BALAAM AND THE ANGEL + WASTED YOUTH + SKELETAL FAMILY – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 10.5.26
The inaugural ‘Kindred Spirits’ Day Fest took place on Sunday 23rd November last year at Signature Brew in Walthamstow, London and featured a trio of alternative music acts plying their wares from 3pm to 7pm. These being Balaam And The Angel, Rose Of Avalanche, and Ghost Dance.
This afternoon at Brighton’s Concorde 2 located opposite Brighton Beach on Madeira Drive, witnesses the second installment, which this time around arguably features even bigger hitters of the early 80’s dark and atmospheric post punk music scene. The three acts appearing today are Skeletal Family, Wasted Youth and again Balaam And The Angel who have never appeared together on the same billing before! It’s a proper triple billing with each of the acts allocated a 45 minute set in which to gain new fans and keep their loyal followers thoroughly entertained. I’m not sure how the running order was selected, but we are going to talk about the acts as they appeared…
The doors opened at 3pm and this allowed the mixed aged punters plenty of time to check out the three merch stalls as well as ordering liquid refreshments. Strangely, today hasn’t sold out despite offering up a trio of quality acts in a great venue. It’s a nice early start and finish in order to leave everyone adequately refreshed for work tomorrow. Literally everyone in the crowd is wearing at least one black garment of clothing, myself included. The soundsystem is playing the obligatory goth (and similar) tunes from back in the day, with Clan of Xymox, Bauhaus and Depeche Mode being my personal favourites from their selections.
First up this afternoon are Skeletal Family who grace us with their presence at 3:50pm. This outfit formed in Keighley (West Yorkshire) in 1982 and along with bands like Sisters Of Mercy were one of the earliest exponents of a style of music that was to become known as gothic rock. Skeletal Family were initially active from 1982 until 1986, but they remained on hiatus until 2002 when they reformed. They have been responsible for creating some of the most recognisable and genre defining songs of the early 80’s alternative scene. Throughout their career, and lineup changes, they have seen their singles and albums appear consistently in the UK Indie charts and enjoyed a regular place on the playlists of dancefloors and alternative radio all over the UK. They recently released ‘Light From The Dark’, a very well received album of new material with new vocalist Anneka Latta. Key tracks to check out are ‘So Sure’, ‘Promised Land’, ‘My Own Redemption’, and ‘Cry Baby’.
After a few technical sound issues connected with the drums, the sextet were finally at it at 3:53pm and they ran through a dozen choice cuts until 4:39pm. The musicians comprise Anneka Latta (vocals), Roger “Trotwood” Nowell (Fender bass), Ian “Karlheinz” Taylor (Korg Kronos keyboards, saxophone), Stan Greenwood (Fender guitar), Owen Richards (Gibson guitar, backing vocals) and for the very first ever time Nick Simms (drums). Immediately Anneka informs us that they have travelled “down from the North” to play for us today. I noticed a resemblance between “Karlheinz” and Stein Groven, who is better known by his stage name Casino Steel, and is a Norwegian-born keyboard player, singer and songwriter who plays in The Boys.
I’m pleased to see that the Concorde 2 lighting is way better than it used to be and so this gives the feeling for the bands of playing on a much larger stage, such as the Brighton Centre or Brighton Dome. The sound is good too, which surely will encourage more acts to look at booking this as their venue of choice in Brighton.
Skeletal Family kicked off their set with ‘New Horizon’ from 2023’s ‘Light From The Dark’ album and then a couple from 1985’s ‘Futile Combat’ album, these being ‘Move’ and ‘Don’t Be Denied’. Not having recalled seeing them first time around back in the day, I’ve nothing to compare them with from the old days, but this re-booted version is reminiscent of Evanescence. There’s a power pop feel with added youth courtesy of their vocalist, but having said that a quartet of them have obviously been around the block a few times, and can obviously handle their instruments with aplomb. “Karlheinz’s” saxophone parts remind me of the Rezillos meets X-Ray Spex, although their overall sound is an amalgam of post punk, goth, and poppy indie rock.
I find that when there’s the combination of the rumbly bass guitar with the Korg keys and solid drumming, then that works best for me, as I get that almost Arabic meets goth mysteriousness feeling, though I do dig it when the guitars offer up proto punk style riffs. They played some brand new tunes for us this afternoon, namely ‘Away From You’ and getting its first ever live outing ‘Restless’. These blended in perfectly with their other material. Throughout their performance Anneka is very much the centre of attention with her powerful vocals and her bubbly outlook. They saved the best for last, this being ‘Promised Land’ from 1985’s ‘Futile Combat’ album, which has the bouncy beat and energy of U2’s ‘I Will Follow’, mainly on the account of Owen’s speedy constant strumming on his Gibson guitar. The punters enjoy their set.
