DOVES + TURIN BRAKES + BC CAMPLIGHT + CURRLS + KAY IRIS – ‘SUMMER NIGHTS BY THE SEA’, DE LA WARR PAVILION, BEXHILL 26.7.25
Following on from last weekend’s round one of ‘Summer Nights By The Sea’, – courtesy of FORM promoters – where the Levellers took their support acts inside due to the forecast rain, we were keeping EVERYTHING crossed for tonight’s round two. It had rained every day since last weekend, with occasional thunder and epic lightning; would we once again be standing in the auditorium or on the De La Warr lawns? With a 2pm start and 5 acts to get through, will Mother Nature smile on us all?
The concourse in front of the Pavilion has merchandise stalls, food and drink stalls, which quickly fill up. Shame no hot drinks for us older folk lol. There is plenty of space on the lawns which are enclosed by Heras fencing which give some protection from the stiff sea breeze whilst affording views of the churning Channel.
Congratulations to Kay Iris for winning the open submission competition to start the show off. A Hastings musician having taken part in the hugely successful Hastings ‘Fat Tuesday’ festival, taking inspiration from such notables as The Doobie Brothers, Joni Mitchell (more of her later), Tedeschi Trucks Band and Fleetwood Mac, Ms Iris has not travelled far to be here today. A regular across multiple festivals she is equally at home in her band or as here as a duo. As a side note, we met Kay sat at the ticket desk of DLWP the day before the event, when we were asking for the event schedule – very bubbly and helpful. I digress, she came on stage at 14:00 dressed in a bright red dress and her hair lit blue by the stage lighting; obviously reflecting her previously mentioned character. Accompanied by an acoustic guitarist Matt (in a goat hat) Patmore (as Kay called him) who was also using a foot pedal to provide a ‘drum’ when needed – Kay said it was their first time using this but it certainly filled where a drummer would usually be.
With the inevitable gulls swooping overhead, riding the blustery winds, and the grey waves running up the beach, the event makes its start.
First up was their forthcoming single ‘Other Side’, if you cast your mind back to a few lines previously written I mentioned she takes some influence from Joni Mitchell, well you can certainly hear those influences right from the get-go. She drops her guitar tuning to ‘open’ a la Mitchell who mainly favoured open D and open G over standard. If you are a guitarist, you’ll know what this means, and if not, you’ll certainly hear the difference. Kay keeps everything crossed as she has no guitar tech to set up another guitar should she break a string; happily she doesn’t. Americana meets Rock meets Folk is the best way to describe Kay. With soulful vocals and melodic acoustic guitars harmonising each other, you would be forgiven for thinking Hastings (and tonight Bexhill) have their very own Joni.
With the weather forecast seeming to be heading to be correct, Kay encourages the audience to NOT perform any rain dances; you can already feel moisture in the air as she progresses through her set.
‘Dead Man Walking’ comes up and is described as a naughty cowboy telling his tale, and acknowledging his failures. So instead of vultures circling the recently deceased, Bexhill provides gulls on the look-out for unattended bags of chips. You know that feeling right?! It seems incongruous to think of the western cowboy in the dust filled plains, when sat on the lawns of The De La Warr Pavilion, with the tempestuous English Channel to our rear, but it works, as we transport ourselves to sit on a broken down fence tipping our Stetson at the lonely cowboy.
‘Supernova’ is a song about self-sabotage, with Kay making the statement that we all do this, whether within our own psyche, our relationships and personal lives. A dog barks, “we have one fan” Kay laughs. A moment of introspection and we continue.
Last up is the next release, ‘Stories We Tell’, and tell them well she really has. A great start to ‘Summer Nights By The Sea Pt2’. With the last notes of this last track still echoing, the rain begins to fall. I’m so glad I wore sun cream!
Kay Iris:
Kay Iris – vocals, acoustic guitar, tambourine
Matt Patmore – acoustic guitar, foot pedal drum
Kay Iris setlist:
‘Other Side’
‘A Tale Of Faith’
‘Dead Man Walking’
‘Comfort And Chaos’
‘Supernova’
‘Gold Rush’
‘Stories We Tell’ (last release)
Founded in 2017, Currls are a Brighton based garage rock band; they are about as far from Kay and her music as it would be thinkable to get. Where we had soulful folk/Americana in an elegant red dress, we now have anger of youth in over-knees and crop tops! Frontwoman Holly Deanna evokes the spirit of grunge heroines (specifically visually Poly Styrene RIP of X-Ray Spex fame) that came before her to make you stand up and take notice. This is their first time in Bexhill and Currls are a great juxtaposition to the previous offering and the immediate feedback shows this off in buckets.
The rain has thankfully abated and the wind is less keen, so we take up our position huddled up against Heras fencing and brace ourselves.
