DBCOOPER + KATE PEACHES + EVERYDAY SAINTS – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 8.8.25
Friday night at the Green Door Store saw Brighton’s dbcooper play their first headline show, which was also their final one. To support them on their farewell were Kate Peaches and Everyday Saints.
Let’s take the bands in the order they appeared…
Opening were Brighton indie-pop outfit Everyday Saints (stylised as everyday saints). Performing as a three piece, they are Pip Rainbird (vocals), Jade Middleton (vocals) and Amelia Holder (bass).
The intro track ‘I’ve Told Every Little Star’, a 1961 teen pop hit for Linda Scott, suggested that something different was coming from Everyday Saints. As well as their different line up, they had a very different sound. Early in their set singer Pip announced that it was going to be “a test run, just to manage your expectations”. Everyday Saints had a noticeably punchier more intense direct dance sound, yet still keeping their unique spooky pop feel and catchy melodies. Don’t worry, those incredible vocal harmonies between Pip and Jade, so key to Everyday Saints’ sounds, were still there.
Two other developments were featured in their opening two numbers. ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ incorporated recorded sound bites into a great disco dance beat. Another change on ‘Under The Honeymoon’ and other songs was Jade taking a greater role on the singing, which I thought worked well. Pip often stood to the side of the stage leaning against the speaker giving centre stage to Jade on her vocal parts. Pip returned to the centre for her parts and those delightful duets.
After the stylish cabaret feel of ‘The Beautification’, Pip informed us “[that song] was about Melania Trump,” adding “I’m not joking”. ‘Barbarella In The Valley Of The Dolls’, with its horror movie feel, saw Pip sit on the edge of the stage to sing her part.
Everyday Saints didn’t play any of their single releases, although there was the more familiar ‘Soma’ from previous shows. As this was extensively reworked, at first, I only recognised it from its lyrics. There was a much heavier, more sinister yet seductive sound, which was scattered with twinkling bursts and samples from Eurovision 2006 entries. Pip portrayed melancholy and even anger in her voice as she sang sitting on the bass drum of the vacant drum kit.
Everyday Saints closed their test run with two brand new songs ‘Ginger Snaps’ and ‘It’s Ritual’. ‘Ginger Snaps’ had a lighter dance sound, while the vocals had a darkness and a foreboding note, a contrast that worked perfectly. ‘It’s Ritual’ started with a fast strong bassy drum beat and a great bass line from Amelia, over which were the beautiful harmonised vocals.
Everyday Saints may have cautiously managed the audience’s expectations for their evolution. Just a few bars in, once I had adjusted to their new sound, they exceeded my high hopes. It was a confident assured performance combining Everyday Saints’ amazing vocal harmonies and spooky feel, but enhanced by samples and effects and with a more upfront electronic dance sound.
Everyday Saints:
Pip Rainbird (she/her) – vocals
Jade Middleton (she/her) – vocals
Amelia Holder (she/they) – bass
Everyday Saints setlist:
‘Pepper’s Ghost’
‘Under the Honeymoon’
‘The Beautification’
‘Barbarella! In The Valley Of The Dolls’
‘Soma’
‘Ginger Snaps’
‘It’s Ritual’
(all unreleased)
Brighton dream-waver Kate Peaches was next to take the Green Door Store stage. It is the exciting new solo project from the former frontwoman of Brighton favourites SLANT. Kate was joined on stage by a full band, which she acknowledged, announcing “I’m Kate and these are my peaches.” Her peaches were Abi Hutchings (guitar, backing vocals and keyboard), Joe McTaggart (drums) and Kel Cooke (bass).
Kate’s strong charismatic stage presence was clear from the opening number ‘Bored’, and a constant throughout her varied set. As the music on ‘Easy Action’ rose, so did Kate’s soaring vocals, which worked well with Abi’s softer backing vocals. On ‘Tell Her All The Time’ the rock sounds of the strumming guitar contrasted well with Kate’s sweet indie vocals. Later in that song we heard another side of Kate’s range as she powerfully screamed out the lyrics.
After an interlude for a competition, with the winner being the first person to shout out what was the first thing Rick Astley was never gonna give up, there was a change in style for ‘Jimmy’s Lookin Book’. Its faster disco beat had an indie dance feel, with echoes of New Order especially on the drums. The variety continued as Kate asked if people wanted a love song. That love song was ‘Honey Dream’, on which Kate’s voice took a higher pitched slightly mystical note and closed with a beautiful ethereal vocal.
‘Angeline’, the closing number, started with strong drums which were cleverly contrasted by Kate’s softer vocals; while later it had a power ballad sound, but fresh feel. Kate Peaches’ impressive performance mixed lush, atmospheric sounds with driving energy, nestling nicely between nostalgic and new.
Kate Peaches:
Kate Peaches – vocals and keys
Abi Hutchings – guitar, backing vocals and keys
Joe McTaggart – drums
Kel Cooke – bass
Kate Peaches setlist:
‘Bored’
‘Easy Action’
‘Tell Her All The Time’
‘Jimmy’s Lookin Book’
‘Honey Dream’
‘Angeline’
(all unreleased)
Playing their first headline and last show were local quartet dbcooper, who comprise Harvey Dent (guitar and lead vocals), Bailey Kent (lead guitar), Georgia Butler (bass and vocals) and Hannah Websdale (drums). There was a packed enthusiastic crowd in Green Door Store to catch dbcooper one last time.
dbcooper were greeted by a huge cheer as they went straight into their first number, a shoegaze instrumental with a strong nod to the likes of Slowdive. ‘John Mullaney’s Divorce’ started in a similar vein, its beautiful smooth soundscape was punctuated with bursts of noise, which Harvey’s vocals rose to match.
Next up ‘Fish Bone Boat’ was introduced as “brand new and you’ll only ever hear it this once.” For the record, it was slightly heavier, but still underpinned by their shoegaze signature sound. There was a clever change in tempo mid song, led by Hannah’s quickening drumming, before flipping to a softer sound for the latter part.
Later in the set Georgia took lead vocals and shared the lead with Harvey. At times, such as on ‘Joker 500’, she had a more direct spoken delivery and swapped to a softer vocal. She shared lead vocals with Harvey on ‘Underwater’ with its more jangly sound.
There was variety within dbcooper’s shoegazy sound. ‘Loosey Goosey’ had a Brit pop indie feel not dissimilar to Oasis or Stone Roses, while a more experimental section of ‘Big Long Song’ had subtle hints of My Bloody Valentine.
Their final number ‘Cowboy Moustache’ had more of a direct hard-hitting start, with a slight mystical feel. A dreamier section with Harvey’s soft vocal was followed by a ramped-up instrumental which saw guitarist Bailey on their knees while making maximum use of the effects from their pedal board. A fitting finale.
dbcooper’s final appearance was rightly greeted by huge applause from the crowd. For me it was their best performance, I had the pleasure of seeing. Although Brighton gig goers will not have the opportunity to see dbcooper again, they can catch Hannah as the drummer for Currls, and Georgia as the vocalist and guitarist for ladylike.
dbcooper:
Harvey Dent – guitar and lead vocals
Bailey Kent – lead guitar
Georgia Butler – bass and vocals
Hannah Websdale – drums
dbcooper setlist:
‘Intro’
‘John Mullaney’s Divorce’
‘Fish Bone Boat’
‘Joker 500’
‘Underwater’
‘Loosey Goosey’
‘Big Long Song’
‘Cowboy Moustache’
(all unreleased)
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