BRIGHTONSFINEST MUSIC GUIDE ISSUE 22

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ISSUE 22

2 - 8 OCTOBER 2018

ALBUM REVIEWS From Suede, BROCKHAMPTON, Villagers and Paul Weller

MUSIC NEWS From KT Tunstall, Sophie Ellis-Bexter and more

GIG LISTINGS Our recommended listings of gigs in Brighton

LIVE REVIEWS Featuring Lost Horizons, LOYAL and Oscar Jerome

FROM BRIGHTON BUSKER TO BLUES BABY


ISSUE 22

NEWS

CONTENTS LILY MOORE Lily Moore talks to Jeff Hemmings about her influential parents, busking in Brighton and preparing for her first album

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CEO: Frank Sansom EDITOR: Daniel White PRODUCTION: Adam Kidd, Jonski Mason

NEWS LISTINGS Touring artists and more news from the city’s music scene

CONTRIBUTORS: Jeff Hemmings Iain Lauder Jamie MacMillan Liam McMillen Ben Walker Christian Middleton Kelly Westlake Paul Hill Chloe Hashemi Dan Whitehouse Annie Roberts Rhys Baker

Our recommended listings and previews of this week’s gigs

ALBUMS

LIVE REVIEWS

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Lost Horizons, LOYAL and Oscar Jerome all feature in our rundown of this week’s live reviews

OUT OF TOWN

TOM ROBINSON

Our favourite upcoming gigs outside of Brighton

The BBC 6 Music presenter chats to Jeff Hemmings about broadcasting, gay rights and the music industry

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Sophie Ellis-Bexter has just announced a 2019 UK tour, including a date at the Brighton Dome on 7 June, performing her hits with an orchestra, in collaboration with musician and producer Ed Harcourt, and orchestral arranger Amy Langley.

BBC Introducing South extends with new time slot

For the last few years BBC Introducing South has been restricted to one hour on Saturday evenings. This seemed short, considering Brighton’s vibrant scene. That hour had to represent a large area of the South of England, so it’s fantastic they’ve relaunched with a two hour Wednesday slot from 7-9pm. Each show will feature a Live Lounge performance recorded at the BBC Sussex studio on Queen’s Road in Brighton. Musicians who want to feature should visit BBC Introducing.

COVER SHOT: Phoebe Fox

3 4 Reviews from the latest album releases this week

BRINGING THE ARTISTS CLOSER TO YOU...

KT Tunstall has released ‘The River’, the lead single from her forthcoming sixth studio album Wax, which will come out on 5th October. As part of a UK tour next year, she’ll also be performing at the Brighton Dome on 18th March 201.

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Australia’s prime indierocker Courtney Barnett has shared a live version of ‘Charity’, one of the tracks off her most recent album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, along with a cover of Elyse Weinberg’s ‘Houses’, as a Spotify single and red 7” vinyl.

Spotify are trialling a new scheme, cutting out middlemen distributors. Although it’s currently only for invited artists, it’s expected to be rolled out after trial, allowing all artists to upload straight to the platform and track royalty statements.

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING

Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.

At Brightonsfinest we strive to meet all of the best musicians who travel to, or live in our vibrant city. On our YouTube channel you can listen to our archive of radio interviews from both emerging and established artists, highlighting the best in new music from Brighton and beyond. This week we look back at our interview with Jeremy Pritchard from Mercury nominees Everything Everything, as Jeff Hemmings found out about their album A Fever Dream.

brightonsfinest.com brightonsfinestpresents @brightonsfinest brightonsfinestuk @brightonsfinest

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PREVIEWS

KOMEDIA

Emmy The Great – Duke of York’s – Wednesday 3rd October 2018 Critically acclaimed songwriter Emma-Lee Moss is busy writing a new album, generally taking time out from shows as a result, so Brighton is truly privileged to be one of just three places she has chosen to bring her stunning anti-folk/pop this autumn. Beautifully crafted, poetic romanticism with a spectacular ambience, this performance is going to be extremely special. Go along and hang on her every word.

K PIC HE T OF EK WE

Anna Calvi – All Saints Church – Friday 5th October 2018 One of the most striking artists of recent times, Anna Calvi has just released her third album, Hunter, a highly dramatic and theatrical work that explores gender and humanity. It is a disarmingly honest, powerful, and a longing expression of freedom, from gender stereotypes, and from social norms. On stage Calvi prowls, and works her guitar, whilst getting up close to her audience via a runway she has specially devised for her UK shows.

