Five great gigs to see in Brighton this December

As Christmas draws closer, the autumn gig season is coming to an end and live music will take a hiatus until the days get longer and it gets (a little) less cold and wet. We all know Brighton has an incredible music scene so we’ve put together a list of five great gigs to see this December. We’ve got underground hometown acts and visitors from as far afield as South Africa, plus a range of genres from Americana to alt-rock. Sunshine guaranteed.

Alice Phoebe Lou

Alice has come all the way from Cape Town via Berlin to play at Chalk on the 5^th of December. You might already know her shiny and danceable single ‘Witches‘, and her new album Shelter­ – released in July this year – is another step up for her style. Her soft rock sound is introspective yet ambitious and explores relationships and self-growth with deep vulnerability that anyone can recognise in themselves.
Tuesday 5^th December, 6pm – 10pm; £21.25
Chalk, 13 Pool Valley, Brighton, BN1 1NJ
chalkvenue.com

Julianna Riolino

The best description we’ve seen so far of Julianna Riolino comes from Pitchfork’s review of her 2022 album All Blue, dubbing her style ‘cosmic country’. The Toronto-based singer will be bringing her stellar songwriting to Brighton this month, playing at Komedia on the 10^th of December. Riolino draws on notes of melancholy while fiercely asserting her independence in bouncy tracks like ‘Lone Ranger‘. This is guaranteed to be a brilliant show.
Sunday 10^th December, 7.30pm; £15.00
Komedia, 44 – 47 Gardner St, Brighton, BN1 1UN
komedia.co.uk

Porridge Radio

Porridge Radio are yet another Brighton act that have gone on to become one of the leading lights of UK post-punk indie after the success of their second album Every Bad, a success which only continued with 2022’s Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky. Frontwoman Dana Margolin builds desperate, crushing crescendos on ‘Back To The Radio‘ while maintaining edges of dark humour in her metaphors. Porridge Radio play the excellent Hope and Ruin on the 13^th of December.
Wednesday 13^th December, 8pm; £21.50
Hope and Ruin, 11 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3WA
hope.pub

Jar of Blind Flies

With live music giving way to all things festive for a few weeks, our penultimate recommendation for the month is on the 17^th of December. Jar of Blind Flies are a noisy up-and-coming alt-rock outfit that have been rocking Brighton gig circuits with their grungy sounds since the release of their album Míà last year. This trio of locals – Maddy Jarvis, Marley Perez, and Jake Smith – combine explosive rhythms with ethereal vocals, and with it costing just £3 to see them alongside raucous supports DumFun and Tummyache, this Green Door Store show is a steal.
Sunday 17^th December, 7pm; £3
Green Door Store, Units 2, 3 & 4 Trafalgar Arches, Lower Goods Yard, Brighton Railway Station, Brighton, BN1 4FQ
thegreendoorstore.co.uk

The Goa Express

Charming Burnley outfit The Goa Express arrive in Brighton on the 28^th of December to provide some vital entertainment in that strange in-between time after Christmas and before New Year’s Eve. Their sunny guitar-pop riffs cement their position as ones to watch on the British indie scene, with their self-titled debut album The Goa Express setting a strong precedent to follow. Get yourself a slice of Northern charm to round out the month.
Thursday 28^th December, 7.30pm; £12.50
Komedia, 44 – 47 Gardner Street, Brighton, BN1 1UN
komedia.co.uk

By Gabriel Kennedy