This year more than ever before there were a whole host of (mainly free entry) Unofficial Escape events going on at the same time as The Great Escape throughout Brighton & Hove and our team were out in force. These took place at numerous venues of varying sizes from Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th May. There are far too many acts to cover in just one article, so we have split them up in date order. This article refers to artists that the Brighton & Hove News team covered only on Thursday 16th May, along with the venue and planned time of the performance. Part 2 on the acts that performed on Friday 17th May is available HERE and Part 3 for those on Saturday 18th May is available HERE.
Here’s our Unofficial Great Escape reviews for Thursday 16th May….Enjoy!
THURSDAY 16th MAY:
HONK – Daltons 14:00 – 14:30
(Alternative Escape – Acid Box + Abyss Brewing Superfuzz Weekender)
Honk are (according to their Bandcamp page) a “trash can country” band from Manchester. They’re a five piece consisting of a vocalist, a lap steel player, a guitarist, a drummer, and a keyboard player. There is no bassist. However, they have had a bassist. There is photographic evidence on their aforementioned Bandcamp page. However, she ain’t here today. Where is that very bass player? Hopefully this is a vexing mystery that one day we will get to the bottom of. However, the band get on remarkably well without her, although every band needs a bass player. As a bass player myself I know this to be one of life’s irrefutable truths. Look at The White Stripes. Whatever happened to them eh? Anyway, what is this trash can country music? I have described it in my notes somewhat less poetically as “punked up country rock”, and if this music was in a tin, that’s what the label would say. There’s a lot more to recommend this band. The vocals have a slight edge of distortion, which quite frankly sounds great! Also this is the first time that I’ve seen a lap steel player playing standing up with their instrument hanging from a guitar strap rather than being on a stand, which is clearly very exciting. I’m not actively promoting this band’s Bandcamp page, but if it has been kept up to date, their next gig is in Manchester on 28th August, which honestly is neither use nor ornament to anyone living in Brighton and its environs. When will the band play dahn saaf again, and will they bring their bassist??? Only time will tell.
(Mark Kelly)
SHADY BABY – The Font 14:15 – 14:45
(Alternative Escape – The Brighton Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus 2)
Taking a quick diversion from the official escape proceedings, I just had to go and catch Brighton based Shady Baby who were taking part in ‘The Brighton Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus 2’ at The Font. I have had the pleasure of catching this band several times around the city and today marks a bit of a return for them after far too long away. I cannot lie; I utterly love their sound, angst ridden indie garage rock, full of energy, mean bass work and proper thundering drums. Lead vocalist and guitarist Sam Leaver believe it or not was literally playing this quick 6 song set whilst on his work lunch break, I hope he managed to get some food afterwards. Talking with drummer Tom Jackson and bass player Nick Varnava afterwards, I was very happy to hear a new EP may with us very soon, which will sit nicely with their debut double A side single ‘Come To Life’/’Lonely Town’ which you still can get on Bandcamp if you are quick. When Shady Baby next play Brighton you need to get yourself down, I only ever hear positive comments from the audiences and am sure they are only going upwards.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
DAISY VEACOCK – 1Up Café 15:00 – 15:30
(Alternative Escape – Turtle Tempo’s GR8 ESC)
The Alternative Escape makes use of venues around the city not normally associated with live music. One of these was 1Up Café in Western Road. The first artist I caught there was Daisy Veacock, a solo artist from London playing her first show in Brighton. Daisy mixed jazz and pop with her songs from personal experiences, such as underage drinking, first dates and giving relationship advice to friends. She and her songs had an infectious sense of fun, notably ‘Who’s George?’ about a friend’s bad dating experiences with somebody called George. Daisy closed her entertaining set with her breakthrough single ‘Pickle Juice’. Definitely an artist to watch based on her Brighton debut.
