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 Friday 17th May, along with the venue and planned time of the performance. Part 1 on the acts that performed on Thursday 17th May can be found HERE and Part 3 for those on Saturday 18th May is available HERE.
Here’s our Unofficial Great Escape reviews for Friday 17th May….Enjoy!
FRIDAY 17th MAY:
THE MARBLE ARCHES – Grand Central 11:30 – 11:55
(Alternative Escape – Fierce Panda + End Of The Trail)
I kicked off my second day of ‘Escaping’ with an extra cheeky added set on the account of the Grand Central pub being located opposite the bus stop and I had arrived in town nice and early. It’s my first ever venture into this pub and I’m not the only one sneaking in for a quickie either, as I bump into none other than DJ Steve Lamacq who dips in from the train station for a swift pint before he heads on down the road to The Prince Albert. I however head on through the heavy padded red door and make my way upstairs to see what The Marble Arches have to offer as they kick off the day’s entertainment for the Fierce Panda + End Of The Trail venture. These lads are down from Bradford and there’s three of them in the band with the format being lead vocals and guitar, bass and vocals, and drums, laptop and vocals. They get themselves ready via a few soundchecks until sound engineer John is totally happy with everything and then they are off. There’s comfy seating opposite the band and so I give my legs a rest prior to the onslaught of whizzing around town from venue to venue. The lead vocalist has an American twang when singing and does not give away his Yorkshire roots. Their tune ‘Johnny Go Lucky’ benefits from a synth backing via the drummer’s laptop and their guitar and bass look brand new, so they might be a new act on the scene or even bought new tools for the trade. In essence for me they are just your normal pub rock affair and nothing to write home about, but having said that, they seem to be decent lads.
(Nick Linazasoro)
HOLY LOAF – The Walrus 12:00 -12:30
(Alternative Escape – The New Alt Escape)
Stretching towards the more melodic edges of this current era of post-punk and post-rock, the trio of Holy Loaf have a connective bent that transcends their familiar musical stylings. There are elements of Midwest emo and slowcore in the band’s blueprint that the lead singer and guitarist George Horler adapts his melancholic lyrics upon in a beautiful way. Instrumentally, the three-piece of Horler, his brother and drummer Ali and bassist Matt Willettalso engage in syncopated guitar lines and atmospheric textures that incorporate samples and free-time passages that captivated me for their half-hour performance. Psst, their song ‘Horoscope’ is so gorgeous, it would make Pavement wish they wrote it.
(Christian Le Surf)
FLIP TOP HEAD – The Walrus 12:45 – 13:15
(Alternative Escape – The New Alt Escape)
Ah, finally after ages of trying, I finally caught Brighton legends, Flip Top Head! The septet comprises of a wide array of instrumentalists and musical architects who have cemented a name for themselves as one of Brighton’s best live acts. The storytelling prowess is staggeringly good with Bowie Bartlett at the helm, with the revolving cast painting noir soundscapes by dynamic fluctuations and unusual time signature changes. Going toe-to-toe with other bands in their circle like Black Country New Road and Tapir!, the group’s distinctive sound play is wonderful on the ears, blending the driving force of krautrock with post-rock inclinations that take me to bliss.
(Christian Le Surf)
BOROUGH COUNCIL – The Walrus 13:30 – 14:00
(Alternative Escape – The New Alt Escape)
A jaunt to the chippy plus discussions with friends meant I unfortunately arrived late for Haydn and Joe Ackerley’s Borough Council project, but what I caught of them was mystifying and wonderful! The simple combination of Haydn’s guitar and Joe’s bass acted as a sweet bed for Haydn to whisk vocal upon. I’m not too sure if these guys operate with a wider instrumental line-up than this show, but regardless, the reverberated post-rock soundscapes were still engaging and well-arranged.
(Christian Le Surf)
HEX GIRLFRIEND – Unbarred Brewery 14:00 – 14:30
(Alternative Escape – RSVP JOY. Unbarred)
Hex Girlfriend is an experimental project from artists Noah Yorke and James Knott. The duo combined hard techno industrial sounds with their own playful theatrics. Like clowns, both of them were caked in white make-up. Hex Girlfriend took advantage of Unbarred Brewery not being packed for their show, by literally taking their lively act into the audience and even going outside into the beer garden. For those of you wondering, Noah Yorke’s father is Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. But before you make assumptions, Hex Girlfriend’s sound was more like a poppier version of Nine Inch Nails.