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Green Door Store

The Hope & Ruin

Darwin Deez Tuesday 2nd October Tickets: £14.85 Presented by SJM Concerts

Stereo Honey Tuesday 2nd October Tickets: £13.50 Presented by Live Nation

The Lake Poets Tuesday 2nd October Tickets: £13.50 Presented by One Inch Badge

Remo Drive Wednesday 3rd October Tickets: £8 Presented by Lout Pomotions

Virginia Wing Wednesday 3rd October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by Dictionary Pudding

Demons Of Ruby Mae Wednesday 3rd October Tickets: £8 Presented by Scruff of the Neck

Neil Innes Tuesday 9th October Tickets: £18.50 Presented by Dictionary Pudding

The Spirit of Gravity Thursday 4th October Tickets: £5 OTD Presented by The Spirit of Gravity

Sisteray Thursday 4th October Tickets: £5.50 Presented by Modern Age Music

The Nightingales Saturday 6th October Tickets: £11 Presented by Spinning Chilli

Wax Machine Friday 5th October Tickets: £4.40 Presented by Acid Box

Concorde 2 Way Out West Wednesday 3rd October Tickets: £16.50

The Prince Albert

Holly Cook Friday 5th October Tickets: £13 Presented by Lout Promotions

Fröst Wednesday 3rd October Tickets: £6

Teleman Tuesday 9th October Tickets: £16 Presented by Love Thy Neighbour

Mull Historical Society Thursday 4th October Tickets: £12.38 Presented by One Inch Badge

BRIGHTHELM CENTRE Tom Robinson Saturday 6th October Tickets: £24.75 Presented by Dictionary Pudding

Sticky Mike's Frog Bar Frank & Beans Tuesday 2nd October Tickets: FREE Presented by Boom For Real Promotions

Lacuna Bloome – The Hope & Ruin – Saturday 6th October 2018 Fresh-faced Brighton quartet Lacuna Bloome are rising stars of the unsigned indie scene, having bagged a slot at last year’s Great Escape. The band have just started to spread their wings to reach a wider audience by playing shows around the country. This hometown gig for This Feeling will be a great chance to catch a band honing their sound and reaching new heights. It should be a great night for fans of indie-rock.

GIG LISTINGS

GIG LISTINGS

Cosmo Calling Friday 5th October Tickets: £8 Presented by Scruff of the Neck The Razorblades Saturday 6th October Tickets: £7.70 Belles Monday 8th October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by Slice

PATTERNS

Juiceboxxx Thursday 4th October Tickets: FREE Presented by Teen Creeps & sugar-free

Kero Kero Bonito Tuesday 2nd October Tickets: £10.35 Presented by One Inch Badge

Wargirl Friday 6th October Tickets: £8.80 Presented by Hotwax Promotions & Love Thy Neighbour

Island Club Saturday 6th October Tickets: £8 Presented by Scruff of the Neck

Go!Zilla Sunday 7th October Tickets: £6.60 Presented by Acid Box Avalanche Party Monday 8th October Tickets: £8.80 Presented by Love Thy Neighbour

Men I Trust Sunday 7th October Tickets: £11 Presented by Neat Neat Neat

duke of york's Emmy The Great Wednesday 3rd October Tickets: £19.25 Presented by One Inch Badge

THE HAUNT Jeff Rosenstock Tuesday 2nd October Tickets: £11 Presented by Dictionary Pudding Mahalia Friday 5th October Tickets: TBC Presented by One Inch Badge Haiku Salut Saturday 6th October Tickets: £11 Jilted John Sunday 7th October Tickets: £19.25 Presented by Dictionary Pudding Jumanji Monday 8th October Tickets: £7.70 Presented by One Inch Badge

BRIGHTON DOME St george's church The London African Gospel Choir perform Graceland Sunday 7th October Tickets: £24.50 Presented by One Inch Badge

Nick Mulvey Wednesday 3rd October Tickets: £22.40 Presented by Melting Vinyl

NIGHTLIFE Aphrodite Wednesday 3rd October The Arch 11pm – 4am (History of d&b set)

Layce / Bacchus Thursday 4th October Green Door Store 11pm - 4am (Techno, breaks, 140 and d&b)

Champion / Tropicalé DJ’s Friday 5th October Patterns 11pm - 4am (Bass music and beyond)

