Tuba or Not Tuba?

Here is the 13th of 25 stained glass window designs on the Palace Pier which AI and I are using as inspiration for some of these BrightonBeach365 daily posts - see Stained Glass Window 1 for background.  The image shows the backs of two uniformed figures, possibly musicians, wearing dark caps with red bands. They are holding brass instruments, one of which appears to be a trombone and another a tuba. The background consists of a clear blue sky with stylised horizontal lines, suggesting a scene of a marching band or parade.

A limerick starter

Two bandsmen set off with a grin,

But one had his slide stuck right in.

He puffed and he blew,

Till his face turned bright blue —

Then sneezed, and played jazz on his chin!

The Case of the Missing Marching Band OR Tuba or Not Tuba? (From a recently-found episode of The Goon Show.)

FX: [Sea gulls. Waves crashing. Brass band warming up tunelessly.]

SEAGOON: Good morning! I am Major Horatio Seagoon, OBE, MFI, RSVP. I have come to Brighton Beach on a matter of national importance.

FX: [BAGPIPE WAIL]

SEAGOON: Shut that manhole cover, Eccles!

ECCLES: Sorry, I thought it was a new type of sunhat.

SEAGOON: It’s got wheels on it and says ‘Brighton Borough Drainage Department’!

ECCLES: Modern millinery, man!

SEAGOON: Silence! Now, according to confidential government memos, intercepted via a fortune cookie in Worthing, an entire marching band has gone missing from the seafront.

GRYTPYPE-THYNNE (smooth): Ah yes, the Royal Regiment of Reversible Saxophonists. Last seen marching confidently into the sea during a rendition of Anchors Aweigh.

SEAGOON: You mean they drowned?

GRYTPYPE: Not exactly. They’ve formed a successful underwater jazz trio off the coast of Rottingdean.

SEAGOON: By gad, we must rescue them before they collaborate with French crabs!

FX: [Marching footsteps, slowly getting squelchier]

BLOODNOK (exploding out of nowhere): Ahh! Not them again! I still owe the euphonium player two guineas and a cod.

SEAGOON: Where were you when the band disappeared, Colonel Bloodnok?

BLOODNOK: Nowhere suspicious! Merely camouflaged inside a tuba disguised as a deckchair.

FX: [Deckchair collapses with a metallic clang. Distant tuba fart.]

ECCLES: Ooooh! I think I sat on a B flat!

MINNIE (sing-song): Henry, Henry! There’s a man in the shrubbery playing a clarinet with his nose!

HENRY: That’s not a clarinet, Minnie. That’s my bicycle pump.

MINNIE: Then who’s playing the triangle with our haddock?

FX: [Loud triangle ding. Distant fish slap.]

SEAGOON: Enough! We must assemble the backup band!

FX: [Horrible discordant crash of spoons, combs, and someone playing a mop]

ECCLES: I got my washboard tuned to C-sharp! But it only plays in the rain.

GRYTPYPE: Congratulations. You are now all part of the official Brighton Beach Auxiliary Marching Misband.

SEAGOON: Forward! Left–right–left–ooh!

FX: [Marching. Then a mass splash.]

BLOODNOK: Wait, wait! The tide’s back in! ABANDON INSTRUMENTS!

FX: [Chaotic retreat, a trombone honks like a goose.]

OMNES (singing): ♪ For we are the band that sank with pride, Near Brighton’s bins and paddle tide. . . ♪

VOICEOVER (LEWIS): And so ends The Case of the Missing Marching Band, sponsored by the National Society for the Prevention of Seaside Serenades.

FX: [Final tuba bloop, fading under waves.]

Brighton’s biggest bash

Today’s Pride parade - the city’s biggest and most colourful annual event - set off at 11 am from Hove Lawns, gathering thousands of float‑decorated participants, drag performers and rainbow‑clad marchers who made their way east along the iconic seafront promenade. They proceeded along Kingsway to turn into West Street and North Street before winding past Old Steine and heading up toward London Road and Preston Road on its way to Preston Park, where the music festival begins.

This procession continues a legacy stretching back to the Sussex Gay Liberation Front’s first demonstration in October 1972, followed by Brighton’s inaugural Pride Week in July 1973 - a protest‑cum‑carnival walk along the waterfront ending with a beach gathering. After a hiatus, modern Pride returned in 1991, growing rapidly through the 1990s, and by 1996 the parade consistently began on the seafront with a major festival in Preston Park.

