AGNOSTIC MOUNTAIN GOSPEL CHOIR Engine Rooms Thurs 1st
If Tom Waits had a fixation with bluegrass music then it might come close to sounding something like this. Whiskey-soaked hollering and growling, duelling slide guitars, tin can banjo, sheet metal percussion and pounding upright bass – that’s what the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir are all about. Hailing from Calgary, they make a welcome return to the UK and Brighton following the release of last years storming album Ten Thousand. Quite frankly you’d be foolish to miss it. (IC)
HOCKEY Digital Thu 1st Oct
Oregon’s sons provide more palatable pop punch for the senses and the buzz around this band may be worth taking note of. Following the ‘perfect pop song’ guidebook to a tee, they come packing punchy guitars, devilishly catchy hooks and synth-powered anthemic chorus that wouldn’t sound out of place over the end credits of a John Hughes film. With such credentials expect to hear them infiltrating your commercial watching in the near future, if not already. (AS)
BAT FOR LASHES / YEASAYER Dome Fri 2nd Oct
Missing out on the Mercury prize could deter the best of us, but with her sophomore album Two Suns being home to some of the year’s most intriguingly enchanting music so far, it doesn’t appear to have affected this lady much. The sinister fairytale undertones and otherworldly aura that Natasha Kahn has created is clad with sparkling melodies. (AS)
Of all the bands to emerge from New York in recent years, Yeasayer stand alone. Neither head-slicked in legitimised Brooklyn cool or a hi-tech futuristic experiment gone right, theirs is an oddly ethnic, cosmopolitan vision, in fear of the world rather than chewing insouciantly on the big apple. (BG)
THE HORNBLOWER BROTHERS Prince Albert Sat 3rd
Fresh from airplay on Radio 2 and with the praise of Steve Lamacq ringing in their ears, The Hornblower Brothers bring their shambolically uplifting indie pop to the Prince Albert to celebrate the release of their debut EP Adventures in the National Geographic. With distinct nods to Half Man Half Biscuit and Jeffrey Lewis their live shows are a bundle of excitable energy and all with a pleasantly unhinged quality to proceedings. Without a doubt one of Brighton’s most underrated bands. (IC)
JAMES BLACKSHAW Hanbury Ballroom Tues 6th
When researching the influences of modern musicians, it’s unusual to find the names of anything other than a collection of uber-cool dayglo hipsters splattered across MySpace. Three cheers then for the impossibly gifted acoustic guitar master James Blackshaw, who lists Brian Eno, Claude Debussy, Frederic Chopin, Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Werner Herzog as key inspirations. Cited as a modern day Bert Jansch or John Fahey, what this man does with 12 stings is enough to suggest his mother was an octopus. (BG)
SKUNK ANANSIE Concorde 2 Tues 6th
Back treading the boards to support a greatest hits collection, Skunk Anansie were a genuinely awesome live proposition back in the day. Skin’s vocal histrionics coupled with Ace’s caterwauling guitar abuse ticked all the right boxes, while Cass and Mark steadied the ship with a rock-solid rhythm section. They got a bit string section reliant towards the end of their three-album career, but the first two were mostly killer. Skunk facts: Skin and Ace are called Debbie and Martin in real life. (NC)
ZERO 7 Dome Tues 6th
The musical genre chill out, seemingly invented in the 90s via Ibiza, is an ugly, overused term that, whether you like it or not, applies with this group. It’s a description that misses the talented craftsmanship and outstanding guest vocals that come with this band. However, they are undeniably relaxing, with their horizontal, gorgeous tunes that nestle in the ear like an ergonomic headphone. They arrive in Brighton as part of a UK tour that follows the release of their fourth studio album, Yeah Ghost. (TR)
FIERY FURNACES Audio Weds 7th
Purveyors of awkward indie pop the Fiery Furnaces return to our shores to showcase their fine new album I’m Going Away. Expect the usual chaotic riffs and shoehorning of references but this time round with a more soft and laid back pace as brother and sister Friedbergers go all Carpenters on us, We jest of course. This one was moved from its original venue because of demand so you’d better be quick sharp. (DV)
