Right, so this weekend’s looking alright if you know where to go. Martin Kemp’s doing his 80s nostalgia thing at Concorde 2 on Saturday night, which will be rammed with people reliving their youth, but beyond that you’ll need to dig a bit deeper for the proper stuff.
Friday Night
The Dome’s got a couple of things on—there’s performances at the Corn Exchange and Concert Hall if you’re into that sort of thing, tickets from £25. Otherwise, your usual spots will have something going: Hope & Ruin, Green Door Store, and Patterns will all have their regular Friday crowds. Check their listings day-of because half the time the best gigs aren’t even advertised until the afternoon.
Saturday
Apart from the Kemp thing at Concorde 2, Saturday’s actually decent for culture if you can be arsed. There’s Dance Active at 4pm at the Brighton Centre’s Syndicate Wing—intergenerational dance with BSL, which is actually quite good. Then you’ve got Brighton Art Book Fair at Phoenix Art Space (Saturday and Sunday), £2 entry for international publishers and small press stuff People of Print. Proper independent scene, not the tourist tat.
Sunday
Brighton Philharmonic’s at the Dome Concert Hall, tickets from a quid which is mental really. First Press Record Fair’s back at The Prince Albert, 12-4pm The Best Of—if you’re into vinyl, you know the drill. It’s where you’ll actually find decent stuff, not Rough Trade prices.
Where to Drink
Forget the guides telling you about Fortune of War and the seafront tourist traps. If you want a proper pint, stick to North Laine—Hope’s always solid, Prince Albert’s got character, Green Door’s late license makes it decent after everything else shuts. Fountain Head does good food if you’re hungry. Black Lion’s open till 4am weekends but you know what you’re getting into there.
The Pipeline, Rossi Bar, and Folklore Rooms usually have something on too—these are your grassroots venues that actually put gigs on, not just churn out tribute acts. Check their socials on the day because listings are always patchy.
Honestly Though
December’s a weird one—it’s either Christmas market stuff for families or the usual weeknight crowd getting pissed. Your best bet’s probably hitting one of the smaller venues Friday or Saturday night, catching the Art Book Fair or record fair on Sunday afternoon, then finding somewhere decent for a roast. The Albion aren’t playing this weekend, so at least you won’t have that lot clogging up the trains.
