A weekend of quality punk rock and beyond landed on Brighton beach!
The seagulls of Brighton were in for a treat last weekend, as they were to be served a generous helping of Punk Rock to go with their stolen chips. This particular weekend was a really hot one, so it was definitely a dress to sweat situation. In fact, some of the sun worshippers on the beach looked like they were auditioning for CH4’s Naked Attraction. Daltons is my new favourite local venue, and with its beer garden backing literally onto Brighton Beach, it’s a hard location to beat. We missed the Friday evening kick-off of Bright N Sleazy Festival, but we heard good reports of local heroes, Phat Problem and The Daffodildos, turning in great sets.
Saturday:
The first band to grace our eyes and ears on the Saturday afternoon were local band Thee Derelique. These band members are no strangers to the local music scene, and some of their set is made up of songs from their previous band’s output over the years (Lolita Storm / Channel D). Lolita Storm, at one point, were even signed up to Atari Teenage Riot‘s label, Digital Hardcore back in the day. Their set had an almost Soul/Mod feel to it, which was all hunky-dory to these ears. They also had an indie sound at times that almost went into B52’s territory. The band also featured the first female vocalist (Spex) of many to be featured over this weekend. Will Moore was hitting his drums so hard that I briefly thought he’d fallen out with his instrument of choice. Ian Immediate was holding down the bass notes from the comfort of a stool, and keyboards were featured too, to great effect.
Next on the menu were hard-working local band, Family Of Strangers who have been doing the rounds on the gigging circuit recently. There was obviously plenty of affection for them in the room as they dished out their own brand of old school punk rock very effectively. Lou Moon is a cool front person who also found time to wander around the front of the audience, giving them a hug and a kiss during their namesake song about our beloved punk rock family. They certainly put a big smile on my boat race.
Brigandage were up next, and they were a big draw for me. They are originally from the early 80’s era of the post-punk scene and have recently reformed. I saw them at the Prince Albert recently (another Alternative Gathering production) but today’s performance was something else. Great tribal drumming, bass-heavy riffing and impressive vocals from Michelle. It was great to see them again and ‘Let It Rot‘ has got to be one of the best song titles a punk band can produce. They were one of the day’s highlights for me and I hope we get to see more of Brigandage soon.
Buckinghamshire band Public Service Announcement (with their new drummer, aka Croydon radio personality Ian ‘GRIFF’ Griffiths) took to the stage with their usual foot stomping Punky Rock ‘n’ Roll:
Eryx London (who are actually from the Midlands, and about to change their name and their sound!) were the surprise of the day for me. I’d seen their name on posters and, for some reason, had got ‘Alternative Metal’ stuck in my head. They are actually so much more than that, with a front person that has a great voice and presence onstage. They started off with a trippy intro that would have gone down well at an outdoor festival, then delved into the realms of Goth/Dark Wave. Hats off to promoter Andy Cavendish for finding such interesting female-fronted acts (and there were a lot of them this weekend).
I had seen The Glorias logo emblazoned on a few T-shirts in recent times, so I was interested in seeing what sounds they made. Initially, the tunes reminded me of Cock Sparrer as they took us through their own melodic punk repertoire, but then the songs took on a slightly different style that was equal parts punk and heavy rocking. A polished act.
Gloucester punks, Borrowed Time were another melodic punk proposition, and the frontman did a good job of holding things together as the crowd slightly thinned (More than one gig clash tonight unfortunately). They describe themselves as progressive indie punk, and that is pretty close to the mark. This band plays reasonably regularly around these parts, and I’m sure we’ll see them again in the near future.
The headliners tonight were Cheltenham’s very own horror punk outfit, Screaming Dead. I’ve been wanting to set these for a long time, and for me, they stole the show. The singer was sporting ghoulish makeup as he utilised everyone that was left in the crowd, by prowling the dance floor and grabbing the unsuspecting audience members as he went. A great lesson in Gothic punk rock and an undead force to be reckoned with.
Sunday:
The sun had well and truly got his hat on today, so it was sunscreen at the ready and time to sink a few cups of ice-cold H20, to wash away the day before. Poorly Trained Radicals were up first to warm us up with a set of reggae-infused punk tunes. Gripper Lee are a local band who play a lively set of melodic punk rock tunes, whilst looking rather Droog-like in their bowler hats. I recognised the bassist/singer Richie Nice from the day before when he performed a Bez-type impression on stage with Family of Strangers. (Richie is one of their two alternating bass players!)
