Category Archives: Music

Brighton, Brighton Life, Fizz, Music, The Secret To Life

“The Secret To Life” – Fizz live at Chalk

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In the pouring rain at 5pm on Thursday fans queued to see the out of this world super group Fizz live at Chalk, and were taken on a journey to the absurd land of Fizzville where our spaceship had broken down and we had to sing music to get it working again.

Made up of four best friends Dodie, Orla Gartland, Martin Luke Brown and Greta Issac, Fizz is a fun, fruity and weirdly wonderful musical experience that brought out the inner silly in the whole crowd, but also broke our hearts with gut-wrenching and emotional themes.

“This is a full circle moment for us,” said Martin Luke Brown. Brighton’s a special place for Fizz – their first single was “High in Brighton”, and their first gig was in Brighton.

The band came on in a flourish, hit the ground running with High in Brighton. They all looked amazing, with Dodie sporting a green dress and corset, Martin Luke Brown with his incredible red boots, Orla Gartland with heart eye make-up and Greta Issac in frilly shorts and top combo. With Fizz, you come for the music and stay for the outfits. The crowd reflected this, as rows of coloured hair and wacky outfits jumped in unison.

They know how to work a crowd work and were perfect and entertaining but clearly professional. I had tears in my eyes l as they sang the ending of “Hell of a Ride” reflecting on life, death and friends. A personal highlight was “You, Me, Lonely”, and there was something beautiful about the flashlights on people’s phones coming on and the gentle sways as I was entranced by Dodie’s voice and the harmonies that followed. The song then transformed into a solo song by Dodie titled “Lonely Bones”.

They danced with each other, performed some bangers which had the whole crowd head bopping and came back on for an encore of “The Secret to Life”. And, since we are Brighton, we were treated to another rendition of our town anthem before they ran off stage – as quickly as it started, it ended, and the post show blues kicked in.

Fizz has set the bar super high. Gigs are going to have to work hard to be as good as this.

Martha Bolt

Brighton Dome, Brighton Life, Dexys, Events, Features, Kevin Rowland, Music

Review: Dexys at The Dome

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We’d just finished another year at Manchester Polytechnic and summer was staring at us. Before heading to our respective homes, a few of us went up to Newcastle for the weekend to visit a friend. We saw a sign “BBC Radio One Roadshow with Dexys Midnight Runners”. What to do? We were very cool, I mean very cool, and a Radio One Roadshow? Seriously not cool. It was probably introduced by Richard Skinner or, I don’t know, Peter Powell or something. And it was in a tent. I know. A Radio One gig in a tent. You’d think we were going to see Nik Kershaw or maybe Howard Jones. But it was Dexys and we loved Dexys. So we went. And it was extraordinary. It was so extraordinary it was released as a CD in 1995. The shock of the power of the horn section, the passion and emotion of the songs, the everything of Kevin Rowland. Back then, pop music was about synths, about artifice, about dressing up as a pirate or a Pierott clown. Dexys were about horns, about soul, about passion.  

That was June 1982 and Kevin’s outfits have changed a few times since then, but the fashion for passion has never wavered. Time’s passed but they – he – are still extraordinary. And last night at The Dome was just as extraordinary as ever.

A homecoming gig – Kevin lives down here, don’t you know – this was as much a celebration as anything – celebrating the history of the band and the audience, celebrating the songs, celebrating survival. The night was split in two halves: the first given over to the new album, “The Feminine Divine”, the second a run through of the old. Playing your new album which probably no one’s heard for the first hour of a gig, it’s asking a lot and is at the same time fantastically ambitious and arrogant. So far, so Dexys.

“The Feminine Divine” is as ever a step away from the expected which is, I guess, the expected. A treatise on Kevin’s relationship with women and how it’s changed, played live it’s stripped back, theatrical (between each song there was a ‘dramatic scene’ between band members Rowland, Jim Patterson, Sean Read and Michael Timothy), less horn more synth. Dressed in a dark blue pantalon suit, white beret and striped t-shirt (you know these things are important), Rowland held the stage, his voice at 70 still really strong and still carrying that familiar plaintive soulful plea.

