How to describe Ideal Living? In an interview they described themselves as PostSpook Knitwear Rock, but maybe they were taking the piss. They cite Tom Waits and Ennio Morricone as influences, but they remind me at times of the bits of Arab Strap I love where the intensity of the music is matched by lyrics that are unafraid to push boundaries. They take their name from Joy Division’s first release An Ideal For Living, and you can see that Billy Marsh’s role as front man is inspired by Ian Curtis. The rest of the band are a Who’s Who from some of Brighton’s other great upcoming groups, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens when one of these groups breaks through (and it will be when, not if).
Roam is a diatribe about how man has imposed himself on the countryside, inspired by the view from the top of the cliffs near the Marina looking down over Brighton, it’s closing refrain of hushed chants of “Concrete and plastic and silicon” electrifying the audience whenever I’ve seen it performed live.
4 : Ideal Living / Roam
5 : MEMORIALS / Lamplighter
6 : Hutch / Ice on the Lake
7 : Lime Garden / Pop Star
8 : Thomas Ducout / Feminina
9 : Jamie Broughton / The Sound
10 : David Best / Terms & Conditions
11 : Welly / Shopping
12 : Ellis D / Shakedown
13 : Ladylike / Horse’s Mouth
14 : AK/DK / Nobody Shouts
15 : The New Eves / Astrolabe
16 : Projector / Tastes Like Sarah
17 : Penelope Trappes / Sleep
18 : Lambrini Girls / Big Dick Energy
19 : Holiday Ghosts / Sublime Disconnect
20 : Plantoid / Modulator