Viva Brighton Issue #73 March 2019

MUSIC
..........................
Ben Bailey rounds up the local music scene
SJ BRETT
Wed 6th, Hope & Ruin, 7.30pm, £5
Once the singer of local indie
stalwarts Mojo Fins, Stephen
Brett is now going it alone – at
least in name. He’s actually got
a band with him (including
Lamb’s Oddur Runarsson) for this benefit gig
to raise funds and awareness for Brighton-based
charity, Grassroots Suicide Prevention. SJ Brett
makes reflective and mellow guitar music, not
too far removed in style from that of his erstwhile
outfit. Sonic Summer Pudding are on the bill as
well, bringing Rickenbackers and flutes to bear on
their variation of 60s psychedelic pop. As a curveball
treat the night also features magician Caspar
Thomas (whom you probably saw on a hoarding
at the station during Brighton Fringe last year).
DIRTY WHITE FEVER
Sun 17th, Green Door Store, 7pm, free
After a relatively quiet
year, during which guitarist
Dominic Knight
moved away to Bristol,
Dirty White Fever are
back in their old stomping
ground for another evening of blistering blues
rock. That one of them had a stint in 80s Matchbox
B-Line Disaster should come as no surprise
to those who’ve heard this duo’s sludgy killer riffs.
The vocals are equally striking, with Knight coming
on like a wounded Jim Morrison while bandmate
Leon Holder punishes his drums, managing
to slip a few hip hop beats in between blasts of
Stooges-style rock. Support comes from Electric
Retro Spectrum and Grand Guru.
ARXX
Thu 28th, Prince Albert, 7pm, £4
Brighton ‘gal pal duo’
Arxx have been making a
lot of noise lately, especially
since the release of their
Daughters of Daughters
EP in February last year.
Behind the lo-fi aesthetic
of their instantly compelling garage rock lurks a
songwriting instinct which perhaps owes as much
to classic pop as it does to riot grrrl. The sound
of pounding drums and distorted guitar is topped
with fabulously versatile vocals, flipping from
soulful to punky before a verse is out. This Brighton
show is the final leg of an eight-date headline
tour, but they’re only back for a week before
setting off to support Tunbridge Wells trio Lady
Bird for another bunch of dates around the UK.
ABATTOIR BLUES
Fri 29th, Green Door Store, 7pm, £7/6
Abattoir Blues announced
they were splitting up late
last year so this is your
final chance to catch the
Brighton five-piece in action.
Despite taking their name from the title of a
Nick Cave album, the band draw more from the
heavy side of 80s post-punk, with tracks about political
crisis and mental health delivered with a kind
of emo intensity. In the past they’ve shared musicians,
producers and even houses with members of
The Magic Gang, Sulky Boy and Birdskulls. We
wouldn’t be surprised to see some of Abattoir Blues
crop up in a related project, or to find one of those
bands playing support at this farewell show.
....43....