Brighton music, comedy and cultural listings 7th - 13th April
Hi everybody!
The sun came out this weekend and lo did the pavements outside Brighton’s pubs become becluttered with happy people. It was a joy to see.
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News
It’s Homegrown Festival this coming Saturday 12th April. Gigs at lots of excellent indie Brighton venues and tickets still available.
JD Henshaw & Hattie Snooks are co-directing Once & Future Festival, a folklore, folk horror and folk culture extravaganza at The Yellow Book from 18th-27th April. Lots of fun stuff, from talks, to folk music, to barely categoriseable but very interesting-looking weirdness. I am also doing a show, pls don’t tell Hattie I haven’t actually written it yet.
As you probably know, Brighton Fringe is fast approaching. There’s a lot wrong with the Fringe, which seems increasingly stand-up dominated for one thing, but there are also lots of excellent people performing. I will do an Indie Brighton guide with my own personal recommendations next week.
RIP The Druids Arms pub opposite The Level, which seems to have finally met its maker. Going to The Druids, with its exceedingly late license, was always a terrible decision. But at least it was our decision to make.
Brighton Listings
Still, as requested, divided into categories for your ease-of-reading pleasure.
Comedy
Tuesday 8th April
Bex Turner + Josh Invain, Caroline of Brunswick*, 7:30pm. PWYW. Brighton Fringe preview double-bill.
Ed’s Comedy Club, Presuming Eds*, 8pm. Free. New comedian / new material night upstairs of London Road’s
bestonly boho cafe/bar. The affable James Onionz usually hosts.
Wednesday 9th April
Cool Aid Comedy, Caroline of Brunswick*, 7:30pm. Free. Brighton’s longest-running new material night. You’ll see the scene’s regulars trying out new bits in front of a receptive and supportive audience.
Queer AF Comedy Brighton Fringe Show Teaser, The Brunswick, 7:30pm. £10/15. LGBTQ+ comedy night featuring the resplendent Martha Casey.
Thursday 10th April
The Branding Needs Work, Caxton Arms*, 7:30pm. Free. New material and new human comedian night hosted by the lovely Simon. Downstairs at The Caxon is a bit of an odd venue in that the doors open onto the stage, so bear this in mind if arriving late.
ADHD The Experience 5, The Brunswick, 6:30pm. £12.50. Talks, improv and stand-up in a neurodivergent stylee.
Friday 11th April
Funny Girls, Caroline of Brunswick*, 7:30pm. PWYW. Lineup of female-identifying comedians including Stefania Licari and Vaiga Perkauskaite.
Saturday 12th April
John-Luke Roberts: It is Better + Best Of, Komedia, 7:30pm. £15. Excellent weirdo-comic runs through some of his best bits, many of which went out on vinyl. During the pandemic.
One the Edge Comedy, Caroline of Brunswick*, 8pm. £8. With headliner Adam Bloom.
Music
Monday 7th April
ROTTWEILER + CARNE + M. WOODROE + MIREPOIX, Dalton’s, 7:30pm. £3otd. Agenda Collective presents Women for Women fundraiser with rock & grunge fabulousness.
Open Mic Night, The Brunswick, 8pm. Free. Open Mic night in a lovely space. Music dominates, but all performance styles welcome.
Tuesday 8th April
Jazz Jam, The Brunswick, £3. Free. 8pm. Assorted jazz musicians get together to make your evening… nice. £3 to guarantee table / admission.
Esme Dawn ‘Katie’ Release Party, The Brunswick*, 7:30pm. £4/£6otd. Pleasant country-tinged indie heartbreak.
Dizzy Fire, Green Door Store, 7:30pm. £3. Poppy Evanescence-style metal.
Wednesday 9th April
Molotovs, The Prince Albert*, 7:30pm. £8.50 - £12. Sharply dressed Jam-addled mod revivalists.
Thursday 10th April
Bert, The Folklore Rooms*, 7:30pm. £8.50. Reflective electro-folk.
Friday 11th April
Jewelia, The Folklore Rooms*, 7:30pm. £13.50. Quirky dayglo electro-pop bangers from London eccentric.
Alchemy Relived, Komedia, 7:30pm. £15. Dire Straits tribute band, though I think they focus more on getting the music right than wearing the correct sweaty headband.
THE RAZORBLADES + Surfin’ Lungs + The Tridents, The Prince Albert*, 7.30pm. £8.80. Surf-rock extravaganza.
Hallan, Hope & Ruin*, 7:30pm. £13.50. Fall-inspired Pompey-dwelling art-rockers.
Saturday 12th April
Homegrown Festival, various venues. £30. Support your local band network! Lots of excellent acts playing across a range of Brighton’s best independent venues.
Sunday 13th April
Suthering, The Folklore Rooms, 7:30pm. £16.50. Feminist trad-folk duo.
Talks / Poetry / Other
Monday 7th April
Cinema Crapadiso, Caroline of Brunswick*, 7:30pm. Free. So-bad-it’s-good B-movie night.
Wednesday 9th April
The Star Trek TNG Quiz… The final frontier, The Walrus*, 6pm. £5pp. Star Trek quiz I would totally win if I wasn’t already busy.
Glossary
OTD - On the door. As in, it’s cheaper to buy in advance.
* - a venue that is not accessible. With so many venues in Brighton being rooms above Victorian Gin Palaces, it’s important to be clear.
PWYW/C - Pay what you want / can. Please give what you’re able to, as clowns can’t live on grease paint alone.
Adv - In advance.
Bf - Booking free, not boyfriend
That’s it for this week. Thanks, as always, for reading.