WILL PAYNTER Foundry Sun 3rd
Will is the only member of his band Three The Hard Way who’s managed to cross the pond from the US for a series of Brighton dates beginning on Sunday 3rd, as part of Americana Unplugged with Danni Nicholls. His journey’s success might be down to the grit and determination he learned as a Captain in the US Special Forces, but it’s roots based music he’s got in his sights tonight, with extra ammo in the shape of blues, folk, Lain and reggae. A mix of self-penned originals, classics and obscure covers, it’s a set to savour – check myspace.com/willpaynter for more dates this month. (NC)
MOUNT KIMBIE • Jam Tues 5th
One half of this duo is from Brighton, making this something of a homecoming show. Hype continues to follow them around, having released their debut album ‘Crooks And Lovers’ this summer, which sounds like a robot’s love letter written on a lonely laptop. They’re often slotted onto the dubstep shelf, which is perhaps the breakthrough sound of 2010, but in fairness that misses their minimalism and overall ambience. This will be an intriguing set, by a band capable of producing some groundbreaking soundscapes. (TR)
MUDHONEY Concorde Tues 5th
You could argue that without Mark Arm and Steve Turner of Mudhoney, punk would have never broken in America. Their previous band Green River made the first grunge record, but when they split into Mudhoney and (yuck) Pearl Jam the former became Sub Pop’s flagship band and the touch paper for the Seattle scene. Their ‘Live At El Sol’ last year proved to a new generation that despite their shambolic appearance, they really can play live, and the sludge pop of ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ and ‘Let It Slide’ never get old. (JK)
OXJAM PRESENTS… • Jam Weds 7th
The official kick-off for Oxjam Brighton’s month of charitable loudness is put on by Brighton’s highly influential Skint Records and has honcho Midfield General and the effervescent Kidda, plus a “very special guest” on the line-up. Given that this label has put out records by Fatboy Slim, FC Kahuna, Freq Nasty and Dave Clarke, amongst many others, we are expecting that guest to be very “special” indeed. And there’s nothing to lose as it’s for charity! (JMM)
JONATHAN RICHMAN Coalition Thurs 7th
Down in the history books as one of about three people who actually knew who The Velvet Underground were during their ‘pomp’, Jonathan Richman moved to New York stalker-style in 1969, ending up on manager Steve Sesnick’s sofa polishing Lou Reed’s ego. Forty years later, he’s worked with John Cale and hammered the ‘Sister Ray’ homage ‘Roadrunner’ into music history, paving the way for punk and indie. With The Modern Lovers or as a solo star, this is a rock career deserving considerably more than 15 minutes of fame. (BG)
THE LOVELY BROTHERS • Komedia Studio Bar Sun 10th
Launching a new album this evening, The Lovely Brothers bring their songs of kebabs, old age and OCD to town. Comedic and satirical lyricism combine with new wave baroque in a kind of punk cabaret revue, replete with bizarre costuming including a couple of geezers in armed robbery ski masks, a lady in a scary, featureless mask, a tattooed ball gown bass diva and a front man in full club singer garb. It’s all entertaining, tongue-in-cheek stuff. (NC)
NME RADAR TOUR Concorde 2 Mon 11th
NME rocks up to Brighton for its now biannual showcase, with ‘rock’ being the operative word, as this UK-wide jaunt includes a batch of indie bands who very much plug in their pedals. Consider it the antidote to the pop of Hurts, Everything Everything and Darwin Deez from the spring tour. Headliners are The Joy Formidable, with their tidal wave of guitars, supported by Chapel Club, a successful pick from the recent batch of artists who are dispensing the new doom pop sound. (TR)
JUNIP Komedia Mon 11th
Little has been heard from José González in recent years. But the spectacularly gifted Swedish guitarist, perhaps best known for his stunning remake of The Knife’s ‘Heartbeats’, has been busy. Dormant for a decade, González recently reformed Junip with Tobias Winterkorn and Elias Araya in a bid to take his acoustic adventures in new directions. The results, which feature on debut album ‘Fields’, are suitably epic and suggest that whether alone or in a group, he remains a knockout performer. (BG)
CARL BARAT Coalition Fri 14th
If The Libertines were Morecombe & Wise, it seems clear which of the duo Carl Barat is. He may have had a sweet haircut and an eye for the ladies but the killer lines when it came to drug taking, headlines and the occasional solo smash belonged to Doherty. No one was laughing when Barat unveiled the execrable Dirty Pretty Things. But with the band now back together, he should not be underestimated. Because all the best duos need a straight man. (BG)
BAGHDAD COUNTRY CLUB • Kin Bar 14th Oct
More than just a great name, BCC deliver an anthemic mix of trashy verses and big choruses, and lyrically they definitely have something to scream about. Frontman Elliot’s vocal delivery is always dynamic, powerful and full of angst, with similarities to Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull. Guitarist Craig meanwhile is able to play the hooks while providing the audience with an amazing presence. If you like to see a real performance, make sure you find your way to one of their gigs before they sell out at venues across England. (AP)
