OPAL MAG + BLACK VIIOLET + GIRL APOCRYPHA + PLEASANCE – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 16.7.26
Opal Mag’s headline show at The Prince Albert last week, courtesy of Round Ear Promotions, was a confident, impressive and engaging performance. The unmistakable dream‑fuzz haze landed with greater weight and clarity, and her more dynamic, more adventurous vocals carried the room with a confidence that hinted at her best showing yet. With Pleasance, Girl Apocrypha and Black Viiolet in support, the night shaped itself into a varied, quietly adventurous showcase of emerging voices.
Brighton alt rock quartet Pleasance of Soph (guitar, vocals), Izzy (drums), Ruby (bass) and Tom (guitar), opened the night with a set that showed just how deftly they handle extremes. Their dynamic range was startling: whispered quiet passages that suddenly rupture into room shaking noise, rhythmic dislocations, bursts of distortion and intentional disturbances that feel woven into the band’s identity rather than accidental chaos.
Much of the early set played with loud–soft contrasts: upfront rockier parts giving way to softer vocal moments from Soph before flipping into flashes of anger and grit. Later ‘Fruit’ offered a beautiful solo vocal introduction from Soph, slow building before shifting into a dancier, rock leaning close. New single ‘Casanova’ changed the mood with its synth intro, before moving between soft restraint and explosive release, Soph’s vocals rising and falling with precision, anchored by Izzy’s clipped, tight drumming. It landed as a highlight of the set, earning an enthusiastic reaction.
They closed with ‘Lucas’, the heaviest and fastest track of the night, straight in with no slow build. Ruby’s bass locked tightly with Soph’s vocal phrasing as the song spiralled into a final frenzy. A great opening set from Pleasance being unpredictable, intense, and absolutely worth catching live.
You can catch Pleasance supporting Sisters at The Prince Albert on Wednesday 5th August – Tickets HERE.
Pleasance:
Soph – vocals
Ruby – bass, keyboard
Izzy – drums
Tom – guitar
Pleasance setlist:
“Untitled new song” (unreleased)
‘Some Legs’ (unreleased)
‘LPB’ (unreleased)
‘Fruit’ (unreleased)
‘Casanova’ (a 2026 single)
‘Lucas’ (unreleased)
Girl Apocrypha, the project of Emia Demir, has quickly become one of Brighton’s most intriguing alternative newcomers, and her Prince Albert set showed exactly why. Joined by Willow Simpson (guitar), Nathan Hayward (drums) and Molly (bass), she delivers a grunge‑pop/alt‑pop hybrid that blurs genre lines with real intent: lo‑fi electronic verses, spoken delivery, explosive guitar‑driven choruses and a grit‑and‑gloss contrast that feels entirely her own. The theatrical alt‑goth styling only amplifies the impact.
She opened with ‘Madonna’ driven by heavy bass and dark‑pop sheen. Emia’s stage presence was immediate and magnetic, shifting between deadpan humour (“That’s it, we’re done. Bands play too long.”) and razor‑sharp focus. Willow’s guitar breaks were breathtaking from the outset, setting a high bar for the rest of the set.
‘Like Adam Would’ pushed into alt‑rock riffs, while ‘Sam’ arrived with a grungier edge, Molly’s bass giving the intro real weight. Breathy vocals against that low‑end bass worked beautifully. ‘Dealer’ began stark and hushed before exploding into full rock intensity, dropping back into spoken passages and rising again. New track ‘Astronaut’ was introduced with a playful “It’s a new one, be nice,” offering a slightly more relaxed alt‑pop feel that balanced the set’s intensity well. Closer ‘Me + U’ delivered a strong, full‑tilt alt‑rock finish.
Cheeky theatrics, captivating vocals, tight musicianship and real variety made this another top‑quality performance from Girl Apocrypha. She announced she’ll be playing Green Door Store’s first-ever Pride Party gig on 1st August. Details HERE.
Girl Apocrypha:
Emia Demir – vocals, guitar
Willow Simpson – guitar
Nathan Hayward – drums
Molly – bass
Girl Apocrypha setlist:
‘Madonna’ (a 2026 single)
‘Like Adam Would’ (unreleased)
‘Sam’ (unreleased)
‘Dealer’ (a 2026 single)
‘Astronaut’ (unreleased)
‘Me + U’ (unreleased)
Seattle multi‑instrumentalist Nicole Laurenne, known to many from garage‑psych outfit The Darts, brought her Black Viiolet project to the UK for the first time, offering a striking contrast to her gritty rock side. Black Viiolet blends neo‑soul, jazz and hip‑hop beats into a smoky, late‑night palette, with Nicole on vocals and keys joined by double bass, trumpet, bugle and drums.
The set opened with two tracks from her 2026 ‘Dark Blue’ album. ‘Let Me Down’ introduced a warm, jazzy sound, lifted by a brass section that added a dance‑floor looseness. ‘Kill Me Now’ leaned into Nicole’s soulful vocal tone. ‘Drop’ followed with standout double bass work and increasingly animated brass, the players dancing in sync as they played. Nicole’s husky vocal delivery suited the track’s darker edges. New song ‘My Kind’, hinted at as a possible future single, carried a show‑tune, film‑score feel.