(Peter Greenfield)
TAPIR! – The Walrus 14:15 – 14:45
(Alternative Escape – The New Alt Escape)
One of my favourite bands of the year so far, Tapir! have formed their own little mountain out of personal and introspective mythology and a peaceful, yet rustic sound palette of simplistic drum machines and a hermetic vocal delivery from frontman and subject of my 2:15pm viewing at The Walrus, Ike Gray. Armed with just himself, a couple of guitars, a drum machine, a handheld keyboard and his friend Will, Ike preaches a sermon of heartfelt balladry through songs like ‘My God’, ‘Gymnopedie’ and ‘Debt To The World’.
(Christian Le Surf)
MALI VELASQUEZ – Unbarred Brewery 15:00 – 15:30
(Alternative Escape – RSVP JOY. Unbarred)
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Mali Velasquez played a mellow set of folk-rooted indie rock. She was joined for her first appearance in Brighton by an additional guitarist. Mali mixed up her soft sweet Americana sounds towards the end of her set with more upbeat pre-recorded percussion. Many bands playing Brighton for the first time have a seagull related story to tell, usually about stolen chips. The guitarist announced he had been “… shat on by a seagull, which was awesome”. Probably not a line the local tourist board will use!
(Peter Greenfield)
TYLER CRYDE – The Walrus 15:00 – 15:30
(Alternative Escape – The New Alt Escape)
Last May I saw both Tapir! and Black Country New Road live in Southampton, now I’ve had the pleasure of catching both de facto frontmen at The Walrus with the arrival of Tyler Cryde (aka Tyler Hyde). Contributing more songs for the group following the departure of Isaac Wood, Tyler has now been exercising a solo profile of her own, most of which she amplifies with majesty and operatic balance. She even includes a rendition of ‘Dancers’ a BCNR track that tore at my soul when hearing it live for the first time. The new songs she blessed us with made use of evolving song structures and natural key changes which enforce her lyrics of heartbreak and melancholia even further than they stand on their own terms.
(Christian Le Surf)
MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW – Unbarred Brewery 16.00 – 16:30
(Alternative Escape – RSVP JOY. Unbarred)
Unbarred Brewery had filled up considerably for South London collective Man/Woman/Chainsaw, and like their show at last year’s Mutations festival, several people could not get in and had to listen from outside. Usually a six piece, but with bassist and singer Vera having her hand and wrist in plaster, they had to find room on the Unbarred stage for an additional bass player. Man/Woman/Chainsaw opened with their usual freeform noise. This was a foretaste of their show, as they often swapped song structure mid-song and included distorted frenzied sounds from nowhere. The band were clearly enjoying their lively energetic set, with Vera dancing enthusiastically with either her mic or a beer in hand, rather than her bass. Singer and guitarist Billy occasionally caught the neck of his guitar in the string of lights above the stage, but simply kept playing. We were treated to a new song, which Billy introduced as “’Fish’ or ‘Fish Girl’, we’re not sure which yet.”, which started with Clio’s violin. Man/Woman/Chainsaw closed one of the best performances of my weekend with ‘What Lucy Found There’. Its ever-changing wall of sound filled Unbarred Brewery and probably much of the surrounding area.
(Peter Greenfield)
PARKER FANS – Bella Union Shop 16:00 – 16:30
(Alternative Escape – The Greatest Ape)
Having caught Parker Fans earlier this year at The Hope & Ruin, I wanted to jump away from the official escape line up and go show my appreciation once more, this time it was over in the Bella Union Shop as part of the alternative line up. I’d never actually been in the shop before, but have heard all about the lunchtime sessions they often have, so I was keen to feel that for myself. Now this really was an intimate show, as 19 of us packed into the shop for a brilliant and fun seven song, 30 minute set. I just love the vibe the trio bring to the floor, you have Kick Kluiving on vocals and beats, Sem on bass guitar and Tomas on keys and Korg synth. The musical style is one to make you want to dance, Sem’s pulsing basslines drive it as he bobs about, Thomas’s wavy synth sounds add all the flavour, then you have Kick’s shouty lyrics and a lot of drum and bass from the drum machine with a few special effects sounds thrown in on top, honestly the more I hear it the more I love it, it just all works so well. One of my favourites of the set was ‘Waju’, one of the more drum and bass heavy numbers, but incredibly catchy. The band were clearly having a lot of fun, Kick and Sem could be seen trying to make each other laugh throughout. I was glad Parker Fans had come back from Amsterdam for the weekend, everyone needs some Parker Fans in their life.
