It was announced yesterday by Chris Marshall, the General Manager of Brighton’s Charles Street Tap that the venue is to close.
The official announcement reads thus:
“It is with a very heavy heart and deep personal sadness I have to let you all know that after 25 years the story of Charles Street Tap (formerly known as just Charles Street) is coming to a close. In mid September our lease will come to an end and the building will be returned to the landlords.
The final date has not been set yet but I will let everyone know as soon as we know.
For 25 years Charles Street has been a small part of the beating heart of Brighton’s LGBTQIA+ community and it has been my absolute honour to have been part of that story. The loss of one of our safe spaces should always be mourned. But its history and our memories, the difference it made to so many people should be so celebrated, shouted about and never forgotten.
For the last 20 years I have been so privileged to have been the General Manager of this venue that I love so so much. It is so much more than where I work. It is where I live, it is my home and it is part of who I am. This has been an incredible life changing experience, with so many magical and amazing memories – it breaks my heart to say goodbye.
I have to say though, more than anything, I am so proud of the incredible bar team members and management that I have had the honour of working alongside over those decades. And I am in awe of the sheer dedication and passion that so many have shared for Charles Street. It has been their home, their refuge and their family. For that, I want to thank you all for being a part of our story! I know how hard this news will be for you to hear.
There are just too too many people for me to mention and thank individually here, but please know you are all in my heart and I thank you all. There are however two people I do have to single out.
Ed Stocker has been at Charles Street for 22 years. Even longer than I have. As my Deputy Manager he has been my right hand man who has shown unparalleled dedication to this venue and to me throughout that time. I cannot thank him enough for his complete trust I have had in him, his shared humour that has got us through some amazing challenges and for just being my friend. Thank you Ed!
Dame Sally Vate or Jon Holbrough-Hughes when she’s been an occasional bar wench (her words not mine!) has been our resident drag mother at Charles Street for some 18 years (along with Joan Bond of course – thank you JP!). She has been the face of Charles Street. Thank you for everything you’ve done, your talent, your dedication and love for everyone here and for all those magical moments and memories that I will treasure forever. Thank you Sal!
To all the incredible cabaret artists, DJs , Promotors, Security and cleaners – I just want to say thank you – you were all a part of what made us what we were. And of course to you, our customers, our guests, our family, thank you for your support – none of this would have been possible without you.
Throughout we tried to be different, we tried to do things well and we tried to bring joy. I hope at some point we succeeded to do that for you. Thank you.
Chris Marshall GM
Charles Street Tap”
Since 2023 the Charles Street Tap has been one of the music venues included in The Great Escape new music festival. They certainly have had some quality new talent and rising stars performing there. So as a homage to the venue here are the acts that we have reviewed. Enjoy….
VLURE – Charles Street Tap 12.5.23 (19:00 – 19:00)
Vlure, or “V f*cking Lure” as they referred to themselves onstage, are a five piece band from Glasgow playing tunes that combine the techno rave sounds of acts like Pendulum with the synth driven post punk of the Skids. Their Scottish heritage is emphasised by classically trained keyboardist Alex Pearson being a dead ringer for Rezillos singer Fay Fife back in the late 1970’s (a band coincidentally playing at Lewes Con Club that next day). Although vocalist Hamish Hutcheson is a dynamic frontman he is rivalled in stage presence by guitarist Conor Goldie with both men bare chested and wild eyed stage front. Tonight the band benefit from a clearer sound than the slightly muffled set they performed at Komedia back in February, with vox and synth soaring above the pounding bass and drums, there were no slow tunes in this set with each new song featuring Hutcheson imploring the crowd to greater movement in an impenetrable Glaswegian accent – we may not have grasped what he was saying but we knew what he meant! Then 30 minutes were up and both they and the crowd had to wind down from the crescendo of energy that had built up. Nice touch was the band stayed around to chat with fans after. (David McLean)