A watershed moment came in 2011 when financial collapse forced the new Brighton Pride CIC to introduce fencing and ticketing for the Preston Park event, while preserving the seafront parade as free. That move stabilised the event and enabled the creation of a Social Impact Fund which now supports local LGBTQ+ groups.

The COVID‑19 pandemic marked another turning point: both 2020 and 2021 festivals were cancelled (the 2020 edition was replaced by streamed content), breaking the Pride tradition for the first time. In 2022 Pride returned in full force - with headliners Christina Aguilera and Paloma Faith - and a revived focus on activism as well as entertainment. 2023 emphasised trans rights and global solidarity; 2024 featured themes of environmental activism and celebration, headlined by Girls Aloud and Mika.

Economically, Brighton Pride is one of the city’s most vital events. It draws up to 500,000 people over the weekend, accounting for an estimated two per cent of the city’s annual tourism in a single day and generating approximately £30 million in visitor spending. Since 2018 the event has delivered consistent economic benefits and raised more than £1 million annually for community grants.

This year 2025 brings further evolution. The theme - ‘Ravishing Rage’ - signals both celebration and resilience, and the event introduces major improvements following widespread community consultation. Notably, the Pride Village Party stage in Kemptown has moved from St James’s Street to Marine Parade, which will remain open for pedestrian and vehicle traffic, while Marine Parade will host a new Street Party featuring outside stages and entertainment.

On the festival front, 2025’s Pride on the Park takes place in Preston Park on 2-3 August, headlined by Mariah Carey in a UK festival exclusive - her long‑awaited performance originally planned for 2020 - and supported by acts including Sugababes, Fatboy Slim, Confidence Man, Loreen, Will Young, Natalie Imbruglia, Ashnikko, Slayyyter and Sister Sledge. Hayu, the NBCUniversal reality streaming service, is this year’s headline sponsor, enabling over 150 LGBTQ+ performers across multiple immersive stages.

In sum, today’s procession along Brighton’s seafront is not simply a visual feast - it’s also part of a five‑decade arc of protest turning into celebration, of financial crisis becoming a sustainable model, of pandemic pause and triumphant resurrection, and of ever‑greater economic and cultural significance to both city and community. For further information see Time Out, Brighton and Hove Council, and Wikipedia.

On the Beach hit by weather

Thousands of music-lovers were evacuated from Brighton seafront yesterday evening after a Met Office yellow warning for thunderstorms prompted a swift and precautionary response from organisers of Brighton’s On The Beach festival. The warning, which forecast heavy rain and potential flooding, led to what some described as a ‘Code Red’-style evacuation. Crowds were seen leaving the site in orderly fashion just after 6pm as thunderclouds gathered and conditions deteriorated.

Drone footage - from Sussex Express - captured the mass movement away from the beach, with stewards guiding people safely from the festival grounds. The yellow warning had been issued earlier in the day, but organisers initially proceeded with caution. At 5.30pm, a statement on the festival’s Instagram page confirmed that the show would go on - ‘The weather forecast from the Met Office is now clear skies for the rest of the evening, but prepare for change.’

However, the skies did not stay clear. As heavy rain swept in and lightning was reported nearby, the decision was made to evacuate the site. Aerial photographs published by the Sussex Express showed thousands leaving the seafront just as the storm arrived. Emergency services assisted the evacuation, with no reported injuries or arrests.

By around 7.30pm, conditions improved and the yellow warning was lifted. Festival organisers reopened the site and revised the schedule, allowing the evening’s acts to proceed under clearer skies. The Argus reported that fans praised the organisers for ‘putting safety first without cancelling the whole evening’.

While no official ‘Code Red’ declaration was made, the phrase circulated widely among attendees as a way to describe the highest level of threat response used in emergency planning. The sudden storm interrupted the rhythm of the evening, but the quick return of music and clear skies by nightfall brought the crowd back together.

Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm

Today, Bloc Party headline On the Beach, the annual summer music festival that transforms Brighton’s seafront into a large-scale open-air concert venue. Held each July, the event draws thousands of fans from across the UK to the city’s iconic shingle beach. With the Rampion wind farm on the horizon and stages set just metres from the tide, the festival once again brings live music to one of the most distinctive coastal settings in the country.