(Ben Jerry Robinson)
HEIGHTS – St Nicholas Church 17:00 – 17:30
(Alternative Escape – Back In The Woods Alt Alt Escape 2024)
Brighton’s oldest church, St Nicholas, was an apt venue for the heavenly voice and dreamy synth pop sounds of Heights. She was again joined by a drummer and bassist for her live show. The music on the opening two songs was a lot louder than usual from Heights, but her vocals rose and shone with ease. She was also more animated as she danced along to the music. The sounds mellowed for ‘Astronaut’. Heights played ‘If You Notice’ solo on keyboards, and this was one of the most beautiful delicate vocals I heard all day. Those watching from the church pews were respectfully silent through that stunning number. Afterwards Heights said, “That’s as sad as it gets” as she got to her feet and increased the tempo. The upbeat ‘Swinging As I Go’ from her recent EP ‘Dreaming Of You’ was one of many highlights of a superb show.
(Peter Greenfield)
HOT GARBAGE – Daltons 17:00 – 17:30
(Alternative Escape – Acid Box + Abyss Brewing Superfuzz Weekender)
I now find myself at yet another new venue to me in the form of Daltons, which is actually located right on Brighton Beach at the base of the zip wire near the Palace Pier. I had made my way here from Fabrica, which I had also visited for the first ever time. Daltons really has that foreign summer beach holiday vibe going down and as you would expect was full of eager punters ready to watch the next act (Hot Garbage) as well as many souls seated outside taking in the sounds and the sun. Daltons has the real potential to grow into one of the city’s reading grassroots music venues, especially during the spring and summer season. They currently seem to put on quite a few heavy metal gigs, which aren’t my bag, but with the right lineup, I will make my swift return. And so back to the shade wearing quartet of Hot Garbage, who are on the lineup as part of the Acid Box + Abyss Brewing Superfuzz Weekender. Hot Garbage have come all the way here from Toronto in Canada and they specialise in dark post-punk and motorik krautrock. Their equipment consists of Nord Electro and Novation keys (which are sometimes both played at the same time by one person), there’s a bass, guitar and drums. The bassist and guitarist alternate the lead vocals throughout their set. The motorik drumming and rumbly bass combination works terrifically well for their gritty psyched out sound. I particularly enjoyed listening to the keyboard organ sound, which in parts throughout the set reminded me of Stereolab, Velvet Underground and even very early Modern Lovers. The vocals were delivered by both singers in a decent echoey style and mixed with that the keys, bass and guitar workingall together to create a wonderfully constant hum through every tune. Hot Garbage are an outfit that are definitely singing off the same song sheet and I would love to see them again!
(Nick Linazasoro)
SLOW FICTION – Pipeline 17:00 – 17:30
(Alternative Escape – Escape To The Pipeline)
Slow Fiction are a five piece from Brooklyn, New York, comprising Julia Vassallo on vocals, Joseph Skimmons and Paul Knepple on guitars, Ryan Duffin on bass and Akiva Henig on drums. They deal in pokey, punchy, occasionally squally indie. Sometimes their material slips back into a distinctly late 1980s / early 1990s style, so much so that one could almost suspect that a time machine has been involved! That said, their material is certainly memorable, and the band themselves are musically tight. One song unexpectedly has a reggae feel, so they are very much not a one trick pony. The last song in their set virtually redefines the term ‘propulsive’, and like many bands this weekend, their set is far too short. The Pipeline is one of the smallest (possibly THE smallest) venues that I’ve ever seen a gig in, but Slow Fiction play as if they are somewhere much bigger. They’ve played a few times during The Great Escape, and I’m a little disappointed that this is the only time that I’ve managed to catch them. However, they’re back in the UK for the Pitchfork Festival in London in November. Sounds like the place to be!
(Mark Kelly)
EVERYDAY SAINTS – Hotel Pelirocco 17:30 – 18:00
(Alternative Escape – The GOOreat Peliscape)
As my previous show had overrun, I missed the start of Everyday Saints at Hotel Pelirocco, but what I did catch was very impressive. There was a lively atmosphere by the time I arrived. Pip and Jade’s beautiful vocal harmonies worked so well. Jade’s spooky synth and Gary’s bass underpinned their sound which was perfectly balanced between dark spooky and beautiful dreamlike. There was a technical problem with James’s bass drum, as Pip invited the crowd to come forward. While this was quickly fixed, Pip joked “Whenever you come closer, the bass drum shits itself and dies.”, adding “We’d give you a refund, but it’s a free show.” Everyday Saints closed with the beautifully dark synth pop of ‘Distress Yourself’.
