THE STEALERS + BACCI POUCH + SHADY BABY – DALTONS, BRIGHTON 8.12.24
This evening is the debut ‘Slack Sunday’ event put on by Slack City Radio’s ‘Vince & Jo have a Radio Show’, and what better setting than at Daltons on Brighton Beach. Whilst Vince & Jo have had bands on their show for acoustic sessions, the aim of these nights is to capture the full live sound of local bands and have these sessions played out on the radio at a later date. Unbelievably it was only £3.00 a ticket, yes, that’s right just three pounds, that’s a pound per band, or three bands for less than half a pint if we are measuring it in booze, not only that, we are talking quality solid local bands here too. Despite the weather, there was a good appreciative crowd in attendance to witness the start of something special.
Shady Baby – 7:00pm
Now Shady Baby are a band I’ve been following and I try to see whenever possible, ever since summer 2022 when I first stumbled upon them at the Green Door Store and was blown away, admittedly this past year they seem to have been rather quiet, but we have had two single releases and shows in the latter half of the year at the Green Door, Rossi Bar and at The Hope & Ruin, followed by a couple of festival appearances before going quiet again. It was actually their posting that they were playing this evening that sparked my excitement and prompt purchase of a ticket.
As the band took to stage, what took me by surprise was the change of lineup in personnel. We of course still have vocalist and guitarist Sam Leaver leading the charge and admittedly the band had a short spell dropping down to a three piece earlier in the year until Sam Dembo, who also plays with Comforts joined the band in the late summer taking over bass duty, but perhaps the “new beginnings” post on social media in October was the signal for new additions James Devine on drums and Jay Anderson on guitar to join the band returning them to a four piece. I can say I’ve enjoyed seeing them as a three and four piece, but I am glad they are back to four, that extra layer of guitar really adds the icing to the cake for me. So without further ado let’s get into how things went down.
At 7pm on the dot the band were given the go ahead from the sound desk to take it away, and take it away they did with a strong 35 minute set of 8 songs, having taken a quick look at the setlist during the set up, I recognised most of the songs, but again it looked like there were some new treats to be shared. Starting us off with no introduction was their 2022 double A side single ‘Lonely Town’ a banger of a tune and always a staple of their sets; it garnered a loud applause from the crowd.
The band kept the drums shimmering and guitars humming whilst Sam Leaver switched over his guitar before breaking into their recent 2024 summer single ‘Feel It’, another solid song that builds and builds, plenty of loud frenzied guitar on this one.
Sam Leaver looked up for the first time to address the crowd, as a lead vocalist he often is very much deep in the zone with his eyes closed when singing and working that guitar. “Thank you, we’re Shady Baby, this is a new one called ‘Surrender’”, this one certainly felt different to their previous releases, it felt like a maturing of the Shady Baby sound, or perhaps evolving is a better word for it, a slightly slower pace, with Sam Dembo adding backing vocals.
‘Come To Life’ the 2022 double A side single ‘Come To Life’/’Lonely Town’ came next, yet another massive crowd pleaser of a song, awesome guitar riff, a song that carries a huge power punch of energy, I could listen to this one over and over I love it. The band were far more animated during this one, James was properly crashing those cymbals,
Sam thanked the crowd for coming down early and told us how it was a pleasure for them to be here playing for Vince & Jo’s first ever ‘Slack Sunday’, which led us into ‘All Too Late’ a single from December 2023. Another fine lively number, the blend of the guitars and thundering drums is just divine.
Switching his guitars again, Sam asked the crowd if we could all hear a low humming noise, to which we all agreed we could, to be honest I had thought that was deliberate to keep the ambience going between songs, he asked the sound tech if there was anything that could be done about it, the response was it was coming from the stage right guitar, prompting a technical reply, to which Sam asked what can we do about it to which the slightly sarcastic reply was “you could check your pedal boards to eliminate any issues before coming to a show” prompting some “ooooooohs” from the crowd, further tech talk continued, but it was not solvable so the band played on. Next was a new song, only recorded recently and should be out early next year, it was called ‘Under Duress’ , again this one much like the ‘Surrender’, has a new vibe for the band going with it, far more mellow, but it still has some of those trademark Shady Baby guitar riffs and licks throughout, I liked it.
Next we had the bands most recent single ‘Held In’, this was released back in October, a great strong song, one that KEXP radio liked so much they played it twice in a row on their morning show, which then prompted an invite for the band to play out in New York next March. Again it’s been a staple of their sets for some time, so I’m glad it is now officially out there in the open. Some beautiful bass work from Sam Dembo on this one. The final song of the set was ‘Let It Slide’, one more gorgeous slice of guitar heaven and a great end to a brilliant set.