On the Beach began in 2021, building on Brighton’s long love affair with large-scale seaside music. It channels the same spirit that drew quarter of a million people to Fatboy Slim’s chaotic beach show back in 2002 - a landmark event that still hangs heavy over Brighton’s pop-culture memory. Unlike that free-for-all, the modern festival is carefully ticketed and spread over several weekends each July, bringing big-name DJs, rock bands and indie outfits to stages erected almost within reach of the tide. Past years have seen Royal Blood, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Kooks and The Libertines claim the beach. This summer’s run continues the tradition, with today’s billing dedicated to a more guitar-driven, indie flavour.

At the heart of it all are Bloc Party, who tonight perform their seminal debut album Silent Alarm in full, marking twenty years since it first tore through the UK charts. Released in 2005, Silent Alarm fused jagged post-punk guitar lines, urgent dance rhythms and raw, nervy vocals into a sound that defined an era of British indie. Songs like Banquet and Helicopter became anthems in sticky clubs and muddy fields alike. Over the two decades since, Bloc Party have shape-shifted through electronic experiments, introspective rock and propulsive returns to form, all without losing their taste for sharp edges and restless energy.

Frontman Kele Okereke has cited everyone from The Smiths to electronic pioneers like A Guy Called Gerald as influences. Guitarist Russell Lissack, meanwhile, has a side passion for rescuing stray cats and once briefly joined Ash on tour. Joining the two founders of the band on stage will be Louise Bartle on drums and percussion - officially part of the band since 2015 - and Harry Deacon, who took over bass duties in 2023.

Sharing the stage with Bloc Party today are Everything Everything, the Manchester art-rock outfit celebrated for twisting pop into clever, unexpected shapes, and Mystery Jets, long-time darlings of the indie circuit whose bright, slightly psychedelic songs like Two Doors Down still ring with youthful rush. They’re joined by Leeds newcomers English Teacher (see English Teacher on the beach, who played this very location a couple of months ago) and Liz Lawrence, the genre-hopping singer-songwriter whose crystalline vocals have become a Brighton favourite. Rounding out the bill are FEET, bringing fresh energy off the back of their new album, and Martial Arts, a rising local band adding yet more sun-soaked guitar sparkle to the beach.

Stormzy stars in Brighton short

Stormzy’s new short film Big Man, much of it shot in Brighton - on the beach and the pier - marks the artist’s first leading role on screen. The 20-minute film, directed by Oscar-winner Aneil Karia and released this month, was shot entirely on the latest iPhone and produced by #Merky Films in collaboration with Apple.

The short film follows Tenzman, a former star adrift in a creative slump, who reconnects with joy and purpose after an unexpected encounter with two young boys (played by Klevis Brahja and Jaydon Eastman). Their adventure takes them to Brighton Beach, where scenes of them running across the pebbles, trampolining and eating chips together capture moments of emotional clarity for Stormzy’s character. 

Stormzy himself was born Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. in Croydon in 1993. He rose to fame in the mid-2010s with tracks like Shut Up and his debut album Gang Signs & Prayer, the first grime album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. In October 2015, he played at the Brighton Beach venue, Concorde 2, during his first-ever UK headline tour. A year later he was back in town performing a high‑energy set at the Dome during The Great Escape festival.

Known for his political engagement and cultural influence, Stormzy has since expanded his impact beyond music, launching a publishing imprint, founding #Merky Books, and supporting educational and justice initiatives. Big Man signals a new creative chapter, blending music, narrative, and location in a quietly ambitious short film rooted in real emotion and recognisable British landscapes.

The film, from which these screenshots were taken, can be viewed at Time Out's website.

Glorious Day in Hove

The inaugural Glorious Day Festival is set to bring a fresh wave of house, funk and soul to Brighton’s Hove Lawns today. Running from 1pm to 10:30pm, with last entry set at 4:45pm, the boutique seaside event is aimed at an 18+ audience and promises a sunset soundtrack from some of the biggest names in dance music. Headliners include Soul II Soul, Grammy-winning DJ Roger Sanchez, Mark Knight, Norman Jay MBE, Danny Rampling, Julie McKnight and Smokin Jo.

