THE LIMIÑANAS + SHOLTO – CHALK, BRIGHTON 5.12.25
It’s been seven and a half years since I’ve witnessed The Limiñanas live in action, which is far too long a gap. This might be on account they haven’t played live in Brighton (as far as I can recall) since 6th May 2018, when they rocked on up to The Hope & Ruin and I concluded my review of that night by stating “The Hope & Ruin punters were treated to a fine performance and I personally found it enthralling watching each member carry out their duties.” Read the full review HERE.
The Limiñanas are one of France’s most beloved treasures! They comprise Marie Limiñana (drums and vocals) and Lionel Limiñana (guitar and vocals) and they hail from the sun drenched southern French city of Perpignan which sits near the Mediterranean coast and the border with Spain with its unique blend of French and Catalan culture, historic architecture, and proximity to beaches and mountains. In days gone by it attracted famous artists like Picasso and Dalí, and these days it has a lively arts scene with museums and galleries. Clearly there’s inspiration in the air and the Limiñana couple have been feeding off of this vibe since 2009, when they finally got together to write music. They had actually first met 15 years earlier at high school but their paths had taken them in different musical directions prior to linking up.
Musically, The Limiñanas straddle the boundary between psych, shoegaze, and yé-yé. With hazy, reverb-laden hooks, combined at times with noisy distortion, and fronted by effortlessly cool vocals, reminiscent of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, the band is at once timeless and quintessentially French. Slowly and surely they have been getting their sound out there and a whole host of long-players have dropped since 2010. Their path has been an almost mirror image of the similar sounding Moon Duo who are also a psychedelic rock band, but hail from San Francisco, and formed in 2009 by Wooden Shjips guitarist Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada, although they have been noticeably absent since Covid, but I was rather fortunate to have caught them performing within a specially constructed transparent cube inside the iconic red brick ark that is St. Bartholomews Church in Brighton on 4th November 2019 – Review HERE.
The Limiñanas, whose latest album ‘Faded’ came out on 21st February, are that iconic rock couple, still driven by an unshakable desire to immerse us in their world, tinged with 60s rock and psychedelia, and infused with a cinematic aesthetic reminiscent of the golden age of Italian cinema. In support of their new record they announced a massive 37-date European tour and it seems they left the best to the very end by performing their final date here in Brighton at the popular Chalk venue courtesy of Acid Box promoters.
In order to replicate the many layers of their sound, the couple have collected together a number of rather fine musicians in order to help them. These being Thomas Gorman from the Kill The Young trio on vocals and acoustic guitar; Keith Streng the co-founding member of American garage rock band The Fleshtones on guitar and backing vocals; Clémence Lasme from Paris who formed the French progressive / psychedelic pop band Moodoïd, on bass and vocals; and Alban Barate on keyboards, guitar and backing vocals. In addition to the music there are also visual projections born from a collaboration with visual artist SMITH, creating a sensory bridge between psychedelic rock and cosmic poetry. This dream team were this evening ready to sweep us away into a sonic, euphoric, and contagious trance!
There are many more folk in the audience this evening than my debut encounter with The Limiñanas many moons ago and I find this rather encouraging, as the band have been ploughing their own furrow in their own way, without being absorbed as musical cogs of the system! We are in their company for 93 minutes from 8:15pm until 9:48pm and during that time they grant us, according to their setlists, 18 tunes along the way. The lighting comes mainly from the screens to the rear of the expansive stage and so five of the six musicians are hiding in the haze. The only exception being Keith Streng who is more often than not positioning himself at the very front of the stage and steps between the speakers on the floor as he hovers his guitar over the heads of the punters at the front, which includes myself. I have to have my wits about me, otherwise I may get an accidental bashing by the neck of the guitar or a kick from his sparkly shoes. Streng is easy to spot though as he is wearing an Hawaiian style shirt, whereas the others are all clad in black.
The performance begins in a sedate way with the opening cut from their latest studio album, ‘Faded’, this being ‘Spirale’ which is an instrumental offering that ever so slightly builds as it trundles along. After this we get the second cut from the LP, which on the recorded version features the vocals of Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie, this being ‘Prisoner Of Beauty’, with this evening’s vocal duties falling to Thomas Gorman, but he’s located at the far end of the stage from me and from where I’m standing his lyrics are sadly well down in the mix. They remain with the latest platter with the rockabilly-esque sounding ‘Shout’ with its grunge guitar backing. After this we get the fourth and surprisingly final cut from ‘Faded’ next, this being ‘J’adore Le Monde’ with the standout lyrics “Tout petit, tout petit, petit”. It’s worth noting that The Limiñanas release tracks that are sung in their native tongue as well as in English.
