On the outskirts of The Lanes, the church converted art gallery - Fabrica held the cold Winter air. The cracked concrete mixed wood flooring honed in on the fine line between the past and the present. This venue was spacious yet intimate enough to smell the alcohol and stale cigarette breath of others close by.
The stained-glass window was muted under the stage lights and a heavenly glow was bought on stage by neo-soul group 'H U S H'. Lead singer Kymara wore a beautiful full length white cut-out dress that kept getting tangled in the microphone lead. Performing bare - footed, Kymara's vocals reconnected that element of the past with her strong soul vocals similar to that of an avant-garde Betty Davis with a hint of Tina Turner. Their set interlinked a mixture of groovy guitar riffs, courtesy of Thomas and Neil, and Turlough's nifty bass-lines in tracks like 'Untouchable.' They also performed politically driven songs like 'Great Again' about current affairs in America. This was described as "Our first step to just say something to maybe change something, to do something." The chorus is a play on US President Donald Trump's campaign to "Make America Great Again." They sang, "We are gonna make it great again," delving deeper into themes of America's past, present, and future. The triumphant drums and impressive guitar solo alongside the lyrical content really make this song. They even gave a smooth, stunning cover of the track 'Use Me' originally by soul and blues legend Bill Withers.
Between each set was a showcase of QM Productions consisting of works by Cinema Lumina and Synesthesia Creative. It included the likes of music videos for local artists such as Just Like Fruit, Sam Jordan and The Dead Buoys, Normanton Street, and Tommy Sissons.
Up next were The Isle of CC celebrating their 1st birthday and performing a set based off of their debut EP - 'Agoraphobia' which is also a year old. Lead singer Serena aka CC had braided space buns, a red tracksuit and light-up trainers to complete the look. Accompanied by her band, they performed the first track of their set, 'Do You Forgive Me?' followed by a soulful cover of Solange's 'Don't Touch My Hair'. The Isle of CC bought a bubbly sense of confidence, charisma as their personalities shone through the music they produced. This specifically came through when they toned it down to a spoken word piece straight into audience participation. The diverse range of talent and potential across the board makes them a band to watch.
Closing the show was Lebeaux, with a unique, clean, crisp sound. Lebeaux himself walks out sporting a orange late 80s baseball jacket with 90s orange-tinted circle lens glasses, a black t-shirt and black shorts. They opened with a song showcasing their extensive falsettos and harmonies that are boosted throughout the set. Then they performed the all-energetic, 'Thunder'. A significantly unique characteristic of Lebeaux is that they all unapologetically owned the stage and hyped the crowd up, effortlessly pouring ethereal wonder into their music. During their set, bassist for many a Brighton band - Ish popped up again, swimming his way through the crowd to fully embrace the song picked out by him. Lebeaux's essence of character, style and spice pull together a unique and fierce connection to a soulful past which is rare to see to such a high standard particularly on a local scale. But these guys grab that talent and they run with it.
Listen to Platform B's stream of the entire gig
This event was curated by QM records as part of the Brighton Dome's Spectrum project which cultivates and supports the eclectic and vibrant music scene.
Gallery Photosets by Michael Laxman