Holly sporting an Epiphone Les Paul Junior tore into the set accompanied by an overdrive laden bass (name?) – the P90 pickups on the LPJ really gave us the grunge feel to the set. Keeping everyone in check and the audience tapping their collective feet is Hannah Websdale on drums. I am reminded of punk rock legends Vice Squad. These three would be equally at home having come from their native Brighton or out of Seattle following the grunge movement of the 90s.
A rendition of their first ever single ‘April Fool’ was well received and also showed how far they have come since its release. Tighter, edgier, more together – they are filling the all-girl band slot very well in what is still a male orientated industry; we need more girls picking up instruments and telling their own stories like these three.
Currls:
Holly Deanna – vocals, guitar
Hannah Websdale – drums
Sal Atkin – bass
Currls setlist:
‘Throwback’
‘Weather’
‘Bad Habits’
‘April Fool’
‘Nerve’
‘Honey’
‘Let Down’
‘Cruel’
‘Family Man’
“Well hello Bexhill”, Manchester-based Brian Christinzio, better known as BC Camplight, calls out to the expectant crowd. I hear one person nearby-by exclaim how much he was looking forward to hearing BC – this person is now classed as his “favourite fan”. The sun comes back out on the proceedings as the clouds recede into a summer’s evening. Self-proclaimed ‘legendary’ status solo act on an electric piano are BC’s next words. Let’s hope he can fill that claim. He tells us he’s had a busy week and is “winging the gig”. The audience gets up from the grass and line up at the barrier; obviously BC is well-known to this crowd.
Another artist that usually plays backed by a full band, tonight we have him all to ourselves for this solo set. Mixing up his indie rock style on his piano with songs about self-reflection and memories he holds nothing back about who he is. This show is in support of his new album ‘A Sober Conversation’.
It really is amazing how one can fill an open air venue with ‘just’ a piano. BC is a master at his craft and his lyrics paint a picture that draws you into his realm, where he rules supreme. The audience are rapt as he explains how things affect him and songs come forth. ‘I Wanna Be In The Mafia’ is a song about being accepted – he explains that generally that is what we all want, isn’t it?
For the next track ‘Two Legged Dog’, BC explains he doesn’t normally play this alone. It was a collaboration with Abigail Morris from The Last Dinner Party. He had invited her to make an appearance on stage with him today – but with 8 minutes notice it wasn’t quite enough, so she declined. This didn’t stop BC and fans were singing along with him.
This year he has been affected by the passing of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, and this week, The Prince of Darkness himself Ozzy Osbourne. Ad-hoc he announces he will ‘try’ an homage to the great man, and proceeds into an instrumental of the classic ‘War Pigs’, melding it into a rendition of ‘Changes’. The crowd go wild. This style is at odds with most of his set which appears to be a mix of reminders of Mica/Barry Manilow/Billy Joel, but it fits the mood of the moment. This is particularly shown through ‘I Only Drink When I Am Drunk’ a slower boogie-woogie type tune. One can almost see Mica on the programme “The Piano” singing this one.
His latest record ‘A Sober Conversation’ (not the album) shows his willingness to share his battle with a previous addiction to which he proudly states “Off drugs for two years now” – the crowd applaud willingly. Giving the audience the choice between a sad song and an upbeat as the last, ‘Going Out On A Low Note’ (the sad option) was chosen for the penultimate. A song about the ending of a relationship and knowing it was the right decision for both parties and resulting in both being in a much better place. BC told us it was his most favourite song that he’s recorded. Before playing the last track of the set, BC asked his “favourite fan” what the time was, and as he still had 5 minutes left, he played ‘I’m Desperate’ – but before we are given this privilege, BC makes note of an appearance on Jools Holland’s ‘Later’ programme. BC was given the rare opportunity of performing two tracks on the show, and as the camera swung round to BC, Jools stepped up and introduced him as DC Damplight; “Don’t worry”, Jools said, “We’ll edit that in post”. Apparently if you look for this on YouTube, it still says DC Damplight!
It’s also interesting to note that this wasn’t his first invite to ‘Later’. In 2015, BC told us he was made to leave the UK for overstaying his visa permissions resulting in the cancellation of his band’s summer tour which was to include performances at the ‘Green Man’ and ‘End Of The Road’ festivals and an appearance on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’. The reason for the “deportation”? A severe leg injury. I’m sure we can all agree we’re glad he was allowed back.
BC Camplight:
Brian Christinzio – vocals, electric piano
BC Camplight setlist:
‘Kicking Up A Fuss’
‘The Last Rotation Of Earth’
‘I Wanna Be In The Mafia’
‘Two Legged Dog’
‘War Pigs’/’Changes’ (tribute to Ozzy)
‘I’m Alright In The World’
‘I Only Drink When I Am Drunk’
‘Back To Work’
‘A Sober Conversation’
‘Going Out On A Low Note’
‘I’m Desperate’
Turin Brakes played the Pyramid Stage at ‘Glastonbury’ before Radiohead’s 2003 headline set, appearing on ‘Top Of The Pops’, and hearing Robert Plant on the radio reveal himself as a fan. Over the years, their music has sound-tracked American TV on shows like ‘The OC’, which played their song ‘Rain City’, and ‘Designated Survivor’ with ‘Save You’.
