Today's idea - Watch the Royal Escape Boat Race launch from Brighton Pier

Right, what with this being somewhat in the sea a lot of it may be out of sight but the starting point should be excellent so today we recommend the Royal Escape 2010. Essentially this means gorgeous views of lots of lovely little boats taking place in the largest offshore race on the South coast (that's not in the Solent). So it's not just Southampton that gets the fun.

It's all in celebration of the escape across the Channel of Charles II and starting from literally just off Brighton Pier on Madeira Drive, a giant mixed fleet will be starting their race of 67 miles here. Start on the Pier for a great view, wave flags - whatever's hip these days.

Illustrate picture of Charles II for you. Catch it at 8:00-8:20 which is terribly early but should be very pretty and won't be over immediately as they have to sail off into the distance.

Today's idea - Go to Melting Vinyl's VIVE LA FRANCE at The Basement

Melting Vinyl evenings at The Basement are a little bit well known for good, and just a little bit hip, evenings (namely as "the region’s leading purveyor of innovative and experimental performance"). Tonight is the second year of Melting Vinyl's (who we've written about before) annual showcase of talent from France called 'VIVE LA FRANCE" and it all sounds genuinely fantastic. I am quite excited.

Bigger than last year's the festival showcases contemporary emerging French musical talent from the country’s innovative labels, and also celebrates Brighton based French performers, ‘The French Connection’. The event is produced by music promoters Melting Vinyl, in association with France's London music office: ‘Bureau Export’ and the largest French Cultural magazine: ‘Les Inrockuptible’s. All wonderful, and Lisa Li-Lund looks lovely, so we must go.

Here is some quoted goodness about them each individually:

Lisa Li-Lund

Not only member and sister of Herman Dune, Lisa Li-Lund has worked with the likes of Jeff Lewis and Zombie Zombie alongside a highly successful career as a solo artist. Come in from the cold and embrace the heart-warming and playful indie-folk indie-folk sounds of one of Paris' most creative artists - namely, Lisa Li-Lund, Hugh Coltman & Hamilton Yarns.

Hugh Coltman

Critically acclaimed in France, charismatic singer-songwriter Hugh Coltman was recently nominated for ' La Prix Constantin' (France's equivalent of The Mercury Music Prize). Having inhabited the same circles as Coco Rosie, and compared to Andrew Bird, this intimate performance will be very special indeed.

Hamilton Yarns
 (with a fabulous name)
Brighton's Hamilton Yarns are made up of members from both sides of channel. One if this festival’s French Connections and one of Willkomen Records' own, they make "music through the looking-glass, mapping in sound odd fragments of a parallel universe" - The Wire.

No reserved tickets, it's first-come-first-served - and FREE (as we always joyfully exclaim over these things). We reckon this is definitely one of the better things going on this month - and a little bit different from all the others. It starts at 8pm, and we plan not to be late.

The Basement is located at 24 Kensington street.

And here is a man, a violin and a horse. Have a lovely Friday evening.