Pola & Bryson / Deadline / Low:r Friday 5th October Hideout 11pm - 5am (Producers making moves in d&b)

Francis Inferno Orchestra Friday 5th October Rialto Theatre 11pm – 5am (Deep house/disco maverick)

Luke Vibert / Ben Coda Friday 5th October Volks 11pm – 7am (Legend in the UK techno scene)

Daniel Avery / Charles Green Saturday 6th October Patterns 11pm-4am (London and Brighton producers)

Artwork Saturday 6th October The Arch 11pm – 5am (All night long)

Between the Tropics #16 Saturday 6th October Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar 11pm – 3am (World rhythms, strictly to dance)

Monty / HZL Saturday 6th October Volks 11pm – 7am (D&b’s up-and-coming artists)

OUT OF TOWN Sophie Ellis-Bextor Wednesday 3rd October Royal Festival Hall, London (Pop) - 7.30pm

Pale Waves Thursday 27th September O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (Pop) - 7pm

Lisa Hannigan and STARGAZE Thursday 4th October Barbican Centre, London (Pop) - 7.30pm

The Wedding Present Thursday 4th October 100 Club, London (Indie) - 7pm

Is Bliss Thursday 4th October The Victoria, Dalston, London (Psych-rock) - 7.30pm

Black Peaks Friday 5th October Omeara, London (Heavy rock) - 7pm

Joan Armatrading Friday 5th October De La Warr Pavilion (Singer/songwriter) - 7pm

Phil Thornton Saturday 6th October Opus Theatre, Hastings (Electronic) - 7.30pm

Chemical Brothers Saturday 6th October Alexandra Palace, London (Electronic) - 7pm

Levellers Saturday 6th October 100 Club, London (Rock) - 7pm

Full event listings at Brightonsfinest.com/listings


Lily Moore may be the daughter of a famous musician but far from resting on her laurels, she’s relying on hard work and dedication to her craft to make a career for herself in the music industry, as Jeff Hemmings found out...

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eing the daughter of a legendary musician usually has it upsides. Doors can unexpectedly swing open, interest can be piqued. However, as well as those who rode off the coattails of a famous parent, there are countless examples of rock offspring who have achieved success in their own right, right back to early rock’n’roll. Joe and Sam Brown, Hank and Hank Junior Williams, Tim and Jeff Buckley, Martin and Eliza Carthy, Don and Neneh Cherry, Bob and Ziggy Marley, Ravi Shankar and Norah Jones, to name but a few. However, it’s a path strewn with pitfalls, and unfair nepotism. Why the hell would you want to do what your parents did? Wouldn’t you rather forge your own path? Well, Lily Moore can hardly be said to be following in the footsteps of her father, Gary Moore, a highly regarded musician who played blues-rock guitar, and had some big hits along the way with fellow Irishman and Thin Lizzy member Phil Lynott on vocals. “He definitely influenced me,” says Lily Moore, now 20, and the youngest of five children. “He gave me a really good taste in music. He played me a lot of soul, jazz and blues music. He’d play it to me on the school runs. He

would show me Freddie King and Albert King, and B.B. King. That was what I was played going to school. I can thank him for that, definitely.” She can also thank him for the emotional literacy that comes out of her, through her voice and words. It’s a fantastically mature and sophisticated voice, with a slight husk to it, that has seen her turn many heads in her short career so far. Allied to a deeply resonating lyricism, a magnetic stage persona, and a unique neo-soul sound, Lily has been making a big mark. Her debut EP, Not That Special, was released earlier this year, with help from Arctic Monkeys producer Jim Abbiss, and co-writer Eg White. One of the songs, ‘17’, was track of the week on BBC Radio 1, with artists such as Elton John giving it the thumbs up. This was followed by a packed show at The Great Escape, and supporting the likes of George Ezra, James Bay and Tom Greenan. She’s just released a new single, ‘Do It For Me’, part of an EP of the same name. In support of that she’ll be taking off on her first headline tour, including a date in the city she grew up in, Brighton. “’Do This For Me’ is a song about wanting to be able to say something to someone but not feeling brave enough to do so. No matter how many times I’ve performed


I want my first album to be absolutely perfect. I don’t feel like I’m there. I’m only 20. I’m taking it as it comes, and waiting.

