Returning to familiar ground ahead of what promises to be their biggest year to date, Sons Of Noel And Adrian helped kick off the second instalment of Brighton’s Sea Monsters festival in fine style.
First on the night’s agenda were Heliopause.
Delivering a few cuts of their thoughtful, evocative alt-pop, this duo went down well with the rapidly filling Albert, leaving listeners in no doubt that they’ve some great stuff in store.
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Robert Stillman provided a somewhat more abstruse display, but it proved just as compelling as that of the openers.
Unconventional in sound, style and ethos, Stillman’s fascinating approach to his art is, sadly, far beyond the scope of this review.
Suffice to say, he kept the night’s standard sky-high.
By the time the headliners hit the stage there was scarce room to breathe in the Albert’s live room, unsurprisingly when you consider their formidable live reputation.
Showcasing songs from upcoming album Knots, the collective were evidently on a good run of form. Though relatively brief, their set took in a characteristically broad range of sounds and styles, taking full advantage of their current seven-strong line-up.
The new tracks aired happily rubbed shoulders with old favourites, their dark psychodrama and rich instrumentation boding well for the new record.
Chances are that SONAA won’t be playing venues of this size for too much longer, so this was a great opportunity to catch one of the city’s real gems in their element once more.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here