The Rock’N’Roll Circus liven’s up Brighton’s Font (Part 1)

‘VARIOUS ARTISTS’, THE BRIGHTON ROCK’N’ROLL CIRCUS 2 – FONT, BRIGHTON 16.5.24

Our venue for three days, The Font (formerly the Font and Firkin) in Brighton’s South Lanes is a Grade II listed former chapel and one-time music venue. Refurbished to give it ‘more of a nightclub feel’ it’s a slightly faded, though beautiful building with great acoustics. Part of the Alternative Escape ‘The Brighton Rock and Roll Circus #2’ boasted forty bands over those three days. Organised by London-based music promoters ’Kick Out the Jams’ the three-day extravaganza was a collaboration between K.O.T.J, Blaggers Records, Bubblebrain Records and The Songbird. Throughout the weekend the bands performed downstairs tucked under the upper floor, framed by the Fonts ‘Adam and Eve’ themed stained-glass windows. It was great to see The Font used as a venue again, we hope it continues.

An early start for most Brightonians, and (those visiting), the Font had a light smattering of people seated in prime positions. Our sound engineer for the weekend was Wee Jock Audio, (one of the best I have seen for a while) set about perfecting the sound to the band’s preference. The ensemble was then welcomed by our host Roger of K.O.T.J, “Welcome to the Brighton Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus No.2. It’s the first time we have been at the Font, and I think you’ll agree what a great venue! First up the ‘Outers’.”

Performances on Friday 17th May can be found HERE and performances for Saturday 18th May can be found HERE. 

THURSDAY 16TH MAY

THE OUTERS 12:00 – 12:30

The first band of the day were London-based The Outers. A five-piece formed in 2013 when composer and guitarist Phill Dodane met lead vocalist, keyboard player, and guitarist Ade Seriki. The band’s name comes from the feeling of being outsiders. Citing a mix of influences they incorporate ‘a vintage sound, British pop, post punk, and electro pop to add a bit of a dance groove’. ‘First Sight’ delivered a punchy and promising intro. However, initially the vocal seemed off key a little strained on high notes, at odds with the other musicians and composition. ‘Twenty’, their latest single is an ‘80’s homage with synth, slow tempo vocals, a little French scattered just before the outro, and a spoken section reminiscent of Blondie’s ‘Rapture’. It was altogether a more interesting song and a better fit for the vocalist. The band had found their feet with ‘Nobody’s Fool’ an Echobelly and Sleeper hybrid, it was upbeat ‘Indie Pop’ at its best. From here on in the performance was considerably more enjoyable. Once warmed up Seriki was in her element and brought an infectious joy to the whole band and audience alike. The Outers are an exuberant return to the retro sounds from the height of ‘90s ‘Brit Pop’. Their new single ‘Twenty’ is available now. 

BELMONDO 12:45 – 13:15

Next up, Belmondo taking the place of the listed M4X. The Brighton based multinational quartet officially debuted in 2021. Self-described as ‘a mix of UK Grunge and Goth’ the soundcheck made it clear they were a heavy and tight outfit; the backing song alone had a significant punch to it. I knew immediately I would enjoy songwriters Carmen Mellino (vocals + guitar + bass) and Kelan Moore (vocals + Guitar) playful call-and-response. The first tune grabbed everyone’s attention from the opening bars. The song was characterised by swimming guitars from Moore and Laurent Lesaffre, and heavy drums from Jules Freiss (who coined the bands name, after French Nouvelle Vague actor Jean-Paul Belmondo). Mellino and Moore have strong voices that blend well. Moore sings high, while Mellino alternates between high and low. A brief pause for an introduction the quartet segued seamlessly between songs throughout the set without further comment until the very end. Offering a refreshing modern twist on more traditional grunge, they’re extremely dynamic and watchable, upping the anti on each successive song. Influences occasionally bubbled up, but Belmondo are fast developing a sound of their own. The last song of the set ‘Getting Closer’ is the first from their 2024 the EP, ‘The Blessed And The Evil’. Throwing themselves thoroughly into their final song Mellino and Moore swapped instruments, Mellino taking to the audience floor at the start of the song. The highly energised set left everyone wanting more. I’ll definitely be seeing Belmondo again. 2024’s ‘The Blessed And The Evil’ EP is available now. 

