Today's idea - Anagrams at the Prince Albert

Today Anagrams, a Brighton-based band with lots of lovely reviews play in town at the Prince Albert before they head off to Somerset to play the Beekstock Festival later this year. Surprisingly unsigned, they're toted as much more than a demo band already and, if they continue in this way, could really take off. (-BBC South:Live) The Source, for one, loves them, calling them ""jaw-dropping" and "mind-blowing" and they've supported The Phantom Bnad, Wooden Shjips (brilliant at The FreeButt this month), The Joy Formidable and the Antlers.

"Rather intelligent, rather good alternative English indie rock, touches of Stone Roses in there with their falling Autumn Leaves, touches of lots of things actually, mostly about good songs and refined sounds, a band with a little more depth and a touch of indie rock class to them, lot of body and soul to their guitar rock.

They’re from Brighton and this early shot is well worth your time, sounds like someone should put this out as a single, they’re a little bit more than a demo band already, Saving Up is particularly good in a brooding broken hearted tearing up Elbow kind of way." - Organ Magazine

So, very good we conclude. For a listen find them on myspace or last.fm. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter @Anagrams_band. Find a nice video of them rehearsing and dancing here.


Tonight you can catch them at the Prince Albert where they're playing with 900 Spaces.

Find tickets here.
Time: 8pm
Location: 48 Trafalgar St
Map: here

Today's idea - Communion at the Prince Albert

Communion, organised by Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons, Kevin Jones of Cherbourg, and producer Ian Grimble, comes from the summer of 2006. It aims to provide a platform for the newest bands on London's circuit. Nights have seen the movement of nu-folk bands Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling, Mumford and Sons, JJ Pistolet and Peggy Sue grace the stage. Tonight, Communion returns to the Prince Albert, now instated as a monthly event taking place on every 4th Sunday of the month. It's responsible for helping the launch of Esser's, The Holloways's, and Example's careers, with an eclectic ethos and sell-out nights. (You can also find them on Twitter @Communionmusic).

Tonight they bring the lineup of Handshake, Holy Vessels, Sam McCarthy, and Ghosts You Echo.

Handshake are lovely, up-tempo quirky folk, getting on the nu-folk bandwagon with a guitar, banjo, harmonica, accordion, fiddle, bass, bodrhran, and drums. Find Handshake;'s MySpace for a listen. We really like them. They're are also on Twitter @HandshakeMusic and Facebook.

Brighton-based Holy Vessels can also be found on MySpace and are currently touring Brighton pubs, next heading to the delightfully yellow Gladstone.

We like Sam McCarthy's cover of Bob Dylan's 'Forever Young' over on his MySpace, and he's done a light little track with Eliza Doolittle. That's rather nice too, and you can find a bit by him on Spotify.

We really like Ghosts You Echo who is less folky and more electronic in places. Perhaps I'm a sucker for synths, and caught up in the release of The xx's album, but she's really interesting. The EP's coming out with Roundhouse Music in May and you can find her on Last.fm

We had a hunt for videos but couldn't find any :( Communion's also bringing out a compilation LP.

Doors at 7pm, It's £4 in advance from Resident, Rounder and We Got Tickets.com, and £3.50 for students.

Today's idea - Nu-folk Communion Gig

Communion, the musical collective formed by members of Mumford and Sons, typifies, according to the likes of the Independent, the nu-folk scene blossoming "in recent years in London and around the country built on like-minded musicians supporting each other and putting on gigs together."

Tonight's gig brings a mixed bunch with the headline act of Pope Joan and support from Rob the Rich, Cha-Cha, Kyla La Grange, and Common Tongues.

Pope Joan, you may recognise from their splatterings all over the cover of The Source magazine. Brighton-formed, and banding about "as part of the new wave of exciting and experimental British art-pop" they describe themselves as "ambient walls of processed guitar noise, furious drum lines and quirky 8-bit synth keyboards are all underpinned by an incredibly demanding pop sensibility."

With a slight personal aversion to anything resembling 'Rob Da Bank', the bands are all suprisingly and nicely good. Rob the Rich, if you investigate their MySpace are a jolly, enthusiastic and lightly brash sort of music gaggle, and perhaps my favourite of the lot.

Kyla La Grange, another name that sounds barely reminiscent of 90s rap culture, is unsurprisingly anything but. A gorgeous blonde sort of lady, says about herself: "Sometimes i can't sleep because there are songs in my head. I love people with smiling eyes," whilst citing Cat power and Leonard Cohen amongst her many influences.



Poppier but pleasing are Cha-Cha, sniffing shoes in the above video. "A fellowship of individually talented songwriters, initially brought together by a phonographic love for The Virgins, The Strokes, The Police and Phoenix, have finally emerged from their London hideout to introduce themselves. Having crafted what the self-confessed perfectionists describe as “a cross between dirty pop hymns and offbeat disco rock”." Their description seems to match them pretty accurately.

Lastly there's The Common Tongues. "Superman ain't saving shit" they say. Intriguing, although they've no songs on their MySpace.

Everything, save perhaps the unheard Common Tongues, makes this gig sound like a brilliant, non-too-pricey Sunday night good quality folk gig. The gig follows on from the first ever Communion compilation album which was released on March 1st, and can be found for aural tasting at

Today's idea - Folksy Nancy Elizabeth and Mary Hampton gig

Nancy Elizabeth at the Prince Albert brings some guitary folk to Brighton. Yes, perhaps we're hardly in an drought but tonight's curious. With folk and post-rock influences it's strangely similar to Feist's gentle and delicately - almost weak - vocals with less xylophone and a lack of drums. At times the harmony's almost choir-like - and occasionally pulls in a mix of European gypsy songs, choral a cappella and North African music - references which I've stolen from last.fm but explain the occasional choir-like consistency. It's varied, and definitely worth a walk to the Prince Albert and a couple of pounds. Have a listen. (She's also on Facebook)



She's supported by Brighton-based Mary Hampton with a gentle, soft but clear voice. This is better described by Eliza Carthy who distinguishes the above far better than me, calling her "terrifying and gorgeous, epic and tiny, unusual and strong." Have a listen.

You can find this event listing on last.fm and a map here. Tickets cost £7 via allgigs.co.uk, which I reckon is really rather worth it.