(Peter Greenfield)
COCO AND THE LOST – 1Up Café 15:45 – 16:15
(Alternative Escape -Turtle Tempo’s GR8 ESC)
Having seen Coco and The Lost a few times over the last year or so, I was very impressed by how they adapted their set to playing in the corner of a Hove café. Their stripped back set had a beautiful relaxed, laid-back feel. Connor’s drums even had tea-towels on them so the sound fitted the mood. While Coco had to hold back on her theatrical stage movements in this setting, her vocals really shone, especially adding emotional vulnerability in ‘Communicator’. She explained how her latest release ‘Goodnight’ was written listening to Sparks, which showed in both her vocals and musically. We were also treated to new unreleased new material like the softer song ‘Looks Like Now’. With their stripped-back show and new material, I was impressed with this other side of Coco and The Lost. There was a teaser about a special launch show coming up in London. Hopefully they’ll repeat that show back in Brighton.
(Peter Greenfield)
SLATE – The Black Lion 16:00 – 16:30
(Alternative Escape – Smithereen Takeover Brighton 2024)
The first thing I notice about Slate is that their bass player Lauren Edwards is wearing a Kelly’s Records T-shirt. Naturally I need to enquire about this. Apparently it is a record shop in Cardiff. I was completely unaware that I owned a record shop in Cardiff, or anywhere else for that matter. As soon as I finish writing these reviews, I shall zip down to Cardiff to claim what is rightfully mine. However, back to the matter in hand. In addition to Lauren, Slate comprise Jack Shepherd on vocals, Elis Penri on guitar and Raychi Bryant on drums and synth. The intro to the first song is very atmospheric. There are some very clean guitar notes which are reminiscent of an Ennio Morricone composition. However, the most noticeable influence here is Joy Division and New Order, especially with regard to the rhythm section. There is certainly a lot of Peter Hook in Lauren’s playing. She is already showing signs of being a lead bassist! Raychi Bryant is a pulverisingly powerful drummer. However, the band in general have a finely tuned sense of dynamics: powerfully loud one moment, quietly delicate the next. They have an EP out the day after this gig called ‘Deathless’, and play some of the songs from it here. They don’t just make music, they produce art. An example being when Jack reads lyrics from a notebook before the beginning of one song. They sound like poetry rather than song lyrics. Slate are a hugely exciting band. They play Brixton Windmill on 5th June. I know where I’m going to be.
(Mark Kelly)
BERNARD BUTLER – The Black Lion 17:00 – 17:30
(Alternative Escape – Smithereen Takeover Brighton 2024)
The Black Lion had been pretty rammed for Slate’s set, and even more people crammed themselves in before the next act took the stage. If anyone was puzzled as to why the venue was so crowded, the mystery must surely have been solved when Bernard Butler walked through the back door of the pub, carrying two guitars and looking a wee bit harassed. Any sign of harassment disappeared once he was onstage with a guitar strapped around his neck, which I guess is his natural sense of being. Also, never mind starting on time, Bernard starts ten minutes early, which is most impressive. He starts on acoustic guitar. The early songs of his set are from his as yet unreleased album ‘Good Grief’, which is his first solo album for twenty-five years. However, as I’m sure you all know, he has been quite busy for the past quarter century. Some of the songs played are quite Dylanesque, which I certainly don’t have a problem with. Bernard is clearly in a good mood as he indulges in some witty banter throughout the set. This is a very intimate gig, it’s a bit like having him play in your living room. ‘Camber Sands’ is the opening track from ‘Good Grief’, and is the first single to be released from the album. It sounds great in the pub! Apparently on the way here Bernard bumped into a guy who is a former guitar pupil of his, and now is an A&R man. Bernard pretends (possibly…) to be horrified, and dedicates ‘Living The Dream’ from the new album to him. It’s easy to forget how good a vocalist Bernard is. Nobody can forget how good a guitarist he is though, both on acoustic and electric, which he demonstrates as he switches to a Gibson 335 electric. The next song is not from his new album, but is the title track from his debut solo album ‘People Move On’. Bernard doesn’t appear to be playing from a setlist, rather he’s just playing songs on spec, soloing and playing rhythm simultaneously. Honestly, it’s beyond impressive, and he makes it look so easy! Apparently Bernard was recording this morning, and he says that it f*cks his head up to be playing live this afternoon. He seems to make light work of it if that’s the case. You know, with the right career guidance, I feel that this boy could go far. ‘Good Grief’ is scheduled for release on 31st May. Bernard plays an in-store show at Brighton’s Resident Records on 4th June, for which tickets are still available as I write, and there are still tickets left for his show at St Matthias Church in Stoke Newington, London, on 7th June. Otherwise he tours the UK until 28th June, with some additional shows in October.