Earlier in the year when I spoke with the band, I was told a new EP was being put together, however speaking with Sam this evening; it seems that has now been scrapped in favour of new material, which will be put out as singles once ready. It’s an exciting time for the band; it feels that after their recent hibernation they are now coming back to life. The new band line up have really gelled well together, I think tonight possibly was the first time they’ve played together, it did feel slightly different from the previous times I’d seen them, possibly it was that unwanted low hum throughout and obviously the new members will have their own unique traits so are going to differ, but it really does feel like a new chapter is just starting, the USA show next year is a big step and hopefully some more single releases. They are definitely a band to watch. You can catch them next at The Hope & Ruin on 29th January 2025 as part of one of the ‘Hidden Herd’ evenings. Purchase your tickets HERE.
Shady Baby:
Sam Leaver – vocals, guitar
James Devine – drums
Jay Anderson – guitar
Sam Dembo – bass
Shady Baby setlist:
‘Lonely Town’ (from 2022 ‘Come To Life’/’Lonely Town’ double A side single)
‘Feel It’ (a single 2024 single)
‘Surrender’ (unreleased)
‘Come To Life’ (from 2022 ‘Come To Life’/’Lonely Town’ double A side single)
‘All Too Late’ (a December 2023 single)
‘Under Duress’ (unreleased)
‘Held In’ (a October 2024 single)
‘Let It Slide’ (unreleased)
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
Bacci Pouch – 8:00pm
I first came across Bacci Pouch on 6th June this year when they were performing at the Green Door Store along with Aerial Salad and Play Dead. I concluded that evening’s review on Bacci Pouch by saying “Tonight was my first encounter with the band and their set was all hits and no misses and I’m desperate to see them play live again! Their 31 minute set concluded at 8:34pm and yep I had decided that Bacci Pouch had crash landed into my Top 5 Brighton bands list! Great work fellas!”. Thankfully I did see them again, this time around they were here at Daltons on 19th July and it was a headlining gig as well. I ended that night’s review by stating “Great work fellas…when’s the next gig?”.
It’s taken me a whole five months to next catch this unsigned Brighton band. They are a trio who comprise of James Neighbour (guitar and lead vocals), Sam Raymer (bass guitar and vocals) and Charlie Heasman (drums). Thus far they have released a trio of really excellent singles, these being November 2023’s ‘Learn To Love’, this April’s ‘When The Lights Come On’ and last month’s ‘Normal People’. They also have a track on the new ‘Small Pond Presents: Emerging Vol IV’ 16-track double vinyl compilation album, this tune being ‘It Ain’t Pretty’ which is a rather decent sub-three minute earworm.
This evening the trio performed ten numbers for us and James’ tool of the trade is a Epiphone Les Paul guitar, Sam prefers a Squier Jaguar bass, and Charlie is seated behind the drumkit. They commence the set with their warm-up intro ‘Instrumental’ number. They get going in earnest when they segue straight into the following track, which is currently unreleased and its title is ‘Dilute’ and boy does it sound like Buzzcocks. There’s a surprise in store for those who have not yet seen Bacci Pouch in action, with the arrival of their unique rocked-up version of the famous Brighton resident anthem, namely Fatboy Slim’s ‘The Rockafeller Skank’, but these guys have christened their version ‘Rockafella’ and it’s delivered via a joint vocal version.
Selection four is currently unreleased, but I wish it wasn’t! It’s called ‘Running Around’ and from the very start, Charlie makes the drums sound just like Sham 69’s ‘If The Kids Are United’, and then there’s a nod in the beat to the “Beware; Little one knowledge; Inside; You seem to acknowledge” beginning of the Skids’ ‘Of One Skin’ from their 1978 ‘Wide Open’ EP. Then James’ vocals kick in and they could easily be the same as Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto’s from the Buzzcocks ‘Spiral Scratch’ EP. Another yet to be recorded track is served next, this is ‘Someone Else’s Clothes’ which has a slow guitar intro before the beats kick in, and ends with a reverse quiet outro. This is arguably their most melodic number as quite possibly their least immediate tune.
‘Learn To Love’ is the lads next choice and this was their debut single. This whizzes along rather nicely with a shared vocal delivery. The final unreleased song is played next, this being ‘By My Side’ which has a wonderful pop punk vibe, just like a majority of Bacci Pouch material and this one reminded me of the long-forgotten Northern Irish outfit The Moondogs. James then informs us that they are going to play their recent single, this was ‘Normal People’ which benefited from a catchy opening riff plus kick drum and cymbal action to start with, before then exploding into action. Again this sounds very much like The Moondogs and a great selection for a single, whether it be in 2025 or back in 1978. At this point in proceedings, this is the choice cut of the set.
