ELLIS D + VELVETINE + ORAL HABIT – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 24.7.24
July saw local band Ellis·D (stylised as ELLiS·D) release their latest single ‘Carousel’ on local label Crafting Room Recordings. They celebrated its release with a sold-out launch show on Wednesday at The Prince Albert courtesy of ‘Hidden Herd’ promoters with Crafting Room Recordings. The line up also featured exciting London-based alternative band Velvetine and Brighton’s psych-punk Oral Habit. And what a great show it was!
The Prince Albert wasn’t just busy, but packed, with an expectant crowd for Ellis·D’s set. Ellis·D has gained a deserved reputation on the Brighton music scene and beyond for their fast, energetic live shows, and Wednesday night more than lived up to it.
Ellis·D’s sound is both familiar and new. It blends the glam-rock extravagance of Marc Bolan and New York Dolls, and new wave art pop of Talking Heads to create something uniquely contradictory.
Vocalist and guitarist Ellis was joined by Sammy Jones (bass), Oscar Godfrey (tambourine), Ben Buckley (keyboards) and Jed Johnson (drums). Completing the line-up was the newest recruit Charlie Hales (guitar), who was making his second appearance of the evening having opened as the front person of Oral Habit.
Their opening song ‘Chasing The Blue’ was a relatively mellow start to their set in comparison to what was to follow. Ellis’s vocals portrayed a lot of emotion becoming quite pained and slightly melancholy in the quieter parts. The tempo increased for ‘Straightjacket Blues’ which had a great funky dance feel and influences from glam rock.
‘Humdrum’ set off with blisteringly fast drumming from Jed, which set the pace for the others to match. The guitars had a psychedelic alt-country sound, which later became more new wave. Ben’s keyboards added an atmospheric note. Tambourine player Oscar indulged in trance-like dancing for the first time during this number.
The pace slowed for the start of ‘Degenerate Effeminate’, on which Ellis’s vocals reminded me of David Byrne. This song built in pace and volume with cleverly constructed step changes. Ellis·D gave their own take on Elvis Costello’s classic ‘(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea’ giving it a quicker tempo.
Ellis’s very charismatic performance was matched with the quality of his vocal acrobatics, often explosive and sometimes more abstract. Among the loud quiet structure of ‘Homecoming Queen’, the slower sections showed another softer side to Ellis’s vocals.
Next up was the new single ‘Carousel’ released only the previous week. It was a very danceable number with hints of Talking Heads, an infectious groove and energetic and yet slightly more haunting vocals. It also featured, as did every track, great bass lines from Sammy. Ellis has explained “‘Carousel’ is an attempt at mitigating the anxious, paranoid wreck that lives inside us and wants to spoil everything.”
When Ellis announced that the next song would be the last, there were groans from the crowd, who wanted more. To which he added “But it’s really f*cking long”. ‘Drifting’ was a great dance track. There was a bleakness in the vocals and a more mystical feel musically. Its jangly guitars came from where post-punk meets indie, which would slow down before kicking back in with a Bloc Party feel. It ended with just Oscar on tambourine, (yes tambourine solos do work, if the musician is that good), before the song’s closing crescendo.
A quick check with the sound desk confirmed, to everyone’s delight, that there was time for one more song. Introduced as “an oldie” ‘Elastic’, from the 2021 ‘We Are The Last Generation’ EP, was a great rock n roll number to close an exceptionally good performance.
Ellis·D are one of those bands who give everything in their energetic live shows, and their single launch event was no exception. Those energy levels were matched by the quality and tightness of the musicianship from all the band, and led by another captivating performance from the charismatic Ellis.
ELLiS·D:
Ellis D – vocals and guitar
Sammy Jones – bass
Oscar Godfrey – tambourine and backing vocals
Jed Johnson – drums
Charlie Hales – guitar
Ben Buckley – keyboards
ELLiS·D setlist:
‘Chasing The Blue’
‘Straightjacket Blues’ (from 2024 ‘Hullo, Reality!’ EP)
‘Humdrum’ (a 2024 single release)
‘Degenerate Effeminate’ (from 2024 ‘Hullo, Reality!’ EP)
‘Pristine Blue’
‘(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea’ (an Elvis Costello cover)
‘Homecoming Queen’
‘Carousel’ (from 2024 single release)
‘Drifting’ (from 2022 ‘EP II’ EP)
‘Elastic’ (from 2021 ‘We Are The Last Generation’ EP)
Exciting alternative post-rockers Velvetine were the middle band on the bill and were making only their third Brighton appearance. They skilfully blend a variety of influences, from post-punk to art-rock to shoegaze, to create a hauntingly atmospheric sound with gothic and gloomy undertones that unfold like lucid dreams. The London quartet are Mia Scarlet (vocals), Ross Fernyhough (guitar), Josh Rowell (bass) and Gabe Powell (drums).
