Derren Brown - Worthing Pavillion
"Psychological illusion, perceptual manipulation and persuasive technique”; devices Brown claims to use to allow him to (seemingly) memorise phonebooks, defeat nine chess Grandmasters at once and even sink 14” nails into Robbie Williams.
Whilst a repeat performance of the latter was sadly never on the cards (excuse the pun) on Wednesday, Brown still turned in a gripping performance; heart-stopping at times, relentlessly eerie and yet brimming with edgy wit and flair.
E9 was the rather ominous number on my ticket when I arrived. It seemed dangerously close to the front. Would I be the one drawn onstage and made to bark like a dog at passing cars for a week? Maybe he’d just erase the whole show from my memory instead?
Mercifully, none of his erratically dispatched Frisbees fell to me, but by the close of the 2 hour show I nevertheless remained rather hazy as to what had actually occurred. I think I saw floating tables, pendulums, Gorilla suits and Brown cold reading thirty plus random participants in quick succession with jaw-dropping accuracy. I was dazzled and light headed. And like most people, grasping at a zillion questions filling the air as we shuffled out. The general consensus seemed to be though, when illusion and theatrics are such sensational, good fun, why bother reasoning?
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 6:15 PM
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Neon Neon - Fabric
As with Madchester in ‘89 or Big Beat in ‘99, every ten years or so Indie and Dance race towards each other like horny dogs in a park and get straight down to some spirited arse sniffing, only to get whistled apart apologetically by their respective owners after a just the briefest of exchanges.
We’re in the thick of one of indie and dance’s most fertile unions in some time and tonight’s ‘Adventures in the Beetroot Field’ gathers a killer line up of bright young things all mining a singularly 2008 style take on this perennial hybrid.
The pairing of Boom Bip and Super Furries man Gruff Rhyss as Neon Neon - making their live UK debut at Fabric tonight - seems slightly at odds with the rest of the line-up.
Where the majority of acts on this bill present a spiky, confrontational take on indie-dance, Neon Neon prefer a smoother, streamlined style.
Where the young upstarts sing of alienation and urban ennui, Neon Neon deal in romance and humanity. Elsewhere there is grubby 80’s revisionism, with Neon Neon only loving tribute.
Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere in Room2 slightly more sedate than elsewhere as curious musos steadily fill the hall.
Nobody’s quite sure what form Neon Neon live
will take and with debut LP “Stainless Style”’s list of collaborators reading something like a super savvy Gorillaz cast (Yo Majesty, Spank Rock) you never know who could pitch up to perform.
Opening with “Neon Theme” - Bip on keys and synth drums, Rhyss on guitar alongside bassist Cate Le Bon and a loose limbed drummer in gigantic plane landing headphones - and immediately the atmosphere shifts from Fabric’s typical cold modernism to woozy nostalgia.
It’s an incongruous image: a born and bred valley boy,
cruising down the strip in convertible, palm trees flapping softly in the breeze but over the course of the first few numbers, to Miami Vice power drums and Kim Wilde style choruses, Rhyss makes it all palatable.
Cate Le Bon takes to the mic for a lush ‘I Lust you’ and remains both graceful and insouciant throughout.
As to whether they convince as a unit, the four piece just about pull it off, looking more like the arch new-wave sixth form band than the product of some fated union.
But Bip’s having a blast pounding away at his synth drums and though Gryff looks baffled from the start (hell doesn’t he always?) it only adds to the band’s breezy charm.
“Belfast” is delightful towards the end of the set, Gryff’s yearning vocal proving once again he may be one of most emotive vocalists of his generation and when Akira the Don appears for “Sweatshop” it’s humping dancehall rhythm finally gets everyone moving.
Unfortunately it all tails off when the Magic Numbers join on vocals for the last song. Of course, great to get the guests on for a turn but the Magic Numbers are the last band on earth you’d associate with ‘Star Quality’ and as they stand there, hands in pockets, awkwardly chinking beers together it’s a lacklustre finale to an otherwise thoroughly engaging show.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 6:08 PM
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Team Waterpolo - Digital
With funky breaks on their intro CD and set of decks and mixer not seen onstage with an indie band since the heady days of Skunk-rock (remember that?) nobody seemed quite sure what to expect as ‘Team Waterpolo’ took to the stage at Digital.
There’s ludicrous hype on the band following just one Moshi Moshi released single, various support tours and some heavy tipping from the big radio players. And after just a handful of songs it was pretty obvious why TW have such a frantic A&R scramble on their hands to boot.
Put simply, they boast an arsenal of outrageously functional pop tunes that it would probably take a team of 12 crack producers to compose. So compact and deadly catchy is each number, you can already hear a frothing Jo Whiley introducing them ahead of the vocal.
However, when this moment comes, I for one will be reaching for the ‘off’ switch rather than the volume knob. And so too will you if the V Festival friendly pap of Kaiser Chiefs, Hard-Fi et al isn’t your bag. For in truth, other than a smattering of dubious ‘dancey’ flourishes, TW offer little to no advance on this unfathomably tired and grindingly irritating strain of mainstream indie.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 5:30 PM
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Chris Rea - Brighton Centre
Chris Rea’s promoting his new music book, the story of 50’s band “The Delmonts” who later went on to become “The Hofner Bluenotes” and so divided Monday night’s set into three distinct sections to mirror this story arc.