The penultimate song of their set this evening was ‘It Ain’t Pretty’, which is the one that can be found on the recent ‘Small Pond Presents: Emerging Vol IV’ compilation album and this is honestly equally as good as the previous song. It’s a catchy earworm monster which more than any others recalled memories of bands on the Good Vibrations Belfast label including The Undertones (‘Teenage Kicks’), Rudi, Outcasts, Protex and The Moondogs. The trio finished off with 2024 single ‘When The Lights Come On’, which has the sound of Rudi’s guitar and bass combo intro and a very catchy lyrical content and delivery. Bacci Pouch are purveyors of 3 minute pop punk gems. Go see them! “Back-Key Pouch, Back-Key Pouch”.
Bacci Pouch:
James Neighbour – vocals, guitar
Sam Raymer – bass
Charlie Heasman – drums
Bacci Pouch setlist:
‘Instrumental’ (unreleased)
‘Dilute’ (unreleased)
‘Rockafella’ (cover of Fatboy Slim’s ‘The Rockafeller Skank’)
‘Running Around’ (unreleased)
‘Someone Else’s Clothes’ (unreleased)
‘Learn To Love’ (a 2023 single)
‘By My Side’ (unreleased)
‘Normal People’ (a 2024 single)
‘It Ain’t Pretty’ (from 2024 ‘Small Pond Presents: Emerging Vol IV’ compilation album)
‘When The Lights Come On’ (a 2024 single)
(Nick Linazasoro)
The Stealers – 9:00pm
Our headline band this evening are The Stealers, formed of a trio of pals Noah Longhurst on drums, Junior Vieira-Dawes on bass and last but not least George Hart on lead vocals and guitar. All are from Brighton and they formed The Stealers five years back in 2019. Their sound is of an excellent punk rock / post punk flavour. I caught the band before at The Old Market in 2022 when they were first on the bill and remember that they were full of energy, especially drummer Noah who I recall jumping down from his drum kit, running into the crowd and getting everyone to crouch down and create circle pits, so am looking forward to see how things have progressed since then.
Everything was running on time this evening, so a shout out goes to the sound tech for keeping the house in order, at 9pm on the nose, the band struck up a short instrumental intro before drummer Noah Longhurst led us with the drums into ‘I Don’t Mind’ from the 2024 EP ‘Same Old Ways’ an excellent fast and lively welcome to the set.
“How we doing? Good?” asked lead vocalist and guitarist George Hart, before taking us into ‘Found My Calling’ from the band’s 2023 EP ‘Some Kind Of Way’. I really liked this one; it felt quite Queens of the Stone Age, lush guitar from George contrasting with his cool calm vocals, Noah pounding those drums and bass player Junior Vieira-Dawes clearly really enjoying himself. He wasn’t the only one; the crowd were loving it including 3 members of Shady Baby sitting in a row on a bench to the side of the stage who were all nodding their heads in unison throughout the track.
Junior joked with the crowd “Oh Yes, Oh Yes, it’s been a long time since we played Brighton, since August, far too long for us, so long in fact we forgotten how to play half of these songs, but we thought we’d learn them all especially for you Vince what with it being Vince & Joe’s first ever Slack Sunday”. Pointing to Vince & Jo, Vince who himself was wearing a The Stealers T-shirt.
The 2023 single ‘Your Money Your Time’ came next, a very strong song indeed, really meaty. The 3 of them really do make some great loud head banging noise, this one had some hints of Rage Against the Machine about it, particularly with Junior chorus singing at the end, he declared they normally play that one at the end of the set, but are switching it all up tonight. He joked they put all the songs in a spinning wheel on line and this one came up third so why not.
Noah took to the microphone to tell us they “had not played the next song for a long time, but are going to dedicate to Vince and Jo, but do stick with us as it has been a long time”. Vince shouted out if it’s ‘Five’ Jo will shit her pants prompting Jo to tell Vince to Shut up. It was not ‘Five’, but it was ‘Delirious’ another from 2023’s EP ‘Some Kind Of Way’, a lovely bass line ran through this one, quite a punky feel too.
“That felt good, really good, didn’t it” Junior asked the crowd, before spotting Vince walking away past the stage prompting him to jokingly question “Where are you going Vince?” “Off to the toilets, don’t start without me” Vince joked back The next song was from their most recent EP ‘Same Old Ways’ called ‘Meant To Be’, it had a lovely guitar riff from George throughout and some rather Gary Numan’esq synth playing from somewhere, a proper banger of a tune.
