Five venues you should go in Brighton

When I moved from Birmingham to the south coast it took me some time to start experiencing the music scene because I had no idea where to go. Clubbing has always been with me since I started going out in Lisbon. Back in the days I was very fortunate to visit clubs such as Lux Frágil and Ministerium where I had the privilege to see artists like James Holden, Serge from Clone Records among others. Then, in the summer of 2015 I left my country and went on a new adventure. I landed in the UK for the second time but that time I was there to stay. The city was the multicultural Birmingham which welcomed me very well but it also gave me a lot of rain! There you would have to pick the right club and area to enjoy good music but in general, the creative district of Digbeth would give you that. Clubs including The Rainbow Venues (which closed around 2017) and LAB11 gave me the chance to see Tale of Us, Marcel Dettmann and Will Saul playing live.

No more crap and these are the venues I think you should go in Brighton:

• Patterns, Brighton: This venue opened in 2015 and is the main responsible for keeping the underground club culture alive in Brighton. I live 45 min. away from Brighton but I know I can trust the artists they bring on weekly. It’s definitely a well worth train journey. Apart from regularly having club nights, it can also work as a small music venue and thanks to its multipurpose I saw These New Puritans live during their new album tour. The venue consists of three floors: the basement which was designed for purely dancing, the ground floor which offers cocktails and a more relaxed environment and the terrace which during the summer will get you the best sea views. The resident DJs are very talented and as I mentioned before I saw These New Puritans live but also Ostgut Ton’s Ryan Elliott. Other guests include Âme, Ben UFO, Daniel Avery, Floating Points, Gerd Janson, Marcellus Pittman, Nick Höppner, Optimo, The Black Madonna and the list goes on.

• Concorde 2, Brighton: Since 2000, Concorde 2 has always been recognized as being among the leading live music venues and nightclubs in the UK. It’s a 600 capacity venue characterized by its diverse events ranging from club nights to some of the world’s greatest bands and artists you can find. Previous notable acts include 2manydjs, Pete Tong, Gilles Peterson, Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed and Mall Grab. Just right next to the sea front, Fatboy Slim has also had his own Big Beat Boutique before opening in 2000 as Concorde 2. Check out the Fatboy Slim’s video Build It Up, Tear It Down, where shows people ripping the old building apart.

• The Arch, Brighton: One of the missions for The Arch owners is to help incubate, acknowledge and progress young and upcoming talents. The venue has previously welcomed some of the world’s finest DJs including Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Annie Mac, Jamie Jones, Sven Vath and many more but it seems to be not just about big names. The venue is committed to rejuvenate Brighton’s underground movement by bringing undiscovered sounds and taking risks. What stands out to me is the Funktion One sound system which undoubtedly means the best sound quality you can get.

• Chalk, Brighton: Chalk is a multi-purpose and independent venue which hosts both regular club nights and live music events. Weekly club nights include Fat Poppadaddys, Secret Discotheque and Let’s Kill Disco. Among many other bands, the Battles were surely the band that brought my attention to this venue but things are looking good for Chalk as they announced more acts including Drab Majesty and the Detroit hip hop legends Slum Village.

• Green Door Store, Brighton: The Green Door Store is also a live music venue and nightclub located directly underneath Brighton Railway Station. It opened its doors in January 2011 and it has become one of the reference points when it comes to alternative and DIY artists. There you can expect the unexpected, the music is very diverse (but high quality) and the entry is usually free. By the way, Nathan Fake who is the musician behind “The Sky Was Pink” (one of my favourite tracks ever) is playing there on the 23rd of April.

References:

https://patternsbrighton.com/

https://www.concorde2.co.uk/

https://thearch.club/

https://chalkvenue.com/

http://thegreendoorstore.co.uk/