Tag: live show

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

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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
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#EventSpeaks: LAUREL @ The Hope & Ruin, Brighton – 01/10/18

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On Monday 1st October 2018, LAUREL came to Brighton in support of her debut album, Dogviolet (check out our review here). Since her last, solo performance in Brighton, the songwriter returned with a full band to delight her audience with offerings from her recent record. She was supported by Another Sky and her guitarist, Polly Money.

Polly Money

It always amazes me how someone with just an electric guitar and their voice can produce such a big sound but Polly Money certainly achieved this with her performance. Just funky guitar riffs and her sugary-sweet vocal (somewhat similar to that of Leah McFall or NAO), wowed the audience. A very humble performance with some lovely melodies.

Polly Money Instagram

Another Sky

This band truly blew me away (and I believe the rest of the audience too!) – they have an incredibly full-on sound with excellent use of backing tracks as well as their live instruments. Each song of theirs was pretty unique – for example, the opening to their set was ambient and airy whilst their next song brought about a huge wave of excitement due to its intensity and just how tight their performance was. The vocalist’s voice is incredibly diverse, whilst mainly quite low-pitched, is capable of a wide range. The guitarist had some funky little moves too. Another Sky are definitely going to be a band to watch out for, and certainly recommend catching them live!

Highlight: The biggest highlight, was this one note the vocalist did, towards the end of one of their songs; it was so loud, high-pitched and perfect that it was all-consuming. It sent shivers down my back.

LAUREL

Having seen LAUREL play a solo set at The Green Door Store (review here) back in 2016, it was amazing to watch her performing with a full band. Although it was a relatively short set, it was amazing to see her playing songs from Dogviolet, with a full sound.

Some of the best songs were: ‘All Star’ for its wonderful guitar riff; ‘Lovesick’, which is just a catchy track to get the audience going, ‘Sun King’ which was beautifully intimate – just LAUREL with an acoustic guitar and ‘Life Worth Living’ – it’s just a downright tune!

Of course I won’t be the first person to say it, but there are great similarities between LAUREL and Lana Del Rey, however there is something much more vulnerable about LAUREL and it feels like she has more integrity about her.

It was also interesting to find out that she has recently released a book called, The Mutterings of a Laurel, which is a journal she kept during the writing and recording of Dogviolet – definitely worth checking out.

Having seen LAUREL perform twice now, I can assure you that she puts on a show you don’t want to miss. You really need to catch her now before she’s selling out bigger shows, especially since she just filmed her appearance for Later… with Jools Holland the morning of the Brighton show…sounds like the start of something big for this little star.

Highlights:

  • LAUREL is a very humble artist with an endearing awkwardness about her audience interaction, you can’t help but love.
  • The hilarious names she has for her guitars, which her manager proudly embarrassed her by announcing. It’s not my place to share them, but go see her live and you might find them out! 😂
  • Her ability to perform songs with such passion that you are drawn in by her every word – she’s a real star.

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Setlist

All Star
Lovesick
Hold Tight
Sun King (Solo Acoustic)
Same Mistakes
South Coast
Adored
Blue Blood
Life Worth Living*

* This song can be viewed in the YouTube video, below.

Finally, I want to say a big thanks to Chris (LAUREL’s manager) and Henry (in LAUREL’s PR team) for enabling this review to happen. A big thanks also to Polly Money, Another Sky and LAUREL herself, for putting on such an incredible, intimate show.

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

Muzik Speaks Live Reviews

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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#EventSpeaks: Careless Sons @ The Prince Albert, Brighton – 08/04/16

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In support of their new EP, Heartbreak Major, Careless Sons came to Brighton to play a show at The Prince Albert in Brighton, with support from Hickory Signals and The Wondersmiths.

Hickory Signals

Hickory Signals are a Brighton-based duo consisting of Laura Ward and Adam Ronchetti. The pair are an incredibly talented, multi-instrumentalist folk act. The singer, Laura has a very powerful voice which she uses to belt out some incredibly hard-hitting notes. She also played the flute and used a little box which emulates the sounds of the Indian sitar (I think!). Meanwhile, Adam sat on top of a cajon, tapped a tambourine with his foot and played the guitar, all at the same time. Some of their songs consisted of poetry which they had put to music, old Irish folk songs and original tracks. They were a marvel to behold and I thoroughly enjoyed it – they’re not my usual cup of tea, but they certainly won me over!

Highlights: The way some of their songs start off low-key and calm and ramp up to an energetic, entrancing crescendo. I personally liked their original track, ‘Take The Window’ best!

The Wondersmiths

Next up were The Wondersmiths; I’ll be honest, I started off definitely not a fan – there was an air of arrogance about this band’s frontman which made me feel slightly scathing towards them, however as the set went on, I actually found it rather endearing and was most definitely entertained by them! Apparently one of their songs was recently featured on This Morning too.

Chris Horncastle (the lead singer) was actually quite comedic and certainly put a lot of energy into the performance, at times jumping into the crowd to get them singing along. The bassist was in fact a stand-in (due to their bassist having an injury) and for only 2 weeks practise in the band, you wouldn’t have known at all! Some of the harmonies provided by the guitarist and keys players were phenomenal too!

I have to say, this band have something unique going on and if you’re into electro-indie music, they’re definitely the band for you.

Highlights: The energy this band put into their performance is commendable and their harmonies were tight! I liked the fact that they got the audience involved too.

Careless Sons

Careless Sons were the headline act and were playing in support of their upcoming EP release, Heartbreak Major. I have only recently discovered the band, after they gave us a follow on Twitter and subsequently managed to get myself invited to their Brighton show.

I was rather impressed by them as they have really honed their skills pretty perfectly – their sound is incredibly tight and they play their instruments with precision timing. They have all the makings of a very successful act!

The harmonies offered by the band were great and it was refreshing to see that while there is clearly a lead singer, the guitarist and bassist took their turn at lead vocals on some songs too. There are some great songs which have been written by the band and it is clear that they must’ve spent quite a long time crafting their sound. While it might not be everyone’s cuppa tea, their abilities and dedication to their art should be admired and if you’re an indie-rock lover, then these guys will definitely be up your alley!

There were a range of dedicated fans and newcomers to the band at the show and it appeared to be enjoyed by all. The guys were all very friendly and made sure to stick around both before and after the show to chat to people. What a great bunch of guys putting on a great evening!

Highlights:

  • High energy in some of their songs.
  • Sharing of lead vocals across several members of the band.
  • The perfect timing with which the members play their instruments.
  • Great vocal harmonies.
  • Clear conviction about what they play.

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All of the great photos in this post are credited to Elliot McRae.
Go and give him a follow – @EMcraePhoto

 Setlist

Don’t Make Me Do This Again*
Up To My Eyes
GBH
Rosary*
Couldawoulda
That Was Love
It Was Only A Matter Of Time
Bring Out Your Dead
Heartbreak Major
Wasted Avenue
Betty
Carbon Dating*
The Bitter End

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

Thanks so much to Careless Sons for putting myself and Elliot on the guest list, so we could come and do this review and take snaps! Keep up the great work guys!

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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