There was no introduction as they opened with ‘Just This Once’. It started with vocalist Mia singing to just a lone guitar before the others joined to create a beautiful alt-rock soundscape. It gave the first indication of the amazing quality and range of Mia’s vocals. From the quieter ethereal moments to its strength and confidence, when effortlessly matching the music as it built, this was to be a key feature of Velvetine’s performance.
Five of the six songs in Velvetine’s impressive set were unreleased tracks. Their second song, as yet untitled, reminded me of a very fresh take on the Cocteau Twins before becoming a darker heavier version of Slowdive. ‘Miss Together’ was a louder alt-rock track with quiet contrasting sections. Again, Mia’s singing fitted perfectly either accompanied by only Josh’s softer bass lines and Gabe’s drums on the quiet parts to shouted lyrics on the louder sections. ‘Underneath’ started with Josh’s bass and Mia’s vocals before developing into a brilliant and beautiful wall of sound.
‘Curtainsong’, a 2023 single release, had a faster tempo and a more experimental feel with more use of effects from Mia’s technical box of tricks. There was a quality goth-like feel in parts of her vocals. Gabe’s drumming gave a solid foundation for Ross’s soaring guitars including some feedback in the noisy outro. Velvetine’s sound allowed each musician to shine, while remaining tight knit.
When ‘Ecstasy’ was announced as the last song, it was obvious the crowd wanted more. It was straight in with the heavier sound of ‘Ecstasy’. The cleverly crafted song made space for Mia’s vocals before building back up and fading out to close a special performance.
Having enjoyed all three of Velvetine’s Brighton shows to date, I can confidently say they are a band to watch out for. I think most of the people at The Prince Albert on Wednesday will agree.
Velvetine:
Mia Scarlet – vocals
Ross Fernyhough – guitar
Josh Rowell – bass
Gabe Powell – drums
Velvetine setlist:
‘Just This Once’
Untitled
‘Miss Together’
‘Underneath’
‘Curtainsong’ (a 2023 single release)
‘Ecstasy’
(All other songs unreleased)
Opening proceedings were local psych-punk trio Oral Habit. Charlie Hales on vocals and guitar was joined by his brother Felix Hales on drums and Ferghal Hughes on bass. Their DIY sound was an exciting and frenetic mix of 1980’s post punk / new wave with 60s garage rock.
There was a sizeable crowd in early to catch Oral Habit, who opened with ‘Rainbow’ with its garage rock / west coast America sound. The next two songs ‘Music Man’ and ‘Sauerkraut’ were full of late punk energy, before the upbeat relatively poppier notes of ‘Tears O’ Gold’. This track featured a funkier bass line from Ferghal and displayed another side of Charlie’s vocals being somewhat softer. ‘Sonny’ and the next few songs were more frantic with its late 70s second wave of punk sound over which Charlie shouted the lyrics.
‘Annie’, the penultimate song, was a relatively quieter number, which had hints of The Velvet Underground and the sounds out of New York’s CBGB in the late 1970s. Oral Habit’s final number ‘Sun Cry’ started quietly before bursting into life with a great instrumental section at the end.
Oral Habit got a huge cheer from the Prince Albert crowd, who clearly enjoyed their hugely energetic set.
You can catch Oral Habit at their headline show at Folklore Rooms on Saturday 17th August, tickets HERE.
Oral Habit:
Charlie Hales – vocals and guitar
Felix Hales – drums
Ferghal Hughes – bass
Oral Habit setlist:
‘Rainbow’
‘Music Man’ (from 2024 ‘Cardiovascular Spectacular’ single)
‘Sauerkraut’
‘Tears O’ Gold’
‘Sonny’ (from 2023 ‘Sonny / Big Stiffie’ single)
‘Sour Spell’
‘Jerk’
‘Annie’ (from 2024 ‘Cardiovascular Spectacular’ single)
‘Sun Cry’
(All other songs unreleased)
For more great events spotlighting the most exciting emerging artists, ones-to-watch and hidden gems, get yourself along to Hidden Herd’s new music discovery night in Brighton, more details HERE.
