What do you do when you’ve topped a million Spotify plays? You start your own club night of course! That’s what Brighton band The Island club have done – and they’ve done it well. Their first event was held at The Prince Albert, with support from Brighton bands MarthaGunn and Fine Creatures.
Fine Creatures took to the stage first, a fantastic three-piece that brought raucous post-grunge to a crowd seemingly pleased with their first taste of The Island Club Presents. MarthaGunn were up next, bringing with them a set that defines the phrase ‘all killer, no filler’. It’s a magnificent wall of sound that makes me have no doubt in my mind that these guys will be the band representing Brighton in the next few years.
Moving onto the spectacular Island Club. They played this gig like professionals – and that’s just what they looked like. They had sold the show out in five days, brought their own light show and approached the event in a manner I haven’t seen a band of this size do before. Their professionalism and confidence will surely see them rocket into the UK music scene in the near future.
Now, it would be too easy to write The Island Club off as just another 80s revival-pop band. Sure, they’re reminiscent of The 1975. But who wouldn’t want to sound like ‘the greatest band in Britain’? Well, that’s according to the BRITs at least. Unlike The 1975, however, The Island Club swing you into an arena not discovered by their predecessors – it’s tropical pop like no other. The Island Club’s subtle nods to 90s grunge, shoe-gaze and a winning vocal sound leaves them not too dissimilar from that of Mike Patton of Faith No More.
A fiver for this club night was a steal and I urge anyone who wants to see a professional band for the price of a pub band to head down to The Haunt for The Island Club Presents #2 on Weds 17 May.
The Island Club’s “Paper Kiss” is out now
Their headline show is on Weds 17 May at The Haunt
