Rimini punks Smalltown Tigers have announced a return to Brighton next Spring care of ‘An Alternative Gathering’ who are purveyors of the punk rock genre.
The Smalltown Tigers originally started out playing squat clubs and beach parties, before scooping the support slots for the likes of Hagar The Womb, Baby Shakes, The Menstrual Cramps and The Speedways. The all girl trio consists of Valli on lead vocals and bass guitar, Monty on guitar and backing vocals, and Castel on drums and backing vocals. The Smalltown Tigers have made inroads on the Euro garage-punk scene having initially dropped their debut single ‘Just Friends’ which was then followed by their 8 song mini-album ‘Five Things’ which came out just in time for the first Covid lockdown in spring 2020. Their ‘Crush On You’ album followed back in February. Check out their tracks on their Bandcamp page HERE.
The band came about as Valli and Monty played together in another band called ‘Rockaway Bitches’ which was a Ramones tribute, which is still resurrected from time to time. Castel has three bands that she plays with… a sort of international drummer ensemble from all over the world called Drumatica, an all-female hard rock/metal cover band called Whiskey Wives and a pop-rock project in the Italian idiom called Le Figurine.
The Smalltown Tigers were selected as the opening act for the original lineup of The Damned when they got it back together and played the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith on 28th October 2022. The Damned that day was Dave Vanian (vocals), Captain Sensible (bass, backing vocals), Rat Scabies (drums), and they were assisted by Mike Smith (on saxophone), and not forgetting the guy whose idea it was to start The Damned Brian James (on guitar). Clearly Brian James enjoyed the Smalltown Tigers as he took time out from his schedule to see the girls in action when they played at The Prince Albert on 10th September 2023. And it’s to this venue that the Smalltown Tigers are set to return on Sunday 30th March 2025. This time around, however, it will be a matinee concert with the doors swinging open at 2pm and the first act swiftly on stage at 2:15pm.
Also on the bill that day at The Albert will be Tuppenny Bunters and Porcelain Doll.
Tuppenny Bunters are Dave and Fi Dulake and they formed the band in 2012, the same year they got married. They set about capturing the sound they perceived, a piano dripping garage/pop wall of melodies and chord shifts. Their first album ‘A Tuppenny Upright’ was recorded live and they released it on their own label, Dansettual. The follow up ‘The Tuppenny Hangover’ was recorded at Gizzard Studios, and came out in March 2022 on the same Dansettual label. The Bunters songwriting is all the way down the cracks between Pete Ham, Syd Barrett and Lionel Bart, but their live performance sits precariously on a web spun by X Ray Spex, The White Stripes, Wings and, well, Sparks, I guess – in that, you’re never quite sure who to watch.
Porcelain Doll are a female fronted bubble-grunge band from Brighton. They deliver fuzzy guitars, primal drums and hooky choruses. Singer Freja’s lyrics are catchy and relatable, covering the challenges of navigating romantic relationships and a sense of being out of place. Her vocals are dreamy yet powerful and fuse with the band to create dynamic and emotive songs.
Tickets for the Sunday 30th March 2025 concert are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.
