Tag: brighton centre

#Review: Bastille @ Brighton Centre, Brighton – 18/04/22

Matt Wright - Muzik SpeaksLeave a comment

facebook_logos_PNG19751.png    ios_homescreen_icon.png   app-icon2.png

On Monday 18th April 2022, Bastille arrived in Brighton for the closing night of their 2022 UK tour, in support of their fourth studio album, Give Me The Future. The night was incredible, with support from BIM and The Native. Here’s what we had to say about the sensational event…

BIM

Following a last-minute line-up change, due to singer, Dylan, being unable to perform, long-time Bastille backing singer, BIM, stepped up to perform as first support of the evening. Whilst she only performed 2 songs, she wowed the audience with her incredibly powerful, and soulful voice. Songs, ‘O.T.R.’ and ‘Cinematic’ both had sexy vibes to them, the latter of which makes references to a selection of films, which BIM invited the audience to guess which ones she was singing about. The singer was candid with the audience about being alone on the stage and asked for the support of the crowd, which they gave readily. A great singer, with some incredibly dynamic vocals – definitely one to look out for.

The Native

This band were an interesting act – they’re clearly young but quite experienced. Unfortunately for the singer, he was having trouble with his guitar which threw him off slightly, however they remained professional throughout the show delivering a flawless performance. That said, they could have used a little more personality, energy and smiles in their stage presence and whilst they have well-written songs, if I’m honest, they were not the most captivating tunes. That aside, they did manage to get the crowd excited for Bastille and their song, ‘In My Mind’ was a real stand-out performance.

Bastille

From the moment the band took to the stage, there was a huge surge of excitement and cheering from the anticipating crowd, particularly when singer, Dan Smith, emerged at the back of the stage, on a high platform in front of a white rectangular backdrop.

From start to finish (of the 100-minute set), this was a truly captivating experience; probably one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen! The production was instantly impressive with a cool stage set-up, that saw crossed-shaped lights dance across and above the stage, whilst a massive stage-wide screen displayed a variety of stunning visuals at the back of the stage, throughout the set.

Much as with their fourth studio album, Give Me The Future, the entire set was broken up by audio-visual interludes that made the whole performance feel as if you were part of a wonderful cyber experience.

The set was packed with an impressive amount of songs and featured both new and old tunes that had the audience singing along with every word! Even some of the deeper cuts from previous albums as well as those from their latest, had the audience ecstatic.

Despite the nearly seamless flow to the set, the band were truly considerate of their crowd too, stopping the performance a couple of times whilst people who had passed out were carefully lifted out of the crowd.

The band were highly energetic and showed off just how refined they have become at performing in a big concert venue. They’re true professionals and giants in their genre, who deserve their every success.

Without a doubt, this band are a phenominal live act to watch and will have you jumping and singing along within seconds of taking to the stage. Whilst this tour may have now drawn to a close, I’m sure the band will be back and touring again, having said they missed performing during the Covid pandemic, and I cannot recommend watching them, highly enough – they will not disappoint!

Highlights:

  • When singer, Dan Smith, jumped off the stage and into the crowd, during the band’s performance of ‘Happier’, it created a massive buzz throughout the audience and had everyone hyped up (watch the video below as I came face-to-face with him in the crowd!)
  • The appreciation for their fans just being there was evident and the love for enabling their latest album to reach Number 1 was felt by all.
  • The diversity of the set was really thrilling, with a combination of new and old, fast and slow songs, meaning the crowd were kept on their toes throughout.
  • The stage design was amazing – it enhanced the performance without detracting from the band themselves in a wonderfully immersive way.
  • ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’, ‘Happier’, ‘Of The Night’, ‘Future Holds’ (due to BIM‘s stunning vocals!) and ‘Pompeii’ were definite highlights of the show.

📷 All of the photos in this post are credited to Michael Hundertmark 📸
Why not give him a follow on Instagram and Twitter or check out his website.

