So, is Brighton broken? Well, there’s obviously plenty of sad stuff going on that makes us a bit depressed and weepy. But there’s also loads of stuff about our city that’s unique, inspiring and just plain downright ace. We stuck our hands up like spods in the SOURCE office and wrote these on the blackboard.
20 JAZZ FUNK GREATS
Essentially, XXJFG is the best new music blog there is. For weirdo psyche disco or maverick nu-gaze, these guys have heard it, played it out and already blogged it before the acetate is even dry. Don’t believe us? Check your favourite blog’s blogroll. You’ll find them there.
OUR BARTENDERS (ETC)
Jesus, how cool are our waitress, barmen and shop assistants? Seemingly all hot – or quirky über-hip – they’re working part-time while their blog/band/photography/art hits gold. Not only are they interesting and clever (and hot, did we mention that?) they’re also really good at their jobs.
THE BEACH
Yes it’s made of stones, but that sea air is enough to blow the cobwebs off anyone coming to town. Ultimately it doesn’t matter about all the other things which make Brighton special because hot long summer nights with friends, BBQs, drink and general merriment on the beach are what make life in Brighton all the more brilliant.
HAPPY HOUR AT THE BEES MOUTH
Whoever said money can’t buy you happiness obviously didn’t have £7.50. Because that will buy you three bottles of fruity Belgian happiness from one of the hippest, most happenin’ jazz joints this side of the 1950s. It’s 5.15pm on a Tuesday and we’re drunk. We love you Bees Mouth.
BEYOND RETRO
The heart of the Lanes, yet a hidden treasure – Beyond Retro takes you back to dressing up in your mum’s high heels and gladrags. Not just a vintage store, they often hold gigs for local bands and held a beautiful Alice In Wonderland tea party in March. See also To Be Worn Again and Wolf & Gypsy.
BIRD-CALL WHISTLE BLOKE
No hungover Saturday would be complete without a wander through the Lanes, stuck behind what must be the hottest, stickiest man in Brighton. Clad from head to foot in tweed, carrying a massive sign, and making noises like a Robin on heat, this guy is an ambassador for the phrase ‘does anyone ever buy this crap?’ but we love him anyway.
BOM-BANE’S
The quirkiest restaurant in town, there’s probably no place that is such a labour of love. Interesting things happen in Bom-Bane’s from in-table entertainment to great live music and comedy. Arthur Brown and Stewart Lee have both played the cosy basement.
BRIGHTON BALLROOM
The Hanbury has had a tough time of it over the last few years but hopefully Proud Galleries can turn it around, having just bought it. They’re doing great stuff in London so fingers crossed, and they’ve saved another Brighton venue from closing. Just remember though, this is Brighton not London guys.
BRIGHTON LIVE
The mere fact that Brighton has enough bands to put on an annual festival of local acts is impressive enough, but that a group of people bother (most giving their time for nothing out of sheer belief in it) is great. Oh yeah, and it’s totally free. Result.
COMMUNION
In terms of the bleeding edge of indie/nu-folk/whatever you want to call it, the So Darn So-run Communion is sufficiently below the radar to feel extra special, but so on the money that soon you’ll only be able to catch their bands in £10 headline slots.
CRANE KALMAN
The exhibitions that Crane Kalman put on aren’t just good, they’re world class. If you want to see great photography it should be your first stop. And then get over to the North Laine Gallery to see the talented locals.
DAVE’S COMICS
Of course they never cared anyway, but Dave’s Comics have been pushing graphic stories since long before they became fashionable. Not just the place for superheroes, they also have a great range of emotional stories from the likes of Daniel Cowes and Adrian Tomine.
DUKE OF YORK’S
To quote film über-critic Mark Kermode, “Balcony sofas? Cor, you definitely would, wouldn’t you?” After years of sitting in children’s car seats in suburban warehouses, a glass of beer, a sofa, a beautifully projected flick, and the 100-year-old housing makes you realise just how good we’ve got it down here.
EDUCATION
Brighton University and City College are right in the heart of the city offering the students of Brighton the opportunity to develop themselves into the new stars of Brighton. Music, arts and design courses run by industry professionals and close links with local employees make this a very cool place to learn.
THE EVENING STAR
Loved by many – it’s home to the best micro brewery in Brighton and has many award winning ales, as well as the widest selection of Belgian beers around. This is no gastro pub, if you look a bit too trendy or act obnoxiously a regular will shout, “There’s no Fosters in here, sonny.”