(Mark Kelly)
MOON IDLE – Grand Central 17:00 – 17:30
(Alternative Escape – Rain Dog Presents)
Moon Idle’s captivating performance upstairs at Grand Central was one of my highlights of the weekend. Their set started with Singer Quilla Robinson’s soft vocals and twinkling keys. Her enchanting ethereal voice shone throughout Moon Idle’s set, and reminded me at times of The Sundays Harriet Wheeler. The band’s trip-hop and dream pop influenced tunes created some stunning rich layered soundscapes, especially on ‘Make Up’. Their experimental side added a freshness to their sound. Moon Idle’s sound grew through their set with Quilla’s vocals soaring to match the music. Their closing number ‘Delay Me’ was almost an indie rock track compared to the gentle opening. This Brighton band are undoubtedly one’s to watch.
(Peter Greenfield)
ALIEN CHICKS – The Black Lion 18:00 – 18:30
(Alternative Escape – Smithereen Takeover Brighton 2024)
I’m now camped out at The Black Lion for a trio of acts, the first of which is Alien Chicks who are a post-punk trio from Brixton consisting of Joe (guitar, vocals), Stefan (bass) and Martha (drums). This is my first ever concert here and the compact stage is located opposite the end of the bar and the space for punters to get through to the toilets and back makes the standing area feel as busy as the M25. After only a few bars of their first number, the energetic powerful punk sound kicked in. There’s not really any soft intro’s, just two clicks of Martha’s drumsticks and it was straight in. The band’s fast tempo was driven largely by Martha’s off kilter drumming which is achieved with much gusto. So much so, that the large front drum kept skidding across the floor away from her, which was a source of lightheartedness to the rest of the band and punters alike. Both Joe and Stephan on the guitars and vocals were very animated, moving and jumping around the stage. Their toe-tapping fast jazz infused punk ditties, often feature a total change of beat and speed, and loud and quieter parts, which may sound confusing but in the main it did tend to work, whilst the vocals are spurted out at a hell of a rate of knots. It was an interesting tight performance, (their second of the day) and the crowd really enjoyed the energy that flowed out from the band.
(Nick Linazasoro)
SHE’S IN PARTIES – The Black Lion 19:00 – 19:30
(Alternative Escape – Smithereen Takeover Brighton 2024)
Colchester’s She’s In Parties were playing their first gig since January at The Alternative Escape. The ethereal quartet combined indie rock and dream-pop to give a more varied and livelier performance, than previous times I’ve seen them. There were still the older shoegaze numbers, such as ‘I Follow You’ and ‘Summer Haze’ with influences by the likes of Cocteau Twins. Mixed either side of these were new more upbeat songs and their fresh take on 1980’s electronic pop. Singer Katie Dillon was far more animated dancing energetically to these new tunes. Katie wasn’t the only thing moving on the stage; drummer Matt Carman’s bass drum kept creeping forward as he played it, meaning he had to pull it back between songs. Katie wore a very distinctive puppet costume, which she explained was for their forthcoming single ‘Puppet Show’. It was probably the best performance I’ve seen from She’s In Parties, with the new songs adding a different element to their show. At the end of a totally entertaining set, Katie said “See you soon Brighton”. I for one will be looking out for that show being announced.
