Hi, I'm Roxy Roberts
and these are my five staples
of the Brighton music scene.
So, the first stop on the Brighton tour
is Trickstar Radio.
Opened first in 2014, it's come a long way.
Trickstar started off a few years back.
It was mostly run by the DJ's that actually performed here.
So loads and loads of local, up and coming artists
were given access to this building with all the equipment,
and from that a whole network kind of developed.
We've got DJ's from across the board.
So you're mostly looking at underground music culture.
Anything from bassline to house to techno to grime,
drum and bass, you've got the lot here,
but it's definitely people that are
on the forefront of the music scene.
There's a lot of artists that have gone on to do big things
that kind of grew themselves here,
and it's definitely come a long way since 2014.
A couple of mates of mine Pav and PBC used to do a show.
I sat here, watched them, two years later,
I walk into the office and go
"Go on Si, give us a show."
The show itself is called Pear Shaped Audio.
That's actually a clothing line that my housemate runs,
and together we kind of built the show up.
And we've been running that for about a year.
In studio two for my mid morning brunch show
recently had the lovely Sophie Faith on, from London,
and the talk with her was incredible.
The music she's been coming out with.
It was just nice to see kind of
Brighton and London meeting together,
and creating the beauty that is her.
We definitely stepped up our game.
And from that a lot of the community in Brighton
is starting to recognise that as well,
across the music scene.
I mean, I think we've all been working really hard
to kind of push Brighton's sound forward.
We do also have guests that
come from all across the UK, and internationally as well.
So yeah, been doing big bits
and I'm really really proud to be a part of it.
Been a lot of fun many many memories,
and many shows yet to come.
So up next we've got The Hope & Ruin.
This place is a nice little bar.
They've also got some awesome food,
and there's actually a little venue upstairs.
So let's check it out.
So, what started off as The Hope,
is now The Hope & Ruin and that
happened about three years ago.
They kind of opened up the space here.
Still an intimate venue, I mean it's about 150 cap,
but they gave the opportunity to be up close
and personal to the acts going on,
and that's when things really took off.
Now we did a show here not too long ago,
and we brought down the talented Etta Bond.
She came onstage and shut the show down.
But before her, two local acts that I actually manage
as part of Hear No Evil Management performed
and they supported her.
So we had Hatter, a rap artist Brighton local boy,
and also Silvia Mwenze and she sang the house down.
So yeah, those two were by far
some of my favourite shows I've seen in Brighton.
Not only do you have this sweet-ass venue,
there's also a really cool bar down,
with an eclectic mix of ornaments.
And also, if you're part of the vegan persuasion,
a really good food spot as well.
So down here, every night of the week
there's always something to do.
You've got drinks, you've got food,
you've got DJ's. Walk past here, you always see it heaving.
So here it is, The Hope & Ruin.
Up next we've got a place that has
been a big part of my life for a long time now.
Smack bang in the middle of the North Laine,
in Bond Street we have Dead Wax Social.
So if you were just walking past,
you don't always anticipate what's inside.
The entrance is a little bit more discreet.
You kinda walk through it, looks like a small bar.
And out you come to this great space,
which essentially is half bar half mini mini club.
This has been pretty much my second home
for five years now I'd say.
I used to come here when it was called Riki Tiks.
A couple of friends of mine used to run it.
And it has actually remained in the family.
Some of the old staff there now run
this place and it's called Dead Wax Social,
which is a vinyl only bar, so that's
definitely it's unique selling point.
And we also used to run Brighton Sound Social here.
This is where it actually began.
They also put on loads of different nights,
so there's a garage night.
Which is garage vinyl only, that one's a wicked show.
Ska nights, hip hop nights,
to a fair bit of rock and indie as well.
As long as they have it on vinyl,
then you can hear it here.
You've got a whole wall down there as well,
filled with vinyl and you can actually
grab one of those and request to pop it on.
Of course, we also have Wolf's Mouth Kitchen over here.
This kitchen has been running throughout.
Wolf's Mouth has only just recently taken it over.
I actually live with this guy, he's my housemate.
And he makes the bad boy pizzas.
This is one of my favourite spots.
Definitely a different spot to the norm.
And it attracts all sorts.
Especially late around in the night,
it's one of the last few places open
So next up on the list, we've got bar, club and terrace.
This is Patterns.
Formerly known as Audio, and is the
first venue that I came down to
when I moved down here, about 10 years ago.
This place used to hold loads of nights,
such as super charged, which is actually still running
but it's a lot bigger granted, than it was.
Used to be a little Wednesday night
that you get in for three quid.
Not quite the same anymore, but the acts are huge.
So this here is about a 320 cap venue,
for a medium sized venue, the sound is pretty intense.
They've got good amount of kit to fill out the room,
and that's why the club nights also work here.
You got good old bass to take you through the room.
I have actually put on a few shows here,
we've had Children of Zeus down here a couple of times.
Who are just insane, if you haven't seen them before.
Along with, KSR, we've had Kudu Blue again supporting.
And the lovely Silvia Mwenze,
we've also had other hip hop acts like Phonetic.
I mean this place is incredible,
it's both a club night and live venue again.
And they also have a wicked bar upstairs.
Must say the espresso martinis are pretty good here.
This is the upstairs of Patterns.
Over there you've got a smaller stage.
I've seen a lot more local bands.
Usually, jazz, soul acts performing up here.
And they do regular nights, you've got people
like Mr. Bongo who do a residency here.
You've got a collective called Shook Girls,
and they absolutely smash it.
Everything from like jungle to footwork,
is always always a vibe.
If you're not having fun downstairs,
you certainly are up here.
You've also got the terrace,.
Which during the summer you know those espresso martinis?
That's where you'll be drinking them.
Last on my list is the Bottega Rooms.
This place is something a little bit different
to the rest that I've shown you.
However, it encapsulates a lot of things
that mean something to me.
It's mostly run by AudioActive,
which is a youth music charity organisation.
So AudioActive have been running for years now.
And they've helped many many young people
who are up and coming and who need
a space who may not be able to either afford it,
or don't have access to the equipment.
And here, with this space, a lot of money was raised,
through Crowd Funder where they managed
to build these studios.
And they do have practise rooms, rehearsal rooms
where they run sessions, for mostly 25 and under.
So here we've got the big room.
This is the room that has a stage
sponsored by Rag'n'Bone Man.
He donated everything to AudioActive,
'cause he's one of the veterans of the organisation.
We have not only a photography studio,
but also a stage, so this is the big room.
So here we have one of the recording studios, that QM run.
This is also the room that I filmed
"Hear No Evil Acoustic Session" for Silvia Mwenze.
And lastly, this is Hatter's room.
So this is his recording studio,
I've spent many many evenings in here
doing voiceover work, clean edits of songs for radio,
and watching these guys perform, as I do manage them.
This is a studio and this is all available
for people to rent out.
So if you're ever down and you want to do a bit of music,
you can use this community space.
There's a lot going on, there's a lot of people involved,
and there's a lot of opportunities
that have arisen from this.
Nice little community hub, and there is nothing more
that we love down here than to bring everyone together.
So that's my five staples of the Brighton music scene.
The reason I love Brighton city so much,
is because of the music scene.
It is one of the most liberal, accepting, versatile,
dynamic places that I've been to.
I mean you've got all sorts of stuff going on.
Every genre of music has a spot in the space here.
And they all come together as well.
You've even got some of the bigger
kind of events happening here,
you've got the Great Escape, you've got Fringe.
So yeah, this place is incredible,
and if you haven't been here before,
please come on down, especially when the sun is shining.