We have seen more than 20 artists, walked almost 60,000 steps and probably lost about ten years’ worth of hearing. Worth it, though.
Our final day took a much slower pace than the last few, starting in the afternoon following a late finish with Yard the night before.
Immersion at the Soundwaves stage (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
We kicked off with Immersion at the Soundwaves stage on the beach. On stage, atop a table, was a synth and another digital sampling tool.
While the crowd might have been small inside the tent compared to previous acts, those who were there clearly knew what they wanted to see.
There was no dramatic fanfare, lightshow or ground-shaking bass to introduce the pair – as this was not needed.
Newman and Spigel on stage (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
Colin Newman and Malka Spigel knew what they were about, and so did the crowd. They did not need to prove themselves. Newman brought out a chair and left his bag on the seat before getting stuck in.
Spigel – donning a pair of sunglasses which oozed of an artistic sort of cool – took control of the synth and got to work on a rhythm which filled the room.
Their sound progressed, ebbed and flowed for their half-an-hour set on the seafront. A great start which set the tone for the day.
Blackgold put on a show at Chalk (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
We then left the beach for Chalk, in Pool Valley for nu-metal piece Blackgold. Admittedly, we went into this completely blind.
Leaving, on the other hand, our eyes were wide open to a completely new genre.
The high-energy outfit jumped onto stage wearing – surprisingly – black and gold masks and corresponding basketball jerseys.
Blackgold brought theatrics to match (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
They blended loud metal with elements of hip-hop and grime which festivalgoers could not get enough of. The man next to us might have needed a new neck by the end of it, given he was banging his head 90 degrees in either direction.
The – for lack of a better word – anonymous quartet commanded the stage and certainly got their steps up in the process although we found their lyrics cheesy and cringeworthy at times. Perhaps this is a part of the genre we just have not got yet.
They finished their set with a sympathetic message about peace and love, while the audience raised their hands making the devil horns gesture.
Blackgold surprised us… and we had no expectations to begin with (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
Ears ringing, we left Chalk feeling as if we could take on the world to Blackgold’s soundtrack – so it was only right we went to the Casablanca Jazz Club in Middle Street.
Youngster Fine was still setting up his stage when we arrived. He was very much a one-man-band who brought his own show to Brighton in a few supermarket carrier bags. Respect.
The stage was a slightly raised platform at the back of the bar with some decidedly distracting fairy lights overhead.
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The Leeds musician started with just a keyboard and loop station to build a delicate sound overlaid with birdsong. The beats were brought in a few minutes after. This took time.
He then welcomed vocalist Jess Edie onto the stage who performed their new track Shade of Blue. Finlay was playing with her voice and sampling this in real time, creating harmonies despite there only being one vocalist.
A very chilled listen and a backdrop of a summer beach – ideally somewhere hot and abroad -would be the perfect place for his music.
Not Me But Us made the most out of their two laptops (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
Our highlight for the last day was also our last. Italian duo Not Me But Us performed a truly polished performance at the Soundwaves stage on the beach. These were two people who knew their music inside and out.
Bruno Bavota and Fabrizio Somma travelled to the festival light. So light their performance could have been within easyJet’s cabin baggage allowance.
All that waited for them on stage was two laptops and a midi controller. And with these two laptops, they managed to make something truly special.
The lighting was understated and – for the most part – unchanging, as the music did the talking (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
Each press of the keyboard was with purpose, progressively building an intricate soundscape which you felt from your head to your toes..
At its core, a synthesiser kept the base of the track while melodies and beats were added on top. You never knew what turn the sound could take at any moment as elements of drum and bass turned into ambient beats within moments.
But it was not jarring.
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In fact, their music had an effect we did not anticipate. The crowd consisted mostly of 50-something dad-types – not the sort you would expect to break out into dance – but they did.
Perhaps the pair have discovered a new frequency which frees people from the burdens of everyday life – but their music just compelled you to move.
To our left, there was a man worming his way through the crowd while doing the robot dance, and another letting the music take over entirely.
We all became a part of the “us” in their name.
Not Me But Us provided a great escape from The Great Escape (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)
And, in case you might have forgot, this is all the product of two men on a Macbook.
Their set came to a natural close with a fair applause from us watching on.
Bavota and Somma hugged on stage, Somma did a superman pose, before putting their hands together and bowing to say thank you. They left the stage without saying a single word.
Half an hour without any words, just pure electronic music. They let the music do the talking – and that was plenty.
We are already looking forward to next year.
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