NO LIABILITY + SHALLOW HONEY + LIVVY ENGLISH + EUPHORIA + DIRTSHARKS – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 16.3.24
This evening’s gig was a concert with a difference as a handful of up-and-coming acts were competing ‘Battle Of The Bands’ style in order to go through to the semi final of the Isle Of Wight Festival ‘New Blood Competition’. Tonight was a quarter final round being held in Brighton of all places and two of the five acts would go through to the semi final round, which will be taking place in due course. After which, there will be a final and the winner’s of this will get to play live at this year’s festival, which will be happening at Seaclose Park in Newport on the Isle Of White from 20th to 23rd June and features headliners The Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys, Green Day and the Pretenders as well as a host of other bands – Further details HERE.
The five acts appearing this evening at The Hope & Ruin on Queens Road in Brighton are:
DIRTSHARKS (7:30pm – 7:55pm)
EUPHORIA (8:10pm – 8:35pm)
LIVVY ENGLISH (8:50pm – 9:15pm)
SHALLOW HONEY (9:30pm – 9:55pm)
NO LIABILITY (10:10pm – 10:35pm)
I’m not sure who selected the running order for this evening, but all 5 acts must be treated as equal headliners, but we will review them as we saw them. The voting sheets were in the care of the door staff positioned outside of the first floor concert venue.
Event blurb:
Dirtsharks carve their sonic territory with a blend of reverb aggression, dynamic sympathy, and scuzz-drenched chaos – taking influences from the likes of The National and Biffy Clyro. Their music is a vivid colour field where melodies meet ferocity and powerful violin solos. The band’s journey to prominence has been punctuated by their presence at tastemaker UK festivals, including Boardmasters and The Great Escape. Sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in the industry and having embarked on two UK tours, the band have grown their fanbase and commitment to etching their name in the alt-rock scene.
Performance review:
Dirtsharks began their seven tune 25 minute set at 7:29pm to a room that was initially half full as they launched into their opener ‘The Siren’. From the very off Aidan Moran, Brendan Moran, Matt Edwards and James Stevenson were very tight indeed. After a short while both Aidan and Brendan traded in their guitars for violins which went down a storm. We were then informed that they will be dropping their new EP (their third) this coming Friday, this is titled ‘Stay Lucent’ and they launched into the second single from this release. The next number reminded me of the band Embrace, and the track after that began slowly before the meaty bass and drums combination kicked in. The repeated lyrics of “A place in your head” for penultimate number ‘Nosebleed’ ensured that this is an explosive anthem, and with a “whoop” they launched into finale ‘Spin Class’ which was equally as great. They vacated the stage at 7:54pm having done all that they could.
We last caught Dirtsharks only a month ago when they performed at Komedia Studio on 11th February with Noah And The Loners. Read our account of that night HERE.
Dirtsharks:
Aidan Moran – lead vocals, guitar, violin
Brendan Moran – lead guitar, vocals, violin
Matt Edwards – bass
James Stevenson – drums
Dirtsharks setlist:
‘The Siren’
‘Split Tongue’ (from 2020 ‘Live Well’ EP)
‘Violinstrumental’
‘Retina’ (a 2024 single)
‘Interlude’
‘Nosebleed’
‘Spin Class’ (a 2023 single)
Event blurb:
Euphoria are a young, exciting rock/indie band who bring a real energy to every performance. They are all talented musicians playing a range of covers as well as original material. They have performed together since school but took it to another level when they formed Euphoria. They are all currently studying Music/Musical Theatre at University. Euphoria have played at a range of venues including The Camden Assembly, O2 Academy, Acklam Village Market and many festivals including FiFest 2023. They regularly play at local pubs/clubs. They also played in Windsor at the Platinum Jubilee concert to 30,000 people and were invited back to play at the Kings Coronation Concert to 12,000.