 Setlist

Stay Awake?
Distorted Light Beam*
Things We Lost In The Fire
Laura Palmer
Oblivion
Those Nights
Quarter Past Midnight*
Back To The Future*
Plug In…
WHAT YOU GONNA DO???
survivin’
Good Grief*
Promises
Give Me The Future
4AM
No Bad Days
Happier*
Run Into Trouble*
Of The Night
Future Holds (with BIM)
Pompeii*

Encore
Hope For The Future
Shut Off The Lights (with The Native)

* These songs can be viewed in the YouTube playlist, below.

Finally, I want to say an enormous thank you to Jenny Entwistle from Chuff Media for sorting out this review for us and to Bastille, The Native and BIM for putting on a remarkable event!

Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other live reviews here:

Muzik Speaks Live Reviews

Matt – Muzik Speaks
www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks
www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks

Advertisement

#Review: James Arthur @ Brighton Centre, Brighton – 12/03/22

Matt Wright - Muzik SpeaksLeave a comment

facebook_logos_PNG19751.png    ios_homescreen_icon.png   app-icon2.png

On Saturday 12th March 2022, James Arthur arrived in Brighton to perform an incredible show in support of his latest album, It’ll All Make Sense In The End. With support from Sonia Stein, the evening was one packed with excitement and stunning performances. Here’s what we had to say about the show…

Sonia Stein

Sonia Stein was an interesting performer – she seems to eloquently blend funk and soul with contemporary pop, making for a really interesting sound. Think somewhere along a similar vein to Nao and you’re along the right track. She graced the stage in a bright yellow jacket, accompanied by just two band members, however between them, they produced a fantastically full-on sound. Between songs, she displayed an almost shy demeanour, yet her vocals were powerful, well-controlled and confident. If you’ve not checked her out yet, you can catch her live throughout James Arthur‘s current UK tour, or listen to her recordings on all streaming platforms.

James Arthur

He may have done something amazing simply by winning X Factor in the UK, but James Arthur demonstrated that he is so much more than just a talent show winner at his Brighton Centre show.

The singer/songwriter took to the stage to monumental applause from the packed crowd as he showed off not only his incredible vocals but his great guitar skills too, on opening track, ‘4000 Miles’.

From there, the artist proceeded to wow the audience with a mixture of his well-known hits, old cuts from previous records and some album-tracks from the recently-released, It’ll All Make Sense In The End.

The singer is undoubtedly a true professional, having spent 10 years in the industry, performing countless shows and releasing 4 albums to date, and his show appeared seamless throughout.

One thing that truly stands out in his performances though, is just how incredibly powerful and achingly beautiful his voice is live. Of course this is something you’d expect from having heard his studio recordings but it translates so well to his live performances as he shows off just how technically impressive his voice is…and it’s all done so effortlessly.

James Arthur engages with the crowd well telling little anecdotes here and there but particularly shows his gratitude to the crowd for their decade of support since winning the X Factor and how grateful he is to the show for allowing him to pursue his dreams, before launching in to the incredible single that started it all, ‘Impossible’.

Four albums in and nearly a couple of handfuls of tours down, it’s easy to see why this singer/songwriter has picked up such a fantastic following and just how wonderful his shows are. Whether you know each and every song or are relatively new to his music, I can’t recommend highly enough, seeing him live whenever you get the chance. He will not disappoint.

Highlights:

  • His vocals – I said it earlier, but his voice was truly remarkable – powerful and dynamic; something mesmerising to behold live.
  • The cruel joke he played on the audience by welcoming out Anne-Marie to perform an acoustic rendition of The Greatest Showman cover, ‘Rewrite The Stars’, before admitting she wasn’t actually coming.
  • The renditions of ‘Happy Birthday’ he sung to a couple of members of the crowd were hilarious, particularly when he couldn’t hear the name of one of them and had to keep getting them to repeat their name numerous times.
  • The addition of a section of ‘Ready Or Not’ in the middle of ‘Sermon’ made for a great crowd-pleaser.

📷 All of the photos in this post are credited to Matteo D’Ambrosio 📸
Why not give him a follow on Instagram.

