Tag Archives: West Hill

Beauty, Brighton, Brighton Life, Corinne Sweet, Jagwa Beauty

Corinne Sweet at Jagwa Beauty Salon

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I’d love a pet hyena if I lived in Africa”, says Tracy Ejuetami, as I sit down for a gel nail treatment in Jagwa Beauty Salon. “Do you know they have 52 teeth? We only have 32.” This is a trip to a nail bar like no other. Tracy’s Jagwa has been a feature in the centre of Seven Dials for 27 years and Welsh-Lebanese Tracy and her British-Nigerian DJ daughter, Alero, make a fabulous make-over duo.

Entering Jagwa is a bit like a trip to Acorn Antiques meets Glow Up. It’s not just a hub of beauty secrets and treatments, it’s a trip to a West Hill cultural centre. Put simply, Tracy and Alero know everything and everyone. As my nails get denuded and dipped, I hear about local news and gossip. 

The door constantly opens and heads appear as people drop in and out, warmly greeted by the pair. Jagwa attracts people of all genders as they seem utterly non-judgemental about who wears what or wants what. 

Another permanent feature is Rupert, her snoozing Staffy/Jack Russell cross, who curls up under a chair in a cosy coat. Rupert greets all newcomers with a wagging tail and a friendly sniff. Suddenly, someone arrives and whisks Rupert off for a healthy trot round the block. “Oh, Wiz is a music video director”, says Tracy. “We’ve known him for years – he always takes Rupert for his constitutitonal”.

A main characteristic of a visit to Jagwa is how mother and daughter remember names, stories and want to know genuinely how you are doing. Tracy’s led quite a life: starting in Ghana, the North of England, via Italy and Norway, she landed in Brighton and started Jagwa. (The shop’s name is derived from an ex-boyfriend calling Tracy a ‘Wild-cat Jaguar with green eyes’.)

Beginning as a make-up artist, Tracy trained further as a therapist and foot health practitioner. She whizzes round the local area four times a week goes off to treat peoples’ feet. “I see all ages: from eight years to over a hundred. My oldest was 108. I hate seeing people suffer, and foot health is so important as we get older. It’s the difference between being mobile and being miserable and shut in. I can’t bear to see it.” She says she loves seeing people improve themselves and feel better.

At Jagwa you can also get massages from Russian Tania, or facials, hairstyles, pedicures, eyebrow shapes. “I see a lot of bad fillers and botox”, says Tracy, “If people want to look younger they need to moisturize like mad.” 

Tracy believes men need to look after themselves more and our diets really affect our skin. “Keep your skin healthy (your biggest organ) and the rest of you will be well.” All the while, people are popping in for their next treatment. They sit, with Rupert snoring under the chair, and smile and chat and I feel I am in the middle of a lovely friendly social event.

She’s even been a bit of a dating guru, matching people up. “I suggested one of my lovely male clients meet my daughter and now they are married”, she says with a cheeky grin. “I hate those dating apps, I think the personal touch is so much better.” Alero says she’s glad her mother’s suggestion led to a wonderful outcome: her Brighton wedding last August. 

As my nails are smoothed and honed into green, purple or red beauties, I get the feeling that I am an honoured guest. I’m offered tea, coffee or water, and I feel like I am in a community of artistic and creative people. 

“I brought these in for you”, says Tracy, hauling out a bag full of wonderful teacups covered in black cats, “I was decluttering and remembered you’re a cat woman – would you like them?” I’m thrilled. They’re wonderfully eccentric. I love them. But the bigger part is that Tracy remembered me and brought them in. “Oh, I gave away some lovely dresses today, too”, she says, “I’m glad they’re getting some use”. 

Whenever I spend an hour with Tracy, I come away having had a wonderful far-ranging conversation alongside an excellent beauty treatment. Not only do we talk about hyenas, Tracey’s favourite animals, we often end up laughing like them, too.

Tracy’s top beauty tips:

•Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise – keep your skin healthy to keep well;

•Avoid fizzy drinks and rubbish food;

•Don’t pump fillers and botox into your skin – if you want a lift find a very good surgeon;

•Learn to like yourself and how you look – enhance what nature gave you – learn to accept and like yourself.

l Jagwa is open 6 days a week.

