songwriting
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The Highchurches (or: The Threechurches) record a live session at BBC Maida Vale
Thanks so much to my very talented friends for making this happen. Maida Vale shuts its doors for good (as a BBC institution, at least) in a few months, so it felt faintly miraculous to get the five of us (three members of the band, my friend the sound engineer, and my friend the photographer) Read more
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The Twochurches at The Brunswick’s Open Mic in Hove
It’s that weird week between Christmas and new year, and I was itching to get out and perform, after a fairly nondescript Christmas in suburban Luton. I usually have choir practice on a Monday, so I’d never quite made it to The Brunswick pub in Hove for their esteemed open mic, which is of a Read more
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The Threechurches at Brighton Folk Choir End-Of-Term Cabaret, and Christmas Panto in Kemptown
A couple of performances to start the week, after a wonderful weekend in Sheffield. First up, The Threechurches – the name of any combination of three members [1] of The Highchurches taking to the stage together – played a short set [2] at the Brighton Folk Choir’s end of term cabaret at The Rose Hill. Read more
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Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be 2025 edition: The Divine Comedy, Babybird, and Echobelly live in Brighton
I’m not sure what I do more often, vow to stop attending nostalgia shows or write up the nostalgia shows I’ve attended. In the past week I’ve seen three bands, all of whom were at their creative peak in the 1990s. These bands fill venues of various sizes by playing songs from 30 years ago Read more
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The Magnetic Fields play 69 Love Songs at Brighton Dome
In the future, will there be nostalgia shows? Or will we run out of past to celebrate? Thoughts such as these always go through my mind when I battle myself over whether I want to see a band sing songs from back when bands could still have careers. You can’t see anyone as spectacularly weird Read more
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Hands of the Heron at The Brunswick, Brighton
A quiet midweek gig and a scoping out of a venue for future plotting of things. That’s uncharacteristically vague, sorry, let me start again: I’m looking for somewhere to put on a regular Brighton folk club. Monthly first, preferably, and then once every couple of weeks if we find an audience for it. I’ve been Read more
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This Machine Kills Wasps with MJ Hibbett & Chris Thorpe-Tracey, The Highchurches, Lilla Multipass, Leslie Bloom and Verity Grebble
This was a special, sweaty little show, which will live long in the memory of all who attended. It was a bit of a last minute job. Chris and Mark have a beautiful project in which they’re doing a new, stripped down album of Hibbett songs accompanied by piano. They’re songs from the sadder end Read more
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James and Anna versus Morris Folk Club
Back in February, myself and Anna, a fellow London exile now in Glasgow, met up at one of our old haunts and sang together at Sharp’s folk club for the first time. This time, we met at Morris Folk Club at another former hangout, The Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon, opposite The Guardian’s former headquarters before Read more
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This Machine Kils Wasps with MJ Hibbett and Chris Thorpe-Tracey / The Highchurches do a gig on a barge in Shoreham
Tickets are now on sale for a special This Machine Kills Wasps in Brighton on Friday 15th August. MJ Hibbett and Chris Thorpe-Treacy have both been massive influences on my life, my music, and my philosophy. Hibbett writes amazing songs and taught me you don’t need anyone’s permission to make music; Chris writes amazing songs Read more
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