Local bands Time For T, Beautiful Boy and Common Tongues have got together to play some of their first Brighton shows of the year at the Green Door Store. For a Tuesday night it’s absolutely packed so we’re expecting good things.
Beautiful Boy are first to the stage. They are a local five-piece band with a proper indie look and the sound to match. Their songs are epic in the truest sense of the word: big chords, big drums and a very big voice. It’s the sort of sound that would do well in the charts. Not least because it was difficult to get the catchy hook of their song ‘Mad To Live’ out of our head (“I want to be mad to live, I want to be mad to love”) even long after it had finished. They’ve got a tight sound and clearly give it their all; it’s a beautiful start to the night.
Beautiful Boy are followed by Common Tongues who have a much more mellow sound. It’s an alternative take on indie folk – partly due to the violin player who often plucks the violin like a guitar. There’s some incredible musicians in Common Tongues, in terms of both instruments and vocals. The band’s harmonies make the hairs on the back of our neck stand up and their songs flow effortlessly from one to the next. They’ve already been booked for a few smaller festivals this year such as Meadowlands and Cambridge Folk Festival, so if you happen across them we recommend stopping to listen.
The final act and headliners of the night are Time For T. The crowd surges forward as everyone tries to fit in the room to hear the beginning of their set. They start with a song that makes us wish we were listening to it whilst lounging on a beach, sipping a cocktail. The plethora of percussion instruments they use gives their set real variety; from folky to tropical, and reggae to West African. But their sound is unified by the lead singer’s unusual but fantastic voice. Their charming energy is contagious and we can’t help but smile and hum along to catchy songs like ‘Phone Sex’.
They get the crowd dancing and singing to old songs as well as newer ones like ‘Vegetable’, from their second EP. Time For T aren’t shy of collaborating with other talented artists; they call on singers Ellie Ford and Elin Ivarsson to join them on stage, showcasing yet even more styles. The band asks to squeeze in one final song but it’s more of a jam than a song. A funky, tropical-sounding jam during which another of their musician friends jumps on stage – this time an incredible rapper from Brighton-based band Normanton Street. Time For T really steal the show this evening, if only for the atmosphere their fun songs create.
Green Door Store, Tuesday 4th March 2014
Words and photos by Esme Yules
Check out the new video for Time For T’s song ‘Free Hugs’ – all filmed in Brighton.
