Excerpts from a selection of reviews of gigs, festivals, events, exhibitions and new music releases/interviews – all of these and more can be found in full on Breaking Glass Magazine
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Interview: Polite Bureaux (March 2024)
I first caught Polite Bureaux by chance mid line-up at a gig at The Albert in Brighton last year. About 30 seconds in it was clear they were going to be the highlight of the night, fusing punk poetry with a jagged edge and bass driven electro-beats. For me, there are a few acts that stand out in the current music scene, and those are the ones who take no prisoners when it comes to their sound or stage presence, the ones that you hear and things instantly uplift, the ones whose performance hits you from the word go and there’s no respite. More gigs and releases down the line cement the fact that Polite Bureaux firmly fit the bill. Their debut album Cunt Monday is out today and, featuring all the favourite tracks from live shows, mixes from music maestros James Adrian Brown and Kieron Pepper, and a collab with recent touring accomplice Meryl Streek, is set to jump straight onto our best albums of 2024 list. Ahead of its release, I spoke to vocalist Joe Smith about how the collection of hard-hitting anecdotes came about…
cont. Interview Polite Bureaux
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Festival: Dark Arts (March 2024)
Took a trip to Leeds for the latest instalment of Dark Arts, the biannual showcase curated by Super Friendz for ‘punk, left-field electronica and outsider indie music’. Leeds has a host of great venues set up to perfectly showcase emerging artists, and arts hub Belgrave Music Hall is no exception. Saturday saw 10 acts lined up to play across the day, and kudos to the bookers in putting together a line-up that never waned.
Highlights included an early set from Velkro – those of you wondering what happened to Priestgate can find most of them here with new vocalist Rosie Donoghue, all the energy of their past incarnation with more focus on the sound and a nod to the heady days of goth and shoegaze.
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Interview: Adult DVD (February 2024)
Shining bright amongst the current wave of noteworthy new music coming out of Leeds, Adult DVD have come a long way since their lockdown inception. Multiple synths, dance-inducing tunes and a wry sense of humour make for an impressive live performance and, after catching a recent gig, we were keen to find out more about what the band have coming up on the horizon…
Hey, how are you all – can you give us a quick intro to Adult DVD and who’s involved?
Harry: Heya, all good thanks. There are 6 of us in DVD; myself, Harry – lead vocals, Greg – synth/vocals, Danny – Guitar/synth, Jake – synth, Jonny – Drums, and George – Bass/vocals. We’ve been going for around 3 years.
We caught your recent gig in Brighton which went down an absolute storm with the crowd, how was it for you?
H: Brighton was great, we had so much fun, definitely the highlight. Also, everyone was so nice to us, a beautiful place. We can’t wait to come back, it’s already confirmed, but more on that soon.
cont. Interview Adult DVD
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New Music: No Windows – Song 01 (January 2024)
A precursor to new EP Point Nemo, Edinburgh’s teenage two-piece have released hypnotic single Song 01. A dream-pop extravaganza of wistful vocals and seamless production, the track offers an optimistic glimpse into what’s to come from No Windows, an undercurrent of melancholy reflected in the accompanying video shot in Coniston in the Lake District with Humble Film Productions.
cont. New Music No Windows
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Interview: His Lordship (November 2023)
Ahead of their show at Brighton’s Hope & Ruin on Wednesday, we caught up with James Walbourne and Kris Sonne to find out more about how His Lordship came to be, their pending debut album and life on the road. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of catching them live will know that the impressive list of artists they’ve played with so far (The Pretenders, The Pogues and Willie Nelson to name a few) take a side seat when it comes to this band; His Lordship are a new incarnation that are a force to be reckoned with on their own terms, raw rock’n’roll with a contemporary twist or two, and a frenzied energy that’s impossible to ignore. Oh, and they can really play too…
How has the tour been so far?
James: This tour’s been great – it’s relatively short, it’s been seven days, we’ve been up to Glasgow and up and down the country
Kris: Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham, Leeds, it’s been amazing because I think it’s only our third tour and people are coming out for it, when you start out you have to convince people, you’re selling yourself and for the first time we had this great experience of people kind of knowing us a little bit and people liking it
J: It’s a reaction
K: We’re a band now
cont. Interview His Lordship
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Live: Toyah Willcox & Robert Fripp at Assembly Hall, Worthing (October 2023)
Providing a warm glow on a cold night, Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp brought the Rock Party stage version of their much lauded Sunday Lunch YouTube series to Worthing on Saturday night. The couple have an enviable joie de vivre and a huge appreciation of the string of classic hits that they cover, though of course some of these are Toyah’s own songs and others the end product of Fripp’s collaboration or influence.
cont: Live Toyah Willcox Robert Fripp
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New Music: Bill Ryder Jones – This Can’t Go On (September 2023)
One of those artists who just knows how to capture emotion and release it back into the wild in its purest form, Bill Ryder Jones shares new single This Can’t Go On ahead of the January release of album Iechyd Da.