119 Dyke Rd, BN1 3JE

01273 276793

dogs, Pugs, Rescue Dogs, Sam Harrington-Lowe

Sam Harrington-Lowe – In Praise of Pugs

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This season’s wild effort to make my own life more complicated has been to foster a blind, deaf 15-year-old pug. And whilst this has made life considerably harder, it’s also been rather magical. 

I can’t tell you her name or the gods will smite me (AKA the pug charity trustees) but I can tell you that she has already earned her second name, which is Bones – so she is Miss Bones to you. And yes, I sing this in a Billie Holiday fashion.

Miss Bones can actually see some contrast – the difference between a dark floor and a light wall, for example, but it’s not reliable. And she can hear odd things – if I really bellow, or thump the floor, that can occasionally work. But mostly Miss Bones is in her own little world. 

Her owner died. Imagine being fostered out at 15 after a lifetime with one family. When she arrived she was frightened and in flight mode. Very hard for a pug that can barely even see if it’s day or night. After a day or two crashing around trying to escape, the pheromone diffuser and industrial strength hemp oil kicked in and she settled, found her stride, started to trust us, and we formed some routines.

She’s amazing. She’s mapped out the ground floor of the house, doing laps over and over, touching things with her nose to test the boundaries, and walks around it without hesitation now. We have to be careful of not ambushing her by leaving things lying around where she’s not expecting them. Added bonus that daughter now has to be tidier, or Miss Bones goes a cropper.

Alice Pickle, pug incumbent, isn’t a huge fan of Miss Bones. Alice doesn’t understand that Bones is blind, and why she blunders into her. As for Miss Bones, she barely knows Alice is there, and the two of them ricochet round the house like Roombas, never quite bashing into each other but veering at the last second. I expect they’ll get over it – they’re already starting to sit closer together (see pic, Alice at front).

But I tell you all this because you never know when you’re going to be called on to do a good thing – and Christmas, whether you’re religious or not, is a time for doing good things, I feel. So I did a good thing.

We will of course hang onto Miss Bones now for the duration – there’s no way I’m putting her through another move at her age. People have (not unreasonably) told me I’m mad, aren’t I busy enough etc. But when I see little Bones do an excited blind jump in the kitchen because she’s happy and wants attention, or watch her pop down the steps outside confidently because she knows where they are now, eager for her walk, or feel her sit on my feet so she can be close while I work… well none of that matters. And so yes, this dog was for Christmas, and will be for life. Welcome to the family, Miss Bones.

#AdoptDontShop

Sam Harrington-Lowe

Director & Managing Editor, Title Media

Title Sussex Magazine, Silver Magazine

www.silvermagazine.co.uk

www.titlemedia.co.uk

Call My Franco, Green Door Store, Nel Blu, The Wrong Trousers

Music Review: Flavours, Nel Blu, The Wrong Trousers & Call Me Franco

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By Alex Hill

Friday night was a busy one down at The Green Door. Nestled underneath Brighton train station lies the tiny, cobbled floor venue which always seems to be absolutely packed. The hoards of people on the night were justified by the lineup of four fantastic bands.

The first to take the stage was Nel Blu, the grungy looking five-piece delivered a barrage of classic 2000’s indie sounding songs with a math rock twist with the keyboard and gentle, melodic guitar breaks. Fighting through the crows to see what they looked like, Nel Blu’s jangly indie bangers sounded exactly as I imagined they looked. Even if you’re staring at the back of someone’s head, you can tell these guys are a talented bunch, with songs sounding similar to massively popular indie bands like The Killers which easily got the whole room bopping along.     

As I finally managed to secure a view, The Wrong Trousers – a high energy, heavy punk band – hit the stage, and took it by storm . I loved these guys and their hardcore sound, the very fast drumming, wrist-achingly fast guitar and screeching vocals from their attitude fuelled frontman who bounced around the stage made a headbanging result. It’s refreshing to see a band which are keeping the punk sound alive while also combining it with some surf or shoegazey guitar parts to keep it interesting and put a modern spin on the genre.

Call Me Franco are, right now, perhaps the most original band in Brighton, and their set left me utterly impressed. The trio has no singer, instead opting for strange sound effects and voices – which sound like aliens attempting to make contact – acting as an introduction to their songs. With the guitarist and bassist using a range of effects pedals to create a unique result which they use to their advantage when alternating between heavy riffs and isolated instruments, using a lot of noise – or lack thereof – to their advantage.