While the new songs held up, the place really came alive during the second half when the lights came up, the horns came out to play and, standing on the balcony, he started up

“I won’t need to think of nice things to say,
I don’t want to want this way anymore,
Shh now and hear comes silence,
from this comes strength I promise”

which led, naturally, to

“You’ve always been searching for something…” from 1982’s “Plan B”. And on it went. “Geno”, “Jackie Wilson Said” (complete with backdrop of Jocky Wilson), “Until I Believe In My Soul” through to the much loved but rarely played “Tell Me When My Light Turns Green”. As the lights came up, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

photo: Sandra Vijandi

Brighton Festival, Brighton Life, Music, The Arts, The Great Escape

The Great Escape – what’s on and where to go

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Tom Read checks out this year’s Great Escape artists 

Between May 10th and 13th Brighton is transformed as hundreds of artists descend for a weekend of music, The Great Escape. There’s no shortage of big names – Arlo Parks and Sussex born and raised Maisie Peters are the faces on the posters, but big names don’t come much bigger than Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders, who  are set to headline The Independent Stage  at The Old Market on Friday 12th. 

Leading the way in the “Catch Them While You Can” category are Dublin post-punk band The Murder Capital. Very very cool. 

For those hoping to stumble across their new favourite artists, there’s plenty on offer for you to discover with over 500 artists with a wealth of familiar styles and explorations into new sounds are waiting to be uncovered. 

One example of a fresh up and coming act is Avantdale Bowling Club, who bring New Zealand based jazz fused with easy-listening rap to create soothing and thought provoking music sure to attract any passers by. Another is James Marriott, the YouTuber turned alternative musician, who will be performing his first festival set since the release of his first EP, Bitter Tongues, in 2022. Having experienced success on streaming platforms and in gigs across the county, Marriott is sure to be a crowd pleaser. While you’re here, check out Mae Stephens, SORRY, PVA, Deb Never and… oh, even if you’ve never heard of them – especially if you’ve never heard of them – go, listen, open your ears and enjoy. 

For those wanting to continue, there’s also The Late Escape, where the late night dance continues at Patterns. 

While TGE brings a great range of new music, it also provides insightful panels discussing topical debates, networking opportunities, and a range of keynote speeches to leave any music lover satisfied. 

For those interested in the more underground festival scene, not to worry. TGE provides a range of secret gigs across the city, so keep your ears to the ground. 

The best fun to be had at TGE is just to hang out, listen to the word on the wind – and follow the scent. Ask around the 35 walk-in venues and on social media, you never know what you may find. 

The Whistler has it on good authority (it’s not what you know…) that the weekend will be bathed in brilliant sunshine, so turn up, tune in and check it all out. 

Check out http://www.westhillwhistler.com for more details and information about The Brighton Whistler podcast Great Escape Special

Tickets can be purchased from
http://www.greatescapefestival.com/

A Certain Ratio, Brighton Festival, Brighton Life, Events, Jah Wobble, Music, The Arts

Brighton Festival Fringe highlights

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One of the joys of festivals is just  hanging around and bumping into stuff you had no idea about – a dance troupe from Plotsk or ambient theatre from somewhere you can’t pronounce let alone say where it is. And while that’s lovely… three of The Whistler’s favourite artists are playing the Festival and we’ve seen them a thousand times, but we’re still very very excited. 

They’ve been around since we were all much younger, but Manchester’s finest
A Certain Ratio (May 6, Chalk) are right now better than they’ve ever been. Jah Wobble’s “Metal Box: Rebuilt in Dub” always seemed an odd idea – it was kinda built in dub in the first place, and while we’re not always a big fan of “revisiting” old classics – they’re classics for a reason – you know this will be interesting. Louder, heavier, dubbier. And anything involving Wobble will always be a treat. Talking of dubbier, there’s Aba Shanti-I with legendary producer Dennis Bovell (May 7, Concorde 2). Also on is Brighton Festival director Nabihah Iqbal, playing from her acclaimed debut album of shimmering electronica Weighing Of The Heart on the always cool Ninja Tune label. Staying with music – well, ish – Linton Kwesi Johnson is reading from his new prose selection, Time Come (May 14, Theatre Royal).

You can’t talk about an arts festival without talking about installations and The Sleeping Tree (May 6, 7, The Dome) sounds perfect. “Enter one of the last great rainforests of North Sumatra and follow a family of endangered Siamang Gibbons as they wake, roam across the jungle and return to their sleeping tree, one of six majestic trees that they have used for generations”. You’re there, aren’t you. The installation changes throughout the day and depending on the activity in the rainforest at the time you go there. Just lovely – and important.