SAVE THE FREEBUTT CAMPAIGN
OK, so it might have failed, but the swell of support for a venue in danger was impressive. Four thousand people signed the petition – now if each of them paid £5 there’d be enough to carry out the soundproofing work. Hello? Anyone still there?
GARAGE STUDIOS
Devoted to the art of photography, often within a commercial setting, no one is doing more for the discipline in Brighton than Kevin Mason and Matt Halls. Crucially they don’t hide their craft, instead aiming to excite and help others by explaining the smoke and mirrors.
GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE
Following the construction of Prince George’s weekend party pad back in the late 1700s, the architects of the period knocked up a plethora of gorgeous, often beach-fronted housing. You can see the style, with its tall windows and corniced details, from Kemp Town’s Sussex Square to Clifton Hill, to Brunswick Town.
HAND IN HAND
Sure there are a thousand quality boozers in Brighton, but how many of them actually brew their own quality booze? The Kemptown (micro-)Brewery, as housed at the wonderfully teeny Hand In Hand pub, is somewhere you can genuinely try something new. You’ll never drink Kronenbourg or Stella Artois again.
HANDMADE CO-OP
A fine arts and skillful crafts shop with a socialist work ethic – now that’s something you don’t see every day. They showcase the best local artisans’ creations, ranging from pretty and practical to standalone pieces. There’s really no excuse for buying someone a shoddy gift anymore.
HANOVER BEER FESTIVAL
For an area of Brighton that has a quality boozer on every corner (almost literally – try it if you don’t believe us), the annual introduction of a big top, piled high with kegs of the most wonderful beers of every conceivable denomination and regional derivation, is some lovely icing on a well-stocked cake.
THE HYDRANT
The Hydrant, nee The Hare and Hounds, has become a new hub for live music. The venue proper upstairs sees Club Zygotic promotions putting on the most left-of-centre in alternative music; and downstairs you can often find some cheeky ska band playing at the bar.
WORK STARTING ON THE HIPPODROME
It’s going to cost nine million quid to sort out, but apparently the guys behind the Brixton Academy are ready to start work on this decaying venue. The Beatles and the Stones played there, you know.
INDEPENDENT LABELS
Independents have always found a home here; from the DIY label I Made This Records to established alt-folkers FatCat, hip hop soul from the mighty Tru Thoughts, or quirky pop-tronica mayhem from One Inch Badge. All of these started small and gained notoriety right here.
INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOPS
With most of the UK’s indie record shops having bitten the dust, it’s good to see the likes of Rounder, Resident, Ape, Edgeworld and Rarekind bucking the national trend and flourishing by really knowing their market. You sure won’t find Daptone 7″s in HMV.
JUICE FM SPECIALIST SHOWS
Every city has its commercial radio stations, and for the most part they all play the same old chart fodder. Not Juice. Even a cursory glance through their long list of specialist shows reveals the kind of roster and playlists that 6Music would love to harvest.
CAROLINE LUCAS MP
The only Green MP in the whole bloody country, Caroline took the Brighton Pavilion ward by storm in the general election, an unprecedented victory for the party and a clear message to the rest of the country that Brighton doesn’t do tactical voting, thanks very much.
MAMMOTHFEST
This group of promoters are hell-bent on supporting the South’s undernourished metal scene. They’re hosting the first ever metal festival the South East has ever seen this September at Hove’s town hall, aiming to put the city on the map as the South East’s metal Mecca.
MODERN TOSS
In the whole country there’s no one better at sticking a prick into pomposity and the ridiculousness of life today. Brutally witty, they’ve also developed a unique style that gets them into art galleries. And they did our ace cover this month.
MORGENMUFFEL ZINE
As Brighton Zinefest testifies, there’s a wealth of people with something worth saying living here. A veteran of the scene is Morgenmuffel, an autobiographical zine chronicling the life and issues that are important to its author Isy. Covering punk, veganism, ecology and community, it makes for an insightful and entertaining read.
THE NORTH LAINE
This run of small boutique shops, cafés, bars, galleries and venues in the heart of the city is an essential microcosm of Brighton – alternative, fiercely independent, hip, vibrant and varied, it’s Brighton in a nutshell.NOT FOR RESALEIs there anyone in Brighton that has such a need for new music as Meatbreak and Fokkawolfe? Food, air, and demo tapes – that’s what they live on. Their next Penthouse night is on Friday 20th, or keep up with their almost-daily blog.