We were looking forward to seeing Mere Dead Men again, especially as they trekked all the way down from Liverpool/Birmingham and London respectively. They performed their early 80’s sounding punk rock and mixed it all in with a healthy dollop of glam rock. Mandy‘s voice was in top shape and the very familiar ‘Stacks, Stilettos, Make-Up & Mohicans‘ got a welcome airing. Rob and Dom threw us some guitar shapes and Rag kept shouting out ‘Dead Cities‘ whilst playing the drums. ‘Laced Up Mary‘ brought their enjoyable set to a close.
Photos by Sonny Tyler
Healthy Junkies are based in the big smoke and are well known on the gigging circuit at the moment. They promptly showed us the reason why, as they delivered some impressive hard-hitting punk rock and grunge rock fusion for a new generation. Lead singer Nina was celebrating her birthday today, and what a festival to celebrate it in.
East Town Pirates from Ipswich were a big highlight of my day, as they brought their sea-faring punk rock to our South Coast shores. Rikki was giving it some on the microphone and promptly led the enthusiastic crowd into a rabble-rousing rendition of their ‘Ship Ahoy‘ anthem. Their drummer suddenly looked like Animal from The Muppets too (not ANWL), as he nodded his head so hard, I thought it was going to fall off. An excellent set of piratey music for me hearties.
Camden-based PollyPikPocketz were next on the bill and were our second welcome surprise of the weekend! An interesting sound emits from their speakers, and it’s one I can’t altogether describe. They have certain elements of punk rock, metal, grunge and ska within their tunes, and they were another interesting act to watch out for. Their guitarist, clad head to toe in green, who is also incidentally known as ‘Frog‘ and lead singer Myura commanded the stage. I especially enjoyed the dual drumming during one of their songs, which got things suitably rocking.
There was a lot of anticipation for the next band and it’s easy to see why. Weston-Super-Mare’s very own Split Dogs are destined for big things, and as the first chord was struck, the venue erupted into a moshing mass of arms and legs. Lead singer Harry totally commanded the stage, and it was soon clear that she wasn’t about to take any prisoners. You could also safely say that the band duly took the metaphorical roof off, with their hi-octane garage rock n roll. Split Dogs were probably my favourite band of the weekend, and they definitely injected a nice bit of sweaty energy into the room on this early Sunday evening!
The Brazilian rock duo known as Yur Mum were next to hit the stage, and another band I hadn’t managed to get round to seeing before tonight. Fronted by Anelise Kunz on vocals/bass guitar, this band make a hell of a lot of noise for a two-piece. I suppose they are maybe best described as a cross between metal, grunge and hardcore, but also pretty hard to define at the end of the day. Fabio Couto was playing very precise beats on the drums as they blasted out their polished noise to an appreciative crowd. This London-based band is another one to watch out for.
Tonight’s headliners and official closers of the festival were the Guitar Gangsters. They have been playing the gigging circuit on and off for many decades, and it was good to see them back again tonight, treading those boards. Originally formed in 1988 by brothers Pete and Phil, the band have been a pretty regular staple on the UK Punk gig scene. As a result, they are definitely a polished act, and tonight was no exception, as they dished out their own melodic 1977 style of Punk Rock. They played an impressive set, and ended a brilliant weekend by saying goodbye to the crowd, as they waved their guitars over their heads in a triumphant fashion.
This festival has been a truly enjoyable one and long may it continue. It was great to see so much great music over the weekend and especially good to see so many female-fronted bands occupying the space. A lot of hard work went on behind the scenes for this An Alternative Gathering production (in alliance with Rats With Wings Records and MoonPunx Promotions), and it is much appreciated by all that attended.
STOP PRESS…..You’ll be pleased to know that Bright N Sleazy Festival has just been renewed for another year, so put the dates of 10-12th of July in your 2026 calendars. Just watch your chips on the seafront. White-winged and yellow-beaked thieves are operating in the area..!
Main Photo Credit (East Town Pirates): SONNY TYLER
Video Credits: JOHN KOVACS
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
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