Returning to ‘Dark Blue’, ‘One’ offered a more introspective moment, while ‘Take Me (Or Leave Me)’ brought a brighter, upbeat swing. Another new track, ‘Make You Mine’, recorded in France just a week earlier. blended trip‑hop and jazz with a freestyle keys section, emerging as a highlight of the set. Closer ‘Why Don’t You Do Right’ saw the trumpet player roaming the room, popping up in corners and weaving through the crowd, adding theatrical flair to a strong finish.
Nicole returns to the UK in the autumn with the spooky‑kitten garage punk of The Darts.
Black Viiolet setlist:
‘Let Me Down’ (from 2026 ‘Dark Blue’ album)
‘Kill Me Now’ (from 2024 ‘Kill Me Now’ EP)
‘Drop’ (unreleased)
‘My Kind’ (unreleased)
‘One’ (from 2026 ‘Dark Blue’ album)
‘Take Me (Or Leave Me)’ (from 2026 ‘Dark Blue’ album)
‘Make You Mine’ (unreleased)
‘Why Don’t You Do Right’ (from 2026 ‘Dark Blue’ album)
Brighton’s Opal Mag headline set confirmed just how quickly her “dreampop–slacker rock” band is evolving. Opal Mag’s sound sits in a very clear stylistic lane: hazy dream-fuzz indie threaded with shoegaze textures, introspective songwriting and a slacker looseness that never undermines the emotional clarity. Her voice, often described as ethereal or siren-like, floats above giving her songs a soft-focus glow,
Where her mini-tour around the ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP release, including a memorable stop at Pelicano Café in Sydney Street, leaned into stripped-back intimacy, this performance felt like a confident step into a richer, fuzz-warmed world. The five-piece line-up brought depth, colour and a sense of lift: Opal Mag (vocals, guitar), Annie Frazer (keys), James Bowden (guitar), Connor McCorkindale (drums) and new bassist Ed Fair, who, like Connor, also plays in Winter Gardens.
Opal Mag eased straight into ‘Feel It All’, an unreleased track that immediately signalled a shift. It was more direct, more cutting, yet still wrapped in her trademark dreamy undertones. ‘Glow’ followed, opening with soft, airy vocals before rising into a soaring chorus that showed the full stretch of her range. ‘Don’t Change’ brought one of many strong dual-vocal moments, Opal and Annie’s voices weaving together with an ease that recurred throughout the set.
After a run of new material, the band moved into familiar territory from the debut ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP. ‘World End’ shimmered with a lovely keys-led intro and gentler vocal phrasing, dropping back at one point to a bass-only moment that gave the song a fragile stillness. ‘Try Not To Hate Everything’ remains one of Opal’s most inviting openers being soft, sweet, and instantly disarming. Annie’s keys added a cinematic lift, while James’s bursts of guitar noise pushed against the dreaminess in a way that felt bold rather than abrasive.
‘Kitchen Song’ offered reflective dream-pop with an almost conversational intimacy, as if Opal were singing to individuals rather than a room. Its up-tempo brightness and the soaring final vocal made it one of the night’s highlights, showing a new confidence in her upper register. Title track ‘Goodbye Lavender’ arrived with a Mazzy Star–like haze thanks to guitar and keys intro, as Opal’s vocals leaned into its mystical, choral rise beautifully.
Opal introduced ‘Young Forever’ as her favourite from the EP, and despite a brief retune (“I can’t play my favourite song out of tune”), it unfolded with a laid-back Americana feel and a subtle, beautiful fade-out. ‘Wasting’ followed, opening with twinkling keys and gentle drums, Opal fully immersed in the song yet still connected to the crowd.
With only minutes left, the band had to drop ‘Parking Fines’ (“The people of Trafalgar Street have got to sleep”), switching gears into the rousing ‘Kiss Me’. Three-way harmonies from Opal, James and Annie gave the track a bright indie-pop lift, allowing Opal’s voice to again soar and shine. It set up a strong finale. ‘Love To See You Shine’ closed the night with dynamic rises and drops, James adding slide guitar textures while Annie let loose on tambourine.
Another assured, quietly ambitious performance from Opal Mag: new songs with sharper edges, older favourites with renewed warmth, and a full band that amplifies her dreamy, confessional world and allowed Opal to push her vocal range further.
Opal Mag play Hidden Herd at The Hope & Ruin on Wednesday 7th October, co-headlining with Winter Gardens, tickets HERE.
Opal Mag:
Opal Mag – vocals, guitar
Annie Frazer – keyboards, tambourine and backing vocals
James Bowden – guitar and backing vocals
Connor McCorkindale – drums
Ed Fair – bass
Opal Mag setlist:
‘Feel It All’ (unreleased)
‘Glow’ (unreleased)
‘Don’t Change’ (unreleased)
‘World End’ (from 2026 ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP)
‘Try Not To Hate Everything’ (from 2026 ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP)
‘Kitchen Song’ (a 2025 single)
‘Goodbye Lavender’ (from 2026 ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP)
‘Young Forever’ (from 2026 ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP)
‘Wasting’ (from 2026 ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP)
‘Kiss Me’ (from 2026 ‘Goodbye Lavender’ EP)
‘Love To See You Shine’ (a 2025 single)
