ (unreleased)
‘Happy Static Endings’ (from 2019 ‘Asleep On The Back Benches’ EP)
‘Sex & Violence’ (2017 standalone single)
linktr.ee/christianlesurfmusic
Opening up the night with a 23 minute half dozen song set from 8:19pm to 8:42pm was alternative punk lyricist Josh Luck who informs us that he writes songs that he likes, well that’s good then! Josh is on vocals and is joined by his mate Inky McKay on laptop and thus you have the similarities of the Sleaford Mods, but a younger version. They kick off with a couple of tunes, ‘Alcohol Changes Me’
and ‘Dog Attack’ with the second being the choice of the two. There’s grime and drum ‘n’ bass here in the mix. Song three is last year’s ‘48’ single which was penned about “the worst bus in Brighton”, which runs from Churchill Square to the last stop at School, Bevendean. This track has a punky vibe and after its conclusion Inky vacates the stage and Josh is joined by Louie on Fender guitar for ‘She Said’. Josh himself straps on a Tanglewood acoustic guitar for this much slower tune, which doesn’t have a backing track like all the others. I guess this highlights Josh’s versatility in offering up differing genres.
However it was back to normal after this as Louie vacates the stage, and Inky makes a return. Josh proudly boasts that he has been “99 days sober”, which is treated with enthusiastic applause. Citing that he was sick of not remembering what had happened during his drunken nights out in town…cue ‘I Don’t Know’. Josh signed off with a talky rap tune that he tells us he is going to release really soon and that it started as a poem and it’s titled ‘Liquid Anguish’ and it’s about hypocrisy. Not all of Josh’s material is about deeper subjects, sometimes he produces a light-hearted outlook on things, in particular his tune ‘I Watched The Neighbour’s Cat Have A Shit In My Garden’, which surely Splodgenessabounds need to investigate and add to their ‘Michael Booth’s Talking Bum’ and ‘Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps Please’ repertoire. The punters really enjoyed Josh’s geezer set, but I’m not totally a fan of singing atop of your recorded material and leaving the original vocals on the backing track. Having said that, I was a massive fan of Divine. Check out Josh’s tunes on his Spotify page HERE.
Josh Luck:
Josh Luck – vocals, acoustic guitar
Louie Parsons – guitar
Inky McKay – laptop
Josh Luck setlist:
‘Alcohol Changes Me’
‘Dog Attack’
’48’
‘She Said’
‘I Don’t Know’
‘Liquid Anguish’