NUMBSKULL HQ
The corporate music industry’s on its arse, so there’s never been a better time to go it alone. Numbskull is a local management consultancy with A&R, live promotion and PR expertise to help bands do just that, and they’re building a promising roster of artists who you’ll know all about before too long.
OPEN MICS
Music is a reflection of life, and the underground performance scene is where the two meet. Open mic nights are a platform for our views, our aspirations and our expressions. Music, poetry, comedy – all our best talent started out there and Brighton boasts the best in the country.
RADIO REVERB 97.2FM
Brighton’s community radio station is staffed, produced and presented by volunteers from a stifling basement on the Old Steine. Reverb is an unpredictable, gloriously haphazard and eclectic melting pot of ideas, with a keen ear to the ground for diverse emerging local talent, personalities and events.
RAVING GRANDAD
Because no outdoor music event in Brighton would be complete without the grandaddy of raving at the front, throwing some shapes and teaching us young ‘uns a thing or two about how to wear flame print.
REAL TATTOOS
A world away from your standard end-of-pier snake’n’dagger with Chinese symbols designs, Brighton is home to Into You and Magnum Opus, two world-renowned custom shops who will ink absolute individuality under your skin.
THE RECOMMENDER
If you haven’t heard of The Recommender then clearly you’ve never been online. Now part of the influential blog network, Strangers In Stereo, you can often find their postings topping the Hype Machine chart. The live music nights are firing now too.
RED VEG
Where else can you sit people-watching as you tuck into a burger that makes you forget there’s no meat inside? The staff are friendly, flirty and fun and the food is amazing. The spinach and garlic burger is to die for and the fries are never greasy either.
ROAST DINNERS
Alongside a number of excellent fry up cafes, there are dozens of unique and friendly pubs serving perfect Sunday lunch grub. As a consequence, Brighton is not only great for going out on a Saturday night, but it also offers up the perfect hangover cure the next day.
SEAFRONT CLUBS
As rammed as they often are at weekends, there’s something undeniably special about the many large clubs located in the Victorian archways under Brighton beach’s promenade. On a warm summer’s evening there’s nothing quite like hitting the beach and ending your evening in front of a banging al fresco sound system.
STREET PARTIES
From Hanover, the North Laine and Brunswick Square to Ditchling Rise – street parties pop up all over the place. City communities taking time out to get to know their neighbours is catching on nationwide, but Brightonians have been at it for years.
NON-SUPERMARKET SUPERMARKETS
Independent food stores such as Infinity Foods, Bill’s and Taj champion the vegetable and health foods in all their fine forms, as well as giving us an alternative to the big chains clogging up the city centre.
TREACLE & CO
Proof that not everything in Brighton is closing, some things are blossoming like beautiful flowers. This brand new cake shop is going to have your tastebuds sending you a thank you note. Best of all it’s opposite the huge Hove Tesco so you can buy your sugary dinner in here instead.
TUACA
Yes, it’s Italian, but Tuaca is so much a part of the fabric of our city that it’s got its own plaque. Responsible for more crazy ideas and unholy unions than anything else, importantly it tastes better than any other shot. Thanks to Paul and Sammy, the Brightonians who discovered it while snowboarding and started importing it.
UN AUTRE MONDE
Mirrors’ monthly club night at New Hero is doing something genuinely interesting. Pretentious? Maybe, but we see a tongue in cheek as they balance live painting with onion petanque. The best place to see them play live.
VEGETARIAN FOOD
Vegetarians, vegans and even raw foodists have found a stronghold here. Stand-out produce proprietors include Terre A Terre, Manna, Bill’s and Food For Friends, all making a proper meat-forgetting meal from stuff growing out of the ground.
WEST STREET
This long street, running up from the beach is full of those shitty, found-in-every-town, massive chain bars. Why does it make this list, you might ask? Well, it acts as a magnet for all those football-shirt-wearing, drunk thugs and scary hen parties, thus leaving all the really decent bars to the rest of us.
WORDS BY CARRIE BARCLAY, MATT BARKER, MIKE BRADFORD, DAN BOWDEN, DARREN CARNABY, DAN CHATFIELD, DANI COLYER, NICK COQUET, ADAM DENCH, HELENA J, JAMES KENDALL, LYDIA STOCKBRIDGE