Skeletal Family:
Anneka Latta – vocals
Roger “Trotwood” Nowell – bass
Ian “Karlheinz” Taylor – keyboards, saxophone
Stan Greenwood – guitar
Owen Richards – guitar, backing vocals
Nick Simms – drums
Skeletal Family setlist:
‘New Horizon’ (from 2023 ‘Light From The Dark’ album)
‘Move’ (from 1985 ‘Futile Combat’ album)
‘Don’t Be Denied’ (from 1985 ‘Futile Combat’ album)
‘Edge Of A Dream’ (from 2023 ‘Light From The Dark’ album)
‘She Cries Alone’ (from 1984 ‘Recollect’ mini-album)
‘Beautiful Disaster’ (from 2023 ‘Light From The Dark’ album)
‘What Are You Waiting For’ (from 2023 ‘Light From The Dark’ album)
‘Away From You’ (unreleased)
‘Restless’ (unreleased)
‘Cry Baby’ (from 2023 ‘Light From The Dark’ album)
‘Watch Me’ (from 2016 ‘Eternal (Singles · Albums · Rarities · BBC Sessions · Live · Demos 1982-2015)’ box set
‘Promised Land’ (from 1985 ‘Futile Combat’ album)
Next up are fiercely independent and constantly creative East London post-punk band Wasted Youth who have recently returned to the UK music scene with the release of their ‘Neo Noir’ album which drew overwhelmingly positive reviews that emphasized its “timeless quality”, “pulsating rhythms” and “controlled chaos”. From London the roots of the band can be traced back to 1979 and their emergence as one of the key bands of the post punk era. Their 1981 album ‘Wild And Wondering’ is widely considered to be an overlooked classic and the band have been mentioned as an influence by numerous music professionals. Tracks to check out are ‘Jealousy’, ‘I’ll Remember You’, ‘I Wish I Was A Girl’, and ‘This Is Your Day’.
Wasted Youth initially formed in the summer of 1979 and ran until December 1982. After a long 40 year hiatus, the band announced their return in February 2022. I can’t recall witnessing them live back in the day, but I more than made up for it when I caught the new version in action at The Piper in St. Leonards-on-Sea on 21st September 2024 and since then they have seriously been on my radar. The current lineup features Ken Scott (vocals, keys, tambourine), Rocco Barker (Gretsch guitar with tremolo, backing vocals), Josef Rowan (guitar, backing vocals, maracas), Sabrina Amade (Fender bass) and Alan Temple (drums). This afternoon we are in their company for 49 minutes, from 5pm to 5:49pm.
Last time around they sadly didn’t play the excellent ‘Paris, France’ from 1982’s ‘The Beginning Of The End’ album, which I think is one of their very best tunes. I certainly didn’t have to wait long this time around as they opened with it! Immediately you can see that they are offering a heavier proto punk sound than the openers, where there’s much fast bass guitar strumming to kick things off. The rock’n’roll looking star of the outfit is Rocco as he sums up his innermost Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards as he “secretly” vapes during their performance. Throughout the set, Alan’s drumming is the backbone of their sound and he drags along his chums as they work their way through the Mott The Hopple, Bowie, Stooges vibed ‘Maybe We’ll Die With Them’ from 1981’s ‘Wild And Wandering’ album.
Track three was ‘I’m In Love Again’ which is found on 2023’s Ken Scott Wasted Youth ‘Before, After & Later’ album. This is a solid glam rock rocker of a number which reminded me of the edgier earlier sounds of both Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Roxy Music, as well as a nod to The Boys 1978 ‘Brickfield Nights’. Their 1981 ‘Rebecca’s Room’ single came next with its “Why can’t we live it tonight” earworm lyrics and early Killing Joke and Gang Of Four vibe. After which they delivered the proto punk corker that is ‘Man Found Dead in Graveyard’ from 1982’s ‘The Beginning Of The End’ album, which has a slight whiff of the early Modern Lovers ‘Roadrunner’ and was a set highlight thus far, with Ken even adding in namechecks for ‘Solid Gold Easy Action’ (T. Rex) and ‘Eight Miles High’ (The Byrds).
Their penultimate selection was ‘I Wish I Was A Girl’ from 1981’s ‘Wild And Wandering’ album, which even surpassed the previous number! There’s much guitar riffage to be had here, with Josef playing guitar and shaking maracas at the same time. The drums were really solid too. The setlist was supposed to include ‘If Tomorrow’ from the same album, but this got dropped, and so they launched into ‘Survivors Pt. 2’ aka ‘Charlie And Harry’ which is also from 1981’s ‘Wild And Wandering’. There’s Sex Pistols ‘EMI’ vibes in this one along with many layers of sounds and frenetic energy. After this Ken realized that there was time for one more quick tune and so they opted for a cover of Wire’s ‘1 2 X U’ with its repeated “Saw you in a mag, kissing a man” lyrics. It’s been another excellent performance, and I very much look forward to catching Wasted Youth in action again!
