Thursday
I left work at 2.00pm on Thursday, thanks to flexi-time, and headed south to Brighton for The Great Escape. What was I escaping? Work, bills, a landlord who keeps changing the locks when I go out? This weekend was a break from it all, and a chance to check out some of the most exciting bands around. Who I was going to see, I didn't know, all I knew was that at 8.30 on Thursday I'd be watching RALFE BAND. Now I believe there's a thin line between fan and stalker and quite frankly, I think I crossed it a long time ago. Musically, Ralfe Band are a magical mix of folk (evident by their violin, mandolin and Oli's dress sense) and psychopathic pop, creating what was described by one overly excited audience member as "cool bananas" and by another as "noisetastic!" Oli's lyrics have the ability to transport me to a twisted fairytale wonderland, leaving me questioning, "Is the man a genius or is the man insane?" Kidnap and vivisection clearly form the obvious answer. With Robert Downey Jr look-a-like on drums and the recent addition of the legendary John on guitar a more rock and roll Ralfe Band has begun to emerge, strongly reinforced by crazy Hendrix style stage antics, and a momentus decision by Oli to cut his hair. Their set was flawless, and once again the world famous golden cowbell award goes to Mitchell, whose drum solo in Crow will always be my personal highlight.
From the classy comforts of the Komedia we headed over to the nice, but seedy, Freebut, to enjoy the musical stylings of THE CRIMEA. The epileptic energy of Davey Macmanus was exhilarating and this combined with their intense and original sound brought the evening to a close in fine form.
Friday
During my 45 minute wait, in the wind and rain, to get in to see the first act at The Ocean Rooms, the multitude of horror stories detailing long waits, rude staff and refused entry leaves no question in my mind as to why this venue was voted worst venue by Kirsty, and why one disgruntled queue member described it as "really rather poor". Nonetheless, it took Mr JEREMY WARMSLEY less than half a second to make me forget my Converse wet feet and ruined hairdo and instantly feel the buzz reserved for those rare occasions you find something truly special. His voice was intriguing and poetic and his songs enchanting. I Promise and Dirty Blue Jeans in particular, I wished would never end. When I buy his album I can see myself listening to it repeatedly for weeks, his songs are completely addictive. Greatness certainly awaits this awesome talent.
Festivals are a musical sweetshop of new bands. Deciding who to see from a list of unknown names can be daunting, especially when the programme descriptions bear no resemblance to the bands whatsoever, but discovering a vanilla Chupa Chup hidden deep amongst the mars bars and rainbow drops is what festivals have always been about. PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL were good but it was MR. HUDSON & THE LIBRARY who completely blew me away. Appearing on stage in a cricket jumper, straw hat and customised hip hop belt buckle, Mr Hudson looked a cross between a stereotypical upper class British gentleman and a pimp. The Library however looked like an American Gap advert, as they played, the intense chemistry amongst the band was evident and although Mr Hudson was clearly the front man I can't imagine the band being anywhere near as awesome if a single member was missing. Joy Josephs on steel-pan percussion had the most beautiful voice of the weekend, and is perhaps the reason the word cool was invented. With Torville Jones on the keyboard, Maps on bass and Wilkie Wilkinson on the electric drums they sound like nothing I've ever heard before. Magnificent!
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Saturday
My plan for Saturday was simple - arrive early at Speigal tent where an entire evening of entertainment including Bat For Lashes, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Liam Frost and The Kooks awaited. Unfortunately seems like that was a popular plan and after waiting an hour in the bitter cold we were informed the first band had cancelled and if we waited another 45 minutes there was a slim chance we'd be able to get in. Half tempted to give up and return home where we could enjoy hot chocolate and Terry Wogan drunkenly introducing the worst of European pop, we gave the festival one last chance and instead went to Pressure Point for METRONOMY, a strange electronic band with lights on their chests and a poorly played saxaphone. They were a pleasant break from the harsh brighton weather and a good start to another evening of music, albeit a rather late one.
From here to Red Roastings, a cool coffee house which was my favourite venue. We were able to sit down and warm up with some strong black coffee whilst enjoying the most diverse lineup of all time.THE AUDREYS a country folk band from Australia gave me my fill of banjo for the weekend, all good weekends need one, and added one more person to my fantasy dinner party list. The singer was witty and cool and sadly, this list actually exist!
Next up the SUFFRAJETS, often dismissed as 'Gemma ex-Baby shambles drummer's girl rock band', I can't stress enough that this band are so much more. They not only play with immense energy, enthusiam and fun, they are also superb musicians with great songs. I hate to say this but, there are few all female rock bands who can actually play their instruments. The Suffrajets could outplay, and I suspect outdrink, any rock band around. What's more they are the only band I've ever seen who left me questioning whether or not you should be able to get a straight banana.
The final act, RAYMOND & MARIA - curiously fronted by two girls, were a Sweedish pop act with a distict Eurovision feel. They made a special effort to learn most of their songs in English and got the entire crowd clapping along as they performed their incredibly cheesey songs. I don't know if it was simply because it had been such a good weekend and I was on a high, but I couldn't help but like this band, despite knowing deep down I really shouldn't. All that was missing was a drunken Terry Wogan mocking the inability of one of the girls; let's say Raymond, to clap in time!
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