It’s the first EVER ‘Slack Sunday’ Junior re-iterated to the crowd, before thanking all of the bands and Vince and Jo, he also name checked his dad who had driven down on his birthday, saying it felt like a party tonight. Noah then introduced the next song ‘Ain’t The Same’ another from the 2024 EP ‘Same Old Ways’. This one also had some of that invisible synth playing which really complemented the bass line and massively catchy guitar rhythm, quite possibly this was a contender for my favourite track of the set.
‘Some Kind Of Way’ from 2023’s ‘Some Kind Of Way’ EP came next, this one reminded me a little of the band Bodega, fast paced, with more shouted spoken vocals rather melodic singing, at the end Junior asked the crowd “to give it up for our little drummer boy Noah” adding he’s alright when he’s not having a tantrum, and boy o boy he deserved a shout out for the drumming during that song, relentless energy for sure.
Jo then came up on stage, thanking everyone for coming up on their first night and making it so special. Next came the first song they released as a three piece band, the 2022 single ‘She Said’, this one took George’s vocals back to the more softer melodic style, but the energy in those drums and guitars is nothing but invigorating.
Junior then said George was “so humble, he is one of the best guitarists out there, but when complimented he will just say cheers”. Noah checked in with the crowd eliciting replies and responses as he pointed around before giving a shout out to his brother watching from the back before telling us it was a ‘new song’, prompting Vince to shout “don’t f*ck it up”. This one had the synth back, George’s guitar sound had quite the American vibe to it, it reminded me of Jon Bon Jovi’s ‘Young Guns II’ soundtrack. Again this whole track was something very different to the rest of the set so far. I really loved it.
As soon as it finished, both Noah and Junior dropped everything and bolted away from the stage around the back. George moved over to turn off the synth/drum machine or whatever it was that was still playing, but by the time he got back to his position, it started again, prompting him to call out for Noah to come back and turn it off, to which he did before legging it away once more.
George played a guitar solo before Junior and Noah re-appeared, both now dressed in festive gear, Noah as Santa’s Elf and Junior as Father Christmas garnering a huge cheer from the crowd before they broke into guitar heavy covers of East 17’s ‘Stay Another Day’ and ‘Feliz Navidad’. It was a lovely touch, I am smiling now even as I type this up, something extra special for this big first night. As they finished Junior said “Oh, this outfit, I’ve never sweated this much in my life” Jo cheekily shouted out “Liar”. “I don’t know what you are talking about” he replied, as he pulled off his beard, prompting someone to shout “oh it’s you” to much laughter.
There was then some banter about the next song being called ‘George’s Kitchen Song’ as that was where it was written but it was ‘Same Old Ways’ from the 2024 ‘Same Old Ways’ EP.
The final song of the evening was ‘Last Train’ from 2023’s ‘Some Kind Of Way’ EP, a brilliant closer to the set, with Noah standing behind his drums encouraging us all to give it up for George before ending with some bloody awesome drumming solos, what a finish indeed.
Tonight we got an energetic 12 song, 53 minute set from The Stealers and by heck they have come on leaps and bounds since I first saw them in 2022, they are incredibly tight, exceptional musicians, properly beating their respective instruments. Back in 2022 I felt they were quite a rough and ready garage band, but this set really blew me away. Why have I not caught them over the past two years, I feel like I’ve really missed out! I loved their varied styles throughout the songs, each bringing something different, but at the same time clean, crisp and loud, oozing with energy, all three of them very clearly happy and having fun, enjoying the evening and each chipping in with banter and chat, what a start to these ‘Slack Sunday’ events.
The Stealers:
George Hart – lead vocals, guitar
Noah Longhurst – drums
Junior Vieira-Dawes – bass
The Stealers Setlist:
‘I Don’t Mind’ (from 2024 ‘Same Old Ways’ EP)
‘Found My Calling’ (from 2023 ‘Some Kind Of Way’ EP)
‘Your Money Your Time’ (a 2023 single)
‘Delirious’ (from 2023 ‘Some Kind Of Way’ EP)
‘Meant To Be’ (from 2024 ‘Same Old Ways’ EP)
‘Ain’t The Same’ (from 2024 ‘Same Old Ways’ EP)
‘Some Kind Of Way’ (from 2023 ‘Some Kind Of Way’ EP)
‘She Said’ (a 2022 single)
“New Untitled Song” (unreleased)
‘Stay Another Day’ (East 17 cover) / ‘Feliz Navidad’ (Jose Feliciano cover)
‘Same Old Ways’ (from 2024 ‘Same Old Ways’ EP)
‘Last Train’ (from 2023 ‘Some Kind Of Way’ EP)
(Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
The planning for the second ‘Slack Sunday’ is under way for early February with some decent names being bandied about. Keep an eye out for an announcement on that one by visiting HERE.