(Peter Greenfield)
HOLIDAY GHOSTS – Daltons 20:00 – 20:30
(Alternative Escape – Acid Box + Abyss Brewing Superfuzz Weekender)
Originally from Falmouth, Brighton-based garage rockers Holiday Ghosts played a lively fun set at Daltons. Their jangly sound of rock n roll, indie and echoes of 1960s pop, had a fresh but familiar feel. Not surprisingly it soon had many in the crowd dancing along. Their pace never dipped through the 30-minute set. Drummer Katja Rackin and guitarist Sam Stacpoole shared lead vocal duties to good effect. On many songs there were impressive instrumental sections, some of which had a slight country sound. Holiday Ghosts never lost the audience on these instrumentals. Announcing they had two songs to go, somebody in the crowd shouted out his favourite track. The band changed their setlist to include his song next. I missed their recent show at Dust, but was pleased I put that right by catching Holiday Ghost at The Alternative Escape.
(Peter Greenfield)
YARD – The Black Lion 20:00 – 20:30
(Alternative Escape – Smithereen Takeover Brighton 2024)
Gosh it’s been at least three and half hours since I have been totally absorbed by a live set from the rather wonderful YARD and yet again I’m front centre and in amongst the action. The guys have even brought along their set of three rectangular bright lights to once again hang high above the band, cue six black cable-ties to hold them in place. This venue is brighter than The Prince Albert had been earlier and so didn’t quite have the same air of mysticism impact, but there still are a decent number of punters lapping up YARD’s EMB sounds. Suffice to say the Minibrute Pro got a hammering as both Emmet White (bass synth, vocals) and George Ryan (synth, beats) jolted their upper bodies forward in tune to the loud, fast electronic music, whilst guitarist Dan Malone cut a more sedate figure, who occasionally crouched down to adjust the various foot pedals. Not surprisingly this was the exact same six song set as earlier and almost as enjoyable as their first. Let’s face it, YARD are an outfit to be reckoned with and I seriously love them. But I’m not the only one on the team to feel this way, in fact as part of the band’s own collection of press quotes from their official press pack, they flag up Christian Le Surf’s quote for Brighton & Hove News whilst seeing them live at the Green Door Store on 15th June last year, which stated “I tell you what, if this is how they do it in Ireland, then I shall be moving there by the end of the year!”. Nuff said!
(Nick Linazasoro)
DEARY – Folklore Rooms 20:30 – 21:00
(Alternative Escape – Mutations – Next Wave)
With all the changes of lineups for this year’s official Escape festival and the more than ever before ‘Unofficial Escapes’ being announced on a daily basis, I was forced to amend my hitlist no less than four times! The final change was to allow for the late announcement of a special ‘Mutations – The Next Wave’ event to be held at The Folklore Rooms, which strangely enough included a trio of acts that were on my list and playing elsewhere. So this new event had done me a favour by having them all in one place and so for the next four and a half hours I’m here to take in the delights of a handful of varying acts, beginning with London based musicians Ben and Dottie who operate as Deary, who were already on my list. In fact Dottie informed us that they are just a duo today but they normally operate as a 4-piece. The order of the day here is wistful dream pop infused with ethereal vibes akin to Slowdive (who they worked with last year) and the Cocteau Twins. Deary came about in the midst of the pandemic with the duo swapping ideas over social media and their eponymous debut EP was released last November and was praised upon its release by the likes of Clash, Brooklyn Vegan, BBC 6 Music, KEXP and Under The Radar. This evening it’s a case of Dottie on vocals and Ben on guitar and electronic backing. Being the first act of the night, meant that at this stage the compact venue was not as yet at full capacity, but those present were behind the band and their dreamy set, which included their first single, ‘Fairground’, from last year. Although enjoyable, I kept thinking that it would sound even better as a live quartet, so maybe I will have a chance of witnessing this in the near future.
