FISH FRY
The weekly clubnight that’s had us jumping and jiving to the sounds of 40s and 50s calypso, ska and rocksteady for two years now are bringing their crates of Caribbean sounds to The Haunt. Live acts and guest DJs will also become part of the soul party, with Jerry Dammers, Jazzman Gerald and Andy Smith all making an appearance behind the decks at the launch party on Thursday 10th.
LOVING HUT CAFE
Recently reopened after a nice winter break, this worldwide franchise on the south side of The Level offers cheap nosh from fast food (hot dogs, burgers, nuggets, etc) to Asian meals (satay, kung po, sweet and sour). It’s all freshly made by friendly staff and because it’s a totally vegan menu, none of your furry friends get the chop.
GUILTY PLEASURES
Guilty Pleasures is Concorde-bound, having their launch party on Saturday 12th, marking the release of the mega-hip brand’s new compilation album. The theme is Top Of The Pops, so get down there dressed as Jimmy Saville and dance like a loon. They’ve got SingStar in the front bar, or dance along to DJs Dynamite Sal and Hot Gusset, plus dance troupe Sparkle Motion.
PONG
It was an utter genius who first decided to try out a table tennis table in a club (we heard it was Susan Sarandon, and we’re not about to contradict that amazing piece of hearsay). On Friday 4th at Life, Pong will feature disco, booze, table tennis (free play and a tournament), with cash prizes for boy and girl champions, and someone mysterious called Susan.
DIRTY CASH
Tuedays at Coalition are now the domain of Dirty Cash, spinning old school garage to new hip hop. A team of resident DJs join together with new British live acts to bring the party, with the whole thing turning its back on blingy glitz and glamour and giving a complicated street-handshake to simple, honest-to-goodness massive party tunes.
MILKSHAKE
Famed in song for bringing all the boys to the yard, this new night promises to redirect them, along with the city’s womenfolk, to the Haunt every Wednesday. It’s a celebration of proper pop music from Fleetwood Mac to Foals, Kate Bush to Kim Wilde, putting the heart back into chart, with the solemn promise of “No crap, no idiots, no JLS (which surely are one and the same thing?). And who’s going to argue with that, eh?
THE REAL MUSIC CLUB
A new night at the Brunswick on Saturday 19th aims to put some of the ‘far-out’ back into gigs. First up, it’s the return of legendary purveyors of weirdness, Tim’s Wild Orchid Slide Show; space-rock jazz-improv from The Sumerian Kings and headliners Whimwise, a psychedelic orchestra that transcends genres to make one groovy masterpiece.
CHILLI PICKLE
Serving up cuisine inspired by regional Indian dishes, street food and thalis, the Chilli Pickle is moving to bigger premises at Myhotel on Jubilee Square. Their award-winning oxtail madras, tandoori sea bass and rose kulfi will still be part of the mouth-watering menu, served up overlooking the square in a colourful, kitsch and relaxed dining area to chow down in.
FOTOLIBRA
Brighton is full of unique things, and its architecture is no exception. FotoLibra aims to record these historical landmarks to create a unique photographic archive of our town. They’re keen on preserving everyday heritage too – streetscapes and public areas – not just the fancy bits like the Pavilion. Contribute pics at their website and earn a fee on publication. Old photos count too, so dig out those family albums.
RAG TRADE POP-UP SALE
The only pop-up clothes sale where you can buy designer clobber and sell your own fashion mishaps returns to the Thistle Hotel on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th. Drop your cast-offs down at the Thistle up to six days before the event and snap up a new wallet-friendly designer bag of swag.
Words by Steve Clements, Nick Coquet, Lydia Stockbridge
2011
