Speedway5 // The Beach

As part of the approaching summer season, The Beach is trying a new concept that their down-the-way competition Geminis has been doing for some time, showcasing bands outside the venue during the weekend. Brighton band Speedway5 played a short 9 song gig along the seafront this past Bank Holiday Sunday, and despite the variable sunshine, there was a sizeable crowd sitting at the tables outside awaiting the band to begin.

Speedway5 make music to dream to. The four piece band’s songs are a mix of acoustic and space-age synths, and if I had to stick them in a genre, I’d say they’re on the experimental side of pop. Catchy tunes, viscous honey vocals, and a lot of messing around with noise for art’s sake. Latter day Morcheeba, more aptly.

Silliness reined as the band did their sound check. Simon sat behind his keyboard, sneaking out riffs from Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” with an impish grin on his face. Their first song “Billy Green” was acoustic, no vocals, a slow burning start to the their set. The next song was a wistful melody about standing on the coast of France and thinking about the difference between loneliness and aloneness. The lyrics (”you don’t have to be alone to be lonely, you don’t have to be lonely to be alone”) were evocative of a French cover version of the Doors song “People Are Strange” I heard on FIP the other day – “Les gens sont étranges quand vous êtes un étranger, Les visages semblent laids quand vous êtes seul.” I guess the view of the sea also inspired the next song, “On the Coast”, another “scanning-the-sea-for-a-message-in-a-bottle” song. The guys moved on to more dancy tunes with “Music is Our Thing” and “I Got the Feeling”, both punctuated by 70’s acid jazz synths and B-movie noise.

In the middle of the set, Ella, the lead singer, commented on the stream of people walking past. “They look at us with an expression of ‘that’s interesting’ or ‘what the hell are you doing?’” It must have been strange hearing the music from far off, then peering into the archway to actually find a band in there. Or people are just stupid.

Tom, the guitarist, took the lead on vocals for his own song, the lyrics a lover’s endless list of demands written on the back of an envelope. However, I couldn’t understand much of it, so as far as I was considered, he was singing about jam. “I love jam, come and make jam with me.” Unfortunately, the song fell apart at the end. The lighting rig, however, didn’t crash on their heads – always a good thing.

The band finished their set with a cover of the Isaac Hayes song “Love Can’t Turn Around”, which was then in turn covered in the 80s by house DJ Farley Jackmaster Funk. A fun insipidly stupid song to make you dance. Too bad they never finished what they started when playing “Eye of the Tiger” during an interlude.

Overall the concept seemed to work. The gig had a small PA, but the sound was clear and well balanced, and I’m sure the Beach will be featuring more bands as the weather warms up. A slightly better option to the louder Geminis but unfortunately, the table service at the Beach left a lot to be desired (read:unattentive). However, the music outside is so loud outside Geminis and unless you like cheesy funk and don’t mind shouting to be heard, it’s a real put-off going there for a drink when a band is playing.

Speedway5 are: “Frank on full on old school funk guitar, Simon on beats blips and fat synth bass, Ela on velveteen vocals and the lavley wurlitzer piano & Tom on accoustic guitar, vocals, percussion and pure groove”.

Check them out on MySpace: http://myspace.com/speedway5

The Beach
http://www.thebeachbrighton.co.uk

171-181 Kings Rd Arches
Brighton
BN1 1NB
01273 722272

Words: Amy the Film Maker