Indie band Balloon are on tour for the first time in thirty years, playing a cluster of gigs to showcase their superb new album ‘Gas ‘n’ Air’ which follows their highly acclaimed debut ‘Gravity’, released in 1992. Source previewed their Brighton gig here highlighting their incredible journey and tonight we climbed the narrow staircase at The Quadrant towards the twinkling musical haven of The Folklore Rooms to catch this long-awaited reappearance. The vibe in this great venue is intimate, organically magical in décor and in fact the perfect setting for a night which celebrated friendship, family and an expansive musical journey by frontman/songwriter Ian Bickerton.
The moment Balloon took to the stage it was eyes down and a ‘listening’ audience from the off. They launched straight in with two tracks from ‘Gravity’, opening with the melodious ‘I Can’t Leave Her’: Bickerton’s haunting vocals layered by irresistible b/v’s from his son Elliott, emotions amplified without losing any intensity of the frontman’s delivery which renders his songs so impactful. Bickerton Jnr also introduced his spirited melodica to the second song ‘Paraffin Flat’ and the line-up was completed by Tim Weijers on bass and rippling piano duties. The balance was spot on, stripped-down versions of the songs that preserved the spirit of the original recordings.
The compellingly spacious ‘To No One’ was the first track to be showcased from ‘Gas ‘n’ Air’, at a glance the audience seemed transfixed as we listened to the frontman hypnotically deliver his tender message: “Whoever told me that love is blind, wouldn’t believe what I can see through my eyes”
The jazz swing riff of ‘Magnetic North’, also from the second album, led the melodica on another sparkling, spirited dance. An early unreleased Balloon track ‘In Pieces Again’ followed which saw the addition of a folk fuelled harmonica into the mix. We learnt more of Balloon’s incredible back story, including the last time they toured the UK as support for the legendary American comedian Bill Hicks, they were wrongly billed on posters at Newcastle University as ‘‘Balloon, comedy duo’’. The delightful contrast between amusing stage banter teamed with an atmospheric, thought-provoking set was illustrated straight up next with this artist’s introduction to ‘Frighten to Death’: a ‘Gravity’ track inspired by a dark time when his brother was struggling with drugs and alcohol addiction. His mother had to navigate through it all, Dorothea Bickerton went on to found the charity ‘CDARS’ and wrote a book, for her musician son it would be this powerful song. An anthemic, mournfully sedate strum led the way to perhaps the loudest round of applause from the crowd.
Other highlights included the ethereal ‘Straight To The One’, a single from 1994 on Phil Vinall’s label Embryo which was re-released last year. It builds up intensity with Weijers first on meditative soft bass and then his keys float the melody up to an aerial high. This delicate mood is accentuated further with ‘God Knows I Love You Girl’ and ‘There Is Love’, both stand out soft ballads from ‘Gas ‘n’ Air’.
The night flew by (excuse the pun!) and the crowd were rewarded with an encore of a delicious new track ‘Turn On Love Again’, vocals emotionally fragile and expressive, ending the evening on an exquisite note.
Thirty years just melted away tonight, the two albums sat seamlessly side by side and with a taster of more new music to come, let’s hope Balloon make a return flight back to Brighton soon.
Earlier, we were treated to a hefty support slot courtesy of singer songwriter Tim Keegan. His set spanned solo projects and the back catalogue of his two bands, Tim Keegan And The Personals plus indie group Departure Lounge. He shared the stage with Personal’s bandmate Bernd Rest who backed him effortlessly and sensitively on electric guitar. Keegan opened on the fast lane with the country strum pickin’ ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ from his album ‘The Long Game’. It’s an instant hooky crowd pleaser, his rich vocals filled the room and sweet harmonica was added in at half time. He revisited this album later with the pensive gem ‘You Can’t Go Back And Get It (If it’s Gone)’ which he described as putting ‘‘All the elements of Country music into one song’’. The lyrics this time are delivered steeped in heartbreak: “All the leaves are dry and fallin’ and it’s not that time of year”.
The new Personals album ‘Vide Grenier’ came with an explanation from the artist, it refers to a car boot sale style event in France: houses put out unwanted items to sell and “this album was me emptying my attic, finding some old songs I wasn’t using so I decided to get them out”. The two tracks featured tonight were the soothingly reflective ‘Empty Space’ and the single ‘Intensive Care Unit’ which revolved around surviving parenting.
The surprise of the evening? Tim Keegan introduced ‘Everyday’ and dedicated it to Ian Bickerton as they both share a love of Buddy Holly’s music. Their connection and friendship evident throughout the night, serendipity then for this cover to have sparked the attentive audience to sing along. The set wrapped up with a classic Departure Lounge track from 1999 ‘Disconnected’, a new album is due out later this year so this was a fitting end to a first-class performance.
Heads up, there are only two more shows left on this exceptional tour: 13th March United Reformed Church, Oxted and 14th March at The Betsey Trotwood, London.
The Folklore Rooms, Tuesday 10th March 2026
Words by Anita Joyce
Photos by Jon Southcoasting
