SAINT ETIENNE + GWENNO + MARSY – BRIGHTON DOME 25.9.26
(Note: There was a photography ban for this tour, so we have used other relevant photos for your enjoyment).
Saint Etienne is a band very dear to my heart, having soundtracked most of my adult life. From first hearing their sublime rendition of Neil Young’s ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ on the radio in 1991, I was hooked. From that, I went out and purchased their seminal debut album ‘Foxbase Alpha’, which to this day remains one of my all-time favourites. I’ve seen them at many venues over the past few decades including the Concorde 2 in 2002, The Barbican in 2014, Heaven Nightclub in 2016, The British Library in 2018, and more recently The Old Market in Hove in 2021 and 2022 to name the ones I can remember. However, earlier this year the band decreed this was to be their last ever tour, and thus, I found myself attending their penultimate show as a live band (their final ever performance coming the following night in Cambridge) bringing the curtain down on a 36 year career of live shows.
The fact that their date at Brighton Dome sold out so quickly, shows the affection that the public have for the trio of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Hove resident Pete Wiggs and the sense of occasion wasn’t lost on me as the house lights went down and the strains of 1991 track ‘Filthy’ boomed out of the speakers, an example of Saint Etienne at their grittiest, mixing funk samples, breakbeats and then-teen vocalist Q-Tee’s sharp London rap, the band walking on one by one until it had played out.
Lining up as a six-piece, the band were joined by long-term live singer Debsey Wykes, drummer Loz Colbert and bassist/violinist Joe Bennett, with Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs stood in suits behind the laptops and bank of electronic equipment, with a large screen behind projecting striking backdrops throughout. Sarah was last on to the stage in a sparkly silver jacket and announced a few times throughout the evening that they would always be in our hearts, adding to the sense of occasion.
The setlist had been carefully curated featuring a great balance of tracks old and new from every stage of their career, including one or two surprise tracks I’d never heard them play live before.
‘Tonight’ was a perfect opener, all widescreen anticipation and forward motion, before ‘Like A Motorway’ immediately took things somewhere darker, its cool electronic pulse still sounding wonderfully hypnotic three decades on. The gorgeous ‘Spring’ softened the edges with one of those deceptively simple Saint Etienne floaty melodies, while ‘Glad’ brought the set into brighter, more buoyant territory. By the time ‘You’re In A Bad Way’ appeared – three minutes of near-perfect pop – the first real mass singalong had arrived.
The set then started zig-zagging through the less obvious corners of their catalogue. ‘Shower Scene’ brought a hazier, dreamier mesmeric mood, before ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ returned to pure pop immediacy, Cracknell sounding completely at home in a song that has always seemed tailor-made for her. ‘Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi)’ was sharper and more electronic, its clipped rhythms providing one of the evening’s reminders that Saint Etienne have never been simply retro-pop nostalgists. ‘Pale Movie’, meanwhile, remains one of their most beautifully nostalgic singles, its continental flavour and elegant melody sounding even richer with the live band around it. By now Sarah had abandoned her jacket and shoes in favour of black-clad and barefoot comfort.
The band mattered. Debsy’s vocals frequently wrapped themselves around Sarah’s rather than simply sitting behind her, while Joe’s switch between bass and violin added subtle colour to songs that could easily have been reproduced too faithfully. The venue’s sound system and acoustics complimented the expansive stage sound better than any other time I’d seen them. ‘Brand New Me’, their 2025 collab with Confidence Man was light and understated with the scooby-doo style backdrop, while ‘Take Me To The Pilot’ pushed the show into dancier territory before the iconic ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ produced one of the night’s biggest reactions. Their reinvention of the Neil Young song has long since become entirely their own, its slow, hypnotic groove created one of those moments where you could feel the whole room quietly locking onto the same memory, despite the original release featuring Moira Lambert as vocalist, pre-dating Sarah’s time in the earliest band incarnation.
Then came the wonderfully abrupt change of gear. ‘DJ’ pushed things back towards the club, while ‘Stormtrooper In Drag’, the Gary Numan/Paul Gardiner cover released on their 1997 compilation ‘Continental’ brought a tougher electronic edge. I’d not heard this played live before and it was a very welcome addition to the set. Changing tempo again, ‘Hobart Paving’ followed and provided perhaps the evening’s purest moment of melancholy: gentle, conversational and quietly devastating, the kind of song that suddenly feels much heavier when you know there may never be another chance to hear the band play it.