HEARTWORMS – Charles Street Tap 12.5.23 (22:00 – 22:30)
I must declare an interest straightaway, following an awesome performance at the Green Door Store back in March, Heartworms are my current favourite new band (along with Panic Shack). Heartworms is the creation of singer Jojo Orme, but expands to a full band for live performances. Post Punk is now an overused term but perfectly describes Heartworms musical indebtedness to first album Banshees, Bauhaus and Joy Division. A more recent comparison would be the sorely missed Savages, a band on a seemingly permanent hiatus. Back to Heartworms, tonight’s performance was hampered by a guitar amp with a loose connection that eventually required a sound technician to stand on stage holding the power cable in. Despite this the band showed grace under pressure with Jojo’s vocals switching between breathy intensity to fiery bursts of screaming. A packed house lapped it up and would have had an encore had it been allowed. Ending the review on a fashion tip, kudos to Jojo for wearing a 1977 Seditionaries Westwood/McLaren parachute top – another thing on top of the music that took me back to my long lost youth! (David McLean)
ROSE GRAY – Charles Street Tap 13.5.23 (22:00 – 22:30)
Three of our intrepid team, myself included, headed for our final performance of Friday (technically Saturday) upstairs at the Charles Street Tap, a venue I hadn’t set foot in since it was ‘The Hungry Years’ which was synonymous with heavy metal years ago. It now has a clubby vibe with raised DJ stage, mirrored walls and glass bricks so it provided the perfect setting for Walthamstow native and techno diva Rose Gray to blow us away with a pulsating set of hi-energy dance bangers with the added enhancement of some samples, live drums and electric guitar. Standout tracks included ‘Ecstasy’ and ‘Prettier Than You’ which both have a distinctly 90’s feel and come from Rose’s latest EP which was released on February 1st entitled ‘Higher Than The Sun’. Other tunes were palpably inspired by the underground scene. Bold enough to cover Donna Summer and Dee-Lite, this is a girl who exudes party vibes from her every pore. Dry ice shrouded the stage completely on a couple of occasions but it only added to the atmosphere in the sweltering club with Rose throwing some great shapes and the crowd reciprocating. I loved the uplifting nature of this performance, the world definitely needs more dancefloor fillers. Appearances on large festival stages beckon this summer. (Martin J Fuller)
NIGHTBUS – Charles Street Tap 16.5.24 (19:15 – 19:45)
Starting off the evening, I was determined to be in early and down the front for Nightbus, a Manchester based trio formed of Olive Rees, Zac Melrose and Jake Cottier, I’d been heavily listening to their limited output in the run up to the festival, in fact I had collected their brand new 7” ‘Average Boy’ / ‘Exposed To Some Light’ from Resident Music on my way to the Charles Street Tap in the hope of getting it signed, sadly I didn’t and was gutted to find they’d actually gone into Resident and signed copies 10 mins after I’d picked mine up! Anyhow it was getting to see them live that was more exciting for me as they had been my primary pick to watch for the festival. I was not disappointed, it was definitely a slow easing into the evening as their music style is what is described as the sound of music that captures that late night space when you are coming home in the early hours, quite eerie and reflective, a bit melancholic. Instrument wise the setup is 3 guitars, one of which is a bass, coupled along with a Pioneer DJ set up for the beats. The set was pretty much continuous with no break, much like being taken on a late night journey, the beats and electronics kept on going, but it’s the bass that really powers through in their music like a heartbeat to all of the songs, and the gorgeous shoegaze style guitars layered over the top, matched with Olive Ree’s haunting vocals that makes their music just special. Personally I loved the whole set, but I felt it could have been in a different venue that might have highlighted their musical vibe a bit better, Patterns Downstairs perhaps would have been ideal. Sadly this was the only performance they did during the festival, so I have no way to compare. I have my 7” to listen to now, fingers crossed they put out an album soon, as I know that’ll be on the car stereo on those late night drives. (Ben Jerry Robinson)
