Example | Brighton Centre | 14 December 2011

A review by Gary Marlowe

Just a few months after his barnstorming performance at Shakedown, Example was back in Brighton. This time he was headlining the Brighton Centre, the biggest show on his biggest UK tour and basking in the glory of a hit-laden number one album.  Far from playing in the shadows, Example is now firmly in the spotlight and a sold out crowd couldn’t wait to be under his influence. They were already heaving during Fenech-Soler’s support set, so when Example finally took the stage, under a huge letter ‘e’ the atmosphere was frenzied to say the least. And you’d have to be wrong in the head not to realise that they were witnessing something special. Elliott Gleave, his initials  are e.g. hence Example, was in imperious form, ably assisted by some top players including former Streets drummer Johnny Drum Machine and guitarists Dave Stewart and Andy Sheldrake. The live sound was heavier than on the records and the hits just kept on coming. From the opener ‘Skies Don’t Lie’ (which incidentally Gleave wrote especially as the intro for his live shows) to the chart-topping encore ‘Changed The Way You Kissed Me’ the energy never waivered, the bouncing never stopped and it was probably one of the most memorable gigs Brighton has seen in 2011. This year will see Example step up to bigger arenas, so there’s some doubt when we’ll get to see him again.