AMANDA PALMER Concorde 2 Thurs 1st
Few people can take the credit (or the blame, if you prefer) for dragging a whole musical genre out of the shadows on their coat tails. Yet punk cabaret/cabaret noir/Weimar/whatever had barely tweaked the nipples of the mainstream in its 10-year existence, prior to the arrival of Palmer’s Dresden Dolls. Expect doom-laden keyboards, body language borne of street theatre, and occasional diversions into ukulele covers of Radiohead. Support comes from feisty Brighton duo Bitter Ruin. (AP)
TIMBER TIMBRE Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar Thurs 1st
Canada’s music scene is full of pioneers at the moment and Timber Timbre is at the frontier. Eerie folk melodies and atmospheric soundscapes are at the heart of their sound, with tense, disarming slides between blues and soul, and more than a twist of witch house. Their fittingly named fourth album ‘Creep On Creepin’ On’ was released in May, and has gained them music prize nominations, global attention and appreciation outside the folk world. Sleazily brilliant, ostensibly smalltown and certifiably creepy, don’t miss this intimate show. (JMM)
THE BLUETONES Komedia Weds 7th
They’re calling it the ‘Farewell tour’. But what’s to stop Mark Morris and co from turning around in approximately a decade and saying “Hang on, it’s somewhere in the region of 25 years since our smash hit album ‘Expecting To Fly’ came out and this wage I’m getting from Lewisham council delivers neither the salary nor the adulation that I have come to expect from my career as a Britpop icon to rival Rick Witter and Nigel Clark’?! An axe is the correct answer. (BG)
WILLY MASON Komedia Thurs 8th
He may have been laying low for a while, but one listen to the empty blues of ‘Live It Up’ will remind you of the talent that is Willy Mason. New York-born to two folk singers, the talent has followed through the genes. With two albums behind him and dates supporting the likes of KT Tunstall and Radiohead, Mason is a musician’s musician and with an intimate show like this, it’s sure to be an arresting and engaging evening. (JC)
THE FUCK U PLANET EARTH Cowley Club Fri 9th
Those of you with long memories of the Brighton music scene will recognise spaced-out drone merchants The Fuck U Planet Earth and minimal tunesmith boy/girl duo La Momo. They’re still partying like it’s 2005 and making us wish we had as much hair and as little liver damage as we did back in those heady days. Support on the night comes from The Big Black Dots, Chris La Momo’s freak-out collective featuring ex-Boredoms and Phil Collins 3 members. (LMM)
TROPHY WIFE Hope Fri 9th
It’s perfectly correct that this trio come from Oxford, as what their indie pop music lacks in edges it more than makes up for with cinematic beauty. They’re the most cohesive unit to emerge from the city’s recent underground music scene, collectively known to the queuing A&R folks as Blessing Force. They’ve visited our smaller venues several times over recent months, but each of their performances shows a band quickly growing in confidence. Their steady rise in buzz continues, alongside their self-assurance, as we lead up to the debut album. (TR)
EMA Green Door Store Tues 13th
Much hyped and abbreviated, Erika M. Anderson emerged in 2011 from the wreckage of her former band Gowns, with debut album ‘Past Life Martyred Saints’ under her arm. Seemingly suffering little surface damage, her shock of blonde hair and insouciant cool, however, betrayed a tortured sensibility that drew an unusual, jagged and bloody line between country, goth and grunge. Across a bleak, dissonant canvas of atmospheric dirge, EMA obsessed about body horror, like an indie outlaw riding out of town on David Cronenberg’s monster nag. Tonight should be fun! (BG)
B.DOLAN & DAN LE SAC Haunt Weds 14th
Ex-poet, non-pretentious gay rights activist and all-round exemplary young man, B.Dolan (or Bernard to his mother) isn’t your average hip hop MC. Slipping between alter egos like a schizophrenic political revolutionary, Dolan’s live shows are as much an education as entertainment, but this is a class with truants in the front row, eager for more. It’s alternately hilarious and thought-provoking, but never dull. Dan le Sac also features with a live solo performance. (JMM)