HALO MAUD – Charles Street Tap 17.5.24 (19:20 – 19:50)
Little under a month had elapsed since I saw French artist Halo Maud perform at the Concorde 2 supporting Jane Weaver and she was a ‘must see’ for me at The Great Escape. Essentially, this was the same set and I’m delighted it was. All of the tracks were selected from new album ‘Celebrate’ which represented a change in musical direction from when I first saw her in 2018, offering a more expansive psychedelic and up-tempo sound. Described as an album of songs “people visit in dreams” every track played this evening offered something different, yet were bound together by distorted synths, discordant guitar and quirky bi-lingual vocals all delivered in a style Björk would definitely appreciate! The two friends I was with enjoyed her set upon hearing her music for the first time upon my recommendation. My only gripe was the volume of talking between people in this large venue away from the stage, mostly coming from near the bar area and the seats at the side and back. The talking could be heard above the music throughout. It’s really disappointing and begs the question why do people bother coming along if they don’t want to listen? It spoils the enjoyment for others and is hugely disrespectful to the performer to say the least. If this was you, please don’t buy a ticket next year – or ever again to a live music event! Rant over, Halo Maud is a charismatic character who exudes quirkiness in her brilliant shows and I hope to see her again in the UK again soon. (Martin J Fuller)
SOFY – Charles Street Tap 15.5.25 (13:30 – 14:10)
I had to Shazam a catchy tune while out at a gig last month and discovered it was ‘Front Seat Honey’ by SOFY. Alas the singer/guitarist’s headline show at The Hope & Ruin in April was sold out, but as fate would have it she’s playing the Chess Club Records showcase at Charles Street Tap today, so I’ve got a second chance to see her. Hailing from Leicester, SOFY (stylised in all caps) and her three bandmates take the stage dressed in matching Adidas Stripes jackets and baggy shorts and begin with ‘Sticky,’ the opening track on current mixtape ‘Another Day In Paradise.’ A strong start but then disaster as there’s a click track error… “Does anyone know any jokes?” asks the singer as the sound guy tries to fix the problem. With no solution forthcoming, the band decide to play ‘Pirates’ as it’s the one song on their setlist that doesn’t require a backing track… “This has never happened to us before!” Worried that they’re going to have to abandon the remainder of their set, a huge cheer goes up as the click track suddenly comes through the speakers as it should, and the band are back in business! The aforementioned ‘Front Seat Honey’ is a highlight, breezy singalong pop in the same vein as label-mate Pixey. ‘Giant Designs’ is a song about moving to Margate and being obsessed with watching ‘Grand Designs’ on telly, and then we’re treated to the first ever play of new song ‘Doo Yaa’ about the SOFY’s love/hate relationship with the music industry. After mellow acoustic number ‘Big Talk’ the band finish their 10 song set with another earworm, ‘TogetherTogether’ jubilantly clutching victory from the jaws of defeat. (Phil Newton)
GREEN STAR – Charles Street Tap 15.5.25 (19:15 – 19:45)
For many people attending The Great Escape festival, the highlight is discovering a new favourite band, sometimes by accident. For me one of those occasions this year was London-based band Green Star. The three-piece are Lilah Bobak from Los Angeles (vocals and bass), Pedro Soler from Mallorca, and Alberto De Torre from Madrid (both vocals and guitar). They were joined by a drummer for their live show. Green Star created wonderful raucous sonic walls of sound, bleeding swirls of feedback and fuzz all wrapped in a gentle embrace of lyrical romance that filled The Charles Street Tap. There were influences from noise rock and shoegaze, and artists such as Sonic Youth. All three band members shared the vocals, and given their different voices, this worked well with the music. Bassist Lilah often took the softer parts, on the atmospheric intros to the songs but her voice held its own as the songs built. Amongst Green Star’s walls of sound were some catchy indie pop tunes. The stunning set from Green Star climaxed with a brilliant crescendo with all 3 band members playing their guitars lying on the stage. What a fitting way to close a quality set full of noise and intensity. (Peter Greenfield)
