Live Review :: This Feeling TV Showcase :: Black Honey + Trampolene + Lacuna Bloome :: Hope & Ruin, Brighton - Sep 7 2018

Live

This Feeling TV Showcase

Black Honey + Trampolene + Lacuna Bloome

Hope & Ruin, Brighton

September 7 2018

Words/Pictures: Steve Willcox

For the first time promoters This Feeling's TV arm, sponsored by Red Stripe, have ventured out from the confines of the Big Smoke to bring the feels down to the seaside. Inside tonight's location, the Brighton Hope & Ruin venue, anticipation is buzzing nicely for what is part gig, part filmed show, with TF head honcho Mikey Jonn’s running around this 100+ strong crowd making sure we’re all happy.

First off on the bill tonight are relatively new kids on the block, Lacuna Bloome. Having seen them little over a year ago, it has to be said that this reviewer was not blown away - which all goes to show what a year of hard graft, new management and a truck full of banging songs can do for you, as their set here is spot on the money. ‘Find Your Way’ has a solo guitar riff that slowly infiltrates into the subconscious, before they bring their shoegaze rhythms into the mix. New single ‘I Am’ is captivating live and the crowd are already dancing to this brilliant song, before they end with the sublime ‘Fin’.

One of yours truly's favourite bands, Trampolene, are one whom you can never tire of seeing too much. You can tell Jack Jones means to conquer the world with his idea of Love and Rock’n’Roll. Walking on stage to ‘Artwork Of Youth’ playing in the background, they launch into ‘Alcohol Kiss’ with its distinctive guitar riff. ‘Gangway’ gets the crowd singing along and generally misbehaving in the process, while ‘You Do Nothing For Me’ and the lamentable ‘Beautiful Pain’ leave the room hungry for more. Unfortunately, they were only down for a 20 minute set, but they had a lucky break time-wise, and manage to squeeze out a shortened version of ‘Poundland’ to close off on.

Black Honey are riding high again right now, with loads of buzz fresh from their Latitude and Finsbury Park gigs, as well as their self-titled debut album, out in two weeks time. This Brighton-born indie rock four-piece swagger in like a group with a point to prove. Somewhere between Transvision Vamp and Garbage, they take the crowd on a journey with the crazily addictive ‘I Only Hurt The Ones I Love’, rife with incendiary lyrics, to ‘Bad Friends’ which brings with it some even darker tones of vocal delivery by frontwoman extraordinaire Izzy B Phillips.

The excited audience has no regard for the TV cameras working around them, as they mosh at the front with some crowd surfing thrown in for good measure (and good TV, of course), which then turns into a frenzy with latest tune ‘Midnight’. During final song ‘Corrine’, the fans start to invade the stage, but Izzy B exerts her dominance by making everyone sit down, singing amongst them, until the song ramps up and everybody starts jumping till the very end.

This Feeling certainly knows how to get a party started and with the acts tonight, it's brought out the best in all of us. Keep 'em peeled here for the full version of the show which goes out on September 24.