Tattoo enthusiasts gather at the Hilton Hotel for the annual Brighton Tattoo Convention – now in its seventh year. Until last year the convention was held at the racecourse which was good for its seclusion and exclusivity, but inevitably, it was outgrown. The Hilton is a spacious, handsome venue; its elegant layout suiting the standard of art being produced and displayed throughout the building. The aftershow event is also at the hotel.
As the evening creeps in and the buzzing fades, the tattoo booths empty and the evening’s entertainment gets underway. First act Viva Le Pink fire up the early slot with some red-hot rockabilly. Their sassy upbeat style is very welcome in this crowd, especially when they throw in an Elvis cover. Steamy frontlady Missy Le Pink has enough curves to keep even the meanest bikers smiling.
Brit-ska band The Communicators arrive from the West Country wearing suits, ties and dark shades, like a gang of businessmen on a sunny day. They do look a lot like Madness. The set is mainly renditions of popular ska songs by Toots and the Maytals and The Specials, among others. Even their song ‘Guns’ is basically a cover because it has the classic trumpets from ‘Guns Of Navarone’ and the lyrics are all about living in a ghost town. In their version of The Eagles ‘Hotel California’ the brass replaces singing on the chorus and speeds up. Sadly by the end of the set this formula becomes a little too familiar and it’s understandable that some lose interest.
Neville Staple comes to the stage after a long musical intro. New tracks like ‘Pressure’ and a reworking of ‘Farmyard Connection’ are decent songs that are soon cast aside. Before long we all get what we want. Neville says the magic words “Warning, warning, nuclear attack” and immediately skinheads appear all over the dance floor. ‘Man At C & A’ is just a starter. The next Specials song is an adaptation of Dandy Livingstone’s 1967 ‘A Message To You Rudy’. This along with ‘Little Bitch’ and ‘Monkey Man’ (originally by Toots) really gets the room moving.
Neville gets a minute between songs to show us the Rude Boy blur on his arm: “I’ve got a tattoo. I’ve only got one. It’s a bit… I’ve had it years”. It obviously wasn’t his thing but the tattoo is still probably older than a lot of the people here.
The Brighton Tattoo Convention continues to offer interesting exhibits and entertainment. This particular evening Neville Staple is the star, but it continues to impress and improve every year.
Hilton Hotel, Saturday 15th Feb 2014
Words by John Mclean