MEN AN TOL – Charles Street Tap 15.5.25 (20:15 – 20:45)
Men An Tol nail their folk-punk colours to the mast by naming themselves after an ancient Cornish stone formation. Frontman Bill Jefferson is from Cornwall, although the band themselves formed in South London. I tried but failed to see them at Camden’s Dublin Castle a few weeks ago. I’m here now though. Lammo is dahn the front so I’m clearly in the right place. In addition to Bill Jefferson, the band are completed by Felix Knox on mandolin, Max Silvey on bass, Tom Stevens on drums and Robert Wiseman on guitar. The opening song, which may be called ‘Jackie My Son’, features some absolutely lacerating guitar from Wiseman. The wide range of the band’s instrumentation also leads to wide ranging material. One song is folkier with a nice descending chord sequence at the beginning, before it beefs up. There is something of a lack of titles, often due to how new the tunes are! One song that does have a title is ‘All I Dream Of’, which has a beautifully delicate mandolin part, and indeed solo, from Felix Knox. The final song is a slow hymn to England. This, in my humble opinion, is hit single material. Lads, buy me a beer when you headline Wembley! (Mark Kelly)
RABBITFOOT – Charles Street Tap 15.5.25 (21:15 – 21:45)
Rabbitfoot (stylised as RABBITFOOT) is a genre-blending collective of five music students and best friends, creating vibrant, boundary-pushing music that mixes pop, rock, alt, jazz, and electronic sounds. Phrases like “genre-blending” and “boundary-pushing” are often overused, but definitely apply to Rabbitfoot. The eclectic five piece consist of a lead singer, guitar, synth, drums, and violin. Lead singer River’s theatrical performance ranged from poetry recital with an almost fairy tale feel to screamed vocals, and several styles in between. River had great rapport with the audience, encouraging them saying “I dare you to take 5 giant steps forward.” Why just suggest one step. River was very animated as was the synth player Olivia who danced constantly while playing. Rabbitfoot are one of those bands who have so much fun on stage, that their mood spread from the stage. Rabbitfoot’s blend of folk, jazz, rock was very memorable and grew on me, not just for being different but also its quality. (Peter Greenfield)
WESTSIDE COWBOY – Charles Street Tap 15.5.25 (22:15 – 22:45)
Westside Cowboy blend elements of indie rock, country and Midwest emo, to create a sound that’s both freshly new and yet familiar. The Manchester newcomers are made up of Aoife Anson O’Connell (bass guitar and vocals), James ‘Jimmy’ Bradbury (guitar and vocals), Paddy Murphy (drums) and Reuben Haycocks (guitar and vocals). There was plenty of variety in Westside Cowboy’s set. For example, their first song had an Americana folksy sound; the next was a loud fast rock track which faded out well with Aoife’s vocal, while their third cleverly mixed loud quiet and fast slow. A common feature across all their songs was how well the three vocalists worked together across the songs, each brought their own style to the mix. Unfortunately, the band ran out of time for their final song on their set list. Westside Cowboy showed promise and great potential for a bright future. One to watch based on their showing at The Great Escape. (Peter Greenfield)
MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW – Charles Street Tap 15.5.25 (23:15 – 23:45)
Closing the So Young takeover of Charles Street Tap were Man/Woman/Chainsaw, who are one of the most exciting and unpredictable young acts around, both joyous and raucous in equal measures. The precociously talented London five-piece are Billy Ward (vocals, guitars), Vera Leppänen (vocals, bass), Emmie-Mae Avery (vocals, keys/synths), Clio Harwood (violin), Lola Waterworth (drums) and Billy Doyle (guitar). Man/Woman/Chainsaw went straight into their first number ‘The Boss’ with a fast sharp frenzy that closed with Clio’s violin solo. By contrast (and there are many with this band) their next two ‘Adam & Steve’ and ‘Omppu (Broken Finger Song)’ saw a change to a relatively slower tempo. That changed completely with a mad frantic minute that’s ‘Maegan’ with the pace set by Lola on drums. While Billy and Vera shared vocal duties on most songs, Emmie-Mae took lead on ‘Get Up And Dance’ with its beautiful soft start. During this song one of Billy’s guitar strings broke. That was not going to stop him in full flow. ‘Grow A Tongue In Time’ showed the softer side to Vera’s vocal range, while ‘What Lucy Found There’ was a great example of how Man/Woman/Chainsaw can unpredictably flip and twist a song in many directions, on a note in unison. They closed an outstanding and genuinely exciting performance with ‘Ode To Clio’ which showcased Clio’s exciting violin talent. Without doubt Man/Woman/Chainsaw were a highlight of my Great Escape festival. (Peter Greenfield)