this song it always seems to get me when I’m on stage,” she says. The stage, it seems, is where she belongs. “I love it. You can be a diva on stage, take the mic out and talk to everyone for as long as you like. That’s what I look forward to. I’m definitely a live singer, as opposed to a studio singer. It’s lucky I enjoy it!” She started to find her singing voice from a very early age, singing all the time, and soaking up all the influences around her, including the aforementioned blues artists, as well as the likes of Sam Cooke, Lauryn Hill, Adele, and Amy Winehouse. “I’ve always sung. I’ve never not. It’s always been a massive part of my life. I’ve always written songs. My mum says I’ve always sang. Constantly. I never really had lessons. If you sing constantly you end up finding how to sing, and finding what sort of way you want to sing. She said when I was little she would put me in the bath, and she would only get worried if I stopped singing.” Brighton, and its vibrant musical landscape, gave her the impetus to go out and perform, first as busker, then at the many open mics and small venues that litter Brighton. “That’s where I found my feet,” she says. “I think you need to do it. It’s a really safe place to experiment, and try songs out. No one is going to watch you for too long. Brighton is great like that, you can experiment, and you can try and find your sound. There isn’t the industry pressure of London,” where she moved to just last year. “I started my own music night up, More Moore at Mau Mau, in Notting Hill (guests have included the likes of Etham, Sam Johnson, Jack Vallier, Tom Grennan and Will Heard). I was missing the open mic scene, where you could just play a gig, and it felt safe,

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and was fun. That is me trying to bring a little bit of Brighton to Notting Hill. “I also used to be in a thing called Jam Brighton. Gordon (Russell, ex Dr Feelgood guitarist) was my guitar teacher. I think he is probably a massive, massive reason why I do music. My mum got his number off someone. ‘She’s busking! I don’t know what to do with her. She sings all the time, she writes all these songs, but I don’t really know where she can do it’. I was too young to play pubs and stuff like that. Most kids in Brighton who do music, they’ve had guitar lessons with Gordon. I went to see him, and he really helped me out. He got me to do a gig, Sounds of the City, which was at the Dome, for under-18 year olds. I did that, and out of that I got to play The Great Escape, which is how I met my managers, and how I started doing songwriting sessions. Gordon is brilliant.” Behind the scenes there is a careful nurturing of this talent. Whilst enjoying some big support slots and tours, thoughts have been turning towards an album. However, she’s not rushing into it. It has to come from the heart, she says. “I’ve written enough songs over the past couple of years, I could put out an album. There’s enough work I am proud of. But, it wouldn’t be perfect. I want my first album to be absolutely perfect. But, I don’t feel like I’m there. I’m only 20. I’m taking it as it comes, and waiting. It has to be something I care about. I have to go into a session knowing that I have something to say, otherwise it’s just a bit embarrassing. I think it’s also important to not write too much as well, otherwise you just end up writing stuff you don’t really care about. Every time I sing, it reminds me of exactly when I wrote the song, what was

going on, or who I was with at the time. It’s like a calendar. I think it’s important to write about the stuff I might be a bit scared about maybe saying.” Her profile has risen further thanks to Love Island, currently one the most popular TV shows on British television, and a staple of the tabloid and celebrity press. Her beautifully conceived and delivered ‘Lying to Yourself’ was featured, much to her surprise. “That was hilarious. My managers obviously knew about it, and I didn’t, and they said, ‘Make sure you watch Love Island’. As a 20-year-old you have to watch it, whether you want to or not. But I missed loads of it because I was on tour. You can’t watch it abroad. Nightmare! But when I was back home they said, ‘Please can you watch Love Island tonight. I thought it was because they were like ‘don’t go out. Be sensible’. And whatever time it came on, on the dot my phone went mental. For everyone my age, that was the best thing I could ever do. I had to show my family. It was my first ever sync on TV. I made my nan watch it. Hopefully, she still likes me.” It’s a fantastic song on a rather crass TV show. There’s nothing vacuous about Lily Moore. Rather a blossoming talent, full of emotional intelligence, with a voice and songs that speak to us all. To read the full interview visit Brightonsfinest.com/LilyMoore

