KENNY HAWKES RIP
It’s with heavy hearts that we report the news of underground house music legend Kenny Hawkes’ passing at just 43 years old. The Brighton born and bred DJ made his name with the London pirate station Girls FM which, under his management, attracted a million listeners a month. He had similar success with the midweek deep house night Space, a cornerstone of the UK scene, and had a brace of classic productions to his name. Whenever we saw him he was always on his way to play in a far-flung corner of the world. We’ll miss him greatly.
HIP HOPS
We were expecting the Brighton Beer Festival to have, y’know, good beer, but what we weren’t expecting was a proper line-up of bands too. Really living up to the festival part of the name, the team have drafted in The Blockheads, Dodgy, The Grits and the ever-popular Brighton Beach Boys to headline the four days, working in some local talent from the likes of Villareal, Jouis and electro swing newcomers Kitten & The Hip. Tickets are a tenner a day – including your first drink free – and as you might expect they’re selling like cold beers on a hot day. It’s all happening at The Old Paddling Pool by the West Pier from Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th.
ART UNDERGROUND
Handmade Brighton on St James’s Street has been around for a year or so now, working as a non-profit retail space that lines artists’ pockets with well-earned dough. Now they’re opening up their basement space for talks and workshops, as well as exhibition space for emerging artists trying out work in a public arena for the first time. July sees Angela Chick’s Once Upon A Time exhibition of illustrations, written word and textiles kicking off the new space – go check it out.
TO INFINITY & BEYOND
Infinity Foods has been part of the Brighton landscape for 40 years, and at their current North Laine location since 1973. To celebrate four decades of ethical and organic grub they’re throwing an al fresco party on Saturday 2nd, in Jubilee Street outside the library. Attendees can enjoy rummaging through a food market from local suppliers and live entertainment going on all day. Infinityfoodsretail.co.uk has the latest.
UNSINKABLE FUN
Paddle Round The Pier, Europe’s biggest free beach and watersports festival, is back for its annual outing on Hove Lawns on the weekend of 2nd/3rd. It’s a mix of music, stalls, a load of kids’ activities and have-a-go sporting opportunities all hinged around the legendary race of buoyant bathtubs, rafts and other variously seaworthy craft. The music tent features an array of local talent that’s always worth checking out, this year including Ben Poole, Derriere and Jim Stapley, and the rest of the fest is a great day out in the sun.
GENEROUS JOURNEY
The Martlets Hospice in Hove provides free care to its patients, which costs over £9,000 a day to achieve. Your mum or someone might need it one day, so get some credit in your karma bank by taking part in their midnight London to Brighton bike ride on September 2nd and get a load of people to sponsor you while you’re at it. No traffic on the roads, stops for coffee and cake before arriving in Brighton for breakfast – and overall it’s obviously a downhill ride. Themartlets.org.uk awaits your registration page impression.
KEEP BALL UP, BOOZE DOWN
The UK footvolley championships are coming to Brighton beach on Saturday 9th – it’s like volleyball but for use you feet instead of hands for hoiking the ball over the net. Football folk from sunnier climes like Ronaldo and Edinho are known to be all about the sport in keeping limber for their day jobs. Barefoot Wine are sponsoring the event and we’re told they’re offering free foot massages while you sip their delicious booze products; you can also compete in keepy-up contests for wine and merch-based prizes. You can’t go wrong.
GREEN GALS GROW
It turns out having a Green-led council isn’t just about using rubbish lightbulbs – we’ve only gone and topped some national gender equality survey, haven’t we? 44% of our councillors are women, which, as well as a Green council itself, is a first for the UK. But the Greens still don’t think it’s enough and are pushing themselves even harder for properly population-proportionate politics. It’s all good – Brighton’s showing the rest of the fat expenses boys’ clubs how to run things in the 21st century.
NIGHTINGALE SINGS
As the recent Festival and Fringe took in a fair few venues in Brighton and Hove, many salubrious in the extreme, the one that was voted the best of the lot must be some special place, right? Well, the Nightingale might not be on everyone’s radar, but their small but perfectly formed theatre above the Grand Central Bar opposite the station has clinched the award. The former station hotel building has a bunch of different rooms for multi-artform usage and they’re committed to promoting up-and-coming talent, so hats off to them.
WORDS BY NICK COQUET, JAMES KENDALL, JESSICA MARSHALL MCHATTIE