YASMIN COE – Charles Street Tap 16.5.25 (14:30 – 15:00)
Yasmin Coe comes highly recommended by somebody who’s judgement I trust, so here I am at the Charles Street Tap. Yasmin is from Manchester and has a cracking band. Opening song ‘Expected As Much’ from her EP ‘The Most I Could Do’ is a pokey start and features an ace solo from the lead guitarist. ‘When You Can’t Have Her’ features excellent harmonies between Yasmin and the keyboard player. It features a melodic bass solo too. On ‘Closer’ Yasmin plays the middle eight on guitar before the whole band join in with her, which gives a nice contrast in dynamics. ‘Red Jasper’ is about the safety of women. This really shouldn’t be an issue in a civilised society, but sadly it is. The song starts quietly. It needs to as it’s important that the lyrics are heard. There’s a great deal of light and shade which really epitomises musical ‘feel’. There’s an incandescent guitar solo which really emphasises the anger in the song. ‘Blink Twice’ is Yasmin’s current single and was written the day after the US presidential election results were announced. It’s about Yasmin’s well founded fear for women’s safety worldwide. Yasmin is a thoughtful artist who pulls no punches with regard to the lyrical content of her songs. Today was her first visit to Brighton. Let’s hope that she returns soon. (Mark Kelly)
TTSSFU – Charles Street Tap 16.5.25 (15:30 – 16:00)
Also Manchester based (although originally from Wigan) is TTSSFU, aka Tasmin Stephens. Tasmin trades in Cure influenced goth with fabulously ethereal vocals. She also plays a heart-shaped guitar which has a photo of herself on the back with “f*cker” written underneath it, which is nice. Tasmin’s vocals sometimes sound quite angelic, which is occasionally at odds with the subject matter of her songs, such as ‘Cat P*ss’ which “is about the time I drank cat p*ss”. Fair enough…. The song’s intro is not dissimilar to ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ by The Clash. The guitarist attempts to elicit feedback from his amp, but his guitar cuts out in the process. Electricity eh? The bassist has a Westone Rail bass, which is similar to a 1980s Steinberger. Then, as now, I could not understand the attraction of having a bass (or a guitar for that matter) without a headstock. Perhaps someone could enlighten me? There are occasional hints of other artists in TTSSFU’s material including early U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen. Tasmin is a superb frontperson who holds the audience in her hand. She sits on the edge of the stage and then jumps into the audience, rolling about on the floor. The final song “is about murdering rapists”. I think that the term Tasmin is looking for is ‘executing’, possibly. It’s a very punchy song and the band really go for it. It’s the best song of a great set. As it ends Tasmin runs off the stage into the crowd. We never see her again. If Tasmin does reappear, TTSSFU are scheduled to play quite a few festivals over the course of the summer. (Mark Kelly)
THE PILL – Charles Street Tap 16.5.25 (21:15 – 21:45)
The Pill are Lily on guitar and Lottie on bass, both sharing vocal duties, plus there is Rufus on drums and they hail from the Isle of Wight, an Isle where plenty of good bands seem to be coming from at the moment, there must be something in the water. Wow, what a crazy pair they are, their songs are humorous, tending to laugh in a satirical way at life situations. They have oodles of energy, are cheeky but soooo much fun. Songs such as ‘Salt Father’, ‘Money Mullet’, ‘Woman Driver’, and ‘Scaffolding Man’ all got played in a mega thirty five minute, nine song set. There was lots of hilarious banter and patter between songs, possibly more of a routine, despite it seeming to be off the cuff, they alluded to Lottie being a little razzled at the start, there was no holding back. The songs themselves were fast, furious and punk driven, really good juicy loud guitar. Lots of mosh pit action was going on, at one point I saw people holding hands and spinning round and round, other folks were going crazy dancing right up at the front next to me. This set fully woke me up, utterly legendary, they are most definitely going to be playing bigger and bigger venues, as I write this now their ‘The EP’ tour has just been announced, I’d wager those will sell out fast. (Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
