A cold dark dank Monday night in early Feb. The streets are empty and even the spirits of Brighton’s past are staying inside. I turn the corner of Poole Valley, the worst send off spot for coaches round the UK, and there’s a huge queue of shuffling souls in big coats and hats waiting to get into Chalk. “Fuckin’ hell’ we cry as we join the queue. Rock’n’Roll is still big in our city rain or shine and the draw tonight is Edinburgh’s Young Fathers.

It was the launch of their fourth album, but it was only 2022 when they came to my attention, and they feel like a brand new band. It helps that the gig is priced at a ‘realistic’ £12 – and that also helps explain the big turn out on this inhospitable night.

The 500 enthusiasts quickly settle into place, so standing at the back is pretty much the only option, and anyone familiar with standing at the back at Chalk will know the ‘watching the gig between the heads of the two tallest people in the venue syndrome’, as the band hit the stage to blast of white strobe light and Burundi beats.

Energy flies off the stage as the band cast shadowy silhouettes across the audience adding to the mystique of the band and the excitement of the audience.

A unique sound is extremely rare in ‘23, but Young Fathers have found it – tribal drums are mixed with electronica, off the wall vocals and brooding beats combine with a clever use of layered voices & synths. 
Few words are exchanged between songs and in one of those quiet moments a voice shouts “I love you” through the crowd. For a moment the band smile and nearly loose the thread of a serious stage show, but there is that adoration for them in this room. Suddenly it’s the last song and… No encore. Less than an hour and felt like only half way through a set. The idea of “treat ’em mean and keep ’em keen” is all very well, but that was a bit to short.

That did leave enough time to visit the monthly new band night at Shortts Bar  in the war zone-esque strip of St. James St, the bit between Morrisons & the Co-op, hosted by the wonderful up & coming band Zap Euphoria, having promoted gigs and attended many new bands at the start of their careers over the years. A while back everyone was sounding like an Oasis tribute act, then it was the Arctic Monkeys, and it was refreshing tonight to hear bands trying something new. If anything the new sounds were leaning on a near heavy metal in parts, but not too much, just great musicianship and energy rather than long hair, spandex and guitar solo overkill.

I only caught the set of locals Sollus, but what a great band they are, filling the dance floor on a Monday with crazy passionate fans, a clear sign that they do have something special, a treat of rolling bass lines and powerful drum beats, topped with great guitar and a soaring vocal. Lead guitarist mesmerising as he took on the skills of a young guitar hero Rory Gallagher , a mosh pit soon erupted. 

They were immediately booked em again for a Friday night, April 14th!
The Spirit of true rock n roll keeping our city alive.
Next New bands night is Monday March 6th.

I’m sitting in NuSoul Studios in Woodingdean – “the coolest & best rehearsal, recording, video & compact venue space locally” – talking to producer Simon Hill and singing coach Gary Whalen who run the studios and Millie, Maisie and Keira, three smart young women who are the vocal group NuSoul Union. Well, there’s a fourth, Libby, but she’s not here – “She’s a bit quiet at the moment, but she’s here in spirit” says Millie, who, at 18, is the oldest of the group. 

“So I’m the mother of the group”. 

Are you sure you want to be seen like that? I ask, and she laughs.

The idea of NuSoul Union came to Simon and Gary a few years ago and different members have come and gone, but the line up has been settled since Keira joined almost two years ago. Now, they’ve got the together thing, the ‘finish each other’s sentences’ together thing.

We’re talking about what they do and how they do it and Simon said “a very big part of the reason it works is that they have four very different voices. Okay, even the kind of bands you could possibly compare them with like En Vogue or Destiny’s Child” – if you’re going to set a bar, set it high – “they’ve not got particularly different voices. They’re all great singers, but what we do is something different, we’ve got four very different voices.”

What do you mean, different voices? Do you mean like The Temptations or something where you have a very low, bass guy and… 

“Let’s show you” said Gary. And they get up and walk over to the white grand piano – yes, there’s really a white grand piano in the studio – and break into a beautiful accapella version of their single “Boy” which is just lovely. They float in and out of the song, enjoying the moment in a way that people who are good and know they’re good do. I was going to say “effortlessly” but it’s far from effortless. They’ve really worked at their craft. They come in every day.

“Yes, every day” said Millie.

“Every single day” said Keira. 

And what do you do, every single day?

“So we do individual lessons to work on our voices independently to stretch, do whatever we need to work on, songwriting and all of that stuff, work on new songs. Make sure the harmonies work, everything’s tight. We’re also working on everything else, dress, clothes, appearance, moves, dance, all that” 

“And then we have our college as well, which is also here”. They’re studying for a Music Business diploma at Sutton District College, where Gary is Head of Performing Arts. There’s a branch in Woodingdean. 

“It’s kind of just everything to do with the music industry. So yeah, we’re in college. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Brighton School of Singing on Monday”. 

Since Christmas they’ve played the Brunswick and Shortts Bar in Kemptown, and they’ve got a new EP in the pipeline which they played under a promise “Please don’t share it” and which, OK, I won’t share but I will say it’s blimmin lovely and completely blows away the idea that it’s been largely made by three 16 year olds and an 18 year old.

What’s the best bit, what do you like doing best? “I think the best part is just been able to do it together. We’ve done solo stuff as well, and even though that’s like fun to do, it’s just nicer doing it with your friends. Yeah.”