With the new album’s selections out of the way, they move on to ‘Down Underground’ which is found on their debut self-titled album and features Marie Limiñana on lead vocals. The vintage keys sound is notable as well and The B52s spring to mind. Staying in the same era and vintage keys sound, they next offload the all to brief but speedy ‘Je Ne Suis Pas Très Drogue’ which features both female and male vocals. The backing film is rather psychedelic which fits in nicely. The title track from their ‘Malamore’ album is their next selection and Keith Streng offers some guitar showmanship by briefly playing his instrument over the back of his head, whilst Marie’s metronomic drum beats chug us through the tune. ‘Salvation’ from 2012’s ‘Crystal Anis’ album is up next and the keys kick this one off and the title of the tune is emblazoned across the rear of the stage.
The title tune from 2018’s ‘Shadow People’ album is offloaded next, with the first few notes giving the feel of 1960’s era The Who and this track captures the sound of a bygone era. They remain with the same record and next perform ‘The Gift’, which on the recorded version features the iconic bass playing of the one and only Peter Hook. This evening these duties fall to Clémence Lasme. Marie’s vocals are sounding rather harmonious on this track and the male “Oh no no no” backing vocals and overall beat conjures the vibe of The Jesus And Mary Chain to yours truly, it’s as though any moment we are going to get “Just like honey”. This is one of the set highlights. The tambourine friendly vintage guitar strumming sounds of ‘Betty And Johnny’ from 2012’s ‘Crystal Anis’ album comes next, followed by the solid drumming led ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ from ‘Shadow People’ which on record features Anton Newcombe from The Brian Jonestown Massacre and has the vibe of early Iggy Pop. There’s more solid drumming on their rendition of The Cramps ‘TV Set’, which is the opening cut from their ‘Songs The Lord Taught Us’ album from 1980, with the vocals on that reminding me of Tenpole Tudor.
According to the setlists, the next track is called ‘Vadutz’ and I’m not actually sure that they have released this yet. What is certain is that the next offering ‘Je Rentrais Par Le Bois..BB’ has been released and this appears on 2021’s Limiñanas/Garnier ‘De Película’ album. This plods along until the distorted guitar bursts in and the overall sound reminds me of Joy Division’s ‘Leaders Of Men’. There’s many layers of sounds on this tune, which is not surprising really with six of them on stage, and it’s pretty hypnotic stuff going on here. It’s a solid choice which leads us up to the musicians briefly vacating the stage. We cry, bellow and stomp and thankfully they return.
First up is ‘El Beach’ from their ‘Malamore’ album which features Lionel on lead vocals which are delivered in French, whilst Marie stands and bangs a drum with one drumstick and bangs a tambourine with the other drumstick. There’s a fractional hint of Jah Wobble’s Invaders Of The Heart ‘Visions Of You’ in here. The penultimate selection is ‘Je M’en Vais’ from 2014 ‘(I’ve Got) Trouble In Mind: 7″ And Rare Stuff 2009/2014’ compilation album, which has a Suicide ‘Ghost Rider’ about it, which neatly segues into their take on ‘Rocket USA’, which Sigue Sigue Sputnik made their very own. This is a lengthy offering, and one which allowed Keith Streng to briefly hand over his guitar to a punter in the crowd to play for a bit. The strobe lighting goes into overload here and it’s evident that they are leaving us dazzled and on a high. On completion, Lionel beckons others involved with the tour to join the band on stage for the final bows, thus all nine take the bow and that’s it another tour concluded!
The Limiñanas:
Marie Limiñana – drums, presets, vocals
Lionel Limiñana – guitar, vocals
Thomas Gorman – vocals, acoustic guitar
Keith Streng – guitar, backing vocals
Clémence Lasme – bass, vocals
Alban Barate – keys, guitar, backing vocals
The Limiñanas setlist:
‘Spirale’ (from 2025 ‘Faded’ album)
‘Prisoner Of Beauty’ (from 2025 ‘Faded’ album)
‘Shout’ (from 2025 ‘Faded’ album)
‘J’adore Le Monde’ (from 2025 ‘Faded’ album)
‘Down Underground’ (from 2010 ‘The Limiñanas’ album)
‘Je Ne Suis Pas Très Drogue’ (from 2010 ‘The Limiñanas’ album)
‘Malamore’ (from 2016 ‘Malamore’ album)
‘Salvation’ (from 2012 ‘Crystal Anis’ album)
‘Shadow People’ (from 2018 ‘Shadow People’ album)
‘The Gift’ (from 2018 ‘Shadow People’ album)
‘Betty And Johnny’ (from 2012 ‘Crystal Anis’ album)
‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ (from 2018 ‘Shadow People’ album)
‘TV Set’ (The Cramps cover)
‘Vadutz’ (unreleased)
‘Je Rentrais Par Le Bois..BB’ (from 2021 Limiñanas/Garnier ‘De Película’ album)
(encore)
‘El Beach’ (from 2016 ‘Malamore’ album)
‘Je M’en Vais’ (from 2014 ‘(I’ve Got) Trouble In Mind: 7″ And Rare Stuff 2009/2014’ compilation album)
‘Rocket USA’ (Suicide cover)
Support this evening came from Hackney, London based drummer, composer and producer Oscar Sholto Robertson aka SHOLTO and his handful of friends. These being Phoebe Coco (vocals, tambourine, triangle, theremin, nut shell shaker, wood blocks, whirly tube sound hose), Rachel Horton Kitchlew (harp), Syd Kemp (Fender bass), Clementine Brown (violin) and Thomas McBriden (Nord Stage2 keyboard). This is my first introduction to their music and my interest was peaked even before they took to the stage on account of the choice of instruments on offer. Oscar grew up with a love of jazz, soul, krautrock and 60s & 70s soundtracks. It is said that “The music invites you into a warm array of colours, analogue gooeyness, instrumental grooves and a euphoric sentimentality”.