DAN OTTEWELL 13:30 – 14:00

Giving me barely enough time for an intake of breath Dan Ottewell took the stage promptly. A real shift in pace, the duo that make up Ottewell’s band wasted no time in getting things started heading straight into the first thundering song ‘Oh So Loyal’. For a two-hander featuring only Freddy Ford on bongos accompanying Ottewell, the bold impact of the introduction was unexpected and impressive. The duo had travelled down from Milton Keynes. Stopping briefly to introduce himself and Ford, Ottewell immediately charmed the venue. Ottewell has an impressive voice which belies his youth (He is seventeen and Ford is nineteen). Full of enthusiasm and unstoppable energy Ottewell, is a talented vocalist, composer, guitarist and electrifying performer. Ford sat the next song out, Ottewell had no trouble soaring to the Fonts rafter’s solo. The duo lifted the energy on the next song, which was incredibly up-tempo. Ottewell and Ford’s delivery throughout was full of exuberance to the point of being infectious. For the next song Ottewell invited the audience to imagine a violinist was present, he then took to performing on top of a table, (with some support from an audience member) to perform ‘Priorities’? He asked the audience to sing along to the chorus, which they happily did. Introducing himself and his partner a final time for Ottewell informed the audience he would be playing another set later that day at East Street Tap. The set finished on ‘Handcuffs’ from his eponymous 2022 EP. An artist to watch, someone this talented so soon is destined for a long career. He delivered a lesson in stage performance and musicianship leaving everyone on a high.

SHADY BABY 14:15 – 14:45

Brighton-based indie garage rock quartet Shady Baby is Sam Leaver vocalist, Laurie Debnam guitar, Tom Jackson drums, and Nick Varnava bass. Formed in 2022 and signed after just one gig, their debut singles ‘Come To Life’ and ‘Lonely Town’ were released the same year. They have garnered the attention of Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1) and Jack Kennedy (Radio X) and are fast becoming one of the bands to watch. A firm favourite we have been following them with keen interest, reviewing them on several occasions. They regularly sell out shows in Brighton and London and have started to take on Europe playing their first show in France. Their sound is pure indie garage-rock. On the day at the Font, the delivery was exuberant and jammed full of the heavy bass and booming drums that make the perfect rhythm section, much to my enjoyment. Towards the end of the tight and impressive six-song set vocalist, Leaver confessed that he was on his lunch break from work and had to go straight back after playing the set, I believe he was wearing his uniform. A new EP is rumoured to be coming very soon, their previous singles ‘All Too Late’, ‘Come To Life’ and ‘Lonely Town’ are available to stream. 

BETTER JOY 15:00 – 15:30

Manchester-based Better Joy are brother’s Joe and Chris Peden and vocalist Bria Keely. The brothers were introduced to Bria by producer Mike Peden (The Peden Brothers father) after Bria had sent her demo to him. Usually a trio, they were joined by an additional guitarist to flesh out the sound during their set. After a lengthy tune-up Bria suggested that they start. Launching into the first song ‘Cry’ The band excel in up-beat indie with dreamy vocals. Delivering a moderate to fast tempo, ‘Cry’ was a short song, but a great introduction. ‘Control’, the next song, delivered a different tone. Incredibly catchy, it garnered much applause from the audience. ‘Talking Around’ is their latest single, out for about three weeks now. Bria told us it was “…about those slippery snakes who talk behind your back” again the tempo was fast. The band were entirely and effortlessly in sync. ‘Hard To Love’, released as a single in ‘23 is another incredibly catchy song. It’s a deceivingly simple song, the drummer set the pace as guitar and keyboards built the tempo under Bria’s vocal which has great range and command. The next song was the next single, set to be released in the next few weeks. Bria informed us “It’s about being scared and running away from situations”. A skilled performer and lyricist who delivers crisp clear vocals Bria not only managed to introduce each song with ease, but also made eye contact with every member of the audience. She encouraged the audience to follow the band on social media. The last song of the set ‘Dead Plants’, “…about relationships that just dry up” has been out since Feb 2024, it was impossible not to be pulled into the chorus repetitions. A tight, professional set full of catchy numbers. Better Joy are a joyful uncomplicated pleasure to watch and listen to. Find them on social media and streaming services. 

