Friday 16/05/08 Day 2, The Great Escape @ Various Venues, Brighton

Secrets can be blimmin’ hard to keep eh? There’s no joy in knowing something delicious if you can’t spray it around the neighbourhood a bit now is there? The Great Escape fellas obviously agree, that’s why they text EVERYONE at the festival four times an hour telling them that Lucy And The Caterpillar are playing a SECRET (shhhh) gig by the pier at 2pm…or other such exciting news. One such text that roused Gigwise from its Friday lie in was the news that Mr Hudson was doing an ‘impromptu’ sax accompanied show on the balcony of the Theatre Royal, viewable from New Road. A subdued crowd made up of text-receiving fiends and bemused Brighton office workers on their lunch break are treated to a compact, typically funky clutch of songs from Ben Hudson (he of ‘Too Late’ fame) and a dazzling showing from his man on sax. Their shiny, laid back set was physically slightly too elevated for the masses to appreciate fully but as an unconventional gig it sets the day up just right. Unless that is, you were in the irate number who couldn’t help thinking that the fella from Carphone Warehouse on his lunch hour was getting the same experience as you but at an infinitely cheaper price.

For want of anything else to do we had a little meander to the Barfly mid-afternoon to see what was on offer under the billing of ‘Very Special Guests’ in the programme. It turned out to be the rather generic but well meaning Grace Emilys and their bland, standard jerky, indie rock. Shame; we all want to be wowed these days don’t we?

A couple of woos woos later and another message from the Great Escape text monkey sends us to Audio for a SECRET We Are Scientists gig on the patio. Aptly chucking their tune ‘The Great Escape’ into the mix the men of science deliver their usual high octane, searing performance in the rather odd setting of a blustery, grey English spring afternoon. The sting is taken off their set slightly by the wind but songs like ‘Lousy Reputation’ and ‘Chick Lit’ prevail. Onlookers from the street and next door bar Amsterdam suck in the set and lap up Keith and Chris’ nasal banter like a cat with some shit hot milk. Not on the bill proper, but having played a largely unadvertised show the previous Wednesday at the Barfly in addition to today’s gig, W-A-S seem to be enjoying some seaside loitering without being a public nuisance.