A FOOT ON THE LOCAL BAND LADDER
Kong Promotions, Redhot and Rough Trade have banded together to bring us Breakthrough; a new and painless way to uncover the best in current live music on a global as well as local scale, right on our doorstep. Head to the Latest Musicbar in Kemptown for your weekly Monday night fix. Favoured local acts of the moment Jumping Ships, Foxes and Storm Engine have already graced the stage, who could be next?
HIP HOPTIMISM AT ITS BEST
Hip hop and it’s associated nights are often the target for the ire of those who seek to play it as dumb, aggressive thug-talk. Doing a sterling job of fighting the good fight are Ghost Ryde, a new night at Jam playing hip hop for optimists. No sub genre is off the menu, so you can expect to hear the Pharcyde cuddled up to T-Pain without so much as a second thought.
SCORE WITH THE LAW
Being a creative type quite often means you’re a bit of a dunce when it comes to being organised with legal and business stuff. Shoeboxes full of receipts, unopened writs and summonses lying in a pile by the front door – sound at all familiar? If so then the good people at Creative Law & Business could become your new best friends – folk who know what they’re talking about offering professional advice and identifying new funding opportunities. Visit www.creativelaw.eu for info.
NEW HERO NEWS
Clubbers turned into blubbers at missing Somewhere In The Universe at New Hero can dry their tears – there’s good news on Friday 13th as it resumes its rightful place on the weekend schedule. You might not recognise the place though – it’s had a swanky refit including new air conditioning, a beefy new sound system and even a new bar, Get in there and get down.
SWEET SYRUPS
If you have a big bald head, or even just fancy a change of style for your humdrum tresses, The Studio on Gloucester Street could well become your new best friend. A dedicated wig store and studio, it’s been set up by the guy who owns hair salon Mooch, so your head is certainly in safe hands. Available in synthetic or real hair, the wigs can be trimmed to suit your face shape by proper stylists and they’re NHS approved if you need a wig for any more serious reasons.
MAKE MERRY WITH THE BERRY
When the Latest Musicbar took it over, we sort of assumed it meant the end of the Joogleberry. Not so – they’re back as an entertainment agency bringing their inimitable sense of style and fun to venues across the city. First up is Joogleberry’s Got Soul! at The Brunswick on Thursday 19th, with a trio of live acts – Derriere, Soulcyde and Silm Soda featuring Alison David, all of whom are bona fide card-carrying soul ambassadors. Your ticket also gets you a welcome glass of Joogle Juice, which we’re assuming is booze of some kind.
WHITE VANS, MAN! And a wide assortment of other attractive footwear colours, all available from the plush new Vans store on West Street. It’s a partnership with the guys from Pacific Blue, so it’s an ideal clothing haven for half-pipe botherers everywhere, and those people on You’ve Been Framed who skate down handrails and land on their bollocks.
SING LIKE A STAR
Brighton’s most rock’n’roll stopover has opened their new secret SingStar Lounge in a private deluxe room. As long as you spend fifty quid in the bar (easy peasy) you can cram up to ten people in for free until the New Year, with personal waiter service and buffet grub (the latter if you book it in advance). You know how it works – sing-off battles with Take That, Blondie and Motown while you get battered. Hooray!
WORDS BY NICK COQUET, LYDIA STOCKBRIDGE