Brighton on the Beach: The Maccabees, 99s, & Leopard Print Amps

A review by Django Durrant

Brighton on the beach on a blazing Saturday, late July was equal parts lovely, fun, commercial, and flat. You won’t find the biggest mosh pit, crowd participation, or cutting edge sound system but a lineup featuring homecoming headliners the Maccabees, caricature Miles Kane, and powerfully smooth Anna Calvi provided a nostalgic feel-good day.

To get into the space you wondered down Madeira drive along the beach, past the swimmers and day time drinkers until you reached a maze of crisscrossing gates, unless of course you were with O2 in which case you had the privilege of walking in a straight line. I think they missed a trick though as the entrance was right beside the end of the zipwire which would’ve felt a lot more like a priority pass to the arena.

Once inside, the space wasn’t too overwhelming. With Madeira Drive one side and the ever encroaching sea on the other the space was a thin rectangle, made thinner by a VIP stand and an O2 priority seating area. Remember, wherever O2 rears its ugly head Live Nation quite possibly own everything in sight. What a shame! Anyway, at the back the stage was visible but not quite audible. I don’t know how much the wind affected the sound but by the food stalls it was rather quiet.

The food options seemed great with 8 different stalls to choose from there was enough variety for all tastes and dietary requirements. Brighton being Brighton there were gluten free and vegan items galore. Though, Count Binface would have struggled to subsidise the 99s which were a whopping £5.50 and a soulless vending machine would take eight quid off your hands for a cup of 2/3s beer, 1/3 froth; a bit obscene. It was a shame that there wasn’t a single local brewery on offer either and it made me wonder how much of a boost to Brighton’s economy renting the beach to Live Nation actually created.

Passing by the food stalls towards the stage the music suddenly came to the forefront and the space did widen slightly on the beach side. The ground had been completely covered with a floor and as far as I could see there were ramps to every elevated space so seemingly accessible! The crowd was, huge surprise, averaging out at about late thirties and there was a summer’s day buzz in the air which was infectious. I noticed loads of groups seemingly hanging out for the first time in ages and the best thing about the day was the reunion feel it had. However, I felt bad for some of the earlier acts who had more of a "background music to catch up chats” role.

Unfortunately, the shape of the space had two drawbacks. When an act finished the entire crowd went like a giant slinky from the stage to the food stalls/bars and back again when the next act started. Unlike DeLaWar pavilion down the road in Bexhill where the outdoor layout is a dream, you often felt compressed with no escape. Yet, the atmosphere wasn’t electric either! I’m thinking of classic festival sets where the crowd fans out and it feels like you’re in an endless sea of people but because of the thin rectangular shape it was as difficult as creating a good atmosphere in West Ham’s London Stadium.

The actual music was awesome though, Lime Garden are a great band and will go higher and higher up the bill, I foresee! Miles Kane was great fun, you can Lalala along to most of his tracks. And who in their right mind has an entire backline in leopard print? The other acts did a decent job at transporting us to the late 2000s/early 2010s and Anna Calvi was a standout from the supporting cast. But the headliners were a cut above the rest with a great set that the swooning crowd lapped up. The Maccabees showed they’ve still got it after returning to the stage last year. They had big riffs, high-energy jangly guitars, and a back catalogue of classics. ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ is always going to go down well.

Let’s wrap it up then, Brighton on the Beach’s Saturday Dayfest for people who think the 90s wasn’t that long ago was a mixed bag. It’s hard to expect anything bigger than grassroots not to have some capitalist villain lurking in the wings, but as ever the music shone through making the beer taste good, the sun shine, and the whole thing worth it.