The first part of the show wherein the band adopted the form of “The Delmonts” was quite frankly, appalling; Shadows-lite instrumentals as toe-curling pastiche replete with utterly tasteless titles displayed on a screen throughout.
There was palpable relief in the air when Rea eventually took to the mic for the straight up blues rock of “The Hofner Bluenotes” but he failed to convert with songs time and time again revisiting stock lyrical themes: God, Devil, Hell, roads, etc. The format did however free him to tear through some blistering slide guitar solos and Rea proved categorically that he still possesses a rich, gravelled voice perfectly suited to the blues.
Things picked up in the latter third of the set with a spirited run through his many hits, but a refusal to properly address or engage with his dedicated audience meant the atmosphere never properly ignited. The end product was a perfunctory performance - strangely soulless and almost stupefying in its relentless conservatism.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 5:27 PM
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Square Roots - Volks Tavern
Brighton’s a great breeding ground for would-be promoters. Fuck knows what the stats are but there must be what? 6.29 night clubs per student house? The upshot being: If you know your shit, have got a bit of time on your hands and are blessed with a legion of up-for-it mates you might as well have a crack at putting a night on.
Few young promoters though can compete with the runaway success of upstarts ‘Square Roots’ In 2006 when dubstep was in its infancy, they booked ‘Skream’ for £100; spin on to 2008 and they’ve got all the scene’s heavyweights on speed dial, a succession of packed out nights under their belts and whaddya know? The big boys are knocking. Audio, SE1 and the hyper cool Amersham Arms all, apparently, after a piece of this mouth watering square pie.
And how? Other than a knack for super savvy, forward thinking line-ups, they refuse to limit their programming to one genre. On any given night you’re gonna get grime, electro, ragga, B-more…Basically, anything with a sick bassline. And by God! There are plenty of those here tonight.
From the scene inside the Volks you wouldn’t guess it were a Thursday night, such is the sheer volume of people and hyped atmosphere. Downstairs the STDJs are peddling fierce gutter house and upstairs even though it’s not yet midnight, Hatcha’s rammed the dancefloor with a pulverising selection of re-tweaked 2 step and shuddering sub-sonics. The ludicrous Gramp’s Hifi soundsystem is rattling every rafter of the creaky old Volks and though it sounds like the club could conceivably collapse at any given moment, indeed Western Civilisation itself could be collapsing around us and it wouldn’t stop the party. This is utterly essential, future clubbing.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 5:32 PM
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XX Teens / Hatcham Social / Maths Class – Audio
Play it by Ear has had a cracking innings down at Brighton’s Audio, consistently delivering forward thinking line ups of local and national buzz bands that never fail to provoke and inspire. Last Friday’s line up was no exception.
When new rave and post-punk are finally put to rest, (please God – it can’t be long now) no one will remember bands like local lads Maths Class. Their light speed delivery and preposterous material that mashes together mongrel electro and spazzy post-rock marks them out as quite possibly the silliest band on the planet. They’re the musical equivalent of what’s going through your Dad’s mind when he says “You’re not seriously going out like that”. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re dazzling and daft in equal measure like they are. When they’re not screeching vocals or splattering away at the fret boards and manage to straighten things out with a bit of taut disco to close their set, there’s a glimpse of a far greater band desperately trying to punch its way out a new rave paper bag.
As they’re currently sitting on something of a cult hit - “How to Reduce the Chances of Being a Terror Victim” - most of tonight’s crowd are turned out to see XX Teens who, having endured a recent line up change, turn out to be a beguiling six piece in shirts and ties and beset with an edgy mania. They’re clearly out to confound too and front man Rich Cash remains motionless, expressionless and closeted behind thick sunglasses throughout.
Coupled with their grubby avant garage and thick sludgy kraut rock the studied cool works up to a point. Unfortunately the mask slips when they close with the aforementioned “How to.….”; Cash unforgivably reading its hilarious admonition from a lyric sheet and thereby shattering the band’s precision engineered cool.
‘Band of the Night Award’ then goes to openers “Hatcham Social” an intriguing three piece in bad bowl cuts and cardigans with seemingly no interest whatsoever in the traditional practices of being in a band and, like, playing songs for people. Their material is simultaneously dirge-like, awkward and skewed but there’s something hugely alluring about their complete indifference. Though the solos are only just in key, instruments are abandoned mid song and it appears the last thing they want to be doing is standing on stage, you literally can’t take your eyes off them.