Organised with the backing of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Outdoor Events team, Glorious Day positions itself as a one-day celebration with a single-stage setup, beachfront vibes and a carefully curated lineup. The event is ticketed through platforms such as See Tickets and Skiddle, with early bird prices from £39.50 and VIP upgrades available. It joins a packed local summer schedule alongside Brighton Pride, The Great Escape and other major music events, but is billed as bringing a more relaxed, refined edge tailored for a discerning crowd.

The festival takes place on Hove Lawns, a council-owned green space along Brighton Beach, long used for community celebrations and seasonal events. Festival-goers can expect a wide range of food and drink vendors, free water stations and a no-camping format. Blankets are allowed but camping chairs, windbreaks, gazebos and outside food or drink are not permitted. With a ‘Challenge 25’ policy in place, all attendees must bring valid photo ID.

The lack of a publicly-credited promoter for Glorious Day Festival suggests it is being run by a small, possibly local, independent events team operating under the festival’s brand name rather than a known production company. This is common for boutique seaside festivals, where organisers often handle bookings, branding and logistics internally while partnering with established ticketing platforms. To stage an event on Hove Lawns, the team would have needed to apply through Brighton & Hove City Council’s Outdoor Events team, who oversee permissions for use of public space, ensure compliance with safety and licensing regulations, and coordinate site access, noise management and emergency services. The council’s role is to facilitate rather than produce such events, meaning the festival’s creative, financial and operational planning rests entirely with the private organisers.

Korwar’s Percussion Parade

Yesterday, 25 May and the last day of the city’s May festival, Brighton Beach was pulsing with rhythm and colour as acclaimed percussionist Sarathy Korwar led an exuberant 30-piece band in Percussion Parade, a vibrant celebration of multicultural music.

Korwar - an award-winning drummer, composer, and bandleader - is renowned for his innovative fusion of jazz, Indian classical music, and contemporary sounds. Born in the US, he grew up in Ahmedabad and Chennai, India, where he began studying tabla at the age of 10. His early musical influences included Indian folk songs and American jazz artists like Ahmad Jamal and John Coltrane. At 17, he moved to Pune to study Environmental Science but ultimately dedicated himself to music, training under tabla maestro Rajeev Devasthali and expanding his skills to the Western drum kit. 

In 2009, Korwar relocated to London, earning a Master’s degree in Performance from SOAS, University of London, where he focused on adapting Indian classical rhythms to non-Indian percussion instruments. His debut album, Day To Day (2016), released on Ninja Tune, blended field recordings of the Siddi community in India with contemporary jazz and electronic music. His 2019 album, More Arriving, featured collaborations with South Asian rappers and poets, addressing themes of immigration and identity; it received critical acclaim and won Best Independent Album at the AIM Awards in 2020. In 2022, he released KALAK, an album exploring ‘Indo-futurism’ and cyclical time concepts, which was lauded by critics and featured in several year-end best album lists.

For Percussion Parade, Korwar assembled a 30-piece band featuring some of the southeast’s finest young musicians, brought together by Create Music. The ensemble performed music specially composed for the festival, blending influences from futuristic folk, South Asian temple processions, UK carnivals, and traditional marching bands. A large number of spectators gathered nearby the Piazza and the West Pier Spiral to listen to the thunder of drums, the shimmer of cymbals, and the infectious energy of a community united through rhythm. 

English Teacher on the beach

Later today, Brighton Beach will host English Teacher, the Leeds-based indie rock band whose meteoric rise has captivated the UK music scene. The band will appear at 10:15 pm on The Deep End stage, one of the main venues of The Great Escape, the annual new music festival that transforms Brighton (and part of the beach) into a hub for emerging artists from around the world.

English Teacher formed in 2020 when vocalist and rhythm guitarist Lily Fontaine, lead guitarist Lewis Whiting, bassist Nicholas Eden, and drummer Douglas Frost met at Leeds Conservatoire. Prior to this, they performed under the name Frank, exploring dream pop influences. Their transition to English Teacher marked a shift toward a more incisive and experimental sound, blending elements of post-punk, art rock, and indie.

English Teacher’s debut single, R&B, released in 2021, garnered critical acclaim for its candid exploration of race and identity within the indie rock landscape. This was followed by the 2022 EP Polyawkward, which NME praised as lively art-punk with a lyrical edge. The band’s growing reputation led to a performance on Later... with Jools Holland in November 2023, further cementing their status as rising stars.