SPEECH DEBELLE Coalition Thurs 8th
What a coup for the Coalition venue, bagging the recent winner of the Mercury Prize. It’s an accolade that drips with credibility, instantly thrusting every nominee, let alone eventual winners, into the spotlight and giving sales a label-pleasing boost. Was it deserved? Well, Speech creates a refreshing, intelligent, stripped down version of Hip Hop that avoids the usual bling and self-obsessed subject matter. Tunes that play just as well acoustically as they do with the full production are a sign of how strong her writing is. Deserved indeed. (TR)
THE BIG PINK Digital Fri 9th
The subject of considerable press brouhaha in 2009, The Big Pink have managed to retain a thick layer of mystique despite the gathering hype. Headed-up by London duo Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell, the pair are named after The Band’s debut album but make nosebleed electro-shoegaze like the quarterised minds of Jesus & Mary Chain, Spaceman 3, Kasabian and School Of Seven Bells rather than decrepit ‘classic’ rock. One of them also went out with Lily Allen. But then who hasn’t? (BG)
THE SLITS Concorde 2 Sat 10th Oct
After a 23 year hiatus, ending in 2005, the raw and raucous first all-female British punk band have returned to reinstate their experimental ideologies and avant-garde demeanours to the adoring masses. A John Peel favourite, the glorious mess spills over with a mixture of tribal reggae rhythms, scratchy guitars, with anger and mischief galore. The filthy sound and attitude that ruffled so many feathers in the early 80s is ripe to ruffle again. (AS)
MICACHU & THE SHAPES Audio Mon 12th Oct
Seemingly trying to play all music at the same time and with nothing staying in place for more than a few seconds, it’s surprising that the enormously chaotic mess Jewellery is quite addictively the freshest thing to bounce around our brain boxes this year. Collaborating with broken bottles, vacuum cleaners and a multitude of other bonkers homemade instruments only add to the innovatively charming DIY ethos that has brought us the unique sound of Micachu & The Shapes. (AS)
NME RADAR TOUR Concorde 2 Weds 14th
This year’s hyped showcase rolls into town once again with its batch of lucky new talent. Most excitement will surely build around the future hit-machine, Marina & The Diamonds, with her usual confident strutting on stage. America is represented by both Yes Giantess and Local Natives, with the former being rightly considered new pretenders to Passion Pit’s throne and the latter getting glowing reviews from their show at 2009’s SXSW. Headliners, Golden Silvers, arrive with the least buzz, but don’t be fooled, as they will still be strong contenders. (TR)
THEMSELVES Freebutt Sun 18th Oct
Anticon’s Doseone and Jel offer another excursion down the rabbit hole of ponderous pretense. Falling very equally between a jumbled unfocused listening experience and a collage of ambient, minimal techno with fast rapping and glitched-out beat spazzes, they have successfully mystified hip-hop to the point of almost complete obscurity. Little insect clouds of electronics through a sandstorm and multi tracked chipmunk triple time create what can only be described as brilliantly bizarre. (AS)
DAN MICHAELSON & THE COASTGUARDS Prince Albert Tues 20th
Led by gravel voiced singer-songwriter Dan Michaelson, The Coastguards are an all star cast featuring members of the Broken Family Band, Magic Numbers and Fields amongst a host of others. Musically though they come from somewhere else entirely, combining the grandiose darkness of Leonard Cohen with the tuneful playfulness of the likes of Smog and Will Oldham. Debut album Saltwater makes for a stunning listen and the live show promises to be just as spellbinding. (IC)
BAD LIEUTENANT Digital Tues 20th
