// Monday 23rd //
IRISH TRAD SESSIONS @ Fiddler’s Elbow
Listen to traditional Irish folk music and singers at Fiddler’s Elbow’s traditional night. As well as a whole host of Gaelic melodies, Guinness is only £2.70 a pint all evening, what better to get you into the Irish spirit?
// Tuesday 24th //
BEATS ‘N’ PIECES @ The Mesmerist
Beats ‘N’ Pieces present jazz every Tuesday night at the Mesmerist, covering everything from J Dilla and A Tribe Called Quest to Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis.
QUADRANT OPEN MIC @ The Quadrant
The Quadrant Open Mic runs every Tuesday 8.30 – 11 in the gorgeous, enclosed performance room upstairs with stage and lighting. If you would like to play at one of the open mics, you can contact organisers via facebook. Expect a wonderful night with a great atmosphere that often involves singalongs, foot-stomping, giggles and of course, intimate performances from local singer/songwriters. The upstairs lounge is a comfy, quirky and relaxed area so join in for a drink and support the night.
// Wednesday 25th //
RATIONALE @ The Haunt
The Zimbabwe-born British singer-songwriter, formerly known as Tinashé, is known for his soulful R&B and indie pop style with electric influences. Possessing a gift for songwriting which allows him to push the boundaries of R&B, pop and soul while also presenting an intriguing worldview in his lyrics, RATIONALE has become an in-demand collaborator. Rag’n’Bone Man (‘Wolves’, ‘Guilty’ and ‘Life In Her Yet’), Katy Perry (‘Act My Age’) and Nause (‘Dynamite’) have all called on his talents, while further endorsements have included Ellie Goulding, who often covers his track ‘Tethered’ in her live shows, and Bastille, who invited RATIONALE to join them on their European arena tour.
HOPSCOTCH TOUR: YONAKA, ANTEROS + STEREO HONEY @ Patterns
Both Yonaka and Anteros are female fronted as well. It’s no secret that ladies are under-represented on line-ups, with a mix of the tight, sludgy riffs of grunge, an abundance of pop hooks and the frenetic live energy of DIY punk? YONAKA are a four-piece band from Brighton who you can’t quite pin down, but you don’t have to. YONAKA might have only unveiled a scattering of releases so far, but they’ve already picked up praise from the likes of NME, DIY Magazine, Noisey and NME. Over the summer, they also delivered an incredibly tight, riotous live session at the BBC’s iconic Maida Vail studios, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 1 soon afterwards. Anteros are a London indie pop four piece fronted by Laura Hayden, drawing influence from the likes of The Cure, Arcade Fire, 90’s No Doubt, The Cardigans and Blur
GHOULD + CHALK HANDS + YUXA + AEROSOL JESUS @Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
For a night of hard-hitting heavies, Sticky Mike’s is the place to go on Wednesday night. Crafted from sheer boredom and a lack of enthusiasm toward the generic, Aerosol Jesus beautifully contradict their heaviness of Warped, down-tuned riffs riddled with elements of noise and experimentalism with eerie, shimmering emotive melodies. Songs which are unapologetically murky within shocking wall of sound.
// Thursday 26th //
(SANDY) ALEX G @ Patterns
Bedroom-produced lo-fi pop from Pennsylvania songwriter channels influences from Elliott Smith and Built to Spill. Latest album ‘Rocket’ was released on Domino Records as is full of cracking tunes.
PHOTAY (LIVE) @ Patterns
Photay is the solo musical masterpiece of musical mastermind Evan Shornstein. Head and heart in music from the age of nine, aka when his ears were introduced to Aphex Twin, the inspiration proved to be a foundation for his musical growth in drumming, turntablism and eventually composition. Drawing on a wide range of global influences, he dove headfirst into the world of audio experimentation, initially through mixes recorded using his turntables, and later on through the use of digital audio software. Restlessly playful, Photay’s unique range of compositional skills are immediately apparent, with tempos and moods spontaneously emerging and evolving organically, using catchy melodies with unusual textures. It is vibrant, dynamic and beautifully unexpected.