(Nick Linazasoro)
BERRIES – The Font 21:45 – 22:15
(Alternative Escape – The Brighton Rock’N’Roll Circus 2)
The garage-rock trio Berries (stylised as BERRIES) had a tight indie rock sound built around Lauren Cooper’s driving basslines, Lexi Clark’s pounding drums, and Holly Carter’s guitar riffs. There was no messing around as the band went straight into their opening number ‘Copy’. The band fed off each other’s energy and enthusiasm, often with Holly and Lauren playing facing Lexi on drums, while never losing the connection with the audience. Lexi’s drumming was so impressive, I had to see her in her other band Safari Inn the following day. As well as songs from their debut album ‘How We Function’, we were treated to tracks from their next album due out in October. Some tracks such as ‘Blurry Shapes’ were played live for the first time at The Font. Those new tunes, some of which had a similar feel to Blood Red Shoes, bode well for their new album. Berries closed a top-quality rock set with ‘We Are Machines’ and ‘Spirals’. From conversations I heard afterwards, several people at The Font were getting tickets for their show at The Prince Albert in October, based on what they had just heard.
(Peter Greenfield)
CONGRATULATIONS – Folklore Rooms 21:30 – 22:00
(Alternative Escape – Mutations – Next Wave)
The second act on the ‘Mutations – Next Wave’ bill is well known – and judging by the sudden increase of new faces in the room, including Chloë from Plantoid, and Phoebe from Lambrini Girls – well followed Brighton based quartet ‘congratulations’, spelt with a lowercase ‘c’. The outfit consists of Jamie Chellar (guitar, backing vocals), Greg Burns (bass, backing vocals), James Gilligham (drums, Roland presets, backing vocals) and out front and certainly never overlooked is vocalist Leah Stanhope. Over the past three years, the band have popped up on a number of events that we have reviewed and so they are no strangers to us. They often don different primary coloured attire, but this evening it seems not to be the case. As with the previous congratulations encounters I have had, the quartet operate a very tight ship and are well drilled at what they do, which ranges from funky rock to anthemic and aggressive rock…and rock the joint they certainly do. The venue is chokka and they go down a storm. Their next single ‘ST’ is given an airing which sits rather nicely in the mould of last year’s debut ‘Woo Hoo’ EP which came out on Bella Union last September. As always my eyes are mainly glued on Leah on the account of watching her belt out line after line with so much force that the veins in her neck nearly burst with excitement. Coupled with this is the various different facial expressions that she delivers, as well as body poses, which keep myself and others captivated. The only downside this evening was that somehow Jamie managed to cut his eyebrow which bled a bit, but this then gave bassist Greg the cue to utter “That’s about the most punk rock thing that’s happened to us”.
(Nick Linazasoro)
YARD – Folklore Rooms 22:30 – 23:00
(Alternative Escape – Mutations – Next Wave)
You won’t believe it but it’s been a whole two hours…yes two whole hours…since I have last seen the absolutely cosmic YARD performing live! Christ talk about getting withdrawal symptoms! The Dublin quartet had hot-footed it from The Black Lion for their ‘Smithereen Takeover Brighton 2024’ performance. Amazingly, this performance at The Folklore Rooms is actually their third of the day having begun at 4pm at The Prince Albert. This is a milestone for the band in that it’s the very first time they have played live to three different audiences in one day. Another even bigger milestone in my eyes is that this for me is the very first time I have seen the same band play live three times in a day and I have been constantly going to gigs since 1978!! Yes they DID play the same 6 song set three times in a row, with these compositions being the unreleased ‘Trevor’, the 2022 single ‘Auto Erotic’, the unreleased ‘Slumber’, current 2024 single ‘Big Shoes’, 2022 single ‘Lawmaker’ and signing off with the unreleased ‘Sunlight’. The Folklore Rooms were rammed for this uplifting heavy dance set and the blasting sound in the venue was awesome, in fact so much so that one of my colleagues who was walking up North Street could hear the booming from quite a distance away! Fabulous! YARD were a quartet when we first reviewed them eleven months ago, but now have slimmed down to a trio featuring Dan Malone (guitar), Emmet White (bass synth, vocals), and George Ryan (synth, beats), after the departure of Ben O’Neill (vocals, synth, guitar). It really is EBM central here with this outfit with Emmet’s vocals initially grounded in Robert Smith (The Cure) and Ronny Moorings (Clan Of Xymox) territory, but making their way to ending up like Jaz Coleman’s (Killing Joke) most eye bursting screams, whilst musically it’s akin to French musician Perturbator. Once again this has been a truly sensational experience and was even better than their last performance two hours ago! Roll on 1:15am to 1:45am on Saturday morning, where I will catch them live yet again! Guess you could call me a fan!
