Here we have a guide to the lovely seaside town of Brighton, courtesy of the super talented double bassist/Willkommen Records extraordinaire Marcus Hamblett. Pay a visit to Willkommen here and take a peek at their roster.
Best music venue : There is a stupid number of venues in Brighton. I’ve most enjoyed playing in The Albert, because we get a good crowd there and they have a great PA and it’s really sweaty and intense. The Freebutt used to be a legendary sticky rock dive but unfortunately fell into the wrong hands and its reputation was somewhat soiled, but our friends at OIB Records have bought it now and under their leadership it should become as great as it once was, they’ve already redecorated and got a load of great shows coming up. There are some volunteer run places where you see the most innovative stuff – some of my favourite shows have been at Westhill, a beautiful old village hall in the centre of Brighton (and you can bring your own alcohol!). It’s also run by a great musician called Lianne Hall. Then I’m also really excited about a new place called Coachwerks which our friend Graeme has opened and is always improving. It’s a co-operatively run space for all the arts and there have already been some very memorable shows there, including a festival called Soundcurious which explored the links between visual and sonic arts including lots of live film scores and installations. Places like Coachwerks and the Westhill are the most crucial venues for nurturing talent and making scenes evolve, I absolutely love them and am so grateful to the likes of Lianne and Graeme for making them happen.
Best record shop: The best all round record shop is definitely Resident on Kensington Gardens. It’s a really great independent with friendly staff and they have a great selections with informative write-ups on a lot of them. They sell gig tickets too so it’s a great place to see what’s on and they’ve been fantastic supporters of Willkommen, stocking and recommending our releases and tickets since the beginning. Directly opposite above a clothes shop is a hidden gem called Edgeworld, it only stocks vinyl and it is stuffed full of amazing finds from the more experimental end of music. The guy who runs it also puts on so many ridiculously good shows in Brighton under the name of Tatty Seaside Town. His tall, thin, neon poster designs are an iconic stamp of quality.
Favourite Brighton bands: I could talk about great Brighton bands for a long time. Aside from being exceptionally proud of all the more well known Willkommen bands of which you’re probably aware – Sons of Noel and Adrian, The Leisure Society, Shoreline and The Miserable Rich – there’s a wealth of amazing music coming out of Brighton. I’m a big fan of Hamilton Yarns, which is a bit like a very English take on Gastr Del Sol type kraut-inspired eclectica featuring Alistair Strachan, the cornet player with Sons. Also there’s a great new generation of Willkommen related acts coming through, charming and astonishingly catchy lo-fi pop from Curly Hair, rip-roaring barn-storming folk anthems from Mariner’s Children and heart-stoppingly beautiful stripped back masterpieces from Redwood Red, Catherine Cardin’s solo project. I think Peggy Sue are unbelievably good and one of the most inventive and best live bands going at the moment. Plus they keep getting better and better. I’m also a huge fan of Dylan Nyoukis / Chocolate Monk and the free improv and noise scene he has been largely responsible for cultivating here in Brighton through his shows, his label and his incredible festival Colour Out Of Space. Similarly the regular Safehouse nights at Open House are invaluable for discovering fresh, exciting improvised music and jazz and Spirit of Gravity at Komedia showcases loads of enthralling experimental electronic music. There are shedloads more but here are a few other greats: Animal Magic Tricks, Robert Stillman, Caroline Weeks, Spoono, Mechanical Bride, Kristen McClement, Mary Hampton, Everyone to the Anderson, Colectress and look out for the mysterious Gesualda…
Interesting Brighton fact: David Gilmour just bought a house around the corner from me. I have yet to run in to him in Budgens. You do often see a man dressed as a cowboy by the name of Nick Cave, though.
Anything else we need to know about Brighton?
In 1844, at the request of the Prince Regent, Brighton had a rib removed (near Lower Bevendean) so it could felate itself. This little known historical event, not long shore drift as popularly believed, is the reason one end of the beach is slowly creeping closer and closer to the other. The council installed defensive walls along the coast to stop this and called them ‘groynes’ as a cheeky nod to the events of 1844 (referred to in council documentation as ‘felategate’).
Back in September I had the pleasure of catching the wonderful Laura Gibson play a few shows. She was brilliant and it was a joy to hear her beautiful songs live.
It’s so nippy in London right now. I find I’m always waiting on cold train platforms. There’s no better way to warm myself up by shaking a leg to a sweet song. It warms my heart, at least! Lately I’ve been really been enjoying Julie Doiron. I’ve been a fan for quite a while, ever since I heard the beautifully sweet, sad Me And My Friend. It was a real treat to catch her play a couple of times earlier this year.
On the 26th of November at Scala Toutpartout Celebrate their birthday with a special show featuring Scout Niblett, Monotonix and Phosphorescent. 
For the benefit of new readers (who missed out on the every-other-post Wildbirds & Peacedrums-fest of the Spring), I perhaps feel I should establish my love for Wildbirds & Peacedrums. For old readers, there’s no harm in reinforcing my love for them into your memory.
It’s freezing in my room, and yet I am more than content to sit here as long as Ane Brun keeps playing. I had the delight of seeing Ane play twice this year, both at the beautiful Union Chapel- the absolute perfect venue for Ane and her wonderful Diamonds. 
