Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Reviews

Live: Plan B

Mar 10, 2011
-
Posted by SOURCE Writers

Plan B in Brighton SOURCE at www.brightonsource.co.uk Brighton’s best listings, music and culture magazine

Fresh from his triumph at the Brits, where he won Best British Male, Plan B brought his ‘Defamation of Strickland Banks’ show to Brighton. A packed crowd had gathered for the penultimate date of the tour, expectant no doubt to see something of the riotous performance Plan B gave at the end of the Brits award show.

That the man can sing is in no doubt – at times his falsetto makes you call into question the colour of his skin – but whether he can hold an audience for an entire show is more questionable. The problem is he simply lacks the charisma one expects a front man to possess. Dressed in a conservative grey three-piece suit and tie, he looked less like a pop star and more like an office worker. Indeed, there’s a visual similarity between Plan B and David Brent’s Office character. Unlike Brent, Plan B is not big on personality. Beyond the occasional “Hello Brighton” (which we learnt was where his mum came from) and shouts of “Mosh pit!” there was little banter with the crowd.

The show itself would probably have been better suited to a more intimate venue and although a screen projected film of the Strickland Banks character behind him, there was little in the way of ‘theatrics’. Indeed, it was all somewhat subdued. The gloomy lighting didn’t help, neither did the absence of a follow spot. It meant, for the most part, the man himself was really ‘in the darkest place’ he sings about. Rather than recreating the subtle tones of the album, the 5 piece band were raucous, and the sound was fearsomely loud.

The need to pad out the set with a series of soul classics (including ‘My Girl’ and ‘Stand By Me’) as well as a Paulo Nutini cover, also highlighted the lack of original material – a new album is on its way so there’ll soon be more songs to sing. But what Plan B most needs is to find ways of overcoming his lack of stage charisma. That said, the audience went mad for him and he himself told Brighton that this was the best gig of the tour.

Next time though, what we need is a lot less grey and lot more colour! If not, just like John Major’s Spitting Image puppet, Plan B might be forever remembered as the grey man.

Words And Photos By Gary Marlowe

Plan B in Brighton SOURCE at www.brightonsource.co.uk Brighton’s best listings, music and culture magazine

Plan B in Brighton SOURCE at www.brightonsource.co.uk Brighton’s best listings, music and culture magazine

Plan B in Brighton SOURCE at www.brightonsource.co.uk Brighton’s best listings, music and culture magazine

Plan B in Brighton SOURCE at www.brightonsource.co.uk Brighton’s best listings, music and culture magazine

Plan B in Brighton SOURCE at www.brightonsource.co.uk Brighton’s best listings, music and culture magazine

Mar 10, 2011
Email
SOURCE Writers
Sometimes an article is a bit of a team effort, and those are tagged SOURCE Writers. If you’d like to be part of that team, hit the Contact link at the top and get your work on this website.
← PREVIOUS POST
Live: Darwin Deez
NEXT POST →
Live: The Streets
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts Review
    Oct 21, 2025

    Expectations are high with a new Inspector Morse story on stage, sadly this is more a ghost of a Morse story, although die hard fans might enjoy it for the nostalgia.

  • The Lovely Eggs Interview
    Oct 15, 2025

    The Lovely Eggs tell us about their 20th anniversary, the new album and tour with Polite Bureax and some comedy legends supporting.

  • Ocean Film Festival Review 2025
    Oct 11, 2025

    A selection of beautifully shot short films covering diverse ocean lovers' passion for interacting with the sea.

  • Fractured Album Launch, Saturday 20th December
    Oct 10, 2025

    Fractured celebrate the release of their new album supported by Amelia And The Housewives.

  • 2:22 A Ghost Story Review
    Oct 7, 2025

    An evening of two couples having dinner together has never before been so gripping and enthralling, filled with tension, with the ultimate question: is their new house haunted or not?

  • Richard Hawley Review
    Oct 5, 2025

    As Coles Corner turns 20, Richard Hawley dazzled and delighted an up-for-it Worthing crowd with a 2 hour-plus set.

  • Brighton Psych Fest 2025 Review
    Sep 26, 2025

    The second Brighton Psych Fest was a beauty as we got down with Getdown Services as the evening sunlight glowed through the Concorde Stained Glass.

  • David Devant & His Spirit Wife, Friday 12th December
    Sep 23, 2025

    One of Brighton's greatest live bands returns for a pre-Xmas homecoming party.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
Live: Plan B - Brighton Source