Wasted Youth:
Ken Scott – vocals, keys, tambourine
Rocco Barker – guitar, backing vocals
Josef Rowan – guitar, backing vocals, maracas
Sabrina Amade – bass
Alan Temple – drums
Wasted Youth setlist:
‘Paris, France’ (from 1982 ‘The Beginning Of The End’ album)
‘Maybe We’ll Die With Them’ (from 1981 ‘Wild And Wandering’ album)
‘I’m In Love Again’ (from 2023 Ken Scott Wasted Youth ‘Before, After & Later’ album)
‘Rebecca’s Room’ (from 1981 ‘Rebecca’s Room’ single)
‘Man Found Dead in Graveyard’ (from 1982 ‘The Beginning Of The End’ album)
‘I Wish I Was A Girl’ (from 1981 ‘Wild And Wandering’ album)
‘Survivors Pt. 2’ (from 1981 ‘Wild And Wandering’ album)
‘1 2 X U’ (Wire cover)
linktr.ee/wastedyouthband
‘Kindred Spirits 2’ closes with the arrival of Balaam And The Angel who take to the stage at 6:13pm and play right on until the 7pm curfew. During that time we are rewarded with 10 tracks. Balaam And The Angel was formed in the West Midlands in 1984 by three Scottish brothers living in Staffordshire. The band have continued to perform in their original lineup of Mark, Jim and Des Morris for over four decades. Their career has been varied and diverse and included periods of mainstream visibility as a recording artist for Virgin Records and the inclusion of the single ‘I’ll Show You Something Special’ on the soundtrack enduring classic film ‘Trains, Planes And Automobiles’. The band continues to produce new music and recently released a critically acclaimed 4 track EP ‘Forces Of Evil’. Key tracks to check out are ‘I Love The Things You Do To Me’, ‘She Knows’, and ‘Dancing Senseless’.
Thus the band today are Mark Morris (vocals), Jim Morris (Gibson guitar, backing vocals), Des Morris (drums) and his wife Karen Morris (keys, backing vocals). Eight of the ten tunes are culled from their 1986/7 period and the remaining two are from 2024 and this year. There’s a heavy hitting of the drums and Des leads the band into action on ‘New Kind Of Love’ from 1986’s ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album. There’s much Gibson guitar riffage on this opener from Jim who is sporting Native American Indian style black trousers. Mark offers the repeated “We will…” lyrics throughout, eg: “We will share the best of our thoughts; We will take what’s naturally ours; We will share all good things to come; We will have a new kind of love”.
During their second number, ‘She Knows’ which is also found on ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album, Jim stands on the front floor speakers on the stage in order to engage with the punters, some of whom are merrily bobbing their heads to the music. Balaam And The Angel are bridging the gap between heavy rock and goth rock, and so are offering a different sound to the first two bands. ‘Love Me’ from 1986’s ‘Sun Family’ album follows and then comes the newest number, ‘Wealth’ from this year’s ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ EP. There’s some notable floor-shaking drumming, bass and guitar riffage going on here for this newbie and was for yours truly was the best tune so far, which is a positive for the band.
The Balaam And The Angel backdrop on the rear wall behind Des worked rather well, especially when they added the live feed of the band performing on top of that. Plus in a few tunes time, there is also the addition of lazers which are mostly green with the occasional blue. The drums for me are the powerhouse of the outfit and lead the other trio along. The punters are clearly having fun this teatime with the band as they bounce along to the beats. I believe that they played ‘Forces Of Evil’ at some point here, but it wasn’t listed on their setlist. It is a heavy rocker of a tune.
Jim then says “Re-tune ….this is what live music sounds like”. His comment was greeted with much approval from the lady to my right, who was seriously getting into the Morris family sounds. Tracks from ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album and ‘Forces Of Evil’ EP came and went. The band concluded with two cuts from 1987’s ‘Live Free Or Die’ album, with the first being ‘I Love The Things You Do To Me’, which should have kept any Black Sabbath fans in the house more than happy. Mark then stated “thanks guys, thank you for coming, you’ve been great” and they signed off with ‘I’ll Show You Something Special’ and that was our lot.
The PA played Duran Duran’s ‘The Chauffeur’ which had the effect of speedily clearing the room, as the punters made their way to the merch stalls and then home with their newly purchased t-shirts, vinyls and CDs.
Balaam And The Angel:
Mark Morris – vocals
Jim Morris – guitar, backing vocals
Des Morris – drums
Karen Morris – keys, backing vocals
Balaam And The Angel setlist:
‘New Kind Of Love’ (from 1986 ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album)
‘She Knows’ (from 1986 ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album)
‘Love Me’ (from 1986 ‘Sun Family’ album)
‘Wealth’ (from 2026 ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ EP)
‘Light Of The World’ (from 1986 ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album)
‘Slow Down’ (from 1986 ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album)
‘Dancing Senseless’ (from 2024 ‘Forces Of Evil’ EP)
‘The Wave’ (from 1986 ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ album)
‘I Love The Things You Do To Me’ (from 1987 ‘Live Free Or Die’ album)
‘I’ll Show You Something Special’ (from 1987 ‘Live Free Or Die’ album)
