Poof out of Jams
One of the best things about the music scene in Brighton is its unpredictability.
Certainly, there are a handful of hard-hitting metal bands, incendiary punk acts and a whole host of enigmatic folk singers; but every once in a while an act comes along that transcends everything you thought music could (and should) be about.
Anyone who has visited Audio or Pav Tav regularly in the past few years may well have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a band known as ‘The Poofs’. Despite a borderline offensive name, The Poofs specialise in a genre that is so brilliant, it is a wonder that nobody appears to have thought of it before. Their niche? They specialise in funky synth-infused covers of classic cheese hits from the ‘90s as well as a collection of Disney tunes.
The group was formed by seven friends united under the idea that just because a song is in the charts, it doesn’t mean it’s not ridiculously enjoyable. It is truly inspiring that a band with an ethos such as that can even exist in Brighton, a city usually fixated on rejecting the norm in favour of a more independent bohemian sound. It is like the ironic hipster appreciation of Spice Girls hits has been taken to its logical extreme.
As a live act, there is pretty much nothing more exciting. A cover of ’Hot In Here’ that is both parts Nelly and Wang Chung, a mash up of ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ with ‘Survivor’ by Destiny’s Child, and a social network influenced opener that blends ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’ with ‘Cry Me A River.’
By the time the band closes with a fist-pumpingly epic ‘Circle Of Life’, with four of the main members leaning over the edge of the stage, it is clear that The Poofs are onto something. Maybe it is the keytar solos, or maybe it is the caucaphany of girls’ screams from the audience, but the Brighton music scene is lucky to have such unique talent, even in the most unexpected places.
Check out more interesting bands and fantastic music news on www.facebook.com/BmusicTV
Words: Matthew Berryman
Twitter @Bmusic_TV
Youtube.com/thisisBmusic
Sadi Ali looks forward to Freshers’ week
Summer may still be in full swing, but I’m aware we may only have a few more weeks to really enjoy Brighton beach. The last few weeks, rather than clubbing, me and my friends decided to party on the beach. We found a great spot just by the West Pier outside the Gemini bar. With live music every day, sun, sea and even sand most evenings it’s the perfect way to spend my summer. I cannot even tell you how many BBQs and drinking sessions I have had, but let’s just say that a diet is definitely on my rota for winter. Sometimes I have to take a little break from the nightclubs and just enjoy Brighton’s more natural features. Might as well take advantage of the amazing weather we are having at the moment and get my tan on! I’m guessing the next few weeks are going to fly by and when we say goodbye to the sun, we say hello to Freshers! It’s the time of year when Brighton is ambushed by the biggest raves, amazing offers and deals in restaurants, shops and clubs, thousands of brand new students and the best week of the year for Brighton nightlife! My favourite thing about Freshers’ Week is the wristbands and T-shirts, you can buy them for around £20 and they entitle you to free entry to selected venues plus free drink offers. I’ll give you a heads up as to where to buy them as soon as I get the gossip!
Expect nothing but mayhem – Here are a few spots to watch out for during Freshers’ Week:
Shooshh Brighton
Coalition
The TUBE
Yates – Mad for it
Wahoo
Oceana
Vodka Revolution
+ many more
Visit my Facebook or Twitter to get all the latest event updates.
>Don’t miss
Donky Pitch
Frustrated by other club nights? Friday gives you the option to mosey on down to the Green Door Store to appreciate some seriously synth heavy dance tunes from some awesome DJs.
Green Door Store, Fri 2 August, 11pm, Free
Cubashe
Is it a Salsa night? Is it a club? Well wouldn’t you know it, it’s both! Dance all levels of Cuban salsa followed by the excuse to practise those moves – a club night after.
Funky Fish, Tues 30 July, 9.30pm, £6/3
Student Night
You’re nearly there! it’s only Thursday but warm up to some weekend fun with some great indie and rock tunes all evening long and discounted drinks if you’re a student.
Fountain Head, Thurs 1 August, 8pm, Free
Pride Lift Off
What better way to start off your Pride weekend than with loud, proud beats, sunshine and cocktails. A vibrant introduction to what can only be a fun-filled weekend.
OhSo Social, Fri 2 August, 8pm, £TBC
Brighton Noise
Andy Hinton on this week’s best gigs
Summer is finally here and it’s been a long time coming. Summer of course means fewer big gigs but there are some great events coming up that it’s well worth securing tickets for.
David Gedge has expanded his At The Edge Of The Sea festival at the Concorde 2 to two days. On Saturday 24 August The Wedding Present will be playing the classic George Best album in full. On the Sunday the band will play all the A Sides from their The Hit Parade album.
There are still a few tickets left for Sonic Youth main-man, Thurston Moore at The Blind Tiger on Wednesday 21 August.
I was lucky enough to see an exclusive gig last Friday by Alice Russell at the new Small Batch Coffee Co branch at Seven Dials. Very special indeed; a lovely down to earth lady with an amazing voice. I’m sure she’ll never have to pay for another coffee again.
There’s nothing that jumps out until the weekend where we are in for something rather special at The Green Door Store as well as two other totally different but rather fine bands on Sunday.
Joe and Sophie at the venue under the station are pulling out all the stops for an event called TwoThreeFour. It begins on Saturday at 2pm and carries on into the evening. It then all kicks off again at the same time on Sunday!
Twenty-two local and local-ish bands, food, lots of booze. It’s free and confirmed so far is the marvellous dreampop of Hundredth Anniversary, the fine Boards Of Canada-like acoustic electronica of Birkwin Jersey and Foreign Skin, BIMM favourites Written In Waters and many, many more (as they say). Check out the site or the Facebook event page for more details.
At The Hope on Sunday are the melodic indie-pop-dance-tastic Generationals all the way from New Orleans. They’re on the cool as f*** Polyvinyl label. Have a listen to the addictive tunes ‘Put A Light On’
and ‘Spinoza’ from their new album for a taster.
On the same night at The Albert are longstanding post-punker’s The Nightingales who come highly recommended by our resident original punk Al. Apparently they are quite an experience live depending upon what stage of inebriation main-man Robert Lloyd is in. Sound a bit like The Fall to me (and the place will probably be full of a similar crowd).
More info at www.brightonnoise.co.uk
Twitter @BrightonNoise