NADIA SHEIKH 15:45 – 16:15

Replacing advertised act Georgie Boyd at the last minute, Nadia Sheikh was an unexpected pleasure. Not expecting to review Sheikh I was unfamiliar with her sound and had no idea what to expect. Sheikh was initially just as surprised as I was. Confessing that she didn’t think she was supposed to be at the venue, but someone else wasn’t, so here she was anyway. The audience were also expecting a different act continuing to converse among themselves. A solo singer songwriter, Sheikh has an impressive and incredibly powerful range filling the Font with little effort. She was perhaps the first singer of the day to fully take full advantage of the acoustics the former chapel offers. The second song ‘Broken Bridges’ started slowly, though melancholic the vocal was beautifully delivered and had me enrapt. With only her second song Sheikh started to win the audience over. Before the next song Sheikh informed us that “This song is a reminder to myself, and anyone else out there to just be yourself”. Chorus, then verse rose incrementally delivered with alternate crisp and powerful, then soft but still crystal-clear vocals. Sheikh delivered the emotion of the song with the strength of her vocal alone. Informing the audience that she was using a borrowed guitar, passed to her on arrival Sheikh paused only briefly to tune it between songs. She has a voice that draws the listener in to lyrics and lets them drift away to days spent immersed in lovelorn introspection. The final song ‘Memories’ served to not only highlight this but is a highlight in itself. Sheikh left the venue as quietly as she arrived after thanking the audience. Only this time appreciative applause followed her departure. 

TASH 16:30 – 17:00

The Alt-Rock band has garnered attention from BBC Introducing as well as their contemporaries most of whom had gathered in the audience to catch the set. Formed when Tara Noble (lead vocal + bass) from Chichester met Brighton based Robbie (guitarist and producer) at University in London studying music and realised they shared a love of the same music. Originally called TRASH the name changed as another act had already taken it. The change stuck due to a mutual love of bands with female sounding names like ‘Wolf Alice’ and it afforded Tara the opportunity to form a persona. The first song was short, but powerful. During the second Tara, an energetic and provocative performer used the whole of the stage to her advantage. The lyrical and musical composition is pretty old school. Tara’s vocal delivery is a hybrid of Hayley Williams and Shirley Manson. She is a charismatic performer with a great backing band allowing her to take centre stage. The band’s songs are short and punchy, slightly retro alt-Rock. TASH’s songs apply a lot of tinkering to Tara’s vocal’s as well as to the sound in general. It’s not until ‘Everything Is Temporary’, that I finally get a feel for Tara’s vocal as she also delivers a great bass line. Other standouts in the set were the band’s cover of La Roux’s ‘Doing It For The Kill’, a vast improvement on the original, and ‘I’m In Love With A Vampire’, which featured a fair few screams. Tara has a great voice and stage presence a plenty. The band’s set ends to rapturous applause from the audience. The latest single ‘Make Me Mad’ was released in April 2024 and is available now.

LEMONDAZE 17:15 – 17:45

Formed in Cambridge, but now London-based Lemondaze are, Rosie Heard-Edwards she/her, Jonty Freeman he/him, Isis De Chastelaine she/they. Rosie and Isis formed the band and started performing together in 2016. Jonty joined in 2018 with Finn joining most recently. The band play a heavier form of shoegaze, with plenty of distorted guitar drones and a thick layer of dreamy haze. Their influences unsurprisingly lay in the ‘90s shoegaze scene with bands like Slowdive, Curve, and Drop Nineteen. The band’s four track EP ‘Celestial Bodies’ was released in 2021. The quartet started with an extended intro with heavy drums, mushy guitars so long that I began to wonder if the entire song is an instrumental. It became clear that Isis was singing. Her vocal was a light and dreamy washing over the instrumental and soared high but was barely discernible and continued to be so for the rest of the set. Forgoing any introductions or audience interaction the band let the music speak for itself. The second song was a meandering whirl of sonic vibrations melting into each other. The vocal resonance vibrated through the venue hypnotically. Occasionally the vocals were dissonant, but they always blended with the music enhancing the dream-like qualities produced. The fourth song will be on their next EP. But the band informed us that they are having difficulty finishing it due to funds so they’re having a fundraiser and selling merch to complete it. As yet unnamed, the new song featured Isis and Rosie alternating vocals, the musical composition more of a ‘90s garage indie feel strictly than shoegaze. The tempo was deliberately slow and dreamy with a heavy baseline and slow-paced drum beat. The intro building Isis and Rosie played almost in a huddle, facing each other. After a brief pause in playing the whole band lost themselves in the reverie of music, the hum of the vocal slowly drifting in and blending into the instrumental. The set was a celebration of music’s ability to help you drift to another place, which is the band’s primary aim. 