TREETOP FLYERS Green Door Store Thurs 15th
It’s been quite a year for the Treetops, releasing an EP on Communion Records, recording sessions for the likes of 6 Music, XFM and swiftly winning the Glastonbury emerging talent competition, meaning they played the famous Other Stage in front of thousands of people. And quite rightly so, as their harmony-filled sound is a cross between the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crazy Horse and The Byrds – basically some of the finest country soul you could wish to hear. (IC)
HANDSOME FURS The Hope Fri 16th
There’s something inherently fascinating about couples in bands, and Handsome Furs are a married duo far more exciting than the will-they-won’t-they-does-anyone-care White Stripes. Their latest album ‘Sound Kapital’ reflects a more impassioned and shouty side to Handsome Furs, was written entirely on keyboards and is based on synth-driven 80s European electro. The multi-talented Minneapolis duo’s live shows are reputedly dark, electric and dance-able. Support comes from last month’s cover stars AK/DK. (JMM)
THE WAR ON DRUGS Green Door Store Fri 16th
The War On Drugs was launched back in 1971 with considerable fanfare by President Nixon. While the world’s pushers, smugglers and addicts have since been pursued mercilessly into every corner of the globe, Brighton somehow drifted from its moorings, becoming rather like a separate nation state in the vein of Monaco, the wealth swapped for an addiction to getting smashed all the time. Tonight, then, Secretly Canadian’s acclaimed alt.rock trio can expect a rousing reception as they soundtrack this city’s patron saint. (BG)
THREE TRAPPED TIGERS Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar Sat 17th
These animals are determined to infuse as many influences into math rock as possible, with jazz tingles apparent and technical, awkward electronica and frenetic key changes leading to a Battles-esque complexity. An unsettling but compelling listening experience, Three Trapped Tigers released their first full length album, ‘Route One or Die,’ in May, so take this opportunity to see how their sound’s developed – their Great Escape set was enthralling, so expectations are high. (JMM)
THE TELESCOPES Prince Albert Sun 18th
Burton-Upon-Trent’s Telescopes were once part of the late 80s wave of guitar bands pushing psychedelic rock into heavier territory through pedal power and feedback attack. Their sound softened for a while, and at one time fellow Staffs lad Nick Hemming came on board, years before he made his name with Willkommen’s own Leisure Society. Having revived The Telescopes name back in the noughties, founder member Stephen Lawrie now pursues a more abstract, but often very loud, noise direction. (SH)
ALVIN STARDUST Komedia Fri 23rd
They don’t make them like this anymore, children. With a name like Alvin Stardust, it seems beyond doubt that the glammed-up idol was born to be a music icon, exploding from the womb in a barrage of pop thunderbolts. Actually, his original name – Bernard William Jewry – would probably have left Alvin first on at the Dog & Duck, rather than an era-defining singer who scored so many hits he was like the 70s version of Google. Not to be confused with Gary Glitter. (BG)
FINK • St Mary’s Church Fri 23rd
Brighton royalty Fink is kick-starting his European tour by treating us to a hometown show and the first chance to hear songs from his latest captivating album ‘Perfect Darkness’, which was released in June on Ninja Tune. If you’re not familiar with Fink, you may have been under a rock for a while: the singer-songwriter dispels traditional mores for an electronica-based, chilled-out approach, garnering him an admirably wide fan base. (JMM)
ICE BLACK BIRDS • Hope Fri 23rd
Brighton’s own rock’n’roll revivalists Ice Black Birds are bringing their energetic live show to The Hope as part of Amnesty International’s charitable Brighton Weekender. Support comes from fellow Brightonian Alex Wells and his handpicked live band, Twin Brother, whose heads are surely held high after winning a spot on Glastonbury’s BBC Introducing stage earlier this year. With a chance to support two local emerging acts, and a worthy cause to boot, dare you miss this? (TJ)