Originally a folk-rock/guitar-pop band, they have now moved further towards indie/rock without totally abandoning the music that made them. With something for listeners both old and new, their 10th album ‘Spacehopper’ fittingly marks the start of a new chapter, one that’s been 24 years in the making.
Band members Olly Knights, Gale Paridjanian, Rob Allum, and Eddie Myer have tried to change their sound with each record released, never sitting back on their laurels, always pushing themselves into new territory. Now on their tenth album, there is plenty to look back at and look forward to.
With the crowd now enjoying the late evening sunshine, the grass embankment in front of the stage is full, with the remainder strewn across the lawns, having the space to dance and sing more comfortably.
With 25 years of following and looking up to The Doves, Turin Brakes finds themselves as the main support for them.
You can feel the differences in styles between older more acoustic guitar driven tracks and later, more indie/rock ones, but the set works well, keeping older fans happier and new fans wanting more.
The drummer swaps roles with the singer, for track 5 and ‘Bipod’, as the sun once again dips behind the ever closer clouds; please don’t rain.
As ‘Pain Killer’, their biggest hit to date, is their last track a flock of pigeons fly over the main stage heading for the overnight roost, with the crowd singing along and baying for more.
Turin Brakes:
Olly Knights – vocals, guitar
Gale Paridjanian – vocals, guitar
Rob Allum – drums
Eddie Myer – bass
Turin Breaks setlist:
(Unknown)
‘Space Hopper’
‘Radio Silence’
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
‘Bipod’
‘Keep Me Around’
‘World Like That’
‘Feeling Oblivion’
‘Pain Killer’
25 years after they arrived with their Mercury Award-nominated debut Doves alternative sound return with their critically-acclaimed sixth studio album ‘Constellations For The Lonely’. Exploration of resilience, forgiveness, and fatherhood, proves they are still reaching for new heights.
The sun has now hidden itself behind an ominous bank of rain clouds; I say again PLEASE don’t rain! Keep your fingers crossed people, this could be a damp end to the evening.
The lawns are now full with the standing crowd. Raised hands punch the air in time to the beat, with a rapturous applause to the first track. With a sound very reminiscent of Elbow, and particularly the lead singer sounding VERY much like Guy Garvey, indie/rock never felt not sounded so good. Feedback once again raised its head, but this was soon dealt with by the sound engineers.
Two ladies next to us – Sarah and Jo, were from Eastbourne and London – came down specifically for the gig – this was very handy, as none of the tracks were introduced. Sarah called up each track on her phone or we would have been none the wiser.
Singer was full of wonder to be in the warm south east, as hailing from Manchester they are not privileged to such weather nor views.
“Let’s jump to this one” was called out to ‘Pounding’ and the lawns duly obliged. At least with terra firma beneath one’s feet, the ‘dance floor’ can’t collapse.
A mix of melodic guitars rang out across the lawns, and Jimi (singer) has the crowd feeding out of his hand. Encouraging to join in particularly with ‘The Last Forecast’ where the song was continued for at least a verse further than the group played it by the audience.
From Ellie, who was right up front at the barrier, “They’re an excellent representation of that whole late 90’s early 2000’s Indie scene that’s uber cool now with us 50 + Gen X’rs … reminds us of a fabulous older yoof, that cannot be replicated because WE know how to have a great time … we still understand artistic freedom… culturally, I think we are the only generation that has stayed young into our late 30’s – through to our 60’s tbh. I mean it was deffo an older crowd and we at the front of the stage were all bouncing … there was a 70 year old woman behind me — just beaming the whole time.”
Doves:
Jimi Goodwin – lead vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, sampler, occasional drums
Jez Williams – guitar, lead and backing vocals, percussion, programming
Andy Williams – drums, lead and backing vocals, percussion, harmonica, melodica, sampler
Martin Rebelski – keyboards
Nathan Sudders – bass
Jake Evans – guitar, drums, backing vocals
Doves setlist:
(Unknown)
‘Words’
‘Carousels’
‘Cold Dreaming’ (from the new album)
‘Winter Hill’
‘Here It Comes’
‘Kingdom Of Rust’
‘Pounding’
‘The Last Forecast’
‘10:03’ (performed at 21:28)
‘Caught By The River’
‘The Cedar Room’
‘There Goes The Fear’
‘Black And White Town’
(Unknown)
The last lonely gull flies circling over the lawns and promenade heading into a late dusk… as do we.