 Setlist

4000 Miles
Medicine*
Sermon (including a snippet of ‘Ready Or Not’)
Falling Like The Stars
September
Can I Be Him
Rewrite The Stars (Acoustic)*
Safe Inside/Empty Space/Emily (Acoustic)
Naked (Acoustic)
Last Of The Whiskey
Always
Sun Comes Up*
Impossible*

Encore
Train Wreck
Lasting Lover*
Say You Won’t Let Go*

* These songs can be viewed in the YouTube playlist, below.

Finally, I want to say a HUGE thanks to Simon Blackmore for arranging this review for me and to both James Arthur and Sonia Stein for putting on such incredible performances.

Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other live reviews here:

Muzik Speaks Live Reviews

Matt – Muzik Speaks
www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks
www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks

#Review: Paloma Faith @ Brighton Centre, Brighton – 16/10/21

Matt Wright - Muzik SpeaksLeave a comment

facebook_logos_PNG19751.png    ios_homescreen_icon.png   app-icon2.png

On Saturday 16th October 2021, Paloma Faith arrived in Brighton to perform a string of her biggest hits, fan favourites and cuts from her latest album, Infinite Things, with support from Josef Salvat. Here’s what we had to say about the show…

Josef Salvat

Josef Salvat is an Australian singer and songwriter, who graced the stage with his wonderfully quirky shirt and trouser combo and thrilled the audience with his unique brand of pop music. The performer had a diverse vocal style and even did a rendition of Rihanna‘s ‘Diamonds’.

Highlight: Closing the set with his latest single, ‘I’m Sorry’, was a brilliant ending to his performance; the song is upbeat and catchy as hell so really worked the crowd up before Paloma Faith.

Paloma Faith

As the lights dimmed, Paloma Faith took to the stage to perform ‘Last Night On Earth’ with an eruption of applause and cheering from the audience. During the first song, she addressed the crowd and spoke about how after the pandemic we should focus on the here and the now as we don’t know what tomorrow might bring; truly meaningful words from the singer-songwriter.

She performed the first song in front of a curtain for the majority of the track before it came down to reveal a rather simplistic stage set (for her). Accompanying her, was a largely female-dominated group of musicians and backing singers; all of whom were incredibly talented in their own right.

Dressed in an edgy, backless leather dress and a vibrant red pixie wig, the singer wowed her crowd with not only her superbly powerful vocals but wonderful anecdotes behind some of her songs and of motherhood and getting older too. She even made reference to her skin’s elasticity having gone and it being perfect in a plane crash to help her land safely.

Paloma‘s set was engaging on an interactive level, as her personality and charisma shone through, plus she packed it full of songs not only from her latest album, Infinite Things, but a massive selection of fan favourites and huge hits were spread across the duration of the show too.

At one point, she tells the crowd that her latest album is her favourite as it’s more personal than others she’s put out and reveals it’s probably the only one she’s released that she’d actually buy herself. That said, she knows how to have fun with a lot of her older material too, stunning the audience with cuts all the way back to her first album.

She even performs a cover of Chaka Khan‘s ‘I’m Every Woman’ and tells us how she was once invited to share the stage with the iconic singer but knew none of the words, bring her to face her fears and perform the song herself.

The great thing is that from about half way through the set, no one is sitting down any longer as the singer encourages everyone to get up and dance and you can see people are truly living in the moment.

Paloma is a character, that’s for sure, but her powerful voice only adds to the enjoyment of the show. She is someone who needs to be seen live as she not only knows how to put on an incredible show, but she will have you singing and dancing in no time. If you haven’t caught her on this tour, then grab yourself some tickets for her 2022 tour, ‘Age of Optimism Tour’.

Highlights:

  • The between-song interactions with the audience were wonderful; they were genuine and truly witty, making the crowd feel closer to her as a person.
  • Getting everyone out of their seats and on their feet and dancing made for a great experience.
  • ‘Gold’, Crybaby’, ‘Picking Up The Pieces’, ‘Changing’ and ‘Lullaby’ were definitely some of the highlights from the set.

📷 All of the photos in this post are credited to Michael Hundertmark 📸
Why not give him a follow on Instagram and Twitter or check out his website.