Any danger of the evening sinking into reflection disappeared with ‘He’s On The Phone’, still one of Saint Etienne’s great euphoric rushes, its racing Europop energy lifting the whole Dome. The song ran into ‘7 Ways To Love’, released in 1991 under the pseudonym ‘Cola Boy’ (original vocalist Janey Lee Grace), another reminder of the band’s deep connection to dance music and of just how naturally their records have always moved between bedsit reflection and Saturday-night escapism, the song seamlessly returning to the finish of ‘He’s On The Phone’.
After briefly leaving the stage, the encore could hardly have been better judged. ‘Nothing Can Stop Us’ came first and sounded as joyous and effortless as ever, with its inflected optimism briefly making the idea of this being goodbye seem insane. Then came the reflective ‘The Last Time’. As the final song Saint Etienne would ever play in Brighton, its title alone carried enough weight, but there was no need for an elaborate send-off, the backdrop of evocative images showcasing the band throughout their career from bright young things to their golden years did the heavy-lifting.
And that, ultimately, was what made the night so affecting. Saint Etienne have spent their career writing about places, memories, records, journeys, nostalgia, nights out and the peculiar sadness of time moving on, so a farewell show was always going to fit their world. Sarah got understandably emotional as she introduced the band and left the stage, the enormity of the occasion hitting home. However, their ability to still sound fresh and relevant made this a celebration party rather than a sombre occasion.
With Cambridge waiting for the final goodbye, Saint Etienne left the Dome stage sounding undiminished; they’d put it all-in on stage this evening. Danceable, romantic, clever, funny, nostalgic and just melancholy enough to make walking back out into the night hurt a little. They’ll be missed.
Saint Etienne:
Sarah Cracknell – lead vocals
Bob Stanley – keyboards, laptop, backing vocals
Pete Wiggs – keyboards, laptop
Joe Bennett – guitar, bass, violin
Loz Colbert – drums, percussion
Debsey Wykes – vocals
Saint Etienne setlist:
(intro tape) ‘Filthy’ (a 1991 Saint Etienne & Q-Tee single & 1993 ‘You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone’ compilation album)
‘Tonight’ (from 2012 ‘Words And Music By Saint Etienne’ album)
‘Like A Motorway’ (from 1994 ‘Tiger Bay’ album)
‘Spring’ (from 1991 ‘Foxbase Alpha’ album)
‘Glad’ (from 2025 ‘International’ album)
‘You’re In A Bad Way’ (from 1993 ‘So Tough’ album)
‘Shower Scene’ (from 2002 ‘Finisterre’ album)
‘Who Do You Think You Are’ (from 1993 ‘You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone’ compilation album)
‘Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi)’ (from 2000 ‘Sound Of Water’ album)
‘Pale Movie’ (from 1994 ‘Tiger Bay’ album)
‘Brand New Me’ (from 2025 ‘International’ album)
‘Take Me To The Pilot’ (from 2025 ‘International’ album)
‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ (Neil Young cover) (from 1991 ‘Foxbase Alpha’ album)
‘DJ’ (from 2012 ‘Words And Music By Saint Etienne’ album)
‘Stormtrooper In Drag’ (Paul Gardiner featuring Gary Numan cover) (from 1997 ‘Random Various Artists compilation album & 1997 ‘Continental’ compilation album)
‘Hobart Paving’ (from 1993 ‘So Tough’ album)
‘He’s On The Phone’ (from 1997 ‘Continental’ album) / ‘7 Ways To Love’ (a 1991 Cola Boy single)
(encore)
‘Nothing Can Stop Us’ (from 1991 ‘Foxbase Alpha’ album)
‘The Last Time’ (from 2025 ‘International’ album)
Welsh/Cornish singer Gwenno Saunders aka Gwenno is back in Brighton tonight having already this month performed at the Corn Exchange (from 16:15 to 17:15) on 4th September as part of the ‘Brighton Psych Fest‘. Her connections to our city go back far as she was a member of Brighton indie pop girl group The Pipettes who formed in 2003 The group released two albums, ‘We Are the Pipettes’, and ‘Earth vs. The Pipettes’ and originally composed of Julia Clarke-Lowes, Rose Elinor Dougall and RiotBecki. At the time of their debut album Clarke-Lowes had been replaced by Gwenno. In 2008, Dougall and Stephens also left the group. By 2010, the line-up consisted of Gwenno and her sister Ani. Their album Earth vs. The Pipettes was released on 6th October 2010.
