NATTY Komedia Tues 1st

Pouring rain, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds… that’s right, the Great British Summer’s here, and who better to kick it off than purveyor of laid-back reggae soul, Natty. Owing his influences as much to Dylan and Neil Young as Bob Marley, Natty’s uplifting sunshine pop and acoustic reggae rhythms are an infectious, head-nodding, foot-tapping tonic to thaw even the most frost-bitten Brightonian soul. Bust out the flip-flops, knock back your Pimms and bring on the good times. (RH)

SMALL BLACK / WASHED OUT Freebutt Weds 2nd

These two separate artists are seemingly intertwined, having shared a split single, with Small Black remixing Washed Out’s ‘You’ll See It’, whilst Washed Out reworked Small Black’s ‘Despicable Dogs’. They then toured around the USA, including a successful SXSW showcase, earlier this year. Small Black, who now appears with a full band who also support Washed Out onstage, produces a beautiful, distorted brand of chill wave. Washed Out creates a punchier electronic version. Inseparable, yes, but they’re also irresistible too. (TR)

STEREOPHONICS Brighton Centre Weds 2nd

[email protected] “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” goes the children’s rhyme. Happily, Stereophonics have been on the receiving end of both, sulkily penning ‘Mr Writer’ after every critic in the world called them “workmanlike meat and potato rockers”. Even their own fans turned on them at a recent Singapore show, when singer Kelly Jones took a flip-flop to the face. SOURCE suggests you rely on the sticks and stones, which are freely available tonight from Brighton beach. (BG)

JULIAN COPE Komedia Weds 2nd

The ‘Arch-Drood’ may have spent the last 15 years exploring the many fascinations of stone circles and the distant corners of German and Japanese music but he was once a rock star of unique sound and vision. How much of that is likely to be in evidence tonight is open to question and you’d certainly be a fool to demand ‘World Shut Your Mouth’. But for that, and cosmic enigmas such as this, we should surely be eternally grateful. (BG)

MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS Concorde 2 Fri 4th

When telling the Motown story Martha Reeves simply has to crop up, as she’s so indelibly linked with the legendary Detroit label. Noted for having a distinctive pounding beat, alongside the vocal choruses that Berry Gordy’s label was famous for, they produced dozens of hits throughout the 60s. With this being her third appearance at Concorde 2 in as many years, it’s almost become synonymous with the arrival of summer. Her lyrics, “summer’s here and the time is right” never seemed so applicable. (TR)

IAN MCCULLOCH Komedia Sat 12th

Brighton throws its arms open to a second post-punk legend from the late 70s Liverpool scene this month, following Julian Cope’s turn. Minus his Bunnymen, it’s unclear what McCulloch will present this evening but given that he still considers himself the greatest frontman rock has ever seen and possesses a handful of songs which might be deemed evidence of this bold claim, we should at least expect a confident, compelling performance. Bring on the dancing horses. (BG)

MR HUDSON Corncorde 2 Tues 15th

This guy (first name Ben, mystery over) is like, so hot right now, having worked with hip hop heavyweights such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and erm, N-Dubz, white-haired Mr Hudson is now headlining his very own tour. Singing songs from his epic and critically acclaimed album Straight, No Chaser (executively produced by Kanye West), expect some crushing beats, spine-tingling vocals and emotional lyrics which make for his trademark futuristic cool pop. (PW)

VIC GODARD & SUBWAY SECT Engine Room Fri 18th

Always the bridesmaids, Godard’s Subway Sect were there at the dawn of punk, sharing 76 stages with the Pistols and The Clash, but multiple line-up changes and a microscopic discography stymied their chances of making any kind of headway. Godard backpedalled into crooning rock’n’roll and swing, before famously lending his talents to the Royal Mail delivery round. Despite eventual re-evaluation and rehabilitation, live shows by any form of Subway Sect are hen’s teeth rare, so miss him at your peril. (DL)