 Setlist

Last Night On Earth
Gold*
Crybaby
Infinite Things
Guilty
Beautiful & Damned
If Loving You Was Easy (with Josef Salvat)
Stone Cold Sober / Stargazer / 30 Minute Love Affair / New York / Upside Down
Picking Up The Pieces*
Monster
Can’t Rely On You
I’m Every Woman (Chaka Khan Cover)*
Changing*
If This Is Goodbye

Encore
Better Than This
Lullaby*
Only Love Can Hurt Like This

* These songs can be viewed in the YouTube playlist, below.

Finally, I want to say a MASSIVE thanks to Warren from Chuff Media for sorting out this review for me.

Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other live reviews here:

Muzik Speaks Live Reviews

Matt – Muzik Speaks
www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks
www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks

#Review: Snow Patrol @ Brighton Centre, Brighton – 24/11/19

Matt Wright - Muzik SpeaksLeave a comment

facebook_logos_PNG19751.png    ios_homescreen_icon.png   app-icon2.png

On Sunday 24th November 2019, Snow Patrol arrived in Brighton to perform a wonderful show at Brighton Centre, on their Reworked Tour. Due to performing two sets, the band opted to have no support act. Here’s what we had to say about the show…

Snow Patrol

As a way of celebrating 25 years of Snow Patrol, the band recently recorded new versions of some of their biggest tracks, on their latest record, Reworked. To accompany the new release and further celebrate their milestone anniversary, the band embarked on the Reworked Tour, stopping for a date in Brighton.

The set was split into two halves – the first with a mellow, stripped-back ambience whilst following a short interval, the second half picked up the pace with a more full-on, upbeat vibe. However, throughout both sets, the band stuck with the “reworked” style, breathing new life into some of their best-loved hits and deepest cuts from their back catalogue.

What actually made the night even more special, was the fact that quite a few of the “reworked” versions of the songs they performed, were not even on the new album (Reworked), so just by being at a show on this tour. you get to experience something very special – these one-off gems may never be heard performed or recorded in the same way again.

The audience diversity at a Snow Patrol show is very interesting too – whilst there are typically middle-aged listeners who have undoubtedly followed the length of the band’s career to date, there are also children being accompanied by their parents, equally pouring their lyrics back to them. It’s quite bewitching to see such a range of fans, across a few generations, and is testament to the timelessness of the band’s work. That, and/or perhaps the newer versions of the band’s back catalogue have picked up a new generation of fans on the way. Either way, they are a band that can be enjoyed by everyone.

The effort and craftsmanship that went into the band’s performance was a wonderful experience and whilst they could easily sell out huge arenas, it was nice to see them playing the smaller scale of (still) big venues without compromising the quality and production of the show. The addition of both string and brass sections as well as an additional percussionist to the lineup, really added an interesting new depth to the songs too.

If you haven’t had the chance yet, there are only a handful of shows left on this incredible tour, to experience this unique take on the band’s long-standing career and I would highly recommend trying to catch one of them, if you can.

Highlights:

  • The banter between songs from Gary Lightbody was pretty dry, honest and hysterical. One of the best moments was during the start of ‘Run’ when someone screamed, “I love you,”, completely throwing him off by making him laugh. He then restarted the song but not before telling a witty anecdote about how he once ruined a television performance of the song, after which one person on Twitter had a go at him for, for “ruining Leona Lewis’ song.”
  • The addition of string and horn sections as well as a percussionist really added an interesting depth to the performance. Furthermore, having the two main producers of Reworked performing on the tour with them was quite a unique idea too.
  • Gary Lightbody took time to introduce all of the various extra instrumentalists on the stage with him, really showing his gratitude for their skills and performances with the band.
  • The energy and new life to the band’s back catalogue of songs was invigorating to watch, demonstrating that even after 25 years, this band are still enjoying performing to audiences…and still have so much to give!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

📷 All of the photos are credited to Michael Hundertmark 📸
Why not give him a follow on Instagram and Twitter or check out his website.