An “unapologetically queer” tale that was first performed in front of Queen Elizabeth 1 more than 400 years ago, Galatea, is “set in a world where gods walk among mortals, two young trans people escape oppression and a shipwrecked migrant searches for his family”. Not sure about the gods walking among the mortals bit – though we do try to keep an open mind – but it doesn’t sound 400 years old. (May 6-21, Adur Recreation Ground, Shoreham).

Thirty years after it was released, Derek Jarman’s last film, Blue, has been given a makeover by director Neil Bartlett, (May 7, Theatre Royal). Blue Now sees Russell Tovey, Travis Alabanza, Joelle Taylor and Jay Bernard delivering Jarman’s words live on stage, accompanied by a new live score by the film’s composer, Simon Fisher Turner.

Daring To Be Frida is a photography and fashion exhibition inspired by the life and work of Frida Kahlo opens on May 1, and will be on at 114 Church St for the rest of May. 

You want a bit of comedy? What’s wrong with comedy? You don’t like comedy etc etc. The Fringe isn’t  the Fringe without a bit of stand-up comedy and In How To Be Jewish Gillian Fischer (pictured) wants to be Jewish. Actually she already is, but somewhere she’s forgotten this. Now she’s a mother…  (May 16-18, Laughing Horse @ The Quadrant) 

And that picture at the top of the page? “Expect a wild and vivid night filled with happy hedonism, fabulous fashion, go-go performers, and non-stop dancing to a banquet of bangers, including pop, disco, house and techno”. You’re there already, aren’t you. Our Roots is a celebration of queer chaos at the Dome (May 27) 

“Think ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ meets David Lynch”. Love it. It’s got Fringe written all over it. Degenerate is “a hellscape stand-up comedy fever dream” that descends into a full frontal face-off with the concept of ageing”. Ageing? No, no idea. None at all. May 31, June 1 The Rotunda Theatre: Squeak. 

For more info: https://brightonfestival.org

And http://www.westhillwhistler.com for news and Festival podcasts 

A Certain Ratio, Brighton Festival, Brighton Life, Events, Features, Music, The Arts

Brighton Festival – What Not To Miss – Tallulah Gray’s Choice

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To be able to stop what you’re doing, just fora moment, and let yourself be transported into another world is a little luxury we can all enjoy”. Nabihah Iqbal, Guest Director

Brighton Festival has officially launched and it’s jam packed with shows you won’t want to miss. From interactive art exhibits to dance, to multicultural, mixed media music performances the almost 80 page brochure has a lot to offer. This is our list of absolute must-see shows.

Galatea as adapted by Emma Frankland is described by Iqbal as the “centerpiece of the festival” in many ways. A modern adaptation of the classic John Lyly text from which many famous Shakespearean plays were adapted, Galatea centers around two young trans people finding love whilst escaping oppression.

Suroor to be presented by Iqbal herself with support from Qazi & Qazi in partnership with the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts is a “shape-shifting, experimental collaboration” that combines music influenced by heritage and society with aspects of, as Iqbal put it, “droney, doom metal”

The Sleeping Tree is an audio immersive experience coming from Invisible Flock studios that surrounds participants with the noises of the jungle that were recorded over a 3-month long stint in the great rainforests of North Sumatra. Guest Director Nabihah Iqbal is also collaborating with this exhibit to create a one-of-a-kind sound performance using extracts from the rainforest recordings and original texts to connect humans and the forest ecosystem.

The Enthusiasts is Victoria Melody’s latest passion project about the passions of others. The Enthusiasts invites onlookers into the extraordinary communities of “pigeon fanciers” and funeral directors by creating two intimate auditory experiences taking place at two secret locations across Brighton.

Kizlar is the world premiere of Ceyda Tanc Dance’s celebration of what it means to be a woman through dances interpreted from traditional male Turkish dancers and an all-female company.

Bakkhai follows a reimagining of the ancient Greek tragedy reframed in a contemporary anti-corporatization context. Performed by the incredible talents of ThirdSpace (formerly Windmill Young Actors) Bakkhai features a cast of over fifty people, aged 8-60 and is in collaboration with Ceyda Tanc Dance and Brighton People’s Theatre.

This barely scratches the surface of the 120 events that are set to take place during the course of the Festival and I’m eager to see the city transform into the hub of arts and culture it so passionately supports during this time.

EDITOR’S ADD-ON

Got to say, very excited – and I mean very – that A Certain Ratio are playing. I can’t begin to think how many times I’ve seen them since – I think – ’79 in Manchester and each time they’ve got better and better. Can’t wait.