It’s cold outside, you’re still recovering from spending way too much money over Christmas, and some of you may have had a sober month in January. No problem. We have the perfect cure with February’s round-up of new Brighton music, including releases from WTVR, Heliopause, Fond of Ruby, Fragile Creatures, King Porter Stomp, Warsaw Radio, Blue Spectre, Junkyard Choir, and The Curst Sons.

WTVR
‘Acid Fight’ (WTVR)

Distortion is the key sound of WTVR, a Brighton-based grunge trio who found themselves creating music on a laptop during a time of homelessness. This is recreational music that you can dance to, but not in the expected way. ‘Meatcure’ is the first offering from their debut EP, ‘Acid Fight’, which is out now.

Heliopause
‘How Can We Laugh After This…’ (PledgeMusic)

Belfast musician and former Brighton resident, Heliopause, returns with his 13th release after a successful crowdfunder in 2015. Defining his music as acoustic electronica, Heliopause created ‘How Can We Laugh After This…’ in the same vein as his 2005 endeavour, ‘Electronic Experiment Gone Wrong’, and consults topical issues about mental health. In the single, ‘Mysterious Stranger’, he draws influence from the final novel of Mark Twain. The album is out on Monday 15th February.

Fond of Ruby
‘One’ (Fond of Ruby)

The sun hasn’t been showing its face in Brighton for some time, but these guys are keeping the summery vibe well and truly alive. Meet Fond of Ruby, who describe their music as ‘south eastern calypso pop’. Fond of Ruby like to create songs with simple lyrics and sway-inducing tones, similar to those of The 1975. Their EP is out now.

Fragile Creatures
‘…And Other Wild things’ (Brightonsfinest Presents)

With their heads up in space but their feet firmly on Brighton soil, Fragile Creatures have gained a reputation for combining beautifully crafted and catchy indie rock with engaging pop melodies, and rightly so. They’re playing a headline show at Brighton Dome on Friday 19th February to coincide with their album release. Get yourself down there!

King Porter Stomp
‘Put Down Your Dub’ (From The Feet Up)

Putting the world to rights, one dub step at a time, it’s King Porter Stomp. If you don’t know them already, the ska and brass eight-piece have been helping refugees in Calais and Dunkirk, but they’ll be returning to Komedia for a fiesta on Thursday 18th February. With 20% off drinks for the first hour from doors opening, you can’t say fairer than that.

Warsaw Radio
‘Down By The Sea’ (Spin-Up)

The first single from Warsaw Radio’s album, ‘Give It All To Fear’ (which was featured in our Locally Sourced, Sept 2015 round up) is now out. The folk-rock band tell engaging stories full of emotions and their last UK show before their tour is at The Prince Albert on Sunday 7th February. If you’ve got a spare moment, it’s also worth checking the accompanying video for ‘Give It All To Fear’.

Blue Spectre
‘We Were Strangers EP’ (Blue Spectre)

Blue Spectre (pictured) are a tenacious, instrumental five piece from Brighton, who we can only describe as Western surf punk, ideal for a Tarantino movie. Their EP is out now on limited edition tape and CD, and can be downloaded via their Bandcamp page. Blue Spectre will also be supporting Texas sun-baked psych band Holy Wave on the Brighton leg of their world tour in April.

Junkyard Choir
‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ (Junkyard Choir)

As well as having a brilliant name, Junkyard Choir blast out a hell of a sound for a two piece. The alt-blues duo are “one half Scottish grit, the other half Caribbean spice”, but both share a love of Americana. They will be releasing ‘Oh Have Mercy’, the third and final single from the album, on Friday 19th February, and will also be playing the Green Door Store on Thursday 17th March, alongside Dead Whisky and The Dead Reds.

The Curst Sons
‘The Jumping Flea’ (The Curst Sons)

From one Americana duo to a trio. This banjo-led Brighton band write dark stories of death and greed, but don’t fret – their music is still upbeat enough to get down to. ‘The Jumping Flea’ is The Curst Sons’ sixth full length album, one they’ll no doubt be showcasing at their gig at the Green Door Store on Thursday 11th February.

Words by Sarah Puttock

If you’re a Brighton band, artist or act with some new music out, let us know. We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to review it, but we’d like to have a listen.