ENJOYABLE LISTENS 18:00 – 18:30

I have always been a sucker for a crooner. Cursory research suggested that Luke Duffett was a combination of Bryan Ferry, Jarvis Cocker, Neil Hanson and Josh Tillman, which got my attention. On the day Duffett was joined by Dominic Rose. The perfect foil for Duffett’s skilful lounge singer meets crooner pastiche. Duffett is an effortless performer, charism oozes from his pore’s. Vocally he is more The The’s Matt Johnson meets Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan with a light smattering of Ferry, notably the famous Ferry trill. Performance wise he is pure Burlesque meets lounge singer with a smattering of crooner. Duffett knows how to get the audience going. They loved him so much that they actively enjoyed it when he sprayed them with his pint (albeit by accident) covering his own suit in the process. At some point even our photographer gets covered in. Duffett apologised, he had a change of clothes and didn’t see it panning out like that if he was honest. The consummate performer he had clearly charmed this crowd before. “We will reclaim this half an hour. This is our penultimate song and thanks for sticking with us through these trying times”. He continued after catching his breath “This next song is ‘International Space Station’, written during lockdown.” It was a standout with a truly catchy chorus. Though to be fair there wasn’t a bad song in the set most of which come from the bands 2024 EP ‘Trapped In The Cage Of A Hateful Bird’, available now. Check the band’s website and social media for performances including this year’s Glastonbury Festival.

NOAH AND THE LONERS 18:45 – 19:15

The young (much has been made of the band’s collective youth, but it can’t be ignored) politically engaged quartet are angry at the government and the world’s injustices. Their lyrics range from personal experience of teenage and toxic love and Lonergan’s experience of toxic masculinity as a trans man, to politically charged commentary on racism, corruption, climate crisis and much more. The set’s first song, ‘Teenage Tragedy’ featured classic punk riffs, delivery and musicianship. At the end of the song lead vocalist and guitarist nineteen-year-old Noah Lonergan asked, “How the f*ck are you Brighton?”, the crowd cheered “This one’s about feminism.” This song, as with most of those in the set featured a fast tempo, all the band worked the stage. Before the next song Noah chose to interact with the audience “The next song is about a sh*t f*cking day, it’s called ‘Hell Of A Day’, we seem to have had a lot of them recently. How’s it going? Are you having a good time? Great, don’t go to the Great Escape because they’re c*nts.” The performance was ferocious. Delivered with passion and wrath. Noah stopped again to introduce the next song, “The next songs called, ‘Just Kids’, it’s about being young and not being listened to, which happens a lot.” The song was suitably ‘Punk’ in delivery, the whole group shouted along with the chorus, it ended abruptly. Their punk delivery is so studied that Lonergan even sings with their arms behind their back. Their tone is snarling but knowing, their vocal delivery has a tang of Johnny Rotten’s habit of stringing the end of a lyric out or clipped machine gunning of words. The lyrics speak of the bitter experience of underestimated youth. ‘Gravity’ moved away from traditional punk simplicity, offering complex harmonies and lyrics. Lonergan chided the audience’s participation, “No. Brighton when this comes back in, we need you all to dance with us!”  Noah Riley’s drumbeat was up-tempo. Once the chorus becomes “yeah, yeah” most join in as it was infinitely easier for the previously uninitiated to singalong and dance. They thanked the audience and wryly asked “Right. Are you in the mood now yeah? Cool we’ve only got one more song.”  Lonergan then listed all of the festivals they’re playing at Which include Glastonbury, 2000 Trees, Reset, Rebellion, Y Not, PHE and Attitude. Finishing their set on their new single the band morphed into more of a rock outfit than punk musically, but Lonergan’s vocal delivery remains pure punk, with the rest of the band joining the chant. They thanked a jubilant crowd leaving the audience buzzing on a high. The new 2024 EP ‘A Desolate Warning’ is out now. 

SAM SCHERDEL 19:30 – 20:00

Previously likened to Springsteen, the first two songs leaned into stadium rock delivery and sound. There was a husky edge to Scherdel’s voice which did seem reminiscent of Springsteen, but to be honest I haven’t listened actively to ‘the boss’ for decades, if ever. The drums were big, the tempo was fast, everything’s polished. There’s no doubt these are accomplished musicians with A LOT of gigs under their belts, they didn’t put a foot wrong. ‘R.E.T.R.O.’s composition was suitably grandiose, you could imagine Scherdel standing on a stadium stage with light show projections and happy couples dancing close, as a cameraman on a rig pans over the audience mid song. The next song ‘Don’t Really Like You’ is bombastic and huge with a very catchy chorus and received much adulation from the audience. I appreciate an accomplished musician/ band as much as the next music critic, but I found myself yearning for something rougher around the edges. I’d really like to be able to hear his voice without the bells and whistles. ‘Brave Mistake’ sounds exactly like a song from the Stereophonics song book. The rest of the set felt like a stadium rock 101 class, even slowing the pace on playing to get everyone to sing along to the chorus whilst building the sound back up, all this while Scherdel thanked everyone and bid farewell. The single, ‘Somebody Else’ is out now. 