Complimenting the rest of the band is the extremely talented drummer whose hard-hitting technique and rhythm drove the songs. Call Me Franco demonstrates clearly how a singer isn’t at all necessary in their arty rock style. The band that came to mind as a comparison is Muse, with their similar effects driven heavy rock, and yet at no point in the show did I feel vocals were missing or needed. Their unique sound kept us enthralled. A very cool instrumental band which you don’t see the likes of very often.

Following on from Call Me Franco were headliners Flavours, a four-piece modern sounding rock group championing the release of new single, the aptly named ‘Still Heavy’. With the two guitarists playing a mix of heavy riffs and very cool sounding melodies on their twin guitars while trading vocals, followed along closely by the bassist and backed perfectly by the drums; these guys solidly pay tribute to classic psychedelic rock, while making it their own with their atmospheric sound. They saved their new single until later in the set, delivering on the anticipation with a great tune which starts off with a jangly, soothing guitar intro and melodic singing before going into a brilliant guitar solo and heavy riff, which live up to the songs name and was a treat to experience live. If you want to see a current band exerting heaps of high-energy talent; these guys won’t fall short.

Bones Ate Arfa, Brighton music scene, Fever Rouge, Fire Escape, ism, Kocapoli, Lana Death Ray, Leibniz, Spill, Will E Bray's Horrible Lot

Music: Tallulah Gray’s Top Ten Must-See Bands For 2025!

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Brighton’s live music scene is one of if not the most exciting parts of living in the city, with a myriad of live music venues to choose from and a wide variety of genres explored by local bands. With so much on, it can be hard to tell what bands should be on your radar. What you need is a guiding hand… Fortunately, The Whistler’s Music Editor is here to shine a light

10. Fire Escape

I first caught Fire Escape back in January and recently caught up with them at their show supporting Lifts. The difference is night and day between January and now as the Brighton-based 5-piece has really tightened up their sound over the last year. Their shows are vibrant and energetic, blending a variety of influences to result in a post-punk meets performance art set that really distinguishes them from other bands in the Brighton scene. (Photo by @moonrockmgmt)

9. Kocapoli

With their angelic harmonies and their driving bassline alongside guitarist Billy Twamley’s blues rock riffs, this band feels like Fleetwood Mac meets The Doors. I first saw them play at Rossi Bar during the tail end of Summer and haven’t been able to get enough since. If you like powerful instrumentals and sultry vocals in equal measure than this is definitely a band you’ll want to see! (Photo by @Flyhighmedia_)

8. ism

I had no idea what to expect when I saw Ism(stylised ‘ism’) play Daltons back in October, and this kind of curiosity is exactly what seems to fuel the band and their eclectic performances. From their decision to assign themes to every gig they play, to the way in which lead singer Tyra Kristoffersen teases the audience during the set, this band is a surefire way to enjoy your evening. (Photo Shot by the band and @__pmw_)

7. Will E. Blay’s Horrible Lot

No words can really do justice to the vibe the Horrible Lot bring to their shows. An equal mixture of Irony and pure funkadelic talent. Frontman Will E. Blay’s energy on stage is infectious and the characterization he and the rest of the Horrible Lot lean into while performing on stage is a load of fun to watch. From fantastic music to an entertaining performance, The Horrible Lot certainly has it all. (Photo by @moonrockmgmt)

6. Bones Ate Arfa

The self proclaimed “Junkyard Dogs” of Brighton, Bones Ate Arfa has been making waves in the Brighton live music scene all year. Their latest EP release Akimbo People serves as a concise and emblematic release for the band. If you’re looking for heavy basslines and a punk rock energy then you are in luck! (Photo by @_beccaconn_)

5. Leibniz

After the release of their new EP Lifetime Patient, Leibniz has been a force to reckon with. Their shows are moody and cathartic, with a set that swells until you almost can’t bare anymore just to hit you with a sensational wave of release. I personally think this band is one of the strongest playing in the Brighton scene at the moment and I cannot wait to see what they do next. (Photo by @_redinfocus)

