The Black Velvets at Brighton Audio - 18th February 05 By Steve Rudd Photo Gallery by Darren Rogers Sweet n Sour at The Welly Club, Hull - 9th December 04

Photograph Gallery   The Black Velvets Gallery ,    Gallery 1,    Gallery 2.

What's one to do when they are bored with Brighton's infamous Pier amusements, and has then had their fill of the plethora of fashion and food-orientated establishments that are packed into Brighton's cosmopolitan city centre? Aside from any shows that might be playing in the few theatres in the city, there should be a decent gig or two on in Brighton on any given night, with the Concorde 2, seemingly one of the best venues to head for if good quality live music is indeed your bag. Larger venues such as the Dome and the Brighton Centre logically stage gigs by the best known bands (such as Greenday, GLC and The Hives).

Still, if up-and-coming bands are more your thing, then there is a tiny venue called Audio - to be conveniently found literally a hundred or so yards from the Palace Pier - on Marine Parade. And it was here that I witnessed The Black Velvets make a play for thoroughly deserved fame.

It's a pity, though, that the venue didn't seem to be worthy of such a brilliant rock 'n' roll band. There can't have been many more than forty people watching the gig, with Audio being little more than a dingy and dark basement venue. There was supposed to be a support band on before the BV's, but as the first band - and as it later transpired the only band - of the evening smashed into the exuberantly riff-rolled Get On Your Life anthem, it became apparent that there wasn't to be a support band after all (I later learned they'd cancelled, but none of the punters were informed and the entrance charge to the gig was in no way modified; thus, everybody was charged a pretty dear £6 for just the one band).

Thankfully, the long-haired Black Velvet boys put on a stunning rock show that also featured their new single 3345 (due for release in March), and - given the exhilarating quality of the quartet's tunes - there really is no wonder that the nation's music presses are collectively wetting themselves over the prospect of this band, with 2005 genuinely looking to be the year that these guys break into the mainstream. It's just a shame that their set was only about half an hour long. Thank God then that they played as though they were performing in front of a stadium crowd, further proving that their rock 'n' roll livin' and lovin' hearts are in the right place...

Check the thisisUll.com Gallery Photographs courtsey and Copyright © Darren Rogers 2005

Photograph Gallery   The Black Velvets Gallery ,    Gallery 1,    Gallery 2.

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