Patterns brushed aside Brighton’s summer hangover with a stellar first week of October, countering the shortening hours of sunshine with a vibrant seven days of gigs and DJ nights.
Julio Bashmore showcased his nuanced catalogue on the 1st, selling out the venue long before the evening arrived. Following confident support, Julio appeared on stage around 2am, the exultant crowd nodding their approval as he spun a mix of original material and transfigured house. Sprinkling his time at the desks with the expected assortment of distorted vocal cuts and pulsating basslines, he personified Pattern’s enchanting neon lights, the dancefloor reaching peak capacity as he gathered unassailable momentum. A set worthy of his glittering reputation. Oscar brought his distinctly personal brand of charm to Brighton’s seafront on Monday night, assisted by the wonderfully brazen pop-princess assassination of GIRLI. After overseeing the repair of a faulty speaker, the London based artist exhibited an avant-garde mix of astute lyricisms and choreographed dance, all set over beats which sounded like what would happen if Nintendo crossed paths with Pablo Escobar. Oscar’s set was a fitting sequel, with both sharing the same inclusive, pro-co-operation mentality that our country has so senselessly shed. “We’re all waiting for good things to happen, everybody knows it’s true” shouted back a love-struck crowd, as Oscar modestly smiled and thanked them. GIRLI returned for her lightening verse during ‘Breaking My Phone’, and a very special night culminated with the bittersweet brilliance of ‘Daffodil Days’, a ballad destined for popular adulation.
Saturday night witnessed a dream combination of band and DJ, with the dreamy art-indie of Beach Baby followed by the techno heavy mixing of German Zenker Brothers. Beach Baby, channelling the 80’s-cool aesthetic of Stranger Things, delved into the intricacies of romance with effortless enchantment. ‘Hot Weather’ exemplified their honest, self-deprecating philosophy, while the hazy layers of ‘Smoke Won’t Get Me High’ slalomed between the ambience of Gengahr and Kid Wave’s feedback driven alt-rock. ‘Bug Eyed And Blonde’ was the surprise stand out track of the evening, a gentle, seductive beast which flickered and burned, melting the audience with coats of sincerity. “Moving with the handbrake on” echoed through patterns among vocal harmonies, guitar merging with synth as the song drifted to a poignant close. We caught up with the boys over a beer after their set to discuss their recent tour of America; affable as ever, they’ll be shooting up bills as the year progresses.
Will Lister provided the soundtrack to upstairs shortly after midnight, and his confident, ebullient set showed exactly why he is turning so many heads around London. Zenker Brothers played to a packed-out downstairs, and their bass heavy, experimental techno was exactly was the crowd wanted; they featured choice extracts from their Ilian Tape label, alongside the songs currently flowing through Germany’s buzzing underground scene.
