Viva Brighton Issue #38 April 2016

local musicians
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Ben Bailey rounds up the Brighton music scene
SAFE TO SWIM
Sat 2nd, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, 7pm, free
Did you ever see
Nirvana clowning
around on Top of
the Pops? As well as
being a brilliant two
fingers to phoney pop, it’s a reminder that grunge
was more fun than people remember, despite all
the drugs and depression. Brighton four-piece Safe
To Swim have released two singles so far, both of
which capture the combination of ennui and goofiness
that defined a lot of music back then. The band
have earned some national press and small festival
slots off the back of their catchy guitar-driven indie
rock, arguably on account of the influences. If there
was any doubt, the 90s associations are cemented
by the clips of Wayne’s World and Bill & Ted in the
band’s video to last year’s Forget Life. Repeat. It’s like
the slacker equivalent of Rickrolling.
SPECTRUM: RECORD STORE DAY
Sat 16th, Brighton Dome Studio, 12pm, £8
The clocks have just gone
forward, but you’d be
forgiven for thinking the
opposite when you see
the amount of vinyl being
carried home on Record
Store Day this month. As usual Resident Records
is the hub of activity, but the Dome are joining in
with a morning seminar and a full day of bands
including Tigercub (pictured), Gang, Della Lupa,
Yumi And The Weather, Calico and Normanton
Street. Attentive Viva readers will know all these
bands due to their appearance on these very pages
over the last year. It’s a perfect chance to hear a big
wedge of Brighton’s best new music all in one go.
BAD BAD WHISKEY
Sat 16th, Round Georges, 6pm, free
Mixing the stripped-back sound
of skiffle with the amped-up
noise of rock’n’roll, Bad Bad
Whiskey have been causing
spontaneous dancing in Brighton
pubs since 2009. Powered
by a rattle-snare drummer and a
string-slapping upright bassist,
the trio is led by Citizen Lane – a wax-haired hep
cat who’s been DJing around Kemptown for just
as long. Though there’s an element of tongue-incheek
tribute to the band’s blend of rockabilly and
blues, they also have plenty of genuine love – and a
sure talent – for the music. It’s knockabout, raucous
and impossible to sit still to.
ELLIE FORD
Fri 22nd, Bleach, 8pm, £7
Musicians occasionally have a
hard time avoiding the temptations
of self-indulgence
when they play something as
impressive as the harp – as if
the novelty of the instrument will compensate for
any amount of noodling. It’s safe to say Ellie Ford
doesn’t have this problem, perhaps because she’s
an equally accomplished guitarist and singer. This
gig is the launch of her debut album, The Other
Sun, the making of which saw her holed up in a
countryside studio near Bexhill for many months.
Having emerged blinking from the depths of a
painstaking but decidedly old-fashioned recording
process, she’s now taking the results on tour with
her band. The single from the album is a lush and
buoyant folk ballad with a unique arrangement. If
it translates well to the stage, this will be a treat.
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