 Setlist

First Set
You’re All I Have*
New York
You Could Be Happy
Warmer Climate
I Think Of Home
Crack The Shutters
Lifening
Take Back The City

Second Set
Spitting Games*
Chocolate
A Dark Switch
Run
Heal Me
Set The Fire To The Third Bar*
Empress
Called Out In The Dark
Shut Your Eyes
Chasing Cars
Open Your Eyes

Encore
What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?
Just Say Yes

* These songs can be viewed in the YouTube playlist, below.

Finally, I want to say a HUGE thanks to Warren Higgins and Charleigh Egan from Chuff Media for sorting out this review and to Snow Patrol themselves for putting on such a remarkable show.

Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other live reviews here:

Muzik Speaks Live Reviews

Matt – Muzik Speaks
www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks
www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks

#MuzikSpeaks: An Interview with Johnny Lloyd

Matt Wright - Muzik SpeaksLeave a comment

   

facebook-like

Instagram

I recently caught up with Johnny Lloyd backstage at his first date, as a support, on the Tom Odell tour. We didn’t get long to chat, but we made the most of the time, talking about what he’s been watching and listening to most recently, how he found performing to such a big crowd and of course played ‘Would You Rather…?’

Check out it all out below…

Johnny Lloyd backstage at The Brighton Centre
Johnny Lloyd backstage at The Brighton Centre

These photos were taken by Elliot McRae.
Go and give him a follow – @EMcraePhoto

Johnny Lloyd‘s releases are all available:

  • To purchase on iTunes – Johnny Lloyd
  • To listen to on Spotify –

Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other interviews here:

Muzik Speaks Interviews

#EventSpeaks: Tom Odell @ The Brighton Centre, Brighton – 04/11/16

Matt Wright - Muzik Speaks2 Comments

Like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks)

Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks)

On Friday 4th November 2016, Tom Odell came to Brighton to perform at The Brighton Centre with support from indie singer Johnny Lloyd and soulful soundhouse Rag’n’Bone Man.

Johnny Lloyd

Johnny Lloyd was the lead singer of a band called Tribes for 3-4 years but since the band split in 2013, has gone solo. He released his EP, Dreamland, back in June this year and is doing a string of support slots on a variety of tours, to promote it. This was his first night on Tom Odell‘s tour and he was clearly pleased to be there.

He performed all of the songs from his EP, but in particular, ‘Pilgrims‘ stood out for me – it was a point in the set that got the audience moving – it has a very funky groove to it with it’s guitar sounds hooking you in; it’s clear to see why this was released as a single. The band were fantastic too – I particularly liked the addition of a female bassist – her voice harmonised beautifully with Johnny‘s. If you haven’t already, try to catch Johnny Lloyd on one of his upcoming tour dates with The Fratellis.

johnny-lloyd3

Rag’n’Bone Man

Unfortunately I missed a significant amount of Rag’n’Bone Man‘s set as I was off interviewing Johnny Lloyd, however I caught the last 3 songs or so and he was awesome! His voice is so soulful and unique that it offers a certain wisdom and story-like quality, like no other voice I’ve heard. The few songs I did catch were fantastic – they had good beats to them and were made even more interesting with the use of synths/pads, all topped off with Rag’n’Bone Man‘s powerfully melancholic voice. He’s definitely an artist I’ll be keeping an ear out for!

Rag'n'Bone Man2.JPG

Tom Odell

Tom Odell began his performance 15 minutes late, but took to the stage, in a single spotlight, to explain that his drummer had dislocated his arm just a few minutes prior, so they were trying to work out who’d replace him. Thankfully, his drum technician, Graham, was able to step in to raucus applause from the audience. For the rest of the show, there were occasional chants for Graham, and Tom kept thanking him for stepping in to save the show.

The concert was fantastic; Tom Odell showed that his voice is incredibly dynamic and powerful, in equal measure and he has the audience in the palm of his hand. Everyone was singing along to every word, whether it was a single or an album track.

His stage design was simple but effective – he had a projected image, at times, of a cheetah on the back of the stage. His selection of band members was interesting too – obviously he had the usual; a guitarist, drummer and bassist, but I loved the addition of a backing singer (who had a stunning voice) and a percussionist – it added a nice depth to the performance.