Do This For Me EP Out: 30th September

LIVE REVIEWS

From electronic ambience to euphoria, there’s a LOYAL song for every occasion and it makes their live show an unpredictable beast. With a live band behind them, it’s more of a party atmosphere than their laid back singles suggest. Ending the night with ‘Patterns that Fall’, it’s a real mood builder that escalates until its very end. Fantastic musicians, with a real togetherness, their Patterns show was an absolute delight. Lost Horizons isn’t a redemption for Simon Raymonde and Richie Thomas, but it’s certainly a second go at doing something they dearly love: playing, creating, and touring music again. With Hilang Child, Fiona Brice, Dog in the Snow, Beth Cannon and Asya Fairchild all performing on the night, this was a genuine chance to see some of Brighton’s biggest talents. Yet, brilliantly, this was never about ego or plugging their music, it was always a collective of musicians. Make no mistake about it, Lost Horizons have the chemistry and love for each other some bands don’t find after ten years.Yet ultimately, what’s most impressive is that Lost Horizons is a genuine celebration of Brighton and the music that inhabits our beautiful city.

Read the full reviews at Brightonsfinest.com/live

There’s an intelligence to Oscar Jerome, both musically and intellectually, that is a joy to watch. Immensely talented, incredibly eloquent, and loving every minute of it, Jerome provided an entertaining evening at The Hope & Ruin. With a heady mix of jazz, pop and soul creating a wholesome and extensive sound that has enough variety to appeal to everyone, Jerome is more than worthy of joining the London jazz revivalist scene.

ALBUM REVIEWS Suede – The Blue Hour Out: 21st September 2018

Where so many bands fall victim to going backwards on an everlasting victory lap, Suede show no intention of retracing old ground again on The Blue Hour. They wanted to push themselves further forward. It’s clear that Suede are in a place where they can make the albums they want to, without having to prove or win anyone over. The Blue Hour lets you enjoy Suede running free creatively and is a creative triumph and an epic album to listen to.

Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim Out: 21st September 2018

There’s something of the cinematic about Villagers’ fifth album. The Art of Pretending to Swim is all-encompassing; subsequently a wistful, whimsical journey through the mind of O’Brien and a swirling saga that half recalls Americana folk and half the gruelling darkness of a Nick Cave and Warren Ellis film score. This is easily the best Villagers record and, five albums and eight years in, that’s incredibly impressive. It’s an absolute triumph of an album.

BROCKHAMPTON – iridescence Out: 21st September 2018

Recorded in just ten days at Abbey Road Studios, iridescence is easily the band’s most consistent project yet, cleverly eschewing singles in favour of a more wholesome project. BROCKHAMPTON sound fresher than they ever have and, in this sample-heavy generation, that’s incredibly impressive. They’ve not only become a household name with iridescence, they’ve become an outright institution.

Paul Weller – True Meanings Out: 14th September 2018

After his recent psychedelic noise explorations, Paul Weller has returned to a more acoustic and gentle style on True Meanings, his 14th solo studio album, joined by a host of guest stars. While there is little here to raise the pulse, instead what he has produced is a record that is perhaps his most cohesive and consistent in recent years. The beautiful, string-laden True Meanings offers something different, something more real and true.

Read the full reviews at Brightonsfinest.com/albums

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TOM ROBINSON A familiar name to those who listen to BBC Radio 6, Tom Robinson has been on the airwaves for over 30 years, starting with The World Service in 1986. He currently presents his own show on 6 Music and a weekly show focussed on local bands for BBC Introducing. In the early 70s, Robinson became involved in the emerging gay scene and embraced the politics of gay liberation, which linked gay rights to the wider issues of social justice. He’s also co-written hits with the likes of Elton John, suffered nervous breakdowns, and suicide attempts, and declared himself a bi-sexual. Tom Robinson’s debut album, Power in the Darkness, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and following the release of a live recording of that album, he’s back on the road this autumn. Jeff Hemmings caught up with this influential figure... Are you on the road with the Tom Robinson Band? No, it’s under my name, but there is a band. Musically, the original Tom Robinson band was a marriage made in heaven, but socially it was a disaster area. Now there’s Andy Treacey from Faithless on drums, Adam Phillips from the Richard Ashcroft Band on lead guitar, and Jim Simmons on keyboards, a professor of music, and a brilliant player. These are the guys I have been playing with for 20 years. What can we expect? We’ll be playing the album (Power in the Darkness) in its entirety, along with the hits, which were included on the American release of the album. Many of your listeners might not know about your hits… It was kind of 15 minutes of fame. It’s a typical firework career. One big single, and then another not quite so big single, then an album comes out, and by the time a second album comes out the press are slagging you off, for doing the exact the same thing they were praising you for a year earlier. They don’t have that power anymore.