Performance review:
After a mere 14 minute live music gap it was time for Jamie, Jacob, Anders and Andrei of Windsor based Euphoria to grace us with their presence from 8:08pm until 8:32pm. The venue was now almost at full capacity as these 4 late teens set about their business, opening with ‘Village Scruffs’ with its almost New York Dolls and Stooges vibe. Left hander Jacob guided the band through the slower ‘A Man Known Not To Cry’ rock style ballad. Jamie then indicated that everyone loves Elvis Presley and they launched into ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ which thankfully rocked it up halfway through. The punters loved it, Jamie did the splits, rather him than me! I picked up on the lyrics “I’m tumbling down spinning around like a roller coaster” from ‘Mascara Stained Vanity’, which reminded me of the wording in Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel’s ‘Tumbling Down’ – RIP Steve x. Another cover followed in the form of Elton John’s ‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting’, which went down well. As they were ahead of schedule they threw in yet another cover, this time ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ by Arctic Monkeys. They signed off with ‘Tension Breaker’ which benefited from a Buzzcocks style vocal delivery. Tons of energy with Jamie milking the crowd, but too many covers for my liking.
As far as I can recall, tonight is our debut encounter with Euphoria.
Euphoria:
Jamie – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, ukulele, tambourine
Jacob – lead guitar
Anders – bass guitar
Andrei – drums, backing vocals
Euphoria setlist:
‘Village Scruffs’
‘A Man Known Not To Cry’
‘Heartbreak Hotel’ (Elvis Presley cover)
‘Mascara Stained Vanity’
‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting’ (Elton John cover)
‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ (Arctic Monkeys cover)
‘Tension Breaker’
Event blurb:
Brighton-based Livvy English and her 4-piece band create an emotive blend of funky pop, rock and soul in a set of self-penned songs full of energy and feel that come to life through catchy melodies, driven beats and tasty guitar licks. Inspired by the soulful tones of Joss Stone and Etta James, and the rockier musings of Jeff Buckley and Matt Bellamy, Livvy combines her contemporary and classical training to forge a distinctive and powerful vocal style through which she provides a lyrical commentary on her experiences as a young woman in the 21st century.
Performance review:
Livvy English and her band consisting of Oscar Wahlstedt, Vince Marquez, Louis Howells and Phil Shambrook took to the stage 15 minutes after Euphoria had vacated it. Livvy and her chums set ran from 8:47pm until 9:08pm and during the 21 minutes, we were given a handful of numbers. I guess they thought that less is more as track four on their setlist, ‘Hands Are Tied’, was to be dropped from the set. I noted a number of different faces around me for this performance, so Livvy fans were in the house. They kicked off with the funky bluesy ‘Change The World’ which certainly highlighted Livvy’s powerful voice. One song down and I noted there was so much talking by many people, including her fans. I’m certainly not a fan of this! Not put off, Livvy announces “It’s Saturday night, feel free to dance and have a shuffle” and they launched into ‘Try’. After this Livvy tells us that the remaining numbers are about breakups, but these do not refer to her boyfriend who is in the crowd. She got punters clapping along for the closing track ‘Shame For You’, and although ‘Boy You Were Wrong’ was listed on her setlist (only), they did not play it. I suspected that the naughty talkers had sealed Livvy’s fate.
It’s been fourteen months since I last saw Livvy English live in action. That encounter was at The Prince Albert and was my first gig of last year, namely on 6th January 2023, where Livvy was supporting Moth. Read the account of that night HERE.
Livvy English:
Livvy English – vocals
Oscar Wahlstedt – guitar
Vince Marquez – guitar
Louis Howells – bass
Phil Shambrook – drums
Livvy English setlist:
‘Change The World’
‘Never Get The Best Of Me’
‘Try’
‘Checkmate’
‘Shame For You’
Event blurb:
Shallow Honey are a female fronted Alt-Rock / Dirty Pop band from the UK’s South Coast. A 90’s inspired 4 piece with ‘melt your face’ guitar riffs and a dirty fuzzy driven rhythm. Lyrically, they tell hard truths and stories from a feminist angle, delivered with a tongue-in-cheek humour.