THE BITTER SPRINGS Hydrant Sat 24th
As their home suburb Teddington is to London, so The Bitter Springs are unsung outsiders of the nation’s music scene. With 25 years of witty, literate albums under their belt (originally as Last Party), The Bitter Springs have accumulated enviable cult appeal, from initial John Peel patronage to a long stint serving as Vic Godard’s latter-day Subway Sect. The band’s chanting, chugging garage rock comes to the Hydrant for free tonight, so offer them a pint at least. (SH)
BETH ORTON St George’s Church Sat 24th
When she’s not pioneering new genres, collaborating with era-defining producers and campaigning for fair trade, against the spread of HIV and about the war on terror, Beth Orton can be found singing. The original behind the folk-electronica blend in the 90s and the beautiful voice complementing the Chemical Brothers has had a career spanning three decades so far, and shows no signs of slowing down. With a new album reputedly out at the end of the year, take the chance to see which direction she’s heading in next. (JMM)
UT Prince Albert Sun 25th
Recipients of a cough-and-you-miss-it namecheck on Le Tigre’s ‘Hot Topic’, New York trio Ut emerged from the city’s brief but notorious no wave scene. Moving to England in 1981, Ut’s scratchy, trebly music found some kinship with the post-punk sounds of The Raincoats and tourmates The Fall. Although they split at the end of the decade, Ut’s widely acclaimed Blast First albums have thankfully remained on catalogue. Unexpectedly, the three reformed Ut last summer and await your viewing pleasure tonight. (SH)
BETH JEANS HOUGHTON Brighton Ballroom Tues 27th
She claims to have been born in Transylvania to a pack of albino wolves. She writes songs about dodecahedrons and insists on calling her band The Hooves of Destiny. She defies music industry lore, making a splash on the scene only to then disappear completely because she’s fallen in love with LA and can’t get around to finishing her debut album even though everyone’s forgetting her enigmatic, folk-pop charm. She is Beth Jeans Houghton and you, clearly, would not want to be her manager. (BG)
LOVE INKS Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar Tues 27th
A new band can’t do any more than get coverage on dozens of the most respected music blogs with their initial releases and Love Inks received plenty following the arrival of their album ‘E.S.P’ this May. The resulting hype pushed this trio from Austin, Texas, to the tips of the industry’s lips around the world. They deliver their minimalist pop to Brighton for the first time, but alongside Braids they’re bringing an enjoyable warmth to a style of analogue music that The XX once served up cold. (TR)
CLOUD CONTROL Audio Weds 28th
The UK had to wait nearly an entire year for this Australian quartet’s debut album, ‘Bliss Release’, to arrive on our shelves following its release in their home country back in 2010. They’re one of the most complete antipodean bands to arrive in years, with a bright and beautiful album of pop gems. Without doubt the star of the show throughout are the vocal chords (which simply have to be witnessed live), blasting through you like a rush of popping bubbles. (TR)
SLOW CLUB Audio Thurs 29th
Sheffield boy-girl duo Slow Club head to Brighton on the back of their second album ‘Paradise’. There’s nothing complicated about Charles and Rebecca’s folksie-pop loveliness, but it’s utterly compelling. He looks after vocals and guitars (the normal bits), while she also sings but adds an organ called Miles, drums and an array of bizarre ‘instruments’ – such as water-filled bottles and the back of a chair – to the mix (the weird bits). Go see, and let them put a smile on your face. (GS)
WORDS BY IAN CHAMBERS, JAKE CUNNINGHAM, BEN GILBERT, STUART HUGGETT, TOM JENKINSON, ADAM PETERS, JESSICA MARSHALL MCHATTIE, LISA MARIE MUNDY, THE RECOMMENDER, GARY SCATTERGOOD