If the single is anything to go by, we’re in for another treat full of leaps between the hopeless and hopeful, songs that will dig into your sides and refuse to leave until you promise to listen again.
cont. New Music Bill Ryder Jones
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Event: Brighton & Hove Pride (August 2023)
A storm incoming? No trains running into Brighton? If anyone thought the party atmosphere would be dampened by the weather or the extraordinary decision to ensure the safety of those travelling by (checks notes) cancelling public transport… they were well and truly wrong. Pride is such an integral part of the city that it will be there regardless of setbacks, and people will come, and they will party.
cont. Event Brighton & Hove Pride
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Exhibition: Paul McCartney Photographs at The National Portrait Gallery London (July 2023)
When Beatlemania hit the 60s, it’s hard to imagine how it felt from the perspective of the band members. But this new exhibition gives an insight into Paul McCartney’s view of the world around him, and shows a keen eye for a good shot. Over 250 previously unseen photos taken by Paul with his own Pentax camera are on display now at the National Portrait Gallery until the start of October. From candid shots of his fellow band members to capturing the press as they captured him, the gallery offers the opportunity to see things from the other side of one of the most well documented stages of his career.
cont. Exhibition Paul McCartney Photographs
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Interview: Pozi (May 2023)
Experimental trio Pozi deliver a smorgasbord of delights on new album Smiling Pools. We chatted to them about the making of the record, their desert island discs, and upcoming tour dates.
Hey, how are you all? What can you see from where you are in the world right now and what’s coming up for you?
Rosa: Right now, looking at the wood pigeon outside my window bending a branch with its weight and dominating garden life.
We’re going on a UK tour in 2 weeks, then doing some independent travelling / getting back into the studio in summer to make some big hits, and then a couple of European dates in Autumn. We are ecstatic to have had Help Musicians helping to fund our tour which means we can bring sound engineer Katie Dermody-Palmer with us. This makes everything so much more enjoyable because she’s great at what she does!
cont. Interview Pozi
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Festival: The Great Escape (May 2023)
Every May the streets of Brighton are heaving with creativity as the Festival, Fringe and the biggest showcase of new music in The Great Escape all hit the city. With hundreds of artists playing showcase events at venues big and small, this year brought as eclectic as ever a mix of music from across the world.
cont. Festival The Great Escape
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Event: Brighton Fringe (May 2023)
Bringing hundreds of shows to stages big and small across the city, Brighton Fringe kicked off proceedings for 2023 at the weekend with a huge splash of talent from the world of theatre, comedy and performance. With multiple events daily throughout the month, there truly is something for everyone. Here are our early discoveries from this year’s Fringe, with more to come once we dip out briefly for The Great Escape.
cont. Event Brighton Fringe
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Live: Mogwai at Brighton Dome (February 2023)
Friday night saw masters of their craft Mogwai return to a sold out Brighton Dome. It may have been foggy outside, but inside the clarity of their music and talent was in no doubt.
With the exception of an impressive light show, there are no frills or gimmicks with Mogwai. Their stage presence is sophisticated but understated, the crowd none the less are mesmerised by the wall of sound hitting every bone in their body. You could be forgiven for believing there were twice as many musicians on the stage, not just for the volume but the intricacies of the music emanating from it. Cinematic and veering towards the hypnotic, opening track Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home sets the pace, with highlights interspersed throughout – Ritchie Sacramento, How To Be A Werewolf and Ratts Of The Capital all making a welcome appearance.
cont. Live Mogwai Brighton Dome
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Live: Hamish Hawk & Lizzie Reid at Komedia Brighton (February 2023)
With a double helping from the seemingly bottomless pit of exceptional music coming out of Scotland right now, Hamish Hawk landed in Brighton this week, bringing support from Lizzie Reid.
Reid’s stunning vocal would surely break through the noisiest of venues, however it was lovely to see (or hear) a distinct lack of chat from a presumably captivated audience. Some beautiful songs, relatable stories and a trumpet solo performed without a trumpet all going to show why you should always arrive early for the opening act.
cont. Live Hamish Hawk Lizzie Reid Komedia Brighton
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New Music: VLURE – Cut It (January 2023)
I’ve been grappling with writing something about music and grief. When I lost someone close in December, I astutely avoided listening to any of my favourite songs in the fear that they’d forever be associated with that point in time where it felt like I was watching life go by from a distance, detached from the world of Christmas shoppers and giant inflatable snowmen looming ominously over hedges. The first week in the new year brought a long since booked trip to Rockaway Beach. A slightly surreal but welcome distraction, it felt good to see live music again, even if my heart wasn’t really in it. I knew the set of the weekend would belong to VLURE, but wasn’t prepared for the absolute battering back to reality it would bring – sometimes you don’t know you’ve been feeling nothing until you feel something. There are only a handful of artists that fall into this category for me, but there’s no doubt that VLURE join the elite few whose music stops me in my tracks and allows that total escape from everything else.
cont. New Music VLURE
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All photos & website content © 16 Beasley St Photography 2024
16 Beasley St Photography 