Performance review:
After a 20 minute gap it was time for Rachel Conway, Ben Siviter, Cheryl Chitty and Carlos Toppin of Shallow Honey to give it a go. This set ran for 23 minutes until 9:51pm and in that time we were given half a dozen numbers, the first of which being the Gang Of Four-esque ‘So Still’. Again there were a whole host of different faces standing around me this time. I noted that Rachel’s vocals were often along the lines of Poly Styrene (RIP) of X-Ray Spex fame and that Cheryl’s drumming was rather decent indeed. Shallow Honey’s indie vibes were going down very well indeed. Rachel stated “This one goes out to anyone who has had a break up, you know what, f*ck them!” and they delivered another rock tinged tune. Rachel then decided to get up close and personal with the punters and headed off into the crowd as far as her microphone lead would let her. I enjoy interactions like this and an increasing number of (Brighton) bands now do this. The toe-tapping tunes continued and Rachel was again among us but this time sprawled out on the floor. They signed off with the rather punky ‘Control’ with its faster drumbeat and was a decent way to leave us. A band I would love to see live again!
It’s been quite some time since we last covered a Shallow Honey concert. As far as I can recall, the previous encounter was over in Worthing at The Factory Live on 13th January 2022 in support of the Ramonas. Read our account of that night HERE.
Shallow Honey:
Rachel Conway – vocals
Ben Siviter – guitar
Cheryl Chitty – drums
Carlos Toppin – bass
Shallow Honey setlist:
‘So Still’
‘Aim Low’
‘Breakup, Breakdown’
‘Lightweight’
‘Scab’
‘Control’
Event blurb:
Complex harmonies over tight grooves – this is what No Liability does best. The band of 5, consisting of Eve and Grace on vocals, Saul on keys, Josh on bass and Sam on drums, have the ultimate Neo Soul setlist – guaranteed to get you moving. Taking influence from artists such as, Hiatus Kaiyote, Moonchild, and Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles, No Liability released their debut EP in 2022 which consists of 4 carefully crafted originals. After selling out two headline shows in Winchester and delivering groovy sets to audiences in Camden and Southampton, No Liability are eager to make the next step and fulfil their dreams of playing to the iconic crowds of The Isle of Wight Festival.
Performance review:
After a space of 17 minutes, it was the turn for tonight’s final act, this being No Liability, which features Eve Tucker, Grace Morgan, Saul Hughes, Josh Coles, Keanu Ienco and Sam Reynolds. Their 23 minute performance commenced at 10:08pm and ran until 10:31pm. This sextet are a different offering to the others on the bill tonight and neo soul being the order of the day. Eve and Grace, looking resplendent in their silver spacewear dresses, operate a dual vocal approach, whereas the guys operate a loud shirt approach. They open with ‘Run It’ and immediately I note that both vocals are totally lost in the mix. I look to the rear of the room at the sound guy to see if he has noticed. This does eventually get corrected around tunes two and three, these being ‘Mistakes’ and ‘Insanity’. Saul’s keys and the funky guitar and Josh’s plucked bass is the backbone of their sound. Obviously Sam’s drums are essential as well. Keanu’s guitar certainly worked well in tandem with Saul on the Yamaha MODX6 and Nord Stage 3 keys throughout the set, and there were even forays into Santana style guitar riffs. We were informed that they would now be playing tunes from their debut EP and the crowd around me was certainly getting into the groove. They signed off with ‘Pretty Please’ which we are informed is the track’s current working title.
As far as I can recall, tonight is our debut encounter with No Liability.
No Liability:
Eve Tucker – vocals
Grace Morgan – vocals
Saul Hughes – keys
Josh Coles – bass
Keanu Ienco – guitar
Sam Reynolds – drums
No Liability setlist:
‘Run It’
‘Mistakes’
‘Insanity’
‘Molasses’
‘Pretty Please’
www.instagram.com/noliabilityband
After this final set, the punters did not leave the premises immediately as there was the small matter of the announcement of the acts that would be going through to the semi-finals. There was to be the ‘fan vote winner’ and the ‘guest judge winner’ and so two of tonight’s acts would be going into the next round. These were…..cue drum roll…..No Liability (fan vote winner) and Dirtsharks (guest judge winner). Congratulations!
Both myself and our photographer Sara decided not to vote, just in case our votes made the difference by one vote, but if we had voted, then both of our choices were the same, these being Dirtsharks and Shallow Honey.
Tickets for the Isle Of White Festival can be purchased HERE.