(Peter Greenfield)
TOP LEFT CLUB – The Dorset 18:00 – 18:30
(Alternative Escape – The Dorset presents The Greatest Escape)
For me personally, across the three days of music, I was endeavouring to find a balance between official and unofficial Escapes due to the political situation, whilst at the same time trying to catch as many bands that I really liked, as well as covering as many of these unofficial events as possible. Sadly I can’t clone myself, and so a carefully considered mix was eventually arrived at. My next live music venture was an essential one as I had purchased their debut album from them when they played the WaterBear venue when it came out, and I caned it to death. Since then they have dropped their second long player and this vinyl seriously needed to be added to my music collection, and so I hot-footed it along to yet another new venue for me, this being The Dorset in North Laine, in order to catch Brighton’s answer to the Ramones, namely Top Left Club who were performing a set as headliners of the day for ‘The Dorset Presents’ event. Top Left Club features both members of SKiNNY MiLK, namely Johnny Hart on bass and vocals with Tim Cox on drums and from Young Francis Hi Fi completing the lineup are MacDaddy on guitar plus Jimi Dymond on lead vocals and Yamaha Reface DX keys, and together they perfectly show how vintage style punk rock should be delivered. They are seriously entrenched in my ‘Top Five Brighton Based Bands’, and show no sign of dropping anywhere below that for the foreseeable future! Despite the open frontage of the pub, the shoulders at 45, colour coded shellsuited light-hearted quartet are still seriously building up a sweat as they deliver the excellent punk ditties. Looking around the compact crowd, I note many faces who are in the know on the local punk (and associated) scene, and so it’s a decent bunch, watching a decent band performing a decent set! I mean what more can I say….other than album two purchased and beaming smiles all around!
(Nick Linazasoro)
FIGHTING COLOURS – The Fitz Regent 19:20 – 19:50
(Alternative Escape – Escape To The Future)
The schedule at The Fitz Regent was running late when I arrived for Fighting Colours. The alt-rock band have added a bassist to their line up since I last saw them to become a four piece. After a quick soundcheck, Fighting Colours were straight into classic rock with ‘Your Choice Now’. ‘The Boat Starts To Shake’ had some quite funky guitar parts from Pete Ferris. Singer Jasmine Ardley introduced ‘Clown’ as their “punky one”, while ‘The Cure’ mixed dance and rock. It was the best I’ve seen from Fighting Colours, with a far more confident and assured sound. It was the first time I’ve seen Jasmine wander into the crowd, as she did later in the set, perhaps a sign of how well the performance went. Their set also had more variety, and the new bassist added to their sound. Fighting Colours closed one of the best rock performances I saw over the weekend with ‘Calling’, which was a more classic rock number.
(Peter Greenfield)
SAFARI INN – The Font 20:15 – 20:45
(Alternative Escape – The Brighton Rock’N’Roll Circus 2)
After drummer Lexi’s brilliant performance with BERRIES the previous day, I had to see her in her other band Safari Inn. Safari Inn’s Jen Ahlkvist and Lexi Clark are former members of the garage rock band The Franklys. They were joined for their live show at The Font by a bassist. Their hard rock set had reminders of the rock bands like Girlschool and Vixen. With hints of psychedelia, they were a little like The Black Angels, but harder and faster. Safari Inn’s big sound from Lexi’s thunderous drums and Jen’s crunching guitars, and reverb-heavy vocals filled The Font. Their cracking show, including another drumming masterclass from Lexi, certainly went down well with the audience.
(Peter Greenfield)
SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE – Alphabet 12:40am – 1:10am
(Alternative Escape – Paradise Noir)
I’ve really been enjoying the last couple of monthly Paradise Noir club nights and so I managed to schedule in this months event into my Escape planner, thankfully on the account of it being a late one, with the Pasadena band, System Exclusive, taking to the first floor stage at the newly refurbished Alphabet at 12:40am. The room now has a dark brooding atmosphere that is perfect for this darkwave, post-punk, goth, EBM, industrial disco. There’s a highish stage at the rear of the room with neon lighting panels behind the band. It certainly sets the tone! System Exclusive consists of Ari B (vocals, guitar) and Matt Jones (drums, synths), they are here today on account of their brand new ten tune album, ‘Click’, which dropped at midnight and copies were on sale for anyone that fancied them, as we were the first to be given this opportunity. In the past two years System Exclusive have hauled their mini-synth “band in a backpack” to 12 different countries, 20 different US states and all around the UK in desperate search of a good time, and it’s here tonight that we are wanting to have a good time! One of the first things I notice is how cool Ari’s green Airline guitar looks with its attached Bigsby and it sounds great too, especially when the twangy Bigsby arm is held. Matt’s drumming is good, but at times he seems to fight with the synth unit in order to get the required perfect notes. But to be honest I don’t mind this as it’s like listening to a 1950’s sci-fi soundtrack like that of ‘Forbidden Planet’. There’s a guitar riff on one of the tunes that’s not far away from Bowie’s ‘China Girl’ and their new tune ‘2 Little 2 Late’ is one of the best of the set. Their performance is laden with moody bangers and I would love to see them make a welcome return.
(Nick Linazasoro)
