April: XOA at ALPHABET.

This was my first gig at the newly opened ALPHABET. It was previously called the Rialto Theatre, but I’d never seen any acts perform there, despite it being on the venue list for various Great Escapes. The venue is amazing. It’s an 1867 Grade II listed building, which has been a girls school, a chapel, an office, a disco and a theatre. Inside the decor is dark purple with minimalist LED strip lighting and excellent sound.

I’d first heard of London’s XOA at a gig earlier in the year at The Prince Albert, in between bands when one of their tracks came over the speakers. I used to my phone to track down the track and saved the album “Afterburner” to my Spotify account. I’ve been playing it all year since then, and when the gig was announced I was up for a ticket. It’s Jazz (baby) so none of my usual gig-going cohort came along to see them with me, but that game me a chance to lose myself in the music.  The latest incarnation of the band seemed newly formed and some of the tracks had never been performed before. Not that you would have noticed. The gig was amazing, marred only by the sax player missing his step off the stage at the end of the gig and falling with his instrument. He stood back up but the sax was in two pieces. I do hope he managed to get it repaired.

Do check out the band if you can, and enjoy the latest album.

May: Sahra Halgan at Daltons.

Another revamped venue for this gig. Daltons on the beachfront at Brighton (under the zipwire) was re-opened in late 2023 and was chosen by Polly from Acidbox to hold the free Acidbox Super Fuzz Weekender. This was one of many “Alternative Escapes” to the annual Great Escape Festival held in May each year. This year the festival had been called out for being sponsored by Barclays Bank, who, in turn, had been called out for supporting the Israeli genocide in Gaza. All the bands scheduled to play at TGE still played somewhere, just not necessarily at a TGE approved venue.

Sahra Halgan is from Somaliland and had worked as a nurse during bloody fighting in the country. She began singing at aged 13 and her family emigrated to Lyon, France in 2010. He band is French and that was the tongue of the on-stage banter. She and the band were absolutely amazing. Later in the year she performed on “Later…with Jools Holland” so I hope more people have now heard her great music. I enjoyed it so much I went to see her again at The Hope and Ruin in October.

Her latest album is called Hiddo Dhawr (Promote Culture). I hope you like it.

May: Kawa at Patterns.

Meanwhile, as part of the official Great Escape I saw Kawa upst5airs at Patterns. Kawa are a reggae group from Yunnan’s Ximeng county, an autonomous region for the Wa people in the southwest of China, bordering Myanmar. “Chinese reggae?” I hear you cry. Well check it out before you dismiss it. 

There was little or no chit-chat from the band, but given the language barrier that didn’t dampen the spirits. Despite the “official videographer” trying (and being discouraged) to stand directly in front of us during the gig, and a large Chinese bloke pushing his way past some of my friends, it was an excellent gig. I encourage you to sing along to “Get Drunk” although I’m not sure what you’ll be singing.

That track comes from their 2017 album “Exodus”.

November: Afrooj Aftab at CHALK.

I saw Afrooj Aftab as part of the Mutations festival. Although (ashamedly) having never heard of her before, by friends told me she was excellent, and indeed she was. Singing in Urdu and English her music is sublime. With jazz, flamenco and classical influences she warmed a cold November night in Brighton. She also went on to perform on “Later…with Jools Holland”, which has been much more in step with my musical tastes this year.

This is Afrooj’s latest album. I hope you love it.