SEADOG + LAST LIVING CANNIBAL + SNOWY MOUNTAIN – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 6.6.24
The Prince Albert is a Brighton institution. It has been a pub since 1860, and a live music venue since at least 1998 with bands playing most days. The iconic exterior dead icons Street Art Wall has been steadily growing with murals of sadly passed music and cultural Icons. The images are painted by local artists Sinna One and Req. It also featured an original Banksy, ‘Kissing Coppers’ which first appeared in 2004, and then sold in 2011. A replica is now in its place covered in Perspex. ‘The Albert’ features heavily in the itineraries of most up-and-coming bands’ and music fans alike. It’s a home-from-home for most locals and those visiting Brighton whether music fans or not. Due to the warm welcome offered by the staff and its location near the station it is the perfect meeting place to head into the North Laine’s proper. The music programme is flawless covering every musical taste. On the night that we arrive the venue is filled with regulars and visitors in the bar areas downstairs and outside. We headed upstairs for the Seadog headliner concert, to ensure that we got pole positions to the left facing the stage. The music venue upstairs is cosy, holding one hundred people and features a stage which can house most acts and a bar, so you do not have to leave for refreshments.
Brighton-based Snowy Mountain was the first support of the night. Solo artist Snowy Mountain, (aka, Eleanor Whittle) was joined by her frequent co-collaborator Max Earl (aka Prince Vaseline). I had not been able to listen to much of Snowy Mountain before arriving at the venue. Though they have an active social media presence, their music is only currently available to listen to on YouTube. What I had been able to listen to/ watch intrigued me enough that I was looking forward to their live act.
‘Space Peaks’ the first song set the tone for the rest of their set. The vocals reminded me of the sublime Julie Cruz, known best for her contribution to the soundtrack to the original ‘Twin Peaks’ series. The musical composition and British tone to the vocals combined to give a sense of ’90s Brit-pop, dream-pop and synth band Dubstar, (albeit a Southern version). Having said that, Snowy Mountains dream-pop synth has a definitive style of its own. ‘The Sound Transit’ had a light expressive meandering underscore to the vocals complemented by the stillness of Snowy Mountain’s delivery while keeping to the core elements of the full set. The song was very upbeat and simple but affecting. The start of the set had a smattering of keen listeners in the audience, which slowly filled throughout the performance to a respectable crowd by the sets close. Taking in the audience, staging and surroundings I was again reminded of ‘Twin Peaks’, but this time the last series, which featured contemporary bands performing at the end of most of the episodes. As the song ended, they thanked the audience for their applause and told them “That was nice”.
‘Runaway Party’ delivered a much heavier beat with an upbeat vocal and a slightly longer instrumental section. Again, the delivery was mellow and a little wistful as if recounting a memory or a dream. ‘Back To The Future’, heavier than the previous song, had an ’80s style to it with a more uplifting vocal. Introducing ‘Plain Rise’ they told the audience that it was a brand-new track which had not been played live before. A little reminiscent of the band ‘Cigarettes After Sex’ Snowy Mountain have the rare ability to carry the audience into an enrapt dream-tinged reverie when playing live. The perfect soundtrack to a hazy summer Sunday.
Snowy Mountain:
Eleanor Whittle – vocals, Moog Rogue keyboard
Max Earle (aka Prince Vaseline) – vocals, Casiotone keyboard, Volca keyboard, sampler
Snowy Mountain setlist:
‘Space Peaks’ (unreleased)
‘The Sound Transit’ (unreleased)
‘Runaway Party’ (unreleased)
‘Back To The Future’ (unreleased)
‘Plain Rise’ (unreleased)
‘The Cotton Parlour’ (unreleased)
www.instagram.com/snowymountain
The duo of Last Living Cannibal could be mistaken for a much larger band. Usually a solo project from Hastings-based Allister Kellaway on vocals and guitar, on the night he was joined by Lily Wolter from Penelope Isles on keyboards and sampler. As soon as I listened to the available back catalogue I knew I was going to like this act. There was a grunge meets heavier rock feel to the musical composition, which always is pleasing to my ear. A mixture of Pavement style riffs with additional speed Kellaway’s vocal is engaging, smooth and effortless switching between slow and measured and slightly introspective to uplifting and rapid, song dependent.
‘The Act’, the opening song for the set, had a huge sound, immediately hooking the audience into the whole set. Tune two ‘Woodward And Bernstein’ is a builder of a song and selection three, ‘Skeleton’, is an upbeat tune opening with Kellaway’s vocal with Wolter then coming in with harmonies on the backing vocal and sampler. The guitar built into a duet on the chorus. At the end of the song, Kellaway introduced himself and Wolter before thanking Seadog for inviting them to perform. Track four, ‘Good Time’, really went down well and the keys were slightly downbeat. The guitar was heavier and offered plenty of reverb delivered towards an abrupt end . The audience had grown and was incredibly attentive offering plenty of effusive applause between songs. Kellaway paused to direct the audience to the merch available to the rear of the venue, some of which were limited edition! However, he had to admit the small number available was down to how much they could afford to produce rather than a specific sales or promotional ploy. ‘Samson’, the penultimate song, slowed the pace considerably but didn’t lose the momentum of the set. It has a great hook and the harmonies on the chorus were catchy, sticking with you as the song played out. The vocals on this song were a little Tears for Fears, and a musical composition a little Shearwater. Closing the set with ‘After The Gold Rush’ I can honestly say I enjoyed every second the Last Living Cannibal were on the stage and will be making a point of seeing them again at the earliest opportunity.