LAWN CHAIR – Charles Street Tap 16.5.25 (00:15 – 00:45)
OK, I don’t mind admitting that by now, I’m absolutely shattered and have acquired two blisters and a cut on my foot from all the running around and bopping over the past few days. I’m at my lowest ebb, but then get talked into just one more set by my colleague as I’m standing outside Charles Street Tap. I haven’t got a clue who is playing there as they aren’t on my list and I’m quite frankly too tired to even look at the Great Escape App. Reluctantly I climbed the stairs into the venue. The band is LAWN CHAIR and the quintet are soundchecking their two guitars, bass, keys and drums. They look a geeky bunch, and an interesting prospect! They are fronted by Seattle-born singer Claudia Schlutius, and they deliver powerful, guitar-driven indie punk with an infectious energy, blending the raw spirit of the ’80s and ’90s with a fresh, modern edge. Their setlist reads: ‘Devo’, ‘Rhoenians Death’, ‘Punkrock Band’, ‘MWSE’, ‘War Machine’, ‘Sunset Heartbreak’, ‘Lobster’, ‘Big Dick’ and ‘Counting On Love’ and some of these are unreleased tunes. Note the name of their first track, ‘Devo’, I’d say it’s a clue to their sound and mix that in with The B52s and a smidge of the Dead Kennedys and you are there. Claudia is very entertaining and moves about the stage like a rag doll. She also climbed the balcony to the rear of the stage, stood atop the drumset, and then joined the audience on more than one occasion. For the last of which, she kept backing into the punters with a falling motion. I wasn’t quite sure what was required, until some figured it out and hoisted her above their heads whilst she carried on singing. This was a truly energetic rockin’ set and when they drop their new album in September, I hope that they make a swift return, as I will want to be there! What blisters? (Nick Linazasoro)
THE ORIELLES – Charles Street Tap 14.5.26 (23:15 – 00:00)
The Orielles returned to The Great Escape with a compelling late night appearance, drawing the majority of their eight song set from their latest and fourth studio album ‘Only You Left’. Featuring hypnotic swirls of krautrock rhythms, dream-pop textures and art-rock experimentation from the motorik pulse of opener ‘Three Halves’ to the atmospheric, slow-burning finale ‘To Undo The World Itself’ with tracks like ‘Tears Are’ and ‘Wasp’ shifting between jagged post-punk grooves and shimmering psychedelic soundscapes. I first witnessed them perform at this very festival eight years ago on a hot afternoon at a packed ‘TGE Beach’ venue and was astonished then at the maturity of their sound and incredible raw musicianship as they were all remarkably young at the time. In the intervening years, their sound has constantly evolved and the trio – sisters Esmé Dee and Sidonie Hand-Halford together with Henry Carlyle continue to innovate in a genre that can’t be expressly defined. A truly mesmeric performance. (Martin J Fuller)
NECRY TALKIE – Charles Street Tap 15.5.26 (22:15 – 22:45)
I arrived early to see La Sécurité and was rewarded with a fun set from Japanese five-piece Necry Talkie, who brought a burst of colourful chaos to Charles Street Tap with an exuberant set packed full of hyperactive indie- J pop energy. They combined frantic guitar lines, sharp rhythmic shifts and irresistibly upbeat melodies, all anchored by a hugely charismatic vocal performance that had the packed venue bouncing throughout. One of the most fun performances of the festival. (Martin J Fuller)
LA SÉCURITÉ – Charles Street Tap 15.5.26 (23:15 – 23:45)
My third encounter with La Sécurité following appearances in 2024 at this festival and the 2025 Brighton Psych Fest, delivered a sharp, stylish blast of art-punk during their late night show at Charles Street Tap. The five-piece Montreal outfit opened explosively with ‘Le Kick’ weaving between French and English across a set packed with wiry guitars, danceable post-punk rhythms and deadpan charisma. Several tracks from the upcoming album ‘Bingo!’ to be released on 12th June (Bella Union) were aired, including the discordant title track, while ‘Dis Moi’ stood out as a personal highlight with its irresistible groove and playful vocal interplay. Closing on the frantic ‘Snack City’, La Sécurité left the room buzzing after one of the festival’s coolest and most effortlessly confident performances. (Martin J Fuller)