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You’ve had a great career so far... I’d say my career has been more interesting than great.

anthem ‘Glad To Be Gay’... We would never have got to make ‘Glad To Be Gay’ if ‘2-4-6-8...’ hadn’t been a hit.

But when ‘War Baby’ became a big hit, you felt you had been given a second chance... It wasn’t down to me to think it, it was reality. Nobody was showing up to the shows. That’s not supposition on my part, it was the harsh reality of it. I had debts well into five figures, something like £80, £90,000. I had £500 in my bank account. That’s why I had to flee and go and live in Germany, so that the VAT authorities couldn’t get hold of me. But ‘War Baby’ gave me a return to the charts, and eventually paid off the debts.

I understand that the BBC didn’t want it played, although as always John Peel had different ideas... John Peel defied a directive from the controller’s office. A woman called Doreen Davies issued the directive that the song was not to be played, and put a sticker on it in the gramophone library, saying you need permission from the Director to play it. Peel played it anyway, but nobody else did. However, ‘Glad To Be Gay’ was number one on the Capital Hitline for six weeks. Capital Radio had this hitline where listeners could call up and ask for the song they wanted. In ‘78 we were Best London Band, and Best New Band from Capital Radio listeners. It was a really nice reflection on the fan loyalty, I think.

‘2-4-6-8 Motorway’ was the first hit, while it contains a gay lib chant, it’s really about driving through the night after a gig... I just lifted the chorus from a gay lib demonstration. But the song wasn’t anything to do with gay liberation as such, although I did wear a pink triangle badge on Top of the Pops. So, those in the know, recognised and knew what it was. And that was followed by the iconic

Tell me more about those times, what the situation was like for those who were gay... It was a political awakening. Once I came to London in my early 20s, and discovered I wasn’t the only one, I started going to gay venues and reading Gay

News. You discovered what was going on around the country, and a lot of it was quite ugly, particularly from the point of view of the police. You used to get arrested for two men kissing in the street at the time that song came out. There weren’t many, if any, rolemodels? That was the problem for gay kids and for youngsters like me. There was no role model out there. Of course, there were people like Noel Coward and Joe Orton around. I wrote ‘Glad To Be Gay’ for a Pride march and, in those days, we didn’t have 200,000 people swarming through Oxford Street. I sang it for the first time on a stage in Hyde Park, surrounded by police officers, to a quite small crowd. But I went to see the Sex Pistols. Watching Johnny Rotten, I thought ‘well, I can do that’. It also gave the idea that you had to be passionate about what you did. You had to lay your heart on your sleeve and it didn’t matter if you were confronted. So I thought about what could provoke them. ‘Oh, I know!’ sing ‘Glad To Be Gay’. So, I dug out that song I had written for the Pride march and started performing it

with the modestly named Tom Robinson Band. With respect to gay liberation, things have moved on considerably since those days? I never thought we would get as far as we have. I really never thought we would see a Tory Government bringing in gay marriage. But, as we have seen with the arrival of (Donald) Trump and the way he has rolled back civil rights and human rights, it shows you how fragile these things are. At the same time, people forget how far we’ve come. It’s very easy to get into ‘the good old days’ attitude. People talk about the good old days of punk. They were fucking awful! It was a time when the National Front was marching through racially sensitive areas. There was political violence, police violence, a three-day week, bodies not being buried. I really think the good old days are here and now. But, it’s still important to stand up and fight for what you think is right? I think music and its role in that, you have to be careful not to claim too big of an achievement. I think it’s the audience that changes things. With Rock Against

Racism, I’m so proud to have been part of that but I have no illusions that any National Front skinheads turned up to one of our gigs and said, ‘Oh god, I see now. I’ve been so stupid’. It was more that people who already believed what we believed, showed up to the shows, sang along with the songs, and realised they were in a room with 2,000 other people who felt the same way, and went out emboldened, and fought the good fight. What about now? People say music isn’t as good as it was back in the ‘good old days!’ ‘There’s no good music any more’! Nonsense! There is always good music. There’s a band called Austrerity, based in Brighton, who are a brilliant three-piece. They will find an audience. You only have to put something on YouTube that is brilliant. You don’t have to go through the bloody gatekeepers any more. It’s a great time for new talent, but there is now a huge amount of music out there competing for attention, so you do have to be properly good. To read the full Q&A with Tom visit Brightonsfinest.com/TomRobinson

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