How much garbage must one band produce before all memory of their previous class is strangled? New Order legends Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris seem determined to test this equation after the bitter termination of their relationship with Peter Hook. The formation of the execrable sounding (in every way) Bad Lieutenant seems little more than a snide swipe at their Joy Division brethren and a desperate bid to arrest a near 20-year slide since Technique. Perhaps Ian Curtis saw this coming. (NC)
LITTLE BOOTS Concorde 2 Thu 22nd Oct
The synth-toting songstress from Blackpool is bringing disco back and she’s not shy about it. It’s been a relatively swift transition to commercial attention for Victoria “Little Boots” Hesketh. From her punk-charged Dead Disco days to her covers inspired YouTube pyjama sessions, her mainstream pop effort has been celebrating with a confused chart sensibility but with her unabashed love of pop and her honest-to-goodness instrumental ability, it can actually be slightly infectious. (AS)
BLOC PARTY Brighton Centre Saturday 24th
This upbeat indie behemoth kicks off a monster UK tour throughout October, travelling all the way from Scotland to our southern coastline, hitting every major town outside London along the way. Their powerful guitars, alongside Kele Okereke’s forever growing confidence, is all backed up by one of the music world’s most talented drummers, Matt Tong. Sadly, The Brighton Centre isn’t known for its great acoustics, but the sum of this band’s collective parts create a sound so huge that the venue’s bound to be as rocked as it’s ever been. (TR)
HOT RATS / GLORIA CYCLES / HALF SISTERS Coalition Sat 24th
The Hot Rats is Danny and Brighton resident Gaz out of Supergrass as any fool knows, exorcising their rock demons in what is, by any other name, a covers band. When it’s being produced by Nigel Godrich though, you kind of sit up and take a bit more notice. Joining them for this snug show are local heroes and SOURCE cover stars both – yer Cycles and yer Sisters – in what amounts to a gig so completely Brighton it ought to have its own BN postcode. (NC)
THE XX Audio Tues 27th
SOURCE can’t exactly muster an army of famous names when it comes to former school colleagues. Does James Gooding count (he went out with Kylie for a bit)? The xx, meanwhile, learnt their musical chops at the same southwest London school as Four Tet, Hot Chip and Burial. Judging by the sparse, dark and dystopian soul-pop of their truly winning debut, “xx”, it seems the music teacher must be Damon Albarn, with Prince his classroom assistant. We xx them. (BG)
JOHNNY FLYNN Hanbury Wed 28th Oct
With his 2008 album A Larum slightly evading the musical radar, it’s fortunate that we aren’t suffering a Johnny Flynn backlash as he returns to The Hanbury. Part busking troubadour and past-century poet, Flynn and band The Sussex Wit provide jaunts and yarns so charming that the hay from your slackly-jawed mouth will fall to the floor and the eternal Morrissey lament ‘how can someone so young, sing words so sad’ will echo throughout the night. (AS)
TINARIWEN Concorde 2 Weds 28th
“What would the Velvet Underground have sounded like if they’d have originated from Mali?” asked one critic recently about the collection of musicians who are Tinariwen. It’s a bold statement that has gathered credence following a summer of acclaimed international touring and a namecheck by Chris Martin. Alongside the likes of Amadou & Miriam and The Very Best, here is further proof that African music needs neither the help of Coldplay, Bob Geldof or Damon Albarn to reignite what Lou Reed once called rock’n’roll. (BG)
ILLNESS Caroline of Brunswick Thurs 29th
We’ve written about Illness before – we really liked that our low expectations, from their fuck-it approach of a scribbled CDR and half-finished line-up, were so blown out of the water by the immense sound they made. They’ve progressed a lot since then, both organisationally and sonically – this is them headlining their own show, putting on other alternative bands they dig, for just two quid on the door. Get in on the ground floor with Illness; they’re a good local band doing good things for the local scene. (NC)
WORDS BY IAN CHAMBERS, NICK COQUET, BEN GILBERT, STUART HUGGETT, THE RECOMMENDER, ADAM STRANDT, DOMINIC VALVONA