DOOM Concorde Sat 15th
Who is Doom? Is he Daniel Dumile, aka Zevlove X, a member of former New York hip hoppers KMD? Is he the London-born, Long Island-raised, metal-faced rapper, who took his name from Marvel Comics’ super villain Dr Doom? Is he one half of Bl_ck B_st_rds and Danger Doom? Is he King Geedorah, Metal Fingers, Viktor Vaughn? Or is he the Gorillaz, Ghostface and Thom Yorke collaborator? People, he is all of these things. Don’t expect the mask to slip tonight. (BG)
ROBYN Concorde 2 Thurs 21
Ahead of Benedict XVI’s recent UK visit, Robyn issued some sound advice for the Pontiff. “We need a black Pope and she better be a woman / There’ll be no more celibacy / Even the Vatican knows not to fuck with me,” she thundered on new single ‘You Should Know Better’. After two new albums of robo-pop magnificence in four months, SOURCE has got a fiver on the Popemobile pulling up tonight on the seafront to confess there is a God, after all. (BG)
PAMA INTERNATIONAL & MAD PROFESSOR Coalition Thurs 21st
The legendary Mad Professor returns to our shoreline and will be putting on a mighty show with Pama International. They’ve been receiving accolades for years for producing a thoroughly modern blend of soul, dub and reggae, and tonight they’ll be mixed fully live by Mad Professor, which promises to create an even more danceable spectacle. You’ll even get a free CD. (JMM)
DARWIN DEEZ Digital Fri 22nd
If you like your pop stars to be quirky, intertwined with 80s references, sporting strange haircuts and packed out with indie anthems then look no further. This New York four-piece are about as random and playful as it gets live. Expect to see them all regularly dropping their instruments between songs, busting choreographed dance moves to tracks such as ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’. Perhaps this would prove annoying if they weren’t so damn good at transporting you to your happy place. (TR)
BADLY DRAWN BOY Duke of York’s Tues 26th
What happened to Badly Drawn Boy? Ten years ago, he was the hottest property in A&R land, a baffling, banana-eating skewed sonic visionary, who snatched the Mercury prize with his debut, ‘The Hour Of Bewilderbeast’, and then claimed Springsteen’s crown was next. But pretty much ever since, Damon Gough’s been ploughing through sickly, over-produced, AOR quicksand, playing fish and chip shops and soundtracking an ITV film about the fattest man in Britain. Born to run? Born to wear slippers, more like. (BG)
WARPAINT Digital Fri 29th
It’s surprising to see them headline Digital, so fresh is this four-piece from LA, but it’s perhaps down to the buzz that follows them around, for it is truly massive, with blogs and magazines fighting for their (stunningly beautiful) attention. This show follows their recent support of the Mercury-winning band, The XX, which tips a nod to their shoegazing, but in fairness the Californians aren’t quite as moody. They hypnotically mix the psychedelic with the genes of grunge. (TR)
JUMPING SHIPS • New Hero Sat 30th
If there is one local band gig that will be rammed this month it will be this one, the debut EP launch for Brighton’s top melodic post rock band. And if it’s in any way as good as the disc itself, the gig is going to be a smash. Always guaranteeing a performance, there’s the added edge that this is a Halloween-themed gig. Not only is it free but there’s hand picked support from Hold Your Horses and You Cry Wolf. Be sure to get down, if only to be first to grab their EP. (AP)
DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP Concorde 2 Sun 31st
The relentlessly touring Essex boys return to Brighton, following the release earlier this year of their second album, ‘The Logic Of Chance’, on Rob Da Bank’s Sunday Best label. Dan Le Sac’s chopping board of samples is wrapped around the often witty and insightful banter of Scroobius Pip. The support band, Gaggle, are also worthy of a SOURCE tip, for the 20-strong (!), all-girl alt-choir are not quite like anything else. (TR)
ROBYN Concorde 2 Thurs 21st
Did you know that Robin Carlsson first released her debut album way back in 1996!? It’s testament to her staying power that she still gets the blogs into a fuzzy froth, as well as charting with the wider public, with every new release. She’s followed up 2005’s self-titled LP, with not one, not two, but three new albums in 2010, with her ‘Body Talk’ trilogy. This tour supports the second release, which turned out to be as good as anything she’s done. (TR)
PINK NARCISSUS • Brunswick Fri 8th
Reanimating the putrefying corpse of Ziggy Stardust via a defibrillator shot of Jane’s Addiction, Pink Narcissus stride the stage like Colossus. Armed to the teeth with androgynous sneer and brash, caustic backing, they bellow a confidence that dares the audience to accept their manifesto of mayhem. ‘Uncompromising’ in band-speak doesn’t always mean unapproachable or just plain awful, and Pink Narcissus rise above these definitions to create a performance of unadulterated true rock’n’roll spirit. Support comes from Beautiful Word and Man Ray Sky, all three bands being recommended veterans of these pages. (NC)
WORDS BY NICK COQUET, BEN GILBERT, JAMES KENDALL, JESSICA MARSHALL McHATTIE, ANDREW PARRY, THE RECOMMENDER