4. Fever Rouge

Fever Rouge are rapidly reaching Local Legends status within the Brighton music scene. From a well recieved tour to their phenomenal music video release for ‘The Buzz’ (shot by Cavey) this band is reaching new heights every time I see them. I last caught their live set supporting Die Twice at the Hope and Ruin and man, do these guys put on a show. Tracks like ‘Weatherman’ and ‘Feed the Villain bring such a palpable psychedelic rock meets King Krule energy that really sets them apart from modern rock bands. (Photo by @tale.pho)

3. Lana Death Ray

As a massive fan of the grunge and shoegaze music from the 90s, Lana Death Ray is a dream to watch on stage. Frontman Beau Jackson’s dynamic vocal range coupled with their driving rhythm section makes for a new take on the band’s 90s influences. And rumour has it, they’ve got an EP in the works for the new year! (Photo by Fynn Moran Media)

2. Slag

Slag has rapidly taken over my Spotify ever since I saw them play Daltons in early October. Their debut single Ripped is punchy and dynamic, and the way in which the band plays into the lilt of their lead singer’s voice alongside their incisive instrumentals. This band (along with Number One on our list) is really THE band to watch in 2025. (Photo by @ellatibbett)

1. Spill

It’s no secret that Spill is one of the strongest bands in Brighton at the moment. Their rich sound is meticulously crafted and their stage shows are filled to the brim with raw and electric talent. Spill has had a big year and it looks like 2025 will be starting off with a bang as they launch into their first tour to support their upcoming single release ‘Mr Blue’. Not a moment of their set is wasted as they pack their shows full of profound and cynical lyricism, overdriven yet melodic guitar riffs and the meanest bass tone Brighton has to offer. (Photo by @Caveyslife)

Die Twice, Fever Rouge, Slag

Music Review: Slag, Fever Rouge and Die Twice at The Hope & Ruin by Alex Hill

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It was pouring down with rain as I walked up the high street to The Hope and Ruin, yet despite the conditions huddles of devoted smokers were lining the pavement outside the venue as I darted inside in search of shelter. It was a packed gig – the lineup consisted of openers Slag and Fever Rouge with Die Twice headlining; all exciting new up and comiong bands in the indie scene. Outside might have been miserable, but inside it was a night of sweaty, attractive young people playing guitars and screaming down microphones. What’s not to like? 

The night kicked off as Slag took the stage. From the name of the band, I’d expected some kind of aggressive hardcore punk band and yet was very pleasantly surprised to hear their mix of shoegaze and indie with dreamy guitar rhythms overlapped by keyboard and intricate guitar melodies played by the captivating frontwoman Amelie as she sang her heartfelt lyrics. While only having one song released, the Brighton based five-piece band already have a defining sound and clear appeal.  

Fever Rouge sounded more punk than Slag, with distorted bass lines, heavy guitar riffs and screeching vocals driving their fast-paced songs that still left room for breaks overlapped by surf-sounding guitar; giving them an interesting and unique sound. The highlight of their set was a breakdown during one of their songs where there was a wailing Van Halen-esque guitar solo accompanied by crazy drumming and the rest of the rhythm section all laying into it together. They definitely set the bar high for Die Twice. 

While by no means blowing away the previous bands, the headliners clearly had the heaviest sound and the highest energy performance – at one point towards the end I was enveloped in the mosh pit which bordered on teeth losing territory. They were yet another band with an extremely diverse sound, some songs had a funky, disco feel as the members danced around the stage. Others, including one of my favorites – ‘Evelyn’ – took a slower pace with the singer using voice effects with an alluring and sensual result. Of course some were also especially heavy, a delight to my ears as I and everyone around me were forced to bob our heads in appreciation. Die Twice sure has some eager fans – as well as creating a fairly scary mosh pit; shouts of “I love you” echoed through the room, and after playing their final song, resounding boos followed and so we were treated to not one but two further songs. 

The performance was brilliant; as well as sounding just like they do on their recorded songs (check their new EP ‘A Beautiful Thing’), They were bounding around the tiny stage and pushing their guitars under the noses of those in the front row to their delight, showing an undeniable stage presence – this is why small, packed gigs are simply the best kind, and The Hope and Ruin is a great venue. 

Slag and Fever Rouge both have some more shows in Brighton before Christmas, while Die Twice are currently gigging around the UK on tour – all three are definitely worth seeing live.