Grymm

Wednesday 13th Feb 2019 was something of an oddity. I had purchased a ticket to Allusinlove at the Komedia in Brighton with the sole reason of seeing the support band. Except I had misread the poster and they were not playing on this date. The night was off to a bad start. I wasn't interested in Allusinlove's particular brand of Psych-Rock Grunge or Mantra who I'd seen before and were the main support so it was down to the opening act - Brighton's Grymm - to impress.

They did. A 3 piece act with male vocals, and a guitar, bass, drums set up, they played a fusion of Post-Rock and Grunge with a hint of Prog-Rock in places and they warmed up the crowd nicely. After a solid set of around 6 tracks, none of which were filler, I resolved to investigate them further on returning home.

I found 6 tracks online - not the same songs they had played that night either - and was impressed by them for the second time. Looking at the release dates they appear to be growing stronger and stronger with each release.

I will definitely be keeping an eye of these folks and will look to catch them live again soon.

Recommended listening -
Br-Ea-The
Gravity
Dream Of You
Things You Hold
Jurassic

https://grymmband.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/grymm2/tracks

Parting Gift - The Black Heart, Camden 22-1-19

Parting Gift - The Black Heart, Camden 22-1-19

Some gigs you just shouldn't go to. Sometimes a band is way passed its best. Sometimes they have an off day. Sometimes they're overrated and overhyped and sometimes they just suck.
I should not have gone to this gig.
Not for any of the above reasons. I shouldn't have gone because I was ill. Really ill. The night before I felt it creeping in and by the time I was on the train I had a fever, a terrible sore throat and the shakes. Apparently my temperature was just under 39 degrees!!
I apologise to everyone I encountered that night as I probably ruined the rest of the week for you.

On the flip side, with enough alcohol you can get through it.

It's hard for me to judge how good the evening was. The company was good, as was the pub, and Parting Gift had drawn enough of a crowd to pack the venue out. We pretty much missed the supports but I recall a sense that the headliners were under some expectation. People are willing this band to succeed and they appear to have good connections - an upcoming tour with Dream State beckons.
I remember they were loud and although the sound mix wasn't great their presence on the stage made up for it in many ways - each member giving it their all. They debuted a new song, which was rather lost on me since I didn't know the others any better. Their set was around 35 mins long and appeared to consist of all their songs. The crowd wasn't exactly a seething, sweaty mass but neither was it static and sections were clearly adoring the performance but I did get the feeling they will onlybe palying bigger venues from now on.
As I said earlier I cannot really tell how good they were but through my fuzzy head, blurry eyes and shivering I remember approving thoughts.

I'll see them again with Dream State later this year and I expect I'll have a clearer idea of them then. Apparently their bassist left the band not long after this show so things may be markedly different next time but the future does indeed look bright for these lads.

One Last Night At Sticky Mike's 31-12-18

After Sticky Mike's announced earlier this year that they were closing for good on New Years Eve it was obvious that the final night was going to be an emotional event for all present. Sticky Mike's Frog Bar had been an important part of Brighton's thriving live music scene for some years and many successful bands had once cut their teeth there. And so it was with depressing inevitability that the club would open it's doors (for free) one final time to give the place a truly great send off.

We arrive as Broadbay are mid-set and the place is already nearly full. The audience are primarily late teen and early twenties in age and it's encouraging to see that many of them are here for the bands and not just a free party. Broadbay set the mood for the evening, this is about having fun and they barrel through a set filled with turn of the century Alt. Rock and Indie hits, with one particular highlight being a cover of Wheatus' Teenage Dirtbag that somehow manages to swerve the lack of a female singer for the finale without becoming a joke.

Penthouse are next a after one single own composition we are treated to covers by the likes of Feeder and even Queen, with a brave and surprisingly well executed stab at Bohemian Rhapsody that predictably sends the place wild for the big operatic/rock climax. The band finished and I make a mental note to check out their own material soon.

Up next are H_angm_n a local 2 piece guitar and drum outfit fronted by Chris from All Better. Chris has also worked at Sticky's for some time as the main booker of bands and this is an emotional night for him in particular. They place a set of mostly own material and keep the crowd entertained and finish off with the entire room singing along to Fall Out Boy's Sugar We're going Down and primed for tonight's mystery guests.