One thing is clear, he likes to bring a song to an almost-finish before bringing it back to life, for a second round – he did this on several occasions. However, he clearly knows what he wants to do, as he’d often go round and talk to the band members whilst they were playing (presumably to tell them how long to keep looping sections), so he could maximise on crowd interaction and keep them on the edge of their seat for what he’d do next. He was a really brilliant performer though!

Highlights:

  • I loved it when he lept on top of his piano at one point during a powerful instrumental section of a song – it showed his passion for the music.
  • The impressive vocal range he showed off during quieter sections of the songs.
  • His ability to almost end a song, taking it right down to the quietest point, but then bringing it back into a chaotic but intense instrumental, giving it a second round.
  • When Tom came off the front of the stage, up to the front of the audience – great fan interaction!
  • “Graham! Graham! Graham!” – Graham saving the show and doing a sterling job!
  • His piano playing was amazing and the song he dedicated to his nan (for paying for his piano lessons) was beautiful.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 Setlist

Still Getting Used to Being on My Own
I Know
Wrong Crowd
Concrete
Can’t Pretend
Sparrow
Here I Am
Heal
Constellations
Grow Old With Me
Hold Me
Another Love

Encore
Till I Lost
Somehow
Magnetised

Finally, I want to say a great big thanks to Thom for setting up this review and organising an interview with Johnny Lloyd (coming soon) and to Tom Odell for his awesome performance – what a great event!

Matt – Muzik Speaks
www.facebook.com/muzikspeaks
www.twitter.com/muzik_speaks

#EventSpeaks: McBusted @ Brighton Centre, Brighton

Matt Wright - Muzik SpeaksLeave a comment

I went to see McBusted perform at Brighton Centre on 7th April 2015 and they were phenomenal!

They were supported by American band Symmetry and UK band New City Kings. Symmetry were decent however quite generic emo-pop with a high-pitched vocalist, while New City Kings were more alternative rock with well-crafted songs.

The highlights of the show had to be; Dougie jumping on Matt’s back and playing Matt’s bass while clinging onto him; Danny picking up a huge bra and holding it to his chest saying, “massive”; James riding a bicycle around the stage; the harmonies they performed during an instrumental break in Air Hostess; James’ use of an auto-tune microphone for Riding On My Bike, but afterwards stating “this thing makes singing so easy,” before breaking into some choruses of songs like Cher’s Believe, Usher’s OMG and Eiffel 65’s Blue (Da Ba Dee) and the fact that their stage was massive, working computer game!!! Also their stage presence was fantastic and the chemistry between them made it all the more enjoyable!

The show began with McBusted’s first single, Air Guitar, which started with a superb entrance (see below)!

McBusted – Air

They then performed several Busted and McFly hits before performing a standout track from their debut album (McBusted), What Happened To Your Band? – this song particularly stands out due to their fantastic harmonising at the end of the song.

McBusted – What Happened To Your Band?

Another highlight of the show had to be their hilarious introduction to Busted’s Crashed The Wedding, as they came out like a wedding procession…naturally Matt Willis was marrying Dougie Poynter!

McBusted – Crashed The Wedding

Finally, one of their other, most memorable songs of the evening (and clearly a crowd-pleaser due to the audience’s immense reaction) was Busted hit, Air Hostess.

McBusted – Air Hostess

The complete setlist for McBusted’s Most Excellent Adventure Tour (MEAT) included:
(Denotes who the original version is by:  McBusted  Busted  McFly)

  1. Air Guitar
  2. Hate Your Guts
  3. One For The Radio
  4. Thunderbirds Are Go
  5. Get Over It
  6. You Said No
  7. 3AM
  8. What Happened To Your Band?
  9. Air Hostess
  10. What I Go To School For
  11. Obviously
  12. Beautiful Girls Are The Loneliest
  13. Crashed The Wedding
  14. Riding On My Bike
  15. All About You
  16. Star Girl

Encore

  1. 5 Colours In Her Hair
  2. Shine A Light
  3. Year 3000

If you ever get the chance to see McBusted live, take it! They put their utmost energy into the performances and their stage banter and antics is hilarious; they’re highly recommended!

Matt – Muzik Speaks