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The Field delivered a cracking early show at Brighton’s Audio on Wednesday. So much so that it left me feeling annoyed at having to go home in preparation for work the next day. It’s sad I know but the pain of midweek adventures outweighs the pleasures these days. This would have been a perfect Friday / Saturday slot filler… the hour long gig could have so easily have fitted into an entire night.

All in all a decently run festival, with all kinds of things to try out. Even if you don’t want to go particularly extreme there were small workshops for having a go. It’s a particularly good event to go to with kids due to the active element and not a big emphasis on Brighton usual strength, drinking.

Gang up are the cream of the cool kids in Brighton, a collective that came together after a couple of beers… like how most good things are spawned, that love sexy and beautiful photography. Last Monday was their launch night and while this post is not exactly “hot off the press” (my apologies for the [...]

I can’t believe another Loop has come and gone. There were bands, there were glowsticks, there was the inevitable rain – but none of those things are mutually exclusive and this year’s Loop Festival was distinctly different.

At recent Brighton Festival fringe literary event Grit Lit, Tim Lay read an extract from his second novel Rats with Wings, which tells the tale of a London copper – Lewis – who is dragged down to Brighton by her sinister patrol partner Letch for an unknown and dodgy pretext.

Again, another writer featured from the Brighton Festival fringe night Grit Lit at the Red Roaster. Here is Tara Gould’s short story “Little Birds”, which is the story of Grace, a woman who’s alcoholic father has just died and she must return home to comfort her mother. The story explores Grace’s conflicting feelings for the man she despised, yet mourns and sketches out the tragic life he led. Ultimately Grace must confront herself in the face of losing a person who is irevocably flesh and blood – her father.

You might be thinking that Capel, near Horsham, isn’t exactly Brighton… and you’d be right. Capel is a good 45 minutes drive away, but the fact that the organizers and many of the acts come from down here is enough for us. The Firegathering Festival is a 3 day event held on farm land in the beautiful English countryside. Surrounded by nature and all enclosed in an open green area, with a large fire burning directly in the centre…

… used the oppertunity to show us his darker side of harder edge techno and new album “Hard Islands”. It’s a shame about the promotion, there could have been an excellent atmosphere if there were more people. Overall some fantastic techno and great blurpy noises that sadly seemed to echo in a sparce room…

This is clubbing with its best intentions – no stupid VIP queues, not paying a grand for a drink and not having to deal with some coked up promoters on an extra high from their own inflated egos. It’s quite the contrary – great people, free entry, good music and no bullshit. You won’t find any attitudes here.

I’ve not walked down Audio’s stairs for what seems like ages, and being there again, I can safely say that I’ve missed the place. It did, after all, used to feel like a second home. Stompa Phunk ruled and every weekend was a sure hotspot for quality music with a likeminded crowd. But like all good things, it had to come to an end.