Last Living Cannibal:
Allister Kellaway – vocals and guitar
Lily Wolter– keyboard + sampler
Last Living Cannibal setlist:
‘The Act’ (unreleased)
‘Woodward And Bernstein’ (unreleased)
‘Skeleton’ (unreleased)
‘Good Time’ (unreleased)
‘Samson’ (from 2022 ‘On A Perfect Earth’ EP)
‘After The Gold Rush’ (unreleased)
Seadog is the Brighton-based project of musicians Mark Benton and Tom Chadd along with an eclectic troupe of collaborators. The night was the launch of their second album ‘Internal Noise’ which was recorded at Brighton’s Bella Union studios.
There’s a real mix of a downbeat restrained Wayne Coyne balanced with Shearwater’s more vocally adept Jonathan Meiburg from Benton. There is (for me) also quite an element of Shearwater to the delivery and musical composition, though that is not to say they are a carbon copy of either. Their form of dream-pop mixes a variety of influences with anthemic electric and acoustic samples to build sonic textures. Lyrically there’s a touch of the lullaby to the adept tone and rhythms seep into the consciousness creating a calm revery. Penelope Isles Jack Wolter was on production duties for recording, which also features Jack on drums, backing vocal and additional production duties along with his sister Lily Wolter, also from Penelope Isles guesting. Lily returned to the stage for her second set of the evening along with Jack to deliver the arts they contributed to the album.
Playing all eleven album tracks sequentially they started with ‘Tidal Wave’. The up-tempo song delivered a pacy opening to the set. Lily’s gentle harmonies complimented Benton’s huskier though still soft vocal, while the bassist provided the backbone and samples lifted the track along, inducing the whole audience to nod along with every word delivered for the whole of the set. There’s something incredibly compelling about the band and this particular set-up. It feels complete and accomplished, the audience was in capable hands.
‘Tidal Wave’ lived up to its title, enveloping the audience in sound before washing over them, closing with soft tones that evaporated away. There was a short tune-up before Benton apologised for taking a while to get going again. ‘Deadweights’ opened with a steady drum beat and organ-toned keys before Benton’s vocals drifted in, followed by his guitar, Lily joining in on the chorus. Though the tone was slightly introspective it was no less enjoyable for it. Benton informed the audience that they hadn’t played the next track before. ‘Waiting For Light’ opened ever so softly almost like a lullaby making it impossible not to slowly sway from side to side. It’s a slow build-in with everything pared back before the rest of the band comes in lifting the sound and the song with an instrumental that resonated with a lightness that lifted the spirits before playing out. As the song closed Benton asked the audience to “Give it up for Lily Wolter!” There was almost no need to ask as the appreciation of the audience was self-evident in their applause.
Pausing only for the audience to quieten he then introduced Jack. “From one Wolter to another, welcome ‘Jack’! So we made another album and ‘Captain Jack’ took the lead. And a week ago I said we should do the album in its entirety! And he said ‘You’re mad!”. It was then Jack spoke, “And it’s an absolute banger as well!” I can confirm that it is, it hasn’t been on rotation on my headphones ever since.
Next up ‘Old Joe’, the second track from the album. It has a rolling beat from the drums and bass underscoring it. The vocal was higher and upbeat, Jack delivered it with aplomb whilst offering percussion on the tambourine. On Jack’s exit from the stage, Benton asked the audience to “Give it up for Jack” and again they complied with little need for the request. The set wasn’t entirely sequential in the end, some tracks were swapped around, but this made the set no less enjoyable. From ‘Old Joe’ onwards to the finish there they played pretty much without interruption.
There isn’t a bad song on the album. Standouts included the pacy ‘Here Nor There’, and the beautiful ‘How We Lost Our Minds’, which Benton dedicated to “All the warmongers!”. ‘Analysis Paralysis’ delivered a short sharp palate cleanser. ‘Tied To A Mast’ was another track that hadn’t been played live, which had great washy samples employed for good measure. ‘Foolhardy’ was previously released on the titular EP in 2021. Benton advised that the new album was available on limited edition green vinyl at the venue. He then thanked Austerity Records, and the other acts of the night before they launched into the final track of the set ‘Downtime’ which provided a mellow close to the night. The audience drifted towards the merch desk, downstairs or home all the better for the music they had spent the night with.
Seadog:
Mark Benton – vocals and guitar
Tom Chadd – keyboard
Sam Clarke – drums
Martyn Moss – bass
Lily Wolter – backing vocals (one night only)
Jack Wolter – backing vocals (one night only)
Seadog setlist:
‘Tidal Wave’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Deadweights’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Waiting For Light’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Old Joe’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Here Nor There’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘How We Lost Our Minds’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Analysis Paralysis’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Tied To A Mast’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Vast Paranoia’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Foolhardy’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
‘Downtime’ (from 2024 ‘Internal Noise’ album)
