Promoters Seven X Seven viewed the wet streets with a look of weary concern. Brighton residents are particularly bad at attending gigs in the rain but this time the concern was unwarranted.
As Bad For Lazarus took to the stage, the upstairs room at The Prince Albert was nicely full. The local band veered between 1980s metal, 1960s psychedelia and unexpectedly funky piano in a set that kept the crowd entranced.
Tour support Exit International presented a solid wall of sound so loud and passionate that it seemed instinctive to take a step backwards.
Then headline act Castrovalva began. This Yorkshire trio are notoriously hard to define but if you imagine the energy and talent of an early The Mars Volta with the spontaneity of Lime Jello, mixed with a myriad of diverse samples, thundering drums, unpredictable basslines and an incredibly wide vocal range, you’re almost there.
Throw in a love of grime and hip-hop as well as rock, and you’re a bit closer.
Even technical difficulties during Donut couldn’t stop this set from being one of the most advanced, original performances I’ve seen in years.
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