Since our last edition of Locally Sourced we’ve been hearing some great things coming out of Brighton. Everyone likes a summer launch it seems. This month’s round-up of new local releases includes singles by Ham Legion, Hayley Ross, Suns Up, Scare Taxi, TJ Walker and Strange Cages. We’ve also got albums from Dog Of Man and Count Kujo as well as EPs by Yakul, JOSEPHPOISON and Scott & Maria.

Ham Legion
‘Georgie Porgie’

Ham Legion (pictured) have somehow managed to distil the contents of several potent songs into a single with a runtime just shy of four minutes. It’s a brilliant and almost baffling medley of styles, odd timings and unexpected interludes. ‘Georgie Porgie’ combines busy, urgent verses with surprise choruses and some satisfying metal riffs while still finding time for a tender and tuneful instrumental breakdown. The title’s allusion to a nursery rhyme (which may or may not be about the Prince Regent) is also a sly piece of misdirection. “Our Georgie is inspiring, heroic and respectable,” explains frontman Nick Howiantz, “unlike his devious sex-pest of a namesake.” (BB)

Hayley Ross
‘Tumbledown’

‘Tumbledown’ is a gorgeous slice of pastoral English melancholia that has been picked up for the new series of Orange Is The New Black. We can see why, as it’s a poignant, emotionally charged song highlighting a fragility bathed in positivity (“…as long as I’m breathing…”) for an unfathomable future. Played and sung by boat-dweller Hayley Ross, the song comes from her imminent debut album ‘The Weight Of Hope’, mixed by the legendary John Leckie (Stone Roses) and mastered at Abbey Road. The album took four years to make and incorporates an array of varied instrumentation, from stylophone, cigar box guitar, Korg monotron and melodica, to a borrowed harmonium and Nick Pynn playing crystal wine glasses. Judging by the exquisite ‘Tumbledown’ and its equally beautiful predecessor ‘Dernier Baiser’, the album is going to be well worth the wait. (JS)

Suns Up
‘Do What You Feel Like’

From the opening notes, you could be forgiven for thinking it was an 80s dreamy pop song by China Crisis or Stephen Duffy. The guitars and keyboards create a sunny, swaying sound for the effects-laden vocals to wistfully waft along to. The excellent video, filmed in and around their Chichester hometown, is very sweet, showing a couple of young women basically doing whatever they feel like on a sunny afternoon. You can see them live at the Hope & Ruin on Saturday 19th October. (SC)

Scare Taxi
‘Lunacy’

Alexander Boag (who we last saw on stage singing a number with Art Brut) was once the frontman of These Animal Men, so his latest project Scare Taxi probably comes with a certain amount of baggage for some. However, new single ‘Lunacy’ sees him taking a backseat to songwriting partner and bassist Tara ‘Guitara’ Harley whose assured vocals carry the tune over the rolling drums and spidery guitar lines. If there are echoes of The Cure here, it’s only because Scare Taxi are zeroing in on the sweet spot between goth and pop. The song comes from the band’s debut album, ‘Death By Music’, which is released on Friday 30th August with a launch party at the Latest Music Bar. (BB)

TJ Walker
‘Long Game’

TJ Walker is a country/Americana singer who has strummed his guitar all over the world, including in venues as grand as the Albert Hall and O2 Arena. But Walker settled in the deep south (of the UK) on a river estuary in Sussex and released a number of tracks last year that got him some decent radio play. Now he’s recorded and produced an album of his own songs in his own home studio, playing all of the instruments himself too. His latest song ‘Long Game’ is from these sessions and it’s a classic slab of country-rock. Ostensibly about a man giving his son car-buying advice, it’s also got a timeless and tuneful country-music philosophy, well put together and pretty catchy too. (JS)

Strange Cages
‘Dance Like An Alpha Male’

A mainstay of the Brighton psych scene for the past five years, Strange Cages have been tearing up stages all over Europe and now even host their own Deadbeat Disco night at The Richmond. They are about to release their debut album on the new Acid Box label with a taster single, ‘Dance Like An Alpha Male’ a strong indicator of what’s to come. The song is powered by driving drums and choppy guitar riffs giving Charlie McConnochie’s vocals a driving groove to testify over. There’s a nice instrumental middle-eight with haunting chants whirring around before the song climaxes with an explosive finish. The album launch night is at The Rialto Theatre, Friday 13th September. (SC)

Yakul
‘Getting Late’

‘Getting Late’, the debut EP by Brighton-based Yakul, is a record that has summer haze written all over it. Starting with ‘Can You See It’, a gorgeous piece which exudes majestic soul, the EP could well provide the soundtrack to blissful afternoons sat under the sun with its non-stop head-bobbing and body-swaying songs. The title track, featuring Louis VI, adds even greater depth to Yakul’s already versatile and signature sound by offering some rhythmic blues. Topped with Louis VI’s charming verse, it speaks of the giddy feeling that accompanies new love. But it is on ‘Past Tense’ that Yakul surpass themselves both lyrically and melodically. It’s as if you can hear the sound of sunshine in the very introduction and when James Berkeley sings the anthemic hook, “I believe”, you can imagine it being belted out by a crowd at a summer festival. (TO)

JOSEPHPOISON
‘Life Is Precious’

‘Life Is Precious’ is the latest release by JOSEPHPOISON, a multitalented producer, songwriter and rapper from Brighton. It features six alternative electronic tracks with rap and soul infusions that come together to showcase the “fragility of life”. ‘LOOK!’ is the most melodic and upbeat with a strong deep house vibe, whilst ‘UNO’ is more eerie and minimalistic in its production. JOSEPHPOISON is also a clever wordsmith as demonstrated by the tongue-in-cheek bar on the track ‘UNO’ – “only thing I like about Boris is his bike.” (TO)

Scott & Maria
‘Love Bombs’

This track from Brighton duo Scott & Maria drops bombs of truth and peace, wrapped up in a crystalline folk-rock indie melody. The song has a warm feel, like the best vibes of the sixties wrapped up in energetic 90s indie-pop. Their forthcoming EP ‘Never Lost’ follows on the heels of the duo’s first album released in early 2017. Since then they’ve been busy gigging across the south of England, including at a variety of festivals. They say they have enough new material to record a full album, so expect more from this duo soon. (JS)

Count Kujo
‘Abeng’

With most of the buzz around UK jazz coming from South London it’s refreshing to have Brighton’s Count Kujo release their debut album ‘Abeng’ (you can catch them at the Brunswick on Sun 8th Sept). The nine-piece are very much in the spiritual vein, with added Afrobeat, and call on a wide range of influences to inform their sound. The opening electric keys’ infectious lines on the title track instantly grab you, and as the group join in with Afro horns and fusion changes it’s nine minutes of pure pleasure. The guitar and keyboard take funky solos, switching between backing and lead before the sax joins in, followed by a rich male vocal. Irresistible. (SC)

Dog Of Man
‘Dogmatic Manual’

The introduction of an accordion into the arsenal of a psych punk band would be an erratic move if the instrument in question didn’t sound so gloriously distorted. As it is, ‘Dogmatic Manual’ makes for an intriguing listen, the keys adding a novel layer to the band’s psychedelic grooves, punk fury and deviantly melodic grunge pop. Dog Of Man’s debut album has been released one song a week on the back of comical and low-budget music videos strung together by some kind of interactive poll. The final track is out this week in time for a launch party on Friday 16th August at the Hope & Ruin. (AS)

Words by Anthony Stranger, Ben Bailey, Jon Southcoasting, Steve Clements and Tiwalola Odukoya
Photo by Ashley Jones