Gwenno’s support set this evening offered a striking contrast to openers Marsy, leaning into atmosphere, experimentation and her Celtic roots. Moving easily between dreamy art-pop and something much earthier and more traditional, there was a playful theatricality with eccentric touches sitting alongside moments of genuine intimacy and storytelling carried by Gwenno’s dry humour and knack for winning an audience with consummate ease. The Cornish/Celtic influence ran throughout with songs like 2018 release ‘Tir Ha Mor’ (Land And Sea), whilst the audience was invited to join in a Cornish cheese chant – which they did – with surprising gusto.
Her audience interaction was warm and natural, helping make even the stranger material feel accessible. Alongside Tad on bass and Rhys on guitar and synth, later songs such as ‘Utopia’ and set-closer ‘Dancing On Volcanoes’; brought proceedings back towards her more familiar psychedelic, electronic side.
It was an unusual and adventurous performance – part folk ritual, part art-pop and part mischievous cabaret and also one that made perfect sense as support for a band as stylistically curious as label-mates Saint Etienne.
Gwenno:
Gwenno Mererid Saunders – lead vocals, keyboards
Rhys – synth, guitar
Tad – bass
Gwenno setlist included:
‘Chwyldro’ (from 2015 ‘Y Dydd Olaf’ album)
‘Y Gath’ (from 2025 ‘Utopia’ album)
‘Tir Ha Mor’ (from 2018 ‘Le Kov’ album)
‘Eus Keus?’ (from 2018 ‘Le Kov’ album)
‘War’ (from 2025 ‘Utopia’ album)
‘Utopia’ (from 2025 ‘Utopia’ album)
‘Dancing On Volcanoes’ (from 2025 ‘Utopia’ album)
Opening for Saint Etienne were Heavenly label-mates Marsy, fronted by Hannah Rodgers – formerly known as Pixx, who I’d seen perform in the city at The Great Escape Festival in 2017 and 2019. I’ve always liked her music, so I was curious to see what the change of direction had brought. The shift in sound was striking, marking a move to a more folk-pop style. Lining up as a five-piece, composed of Hannah Rodgers (guitar, lead vocals), Luke Rodgers (guitar, backing vocals), Reuben Kyriakides (keys, backing vocals), Lucy Rushton (bass, backing vocals) and Sean Harper (drums, backing vocals), Marsy feel warmer, more organic and noticeably more mature, built around three guitars, strong melodies and a much fuller live vocal sound.
New song ‘You Can, You Can’t’ made an immediate impression and demonstrated how confidently Rodgers has moved away from the more electronic character of Pixx without losing the slightly off-kilter quality that made those earlier shows so appealing. What really elevated the set, though, was the way the vocals were arranged: Rodgers’ lead was consistently strong, but having the rest of the band joining in on backing vocals gave the songs an added lift.
There was a looseness and warmth to the performance that suited the material perfectly, with the guitars allowed to breathe rather than being buried beneath production, and the whole thing felt less like a reinvention for reinvention’s sake rather than a natural progression. If Pixx often sounded like an artist testing the edges of electronic pop, Marsy like someone who has stepped back, widened the frame and found a more confident, band-led identity – an enjoyable opening act.
Marsy will be making a swift return to Brighton next month as part of the ‘Mutations Festival‘ which is held at various venues across town on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th October. Marsy will be in town on the Friday, where you can catch them in action at the Green Door Store, a venue they played back on 9th November 2024 as part of that year’s ‘Mutations Festival‘. Marsy also played in Brighton on 15th May as part of this year’s Great Escape new music festival.
Marsy:
Hannah Rodgers – guitar, lead vocals
Luke Rodgers – guitar, backing vocals
Reuben Kyriakides – keys, backing vocals
Lucy Rushton – bass, backing vocals
Sean Harper – drums, backing vocals
Marsy setlist:
‘Offer’ (unreleased)
‘You Can You Can’t’ (forthcoming November 2026 single)
‘Miss Wave’ (forthcoming October 2026 single)
‘My Old Guy’ (unreleased)
‘Trampoline’ (unreleased)
‘Praises’ (unreleased)
‘Happy Hour’ (unreleased)
‘1950 Something’ (unreleased)
