BAR STOOL PREACHERS

By Shea Coffey

Shea Coffey from Medway Pride Radio tunes into one of Brighton’s best musical exports

Why are we writing about one of Brighton’s current best exports for a column about Medway? Well, I could say we are hoping to attract them to our corner of the world, which is true. I could say that musically they seem to be everywhere right now, which is also true. I could add that they are one of the leading sounds of Brighton’s vibrant music scene, but this just goes without saying.

While all of this is undoubtedly true, the Brighton-based Bar Stool Preachers (BSP) have so much more going on. I caught up with them a couple of weeks ago at the Fighting Cocks in Kingston, which has for 40 years been the bellwether of good bands, and BSP are no strangers to the venue.

“We’ll never question the big stuff, we’ll never have racism at our shows, we’ll never have sexism at our shows, we’ll never have bigotry at our shows, or any divisive politics at our shows...”

Supported by Portsmouth’s up and coming Slackrr, friends of Medway Pride Radio, and a band new to me, Call Me Malcolm, these guys are one to watch! BSP showed admirably why they have been the top of the game for the last five years.

For Brightonians and residents of further afield who do not know of BSP, here is a little info. They are a punk/funk/ska ensemble, which in the hands of lesser musicians would be a disaster. Think Madness but in 1978! These guys know the root of their music, they know their craft and rarest of all they know the audience, which if I am totally honest is more than I knew.

Let’s be honest, punk/ska is not always known (at least in my experience) for being LGBTQ+ inclusive.

I could write for an hour about BSP’s music. Their name, by the way, is a reference to a Chas & Dave song. But I want to use the column to first tell you about something I witnessed at the gig and then introduce you to the lead singer of the band.

The Fighting Cocks is a small venue, the largest of the underground scene in SW London.

We were there early and a young lad of about 20 was there for the opening act, Slackrr, now it is important you know this lad had cerebral palsy. As Slackrr opened up, he moved to the front of the still spacious area and proceeded to dance. Watching a young man with cerebral palsy dance without a care is without doubt one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen.

I was watching this while chatting to a punk (and when I say punk, I mean a proper punk with a foot-high mohican), sorry my friend I did not catch your name. He was there for the BSP, I established that shortly before he excused himself and joined the young lad dancing.

When Slackkr finished their set, the punk jumped up on the stage, and nabbed the set list taped up, he then gave it to the young lad he had been dancing with as a memento. That is the quality of BSP fans.

BSP have been together about seven years, lead singer T.J. McFaull had a day down in Brighton and, in the best rock & roll traditions, just never left. “We always knew that a flash in the pan wasn’t for us and we always wanted to take the time to build a community around what we believe in,” says TJ.

The guy had me at community, our ideals are the same...

“...We knew that wasn’t going to be the easiest thing to do, to deny right-wing people coming to our gigs, because of my heritage, but we managed, and we toured America seven times in the 18 months before Covid.”

The interview goes on... Anyone who does regular interviews will tell you they are dull, but TJ has my attention for the 20 minutes we speak. The guy gets it, he is not speaking for himself, nor the band, or even his skin colour/ sexuality/gender/beliefs...

It is clear BSP stand for so much more, and TJ is aware that ‘drivel and hatred’ are something the band’s music can overcome. “People are really fed up of being told what to do, and we have a phrase in the band, soft hands and open hearts”... I’ll stop there as how can you not love this guy and this band?

Then TJ says: “We will never question the big stuff, we will never have racism at our shows, we will never have sexism at our shows, we will never have bigotry at our shows, or any divisive politics at our shows, that is the poison that we are all holding on to.

“We play this wonderful blend of ska and rock & roll, and punk and pop punk and stuff, and everyone is having a good time... And then we give them the message: Enjoy yourself and dance but we need to see changes in the world.”

Does this ideal work? I have no idea, but speaking as a trans woman, I was welcomed by the band and the fans, I was safe, and I had a hell of a time.

If this is the typical Brighton band, Brighton should be very, very proud!