Industry news & advice blog

Image credit: Elz

Brighton has hundreds of venue's to play in. If you have gotten to the point of organising an event where is it that you want to be playing? More importantly how do you start the journey from playing in your front room to your mates and you mum to getting up onstage in front of a crowd? How do you to get an event in five of Brighton's finest venues?

The Pavillion Tavern (that's PavTav to you and me)
Every Wednesday the PavTav hosts one of Brighton's best unsigned nights. Hosted by Brighton Music Scene the event looks to showcase the city's up and coming bands with a huge variety of genres. Small, boozey but always full of people looking for the next big thing to come out of Brighton. To get a place on one of Wednesday's shows you need to talk to Gemma from Brighton Music Scene.
Contact: Gemma
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.brightonmusicscene.com
 
Audio
Audio doesn't seem to be quite sure what it wants to be; part city centre nightclub, part beachside cafe, with a carefree attitude to what time of day or day of the week dictating the vibe that decides the feel of the place upon entering. The downstairs music venue has seen Lilly Allen and Jamie T rock up unannounced in recent years leading many to claim that this is Brighton's perfect all round venue. On Tuesday nights it is taken over by Brighton's unsigned talent. Getting a gig there is made harder by the fact that audio's website contains nothing except a stonking great logo which makes it about as much use to an unsigned musician as an inflatable drum kit. The best way to get to play a Tuesday night set is to just keep turning up. Make friends and influence people, talk to anyone who will listen about your band and more than likely they will let you play eventually, if only to shut you up. That or drop them an email.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.audiobrighton.com
Phone: 01273 606 906
 
  Engine Rooms
If you want to see sweat dripping off the walls until audience and venue become one then Engine Rooms is the place for you. The best thing about the Engine Rooms certainly isn't the sound quality or the stage presence but the community atmosphere that is fostered here. The bands and fans are all very much one and the same and this community spirit extends to their listings. Every Wednesday is ER Live featuring three bands and Brighton Rocks each Thursday featuring the finest from the heavier end of what Brighton has to offer, get in touch via phone, email or in person, and definately join the mailing list, a forum for the website is promised and should be on its way soon.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.engineroomclub.com
Mailing list signup: www.brightonrock.info
Phone: 01273 728 999
 
Hector's House
Brighton's best loved punk pub is right opposite the pavillion and the place to skank along with a pint with frequent live music and DJ sets, which are almost always free. Hector's relies heavily on its myspace presence so the best advice if you are after a set is to send a link to your myspace. Additionally they like to stream upcoming artists playing the venue via myspace so you can see what other bands are getting on the bill.
website: www.myspace.com/hectorshouse
phone: 01273 688 869

Concorde2
Concorde2 is the largest venue featured here, holding up to 600 revellers. Known in particular for its excellence in terms of both sound quality and atmosphere as well as being helpfully located by the emptiest part of the beach. Playing Concorde2 represents a huge step up from smaller venues and is unlikely that unsigned bands would be given headline slots at events. If you are looking to play here your best bet is to keep up to date with forthcoming events, looking for artists in a similar genre and applying through them as support, as Concorde2 allows headline acts to supply their own opening acts.
Key contact: Christina
Email: prefer to be emailed at [email protected]
Website: www.concorde2.co.uk
Phone: 01273 673 311