(Nick Linazasoro)
SLOW FICTION – Folklore Rooms 23:30 – 12:00am
(Alternative Escape – Mutations – Next Wave)
The fourth act on the bill this evening at The Folklore Rooms are New York quintet Slow Fiction, which is made up of Julia Vassallo (vocals, tambourine), Joseph Skimmons (guitar), Paul Knepple (guitar), Ryan Duffin (bass), and Akiva Henig (drums). They dropped their first release, ‘The Cut’/’Niagara’ back in 2021, with their ‘Nameless Harm’ single arriving the following year. Their self titled 6 tune EP arrived the following year and back in March they dropped their 4 track ‘End Of The Night’ EP. Tonight fuzzy, intoxicating tones are on offer during their eight tune decent sounding post punk set. It’s wailing guitars a plenty here, which are led along by Akiva’s drumming, and Julia’s vocals are also decent, but her demeanour is almost of embarrassment by standing in front of us. Her crowd interaction is almost nil, and in between songs she either turns her back to us or has a few drinks of water from the bottle at her feet. Overall this was a solidly tight set with some selections faster than others, and their closing number was their fastest and most urgent (and therefore the best) of the performance.
(Nick Linazasoro)
REDOLENT – Folklore Rooms 12:30am – 1:00am
(Alternative Escape – Mutations – Next Wave)
Closing my ‘Mutations – Next Wave’ encounter this evening were Redolent, (which incidentally is styilized as ‘rEDOLENT’) a Scottish quintet who were born in Dundee, before basing themselves in Edinburgh, and who I already had on my list to see elsewhere. They are a unit that I have seen perform previously on more than one occasion, with one of these being on Bonfire night at the ‘Mutations Festival’ back in 2022, when they played a decent set at the Green Door Store. They are led by brothers Danny (synths) and Robin Herbert (vocals), with Andrew Turnbull on drums, Robbie White on bass, and Alice Hancock on live samplers and backing vocals. After several single and EP releases over the past couple of years, the band have tonight dropped their debut 10 song electronic indie pop album, which is titled ‘Dinny Greet’. They were on sale tonight and we were to have the first opportunity to purchase a copy should we so wish. With the clocks moving into another day, the venue had emptied out a little for the band, which is a shame, but nonetheless the group got on with it and gave us some funky drum led beats. Talking of drums, I note the unusual configuration of three different sized cymbals placed on top of each other and taped together, plus there’s a cowbell on offer too. The decent skipping uplifting tunes seem to whizz by. There is one tune with an almost calypso beat with Scottish sounding Robert Smith style vocals atop. The vocals are all delivered at a speedy pace and they concluded their set with ‘Space Cadet’ from their ‘Make Big Money Fast Online Now’ EP from last year, a tune which builds and builds and benefits from some decent drumming. They tried their hardest but I didn’t think that they were as good as they used to be!
(Nick Linazasoro)