But first off is the traditional drunken New Years countdown and shambolic Auld Lang Syne. It is now 2019.

'Special Guests' appear to be a one-off event and in all honesty I'm not exactly sure who I'm watching but Nick Burdett off All Better is on drums and on guitar is his brother Oliver of the now possibly defunct Creeper. Once again it's a set of covers on offer, and the band are clearly having fun. We get treated to tracks from Avril Lavigne, No Doubt, Hole, Cardigans and finally Paramore's Misery Business rounds it all off.

Gender Roles keep the party vibe going and treat us to our second Feeder cover of the evening - not something I ever thought I'd say in my lifetime. A rousing version MCR's I'm Not Okay (I Promise) connects strongly with a now rammed venue audience showing that the long gone band are still much loved.

And so we come to All Better, Brighton's answer to Green Day who are something of a resident act at Sticky's - playing almost monthly in part no doubt to guitarist Chris's now previous job there. It'll be interesting to see where the find their home from now on. They kick off with 2 off their own songs, Like TV and the super catchy Hard & Cold before becoming Katy Perry for the remainder of the night and treating us a a set of her greatest hits that includes Roar, California, Hot & Cold, I Kissed A Girl, Friday Night, Firework, California Gurls. There's time for Sticky's owner and manager Sally to say a tearful farewell and thank you from the club for all the support over the years before the band finish off with Katy's Teenage Dream as the last ever song at the venue.

The Party continues with DJs of course but Sticky's is no longer a live venue. It may have left a whole in the local live scene that will not be easily filled, if at all, but they have left a great legacy and a send off that will live long in the memory of anyone who was there.

Rest In Noise, Sticky Mike's. We will miss you

December 2018 - Melt Dunes, The DSM IV and Pop Will Eat Itself

MELT DUNES

December had 3 gigs lined up and first of was Melt Dunes at the Hope & Ruin. I'd seen Melt Dunes before and didn't care for them but it was Londoners Ghum in support I wanted to see. Unfortunately, it conflicted with a show at Sticky Mike's which had both Gloo and Five Kites that I also wanted to go to but in the end I was too tired and didn't go to either.

THE DSM IV

Gig number 2 at the Prince Albert, I was not going to miss though. The DSM IV are the latest project of former Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster frontman Guy McKnight. I arrived just in time to see Strange Cages for the second time and I still can't say they do anything for me. Their particular brand of  '60s psyche rock and Hawkwind stylings  not quite cutting it for me.

The DSM IV took to the stage to complete silence, the audience appearing to be here more out of curiosity than expectation. Whereas Eighties Matchbox were an energetic and frenzied live act, this was a much more sedate affair. A sparse drum machine in the background and a slow but hypnotic opener set the mood for the evening with Guy seemingly on edge and ready to explode in rage. He called to the audience to 'come on', prowled the stage like a caged tiger and frequently wandered among the crowd looking like he might attack someone at any minute. At one point a he flung a plastic bottle at a couple who seemed more into their conversation than watching a band. There was a brief thank you for coming out at one point and a warmer reception for debut single Racist Man, but no big finale or old hits. A band to watch certainly, and Guy still has that dangerous aura around him but the band it seems has a much more considered approach.

POP WILL EAT ITSELF

'80s Grebo faves PWEI were back in town and delivered exactly what one would expect. A set full of fan favourites, a couple off their more recent albums, a lively audience and Utah Saints DJ'ing as a warm up. Had the band lost their edge yet? Not a chance. As they've aged and since Mary Byker has been in the band they've only gotten more political and angrier. It may still seem odd to have Clint Mansell missing but he's too busy writing hugely acclaimed soundtracks for Hollywood movies, and Mary is about as perfect a replacement as you could wish for. His presence and stage craft maybe stronger than other vocalist Graham's in the same way Clint's was, but like Clint, he always makes sure to never take over too much.  It may be that the hits have dried up and they are even more at odds with current musical trends than ever before but it's easy to underestimate how quietly influential they were. As if to underline this point, their final song last night was Their Law, their collaboration with The Prodigy from Music For The Jilted Generation. A song that seemed to set them template for both acts and had they not split up in 1996 they could have sat alongside The Prodigy as Industrial Dance music champions.  

That just leaves one last gig for the year - All Better's Britney Spears covers night at the final ever Sticky Mike's show