We are in SHOLTO’s company for 35 minutes this evening from 7:06pm to 7:41pm and in that period they perform eight compositions. They commence with ‘Lujon’ which is a Henry Mancini tune. This has a dreamy jazz vibe that meets Kinobe’s ‘Slip Into Something More Comfortable’ and Phoebe’s vocals are delivered as if it’s another instrument instead of actual lyrics. In fact, this happens a number of times throughout the set and she only really sings actual lines for a solitary tune. For ‘Lujon’ this backing style vocals reminds me of Barry Gray Orchestra’s ‘Aqua Marina’ from Gerry Anderson’s ‘Stingray’ television series.
The second offering is ‘The Pony’ which is from 2024’s ‘Letting Go Of Forever’ album, which is followed by the 2022 ‘Twin Flames’ single, and then ‘House Of Mirrors’, which is a David Axelrod tune. As you would expect, Oscar’s drums are very much to the fore throughout the set. Rachel’s harp adds a wonderful depth to the material and this reminds me of videos of Woodpecker Wooliams I have previously seen on YouTube. There’s certainly quite a depth of sound with each of the tracks and it’s difficult to study exactly what is happening and who is doing what, especially Phoebe, who flits between the backing vocals harmonies as well as utilizing a tambourine, a triangle, a Stylophone theremin, a nut shell shaker, wood blocks, and a whirly tube sound hose, like we used to play with in the early 1970s.
The band are mainly positioned in one straight line, but Thomas McBriden is hidden to the rear and he busies himself on his Nord Stage2 keyboard. I was at the front of the crowd on the barrier and as I strained myself to peer between Rachel’s harp and Phoebe’s table of instruments, in order to see what Thomas was up to, he noticed my efforts to check him out, and a smile of approval was directed my way. Syd on bass was very much engrossed in what he was doing, but I did notice one passage of beat that sounded similar to Omar’s ‘There’s Nothing Like This’, which was pleasing.
There were two cuts selected from ‘The Sirens’ new album, these being ‘Smooth Sailing’ and ‘Persephone’s Perception’ and after which we were served ‘Soul Vibrations’, which is a Dorothy Ashby tune. Within this part of the performance I had noted that Oscar’s drumming was at one stage sounding not far off Cypress Hill’s ‘Insane In The Brain’ which came as a surprise. Oscar then addressed the punters and informed us that they will now be performing their final number and that this was the very first single they ever released, this being ‘Vampire’ which then turned up on 2023’s ‘The Changing Tides Of Dreams’ album. This reminded me of Beats International’s ‘Dub Be Good To Me’. The SHOLTO sound is way beyond my usual musical preferences, on account of me being born without the jazz gene, but I certainly must state that I can spot pure class and this bunch have it by the bucket load!
Catch SHOLTO at Alphabet in Brighton on 21st February 2026 as part of ‘The Sirens’ tour. This event is also being organised by Acid Box promoters and tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.
SHOLTO:
Oscar Sholto Robertson – drums
Phoebe Coco – vocals, tambourine, triangle, theremin, nut shell shaker, wood blocks, whirly tube sound hose
Rachel Horton Kitchlew – harp
Syd Kemp – bass
Clementine Brown – violin
Thomas McBriden – keyboards
SHOLTO setlist:
‘Lujon’ (Henry Mancini cover)
‘The Pony’ (from 2024 ‘Letting Go Of Forever’ album)
‘Twin Flames’ (a 2022 single)
‘House Of Mirrors’ (David Axelrod cover)
‘Smooth Sailing’ (from 2025 ‘The Sirens’ album)
‘Persephone’s Perception’ (from 2025 ‘The Sirens’ album)
‘Soul Vibrations’ (Dorothy Ashby cover)
‘Vampire’ (from 2023 ‘The Changing Tides Of Dreams’ album)
