Category Archives: Hope and Ruin

Hope and Ruin

Music Review: Gloma at the Hope & Ruin by Alex Hill

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It was one of those instances where you feel you’re being undeservedly spoiled. The Hope and Ruin had a gig on – nothing unusual, granted – the fact that four bands were on the bill and it was completely free however made it seem like an astoundingly good deal. I cleared my schedule of whatever plans I might’ve had on a Sunday night to embark on this four hour long musical extravaganza (bring your camping chair!). The fact I hadn’t heard of any of the bands playing made the whole thing even more intriguing. 

From what I could work out, the headliners were Gloma, and the occasion was the release of their brand-new EP. Uncharacteristically, I decided to do some prior research and came across the music video for Gloma’s new song “Gossamer”. I liked what I heard, and the fact that they were all donning ski masks for the inverted colour video shoot out in the woods created a first impression of a much more intimidating looking version of Kneecap, perhaps. Or a homemade take on Slipknot. I digress. 

The first band was an alternative metal trio named Sunlifter; they were heavy and emotive in equal measure. Contradicting their intense and well-polished sound with heartwarming sentiments (“This next song is about love, so hug the person next to you”… everyone did). Three-piece bands are always fun to watch because they have usually achieved some kind of mastery of their instruments – and these guys are no different. 

Teasing into the next band when their singer was brought on stage for Sunlifter’s last song – the second band in the list were a crazy, screamo-metal band. Quite unexpected really; at this point was also where the whole show got very mosh-pit oriented. Not good when you’ve got half of a £6 pint left in your hand. Mashed were extremely heavy; the singer had seemingly unending energy as he bounded round the stage screaming at the top of his lungs the entire time, how do they do it? I was just thinking how they sounded very nu-metal and Korn-esque when they announced their final song and burst into a faithful cover of ‘Blind’ (with a bit more screaming).  

Seethes’ brand of churning, thumping heavy metal was a hit on stage. Once again, very intense – screams of ‘no mercy’ echoing the room before a breakdown of pounding drums and slow, heavily distorted guitar and bass. Despite my thirst, I was too apprehensive to buy another drink at this point; any unfortunately swung limb from the mosh pit could have led to disaster. 

The big headliners; Gloma delivered on the anticipation with their unique mix of shoegaze and heavy metal. Artfully switching between slow, atmospheric and jangly to heavy and fast paced with a bass heavy, whirring guitar sound.  I was pleased to see they wore the ski masks on stage, and their new single is great. They’re relatively small at the moment, but I reckon these guys are going places. 

All in all, it was a very good night. Maybe It wouldn’t be my first choice to see a stack of high energy, vicious heavy metal bands like this lot – as evidenced by my missing the memo on the dress code – but I did enjoy myself. And it was free. Did I mention that? There’s often plenty of free gigs showing off the Brighton up-and-comers which are always worth going to. Life’s a journey of discovery after all. 

Brighton, Green Door Store, Hope and Ruin, The Great Escape

The Great Escape by Alex Hill

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Down every street in the city, venues are alive with the sound of live music and hordes of people queue outside standing around talking and smoking. It was, of course, The Great Escape. Over 450 different acts taking the stage in all the best pubs and clubs over four days.

If the weather plays nicely, there’s nothing like a Great Escape weekend. You set out with an idea of going here to see that, but then you meet someone who says you really should go there to see something else and then… Well, who knows  what happens then.

A typical Great Escape night tends to include a lot of drifting around venues in search of a band you’ve never heard but you’ve heard of. And as you’re halfway there, maybe going to the Hope & Ruin, there’s an alert on the phone app. The venue’s full. There’s a queue. Maybe you’d like to go to The Green Door Store instead.

It truly is a cross-city festival, and you may just find yourself doing that; especially during the particularly busy times if you’re intent on finding new and exciting gigs like I was. If you don’t mind the strain on your legs, and if chancing upon interesting new sounds is something that grabs your fancy, then the festival is definitely for you. You’re bound to discover many great bands you were previously unaware of.

You’re not always guaranteed to find that gig you were hoping to see. Late one night, feeling dejected due to not having the required wristband for a gig near the seafront – something the festival app neglected to tell us – myself and a few friends ended up at the Fiddlers Elbow for a curiously busy gig. We found ourselves in the company of an obnoxiously loud garage rock gig which was awfully mixed by the sound engineer and with frankly poor song writing from the band (who were, I believe, from Canada). The band just weren’t that great, but weren’t helped by long and droning instrumental parts drowning out the vocalist and… It was all too loud. We escaped, checked our timetables only to discover to our own chagrin that there weren’t any more gigs on – onto the next day.

Organisation is key to having a great Escape. A friend had an Excel sheet – really, an Excel sheet. All times and places and descriptions. I didn’t have an Excel sheet. I had a friend who said we had to go to Jubilee Square to see hot local band Slag. We got there to find that hot local band Slag were playing Jubilee Square. Or rather, had played Jubilee Square. Yesterday. Instead, we saw Azamiah, a smooth, laid-back jazz funk band. Good, but not as nature intended. Next year, Excel.