BROKEN BELLS Tues 22nd Digital

DangerMouse has spent much of his post ‘Grey Album’ / hip hop time flitting (do mice flit?) from hokey blues (Black Keys), pop (Gnarls Barkley, Gorrilaz), indie concept albums (Dark Night of the Soul) and electro-funk (The Rapture). Most recently, he’s hooked up in a rampantly fertile collaboration with James Mercer of the Shins in Broken Bells. Their much-lauded, self-titled debut is a wonderfully bionic progression of the Shins sound, and heck, two super-talented heroes doing their thing in Digital has got to be worth the admission. (MB)

SERIOUS SAM BARRETT The Basement Tues 22nd

One of the rising stars of the UK Americana-folk scene, Yorkshire based Serious Sam Barrett stops by Brighton for a special pre-Glastonbury warm-up show in support of his debut album Close To Home. Playing his 12-string resonator guitar, Sam’s country/roots sound mixes songs about his home county with traditional southern folk stompers – it’s raw, gritty but above all real and full of heart. Support comes from Treecreeper front-man Will Burns and a solo set by locals The Sea Will Decide. (IC)

EL VEZ Concorde 2 Weds 23rd

When he first reached these shores via Alan McGee’s once-ubiquitous Poptones imprint, Roberto Lopez’ ‘Mexican Elvis’ persona was overlooked by many, assuming at best that this was a tongue-in-cheek guilty pleasure, somewhere between Tony Ferrino and the Jarrow Elvis. In fact, El Vez has long been more than a comedy tribute act, mixing political activism and a broad spread of classic rock’n’roll and punk influences into his performances. El Vez’s current tour now promises his Kiss tribute too – rock on! (DL)

STEVE MASON Hanbury Ballroom Thurs 24th

[email protected] “I wanted to be sectioned,” admitted the Beta Band’s darkly troubled and troubling former singer recently, four years after leaving what looked like a suicide note on MySpace before disappearing for two weeks. Acclaimed new album, the Richard X-produced ‘Boys Outside’, seems to mark the semi-resurrection of this fiercely creative individual, who really has been, as his comeback single of the same name attests, ‘Lost And Found’. Clearly, sanity suits him. (BG)

WOLF GANG Jam Sat 26th

Depending on your preferred frame of reference, this newly arrived male solo artist has been variously cited as the new Frankmusik and even the new Duran Duran. Certainly he’s showing off a broad range of theatrical pop skills on songs like ‘The King And All Of His Men’ and ‘Back To Back’, perhaps inviting such grandiose comparisons. But the potential hinted at thus far seems to be paying off – major label deals aren’t thrown at just anyone these days… (NC)

The Koffin Kats Hector’s House Sun 27th

Detroit City’s Koffin Kats return to Brighton with their heavy Psychobilly sound. Having previously set a record attendance at The Hobgoblin (407 to be precise), Hector’s House should provide a much better experience for everyone there. Every time these guys hit the stage, it’s like their lives depend on it. Smashed skulls, playing a double bass with a guitar as a slide and making a crucifix in the process, and this is just the beginning. Throw in a few Punk classics like The Damned’s ‘Ignite’ and you have yourself a riot. Unmissable! (GA)

New Young Pony Club Concorde 2 Weds 30th

After neglecting Brighton fans on their recent album tour, NYPC’s special brand of electro pop is finally gracing our shores this month. If you haven’t yet checked out ‘The Optimist’ – the follow-up to the Ponies’ 2007 debut album, ‘Fantastic Playroom’ – then you’re in for a treat. The album’s dark, synthy, grown-up sound drops a whopping big hint that this is one show not to miss this year. (NC)

FATCAT RECORDS FURBALLS NIGHT The Freebutt Monday 7th FatCat’s

bi-monthly audio-visual night Furballs featuring friends of the label present revered San Franciscan lo-fi garage duo Sic Alps playing alongside progressive electronic DJ Andrew Weatherall, a pioneer of early electronic music in the nineties, now more involved with production and remixes of acts as varied as Bjork to Beth Orton. Brighton surfer garage trio The Sticks also play with experimental electronic act Hind Ear. First fifty through the door get a free CD featuring all acts playing the event. (LS)

WORDS BY GREG ACKERLY, MATT BARKER, IAN CHAMBERS, DANI COLYER, NICK COQUET, BEN GILBERT, ROSS HOGBEN, DAVID LETTS, THE RECOMMENDER, PIA WEBLEY, LYDIA STOCKBRIDGE