Staying in the centre of Brighton during The Great Escape is definitely the way to go. The day began by leaning over to four people from Canada at the next table in my hostel. “Excuse me, are you a band?”. They were sundayclub who describe themselves as “dreamy gut-punch pop.” A great start to the day.
The Alt Escape began with a number of shows around Brighton on Wednesday 13 May. Mayway Records was holding a showcase at the East Street Tap. Three artists participated: Dressed Like Boys, Eosine and Lézard, a trio of Belgium based artists. The upstairs room is what grassroots venues are all about. No raised stage and the artists playing up close and personal. The keyboards of Dressed Like Boys allowed for the vocals and narrative of the lyrics to be heard, intensely personal. Eosine lifted the pace with their energetic music and performance, and Lézard who were fabulous, dancetastic with Talking Heads vibes. The room was smiling and dancing – what better combination is there right now.
It was then a dash round the corner to Brighton’s iconic Punk Rock pub and venue The Pipeline to see The Moats and Oral Habit. The Pipeline opens what it calls “The Considerable Departure” with local bands for its first night. The former were a 4-piece who produced a ramshackled guitar driven sound and were obviously having the best time. However the best band of the day were Oral Habit, the trio producing an unbridled energy which never stopped throughout their set. Their debut album A Broken Chord is set for release on 12 June via Krautpop!. Their music is an exhilarating blend of Krautrock, punk and psychedelia – shape-shifting within their songs. An exhilarating end to the day.
Band of the Day: Oral Habit
Photos Credit: Julia Mason