Fri 20 May – Parts & Labor, Teeth Of The Sea, Saint Coltrane

Teeth of the Sea / Parts & Labor @ The Green Door Store, Brighton - Friday 20 May 2011

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Teeth Of The Sea @ The Green Door Store, Brighton - Friday 20 May 2011 by Nige B, on Flickr

An interesting clash of musical styles and the first time I have seen either band….

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Teeth Of The Sea @ The Green Door Store, Brighton - Friday 20 May 2011 by Nige B, on Flickr

In the red corner, Teeth of the Sea, a group of…

Sun 22 May – Kurt Vile & the Violators

Kurt Vile @ The Hope, Brighton on Sunday 22 May 2011

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Kurt Vile @ The Hope, Brighton on Sunday 22 May 2011 by Nige B, on Flickr

Straight outta Philadelphia, Kurt Vile and his three-strong band, The Violators, rode into Brighton on Sunday 22 May 2011. Actually, chatting to his guitarist, it turned out to be quite a long ride, all the way from Glasgow to Brighton in one day. No wonder things were running late.

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Kurt Vile @ The Hope, Brighton on Sunday 22 May 2011 by Nige…

Mon 16 May – Adam Ant
Adam Ant @ The Concorde 2, Brighton on 16 May 2011

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Adam Ant @ The Concorde 2, Brighton on 16 May 2011 by Nige B, on Flickr

Before this gig I was trying to decide how I feel about Adam Ant. I love his early punk stuff and saw Adam & The Ants play a few times in Adam's pre-fame punk days. I also thought he made a great pop star and enjoyed many of his hit singles, especially the Kings Of The Wild Frontier era stuff. I have also felt quite sorry…

Thu 5 May – Alasdair Roberts, Thirty Pounds Of Bone

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Alasdair Roberts @ The Hydrant, Brighton on 5th May 2011 by Nige B, on Flickr

Alasdair Roberts is a wonderful Scottish folk musician who I've been digging for a few years now. I was delighted when I heard he was coming to Brighton. I've really enjoyed his last couple of albums, and played then to death, and so I wondered how he'd be live.

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Alasdair Roberts @ The Hydrant, Brighton on 5th May 2011 by Nige B, on Flickr

If anything, he's even better live than on record.…

Tue 3 May – The Leisure Society, Sarabeth Tucek

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The Leisure Society @ Komedia, Brighton on 3rd May 2011 by Nige B, on Flickr

The Leisure Society played Komedia on 3rd May 2011 supported by Sarabeth Tucek and Laish. I really enjoyed all the bands. I only saw Laish's last few songs but liked what I heard. I was keen to Sarabeth Tucek having thrilled to some tracks from her most recent album on Sean Rowley's wonderful BBC Kent radio show. She was wonderful but, I'm sad to report, hampered by a lot of noise and general hubbub coming…

Fri 1 Apr – Hove Folk Club

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David Rovics poster by Nige B, on Flickr

My first visit, and certainly not my last, to Hove Folk Club. I've seen the HFC "disorganiser" Robb Johnson a few times, and wanted to see David Rovics for quite some time. The lure of David Rovics enticed me out and the night was a total joy from start to finish.

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David Rovics by Nige B, on Flickr

David Rovics was funny, provocative, political, inspiring, passionate and erudite.

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David Rovics filming Robb Johnson by Nige B, on Flickr

This is David Rovics…

Wed 30 Mar – John Grant, Sea of Bees

John Grant at Komedia, Brighton on 30 March 2011

John Grant's rich baritone is one of the most expressive voices I've heard in a long time. The former singer/songwriter with The Czars came back with an extraordinary debut solo album last year that was made with Bella Union label mates Midlake. Full of pain, confusion, hope, fear, regret and self-discovery - it's a record of gravitas, grace, and one of my favourites of 2010.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5579510588_dbc8609c22.jpgJohn Grant by Nige B, on Flickr

I regretted missing his last Brighton appearance and so snapped…

Wed 16 Mar – Hannah Peel, Peter and Kerry, Flake Brown

Flake Brown kicked off proceedings. I was disappointed to find the Brighton Ballroom seemed pretty quiet, though it filled up a bit as the evening wore on. By the end of the night I'd say it was about 40% full. Back to Flake, he seemed to be a pretty generic singer with an acoustic guitar who didn't do anything for me.

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Flake Brown by Nige B, on Flickr

Next up were Peter and Kerry. Despite their name, there are four of them. I'd never heard of them but…

Encouraged by qrobur and inspired by by_starla, and seeing as I have done most of the work, here's a short journal that links to some of my posterous pages where I mention what 2011 releases are enhancing my life.

Have a look at THIS and THEN THIS.

Since writing those musings I should add that PJ Harvey is probably currently my favourite release of 2011 so far.

http://vonpipmusicalexpress.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/let_england_shake.jpg?w=380&h=380

I'll write more about that sometime soon.

I am very excited about the forthcoming albums by Matt Berry and Metronomy.

BSP's Valhalla Dancehall gets better and better.

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Other stuff to mention…well,…

Thu 17 Feb – Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2011

Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man, Everything Everything, & The Vaccines live at The Dome, Brighton.

I didn't know much about these acts. I really like 'Post-Break Up Sex' by The Vaccines. Their set was enjoyable, if generic, indie fare. Perfectly pleasant but nothing I haven't heard many times before.

Everything Everything were totally new to me. They seemed to be a song-based band. I was assured, by a couple of young men I chatted to later, that it's "great chill out music". Live, I felt pretty detached as their songs washed…