Blessed with a quivering baritone that recalls greats like Morrissey and Edwyn Collins singer Toby Kidd somehow weaves meandering melodies amongst the band’s brittle, skeletal sound and though few of their tunes register in memory, such is deeply peculiar aura projected by the ensemble and the eerie atmosphere their music creates they nevertheless leave a lasting impression like on the night’s proceedings like a deep, rich bruise.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:45 PM
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MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular, Jim Brackpool, 6 out of 10
It’s the dream start for a new band. Maybe you too have lost count of the number of people asking you “have you heard that MGMT single?” That single being “Time to Pretend” the Brooklyn duo’s debut and a strong contender for Single of the Year thus far. Suffice to say, it’s a remarkable opening gambit; instantly recognisable and arcing ever skywards on lift-off chords and an unforgettable screwy lead line. It leaps out the morning radio like some impish electro hippy, splashes about in your Cornflakes and sends you skipping out the front door in the crisp March sunshine like it’s the height of summer already.
You’d be right to expect even more great things then from the album proper and a cursory glance at the track list reveals ambitious galaxy gazing titles like “4th Dimensional Transition” and “Of Moons, Birds and Monsters”; Clearly MGMT themselves have got their sights set slightly higher than a Hard-Fi support tour.
In some respects ‘Oracular Spectacular’ meets their lofty promise. The overall feel of the album is that of a band making music joyfully uprooted from any temporal reference points. MGMT possess a unique ability to skip with ease between various chapters in rock history and the album weaves its way through shimmering psychedelia, noodly prog rock and shiny, radio friendly synth pop. There’s even a brief foray into 80s AOR by way of ‘Electric Feel’ which struts and shimmies like Hall & Oates covering the Stones.
Sadly, opener and aforementioned single ‘Time to Pretend’ is the highpoint and there really isn’t much else on the album to touch it. Though admirably they’ve opted for a sound that’s as stylistically kaleidoscopic as it is so soncially, the end product is a record too often incoherent and meandering.
The lack of focus extends to the songwriting too. Tunes like “The Handshake” and “Of Moons and Monsters” open up and develop pleasantly enough before striking a groove or repetitive pattern and inexplicably clinging on to it. This would be the point at which point you’re preparing yourself to be blasted into this promised 4th Dimension, but disappointingly they wimp out and the tracks fade. It’s irritating because MGMT clearly aren’t short of ideas, they just seem to lack the discipline and judgement to distil them into coherent and rewarding songs rather than sprawling mood pieces.
“Oracular Spectacular” also suffers from a ludicrously over bearing production job courtesy of Flaming Lips man Dave Fridmann. His signature tricks are everywhere: overdriven cut-up drums, vintage delay effects and gratuitous panning dominate each track and whilst it works for the ‘Lips, here it sounds tinny and jarring. It’s almost like neither him nor the band could decide whether it’s an electronic or rock record and in dithering between the two just settled on this awkward middle ground. Overall, it’s a frustrating listen.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 5:23 PM
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Metronomy - Digital
Metronomy are shaping up to be one of Brighton’s finest musical exports in recent years. With home hewn records, inspired DIY videos and now a delightfully quirky stylised stage show – think Devo, a lo-fi Kraftwerk or Hot Chip if they could only crack a smile – their growing popularity’s proof that a little flair and plenty of talent can go a heck of a lot further than major label dollar.
Their sound will be familiar to anyone who’s been inside a young person’s nightclub in the last 3 years but there’s none of contemporary electro’s vacuous sensibilities here; just oodles of quality songwriting and tunes crammed with ace ideas like barmy, polka inspired synth lines, crisp R’n’B-esque micro melodies and lashings of party funk falsetto.
Monday’s never a great night for raving but Metronomy quickly won over a sluggish crowd with a witty, inventive and mischievous performance bolstered by some hilarious three man choreography.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:49 PM
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3AM - Funky Buddha Lounge
It’s fair to say Brighton’s clubbing community hasn’t quite got its collective head around late night raving. Unlike in say, Berlin or New York, even London for that matter, if you’re expecting to still be in a nightclub at 7AM, you generally leave the house a bit later. Not so in Brighton it would seem, where everyone’s in the pub at 8 as per and the late-doors/after party is invariably tacked sloppily onto the end of a normal night of bar and club hopping. It’s rarely a pretty sight…..
So it’s a peculiar atmosphere that greets you on arrival at the Funky Buddha around 3:30AM. An atmosphere certainly NOT enhanced either by the torturous queuing, the needlessly confrontational doormen or the super surly bar staff. Nor the fact that DJ and crowd are attempting an awkward transition from the Funky flavours of the earlier night into the shadier sounds of twilight zone electro.
Nevertheless, resident Ash Huntingdon makes a decent fist of this tricky crossfade, easing the night along with some vocal tracks whilst keeping it fairly bumpy and lady friendly. As the club begins to refill with dirty stop-outs from Audio and Captcha things start to look up. Finally, the scene is set for the Schtumm boys - currently Brighton’s hottest DJ tag team - to see us through till sun up. They don’t disappoint with two and a bit hours of impeccably cool tweaky electro and itchy future house.
By 5AM it’s looking, sounding and indeed, smelling like a proper after hours do and as the hours bleed into each other and the music gets ever freakier, all of a sudden it actually feels like you could be in Berlin or New York; 3AM has finally made good.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 5:20 PM
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