THE PROPER ORNAMENTS @ The Prince Albert
Proper Ornaments hold the attraction of seeming to not try very hard at all and achieve something outstanding nonetheless. Quite apart from our attachment to laziness and chance which make this seductive, textures of dappled drums, softened-out guitars and vocal harmonies that slide along as effortlessly as this, any evidence of conscious construction spirited away, are in themselves totally ecstatic to listen to. — Edgar Smith
PALE WAVES @ Komedia Studio
It’s been a pretty whirlwind six months for Manchester’s Pale Waves. Essentially hand-picked for greatness by The 1975 (they’ve produced their releases, directed their videos and given them support slots around the world), their brand of dream-gaze pop is very similar to that of Matt Healy and co. Also signed to Dirty Hit, they’ve proved their live prowess with excellent slots at Reading and Leeds Festival and the Dirty Hit tour earlier this year with Superfood and King Nun. October sees them hit the road for their first ever headline tour and tickets won’t last long for this one
THE TELESCOPES @Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
The Telescopes are an English noise, space rock, dream pop and psychedelic band, formed in 1987 by Stephen Lawrie, and drawing influence from artists such as Suicide, The Velvet Underground and The 13th Floor Elevators. They have a total of six released albums since their debut, Taste, released in 1989. In April 2012 came two new singles, the first a drone version of Nick Drake’s “Black Eyed Dog” on the Trensmat label. The second, a new composition entitled “We See Magic and We Are Neutral, Unnecessary”. A flexi-postcard release on The Dream Machine label. An album of new songs is also underway, following sessions at the Brian Jonestown Massacre studios in Berlin and Spectrum co founder Richard Formby’s studio in Leeds. In 2015, the Hidden Fields album was released by German label Tapete Records. It was described by AllMusic as shoegaze and noise pop, but more song-based than recent releases.
// Friday 27th //
ELDERBROOK @ Patterns
Alexander Kotz started out playing in an indie band while he was just a teenager. Later he put his guitar skills to use as a singer/songwriter. When that didn’t gel, he tried hip-hop before finally finding his niche as an electronic musician while studying in Bath, England. Thus Elderbrook was born. Combining a little of Alt-J’s weirdness and Disclosure’s groove-hook savvy, he scored an underground hit with the Andhim remix of “How Many Times,” from his first EP Simmer Down. Released in late 2014 on Rudimental’s Black Butter Records, it showcased Elderbrook’s sound with three songs and a couple remixes. He extracted sounds from everyday life (ice cracking, voices, things falling) and distorted them into the vacuum of his song space, creating a zero-gravity atmosphere cut with deep beats. His second EP, Travel Slow, was released in August 2015.
// Saturday 28th //
REDLIGHT @ The Arch
Redlight is a British DJ and Dance Music Producer brought up around 90’s warehouse rave culture in Bristol. His music and career has spanned over a decade, having spent 12 years grafting on the underground, popping up for air in 2012 with a couple of Top 10 UK hits in the national charts. He has since then released his debut solo album entitled ‘X Colour’. He has collaborated with artists such as Mobb Deep, Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan). Remixed acts including Mary J. Blige and Tink, defining genres, remaining one of the UK’s most consistent and exciting producers of recent years with many more to come. With his label ‘Lobster Boy’ embracing a love for House, Techno, Hip Hop and vocal-lead dance music, whilst channelling his knowledge and love of Jungle, DnB and bass music, it is a whole new genre-free ‘cross-cultured dance music’ label. After exploring a versatile sound on his debut album, the visionary producer has taken things back to his club roots with a mixtape – ‘Templates Volume 1’ which focuses on tracks crafted specifically for his world-renowned DJ sets. The mixtape series is all about club music. For most of the events Redlight plays, he usually comes with new productions every time. The mixtape series is a culmination of all these productions and is a selection of the best tunes and remixes he has done and will continue to do so
NOISIA @ Concorde 2
Dutch trio Noisia will be filling Concorde 2 with electronic sounding wonders on Saturday. Described as “original, emotional, visceral”, and producing a whole variety of musical genre delights from dubstep to hiphop and beyond, they are a group not to be missed.
// Sunday 29th //
BEN OTTEWELL @ Komedia
With an avid following from the days in his former band Gomez, A Man Apart is singer/songwriter Ben Ottewell’s third solo offering and follows his albums Shapes and Shadows and Rattlebag. The album is a record that crosses musical genres such as Americana, blues and folk backed by Ben’s unmistakable gutsy and gravelly voice. Co-written with childhood friend and former Tunng member, Sam Genders, the album was recorded in Los Angeles and Sheffield and engineered and produced in the latter by Martin Smith (Richard Hawley). A Man Apart delves into such relevant subjects as love and relationships, fame and politics. The album’s title track focuses on populist politicians exploiting people’s hopes and fears, with Bones touching on the realisation of not being worthy of someone, and opener Own It, sees Ben reflect on his time growing up in public in Gomez. New single Watcher is the perfect introduction to the album and despite its pensive meaning, is a melodic Americana led track that builds into a memorable bluesy and soulful chorus