The Hope and Ruin was religiously hosting gigs, in both the upstairs and downstairs bar and I saw a lot of good bands here I’d never heard of before. No complaint from me. That’s the other thing about The Great Escape. You get to see loads of bands and very possibly you were told who they were and very probably you really remembered who they were and… who were they?

The bands at the Hope where all punk and hardcore; screaming the house down and getting the audience fired up. With each band delivering half an hour sets, I think I saw four or five different bands here – Pleasure Inc.from Norwich played funky headbangers with a Rage Against the Machine type feel; Jools were an intense, dual vocalist modern hardcore band; Really Big Really Clever were a midwestern emo sounding four piece who made the crowd go wild. The Molotov’s were also playing, but they were stuck upstairs.

In Green Door, where the uneven cobbled flooring tends to make your night a bit more like you’ve had a drink when you’ve drank enough to make you unsteady, various great bands played as part of both the Alternative Escape and the main festival. With so many gigs on in such a short time frame, it’s quite hard to plan where to go; especially with so many overlapping time slots – navigating the festival effectively requires incredible foresight I seemed to lack as a first timer. Next year, Excel.

My feet were complaining, my head also a little, but had a fantastic time and saw loads of great bands I otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to see. It’s probably been said before, but if the weather plays nicely, there’s nothing like a Great Escape weekend.  

Brighton music scene, Hope and Ruin, Spill

Music Review: Spill

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By Tallulah Gray

Slap bang in the middle of their UK tour promoting their latest single ‘Mr Blue’, Spill stopped in Brighton to headline Hope and Ruin alongside Brighton’s Divorce Attorney and Torus from Milton Keynes, and the second Spill hit the stage it was clear that the crowd was ready for the psychedelic metal grunge hybrid the band has become known for.

Having seen Spill play many Brighton shows over the last year (their headline in Dust a particular highlight), it’s so clear to see their strength and progression from being a band that already put on a spectacularly tight and dynamic show, and this gig blew the doors off any previous perception of the band.

From their driving rhythm session of drummer Tom Williams and bassist Alain de Gouveia, Spill commanded the audience, highlighting lead singer Sophie Cawtheray’s vocals in the quieter moments equally.

de Gouveia’s bass tone – the best in Brighton? Go on. Argue with it – serves the kind of music Spill make excellently, balancing their more heavy influences with the psychedelic riffs of guitarists Kieran King and Charly Turpin.

While every member has their moment to shine in their setlist, lead vocalist Soph Cawtheray’s vocals were stronger than ever before at Hope and Ruin, leaning into the gravelly belt she uses oh so sparingly alongside the powerfully soft and subdued vocal melodies she has become so known for in the Brighton scene.

Spill has proven time and time again that they’re a band with serious potential and a strong sense of identity. Their journey on the Mr Blue tour seems to have done nothing but strengthen the already solid base they’ve built for themselves in Brighton and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.

Brighton Life, Die Twice, Fever Rouge, Hope and Ruin, Slag

Music Review: Slag, Fever Rouge, Die Twice

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On tour promoting their new EP ‘A Beautiful Thing’, Die Twice hit up Brighton’s very own Hope and Ruin with supporting acts Slag and Fever Rouge.
Tallulah Gray was there

After a phenomenal sets from the first two bands – and more of them later – Die Twice had a lot to prove by the time their headline slot rolled around. And they didn’t disappoint.

The first thing that strikes as the band take the stage is a palpable chemistry that can’t be ignored. The ease and charm with which guitarist Billy Twamley moves around the stage while playing his bluesy-alternative riffs with such precision is something to be studied.

Lead vocalist Olly Bayton is an absolute treat of a frontman, playing a wonderful game of cat and mouse with the audience, while the rhythm section proves to be the real strength of the band’s sound. With bassist Finn Lloyd and drummer Jake Coles in perfect harmony throughout the set. It’s hard to go wrong with such a fervent rhythmic backing and unique bass riffs that really set the band apart from the standard alternative rock/indie bands of the present moment.

The band comes across as refined, yet loose. Allowing the audience to peek behind the curtain of professionalism at four young men having fun on stage, doing what they love, with the people they love. Particular standouts include their performance of ‘The Art of Dying’ that was met with roaring applause by an audience screaming along to every word.

Not to be glossed over is how truly incredible both Slag (below) and Fever Rouge.

Slag has been the Brighton band to watch for a while now, and are doing an excellent job cementing themselves as must-sees within the Brighton music scene. Their latest single ‘Ripped’ is a refreshingly authentic and excellently produced release.Catch them while you can.

photo by Anna Polianichko @tale.pho

As for Fever Rouge (above) , the change up of their usual setlist served to create what has to be one of the best shows they’ve performed thus far. The impact they’ve made on the Brighton scene over the last year or so has been clear and effective – Fever Rouge are not going anywhere. With absolutely stellar performances of tracks ‘Weatherman’ and ‘Feed the Villain’ as well as their latest single ‘The Buzz’, their set was tight and utterly electric. As they gear up for new music releases and plenty more gigs Fever Rouge will continue to blow audiences away with their sharp sonic ability.