JW PARIS 20:15 – 20:45

London-based ‘90’s pop/ grunge inspired trio JW Paris are Danny Collins vocals + guitar, Aaron Forde vocals + bass and Gemma Clarke drums. From the outset Clarke proved to be an impressive drummer. The band only played four songs as everything was running late which was a shame as this trio have bags of charisma as well as exciting delivery and after a day of heavy drummers Clarke stands out above the others beating the drums as if they owe them money, they are phenomenal. The set was a pleasing mix of indie at the height of Brit Pop, with a touch of Blur, Suede, the Dandy Warhols. Collins and Forde were clearly having fun on stage bouncing off each other both literally and metaphorically. The songs are catchy old school fun. Collins and Forde bounced around the stage, posturing and generally revelling in the music while Clarke brutalised the drums and sung along without missing a beat as if they weren’t already impressive enough. The band has already supported the likes of Pretty Vicious, Slaves, The Amazons and Yonaka. Though they may not be rewriting music they are incredibly enjoyable and uplifting live experience. The new single ‘Geeks And Freaks’ is released on the 23rd of May.

SICK LOVE 21:00 – 21:30

The Dublin-based quartet self describe as an “unashamed old school rock outfit”. Sick Love are led by frontwoman Rebecca Geary. The remainder of the band are Conor McLoughlin, Sean O’Connor and Cormac O’Neill. They are another band drawing inspiration from Paramore, Blondie, No Doubt, Hole and Garbage, though they also cite pop influences like MARINA and Haim and hip-hop artists like Cardi B. They are polished in every sense of the word. Chatty throughout the set, Geary entered into a dialogue with the audience telling us it took them ages to get here from Dublin. They deliver exactly what they said they would: a mix of crowd-pleasing old-school rock with a capital ‘R’ which touches on pop, hip-hop and Indie, there’s even a little Taylor Swift delivery thrown in for good measure during ‘Don’t Wait’. Geary informed the audience, “We released our album a week ago which is funny because it’s the album which should never have seen the light of day. Last time we were in Brighton was 2018. It’s great to be back”. The set included ‘Gun In Your Pocket’ , the single featured on the hit TV show ‘The Young Offenders’, ‘Sucka’, ‘Ricochet’, ‘Chill For The Summer’, ‘Jacknife’, and ‘Don’t Wait’. Just before their penultimate song I found myself pondering which artist the lead’s vocal delivery reminded me of, Gwen Stefanie came to mind. I couldn’t help but smile when the opening bars for the last song started, a cover of No Doubt’s ‘Just A Girl’, it was as if they read my mind. The final song of the set featured a heavy fast paced build-up at the end of the song. Shortly before the Alt Escape the band released their new album ‘Champagne’ on the 3rd of May 2024, available on all streaming services and in a variety of formats. 

BERRIES 21:45 – 22:15

I had been looking forward to seeing if BERRIES’ live performance was as gripping as their recorded offerings. Like the other bands who played the Font, I’d been listening to them in advance, but their music was one of the few that grabbed me. The garage-rock trio called to mind a younger, hungrier Sleater-Kinney, Tanya Donnelly and perhaps more recently the heavier tracks from Warpaint’s earlier albums. I am pleased to say I was not disappointed. As the day had gone on the turnaround of acts had become increasingly prompt to keep to the tight schedule and they were no exception. Immediately slamming into ‘Copy’ the trio were in sync not only with each other, but also the audience. A visceral energy travelled between the musicians forming a tangible connection. It had been a day of incredibly impressive drummers. Lexi was no exception. The set was a mix of songs from the debut album ‘How We Function’ including ‘Wall Of Noise’, ‘Copy’, ‘Siren’, upcoming tracks like ‘Blurry Shapes’ (premiered at the Font and expected on the second album due in October) and finished with ‘We Are Machines’, and ‘Spirals’. The band will be launching their second album at The Prince Albert in October, get your tickets while you can as they’re likely to sell out fast.