Released in April, 2024, through Island Records, This Could Be Texas showcases English Teacher’s distinctive blend of surrealism and social commentary. Produced by Marta Salogni, the album delves into themes of identity, social deprivation, and political mismanagement, drawing inspiration from Fontaine’s upbringing in Colne, East Lancashire. Tracks like The World’s Biggest Paving Slab and Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space exemplify the band’s ability to intertwine poignant narratives with inventive musical arrangements.

The album’s critical success culminated in winning the 2024 Mercury Prize, making English Teacher the first non-London act to receive the award in nearly a decade (see also BBC report). Judges lauded the album for its ‘originality and character,’ highlighting its ‘winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation’ and its ‘fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format.’

For more on English Teacher visit their website, or Wikipedia. The video still above is taken from the band’s The World’s Biggest Paving Slab video on YouTube.

Fantasy, history and rhythm collide

Not that Brighton Beach needs much brightening up, but Dan Lish’s two murals do exactly that, one a whimsical hip-hop reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, and the other a wanderer’s dreamscape with floating turntables, cosmic clouds, and futuristic urban beats. Both murals fill up the frontage of Gallery 242, just west of the Palace Pier, and they can also be viewed online on the gallery’s website.

Lish describes himself as ‘a multi-disciplined artist . . . specialising in illustration, Video Game concept Art and Wall art’. Now living in Brighton, he spent seven years in New York City, freelancing as an illustrator and concept artist for clients including Sony, Lucas Arts and Rockstar Games. Within the video game industry he has been working on ‘numerous flagship titles for major developers’.

Lish also lists ‘comic and book illustrations, album cover art, and toy design’ among his artistic outputs. Through his celebrated Egostrip project, Lish says he has reimagined music legends like J Dilla, MF DOOM, and De La Soul ‘placing them in psychedelic, otherworldly settings where fantasy, history, and rhythm collide’. Egostrip Book 1 was published in 2020 and Egostrip Book 2 in 2023. See Lish’s Instagram account for more pics.

Return of the Laundry Arch

In the first phase of renovation work on Madeira Terrace (see Madeira Terrace restoration - hurrah!), several arches have now been entirely dismantled, leaving the huge sea wall bare and revealing a building within, a building that, frankly, looks like it’s had some history! A photograph by Allan King on the Brighton Past Facebook group has prompted members to offer snippets of local history and some memories of the place. 

Derek John Wright, for example, says ‘It’s the Laundry Arch. Used by a hotel, located at the end of the tunnel, to dry laundry.’ Neil Pike mentions the Bristol Pub hotel, and Julian Widest suggests it was Chaplin’s hotel. Ovular Sphere has more direct knowledge of the property, ‘Was the studio where my bands The Flesh Happening and Pink Narcissus used to rehearse and record. I also recorded some vocals for my album Fag Machine here. I believe it used to be a toilet.’ Richard Talbot says: ‘That’s Studio 284. The heart of Brighton punk. Occasional venue and rehearsal and recording space. Lovely people ran that.’ Paul Daltrey says, ‘Also used as a gun range at one point.’

Studio 284, in fact, was originally established in 1997 as a recording and rehearsal studio. It occupied a former public toilet block under the terraces (see Brighton and Hove News) and was run by Austen Grayton. A popular venue, it specialised in punk and metal music. In August 2015, however, it was forced to close due to the major structural concerns with the Madeira Terraces. Following the closure, the outfit relocated to Kemp Town and rebranded as BlackRock Subway Studio. It has continued to maintain a focus on providing services for various music genres, including punk, metal, acoustic, reggae, ska, folk, and hip hop.

Meanwhile, the planning application for the renovation work specifically mentions ‘Alterations and repairs to Laundry Arch to enable future operational use with replacement windows and door and a new balustrade.’

Raving and misbehaving

It’s Tuesday, and Tuesday can mean only one thing on the Brighton Beach club scene: CU Next Tuesday at The Arch. It is claimed that this is Brighton’s biggest midweek clubbing event, and that it has been a staple of the city's nightlife for over 15 years. The organisers, ROX Promotions, promise ‘a night full of raving and misbehaving’ and that ‘Wednesday mornings in Brighton are officially cancelled’.

CU Next Tuesday takes place at The Arch, 187-193 Kings Road Arches, just a step away from the beach pebbles. The event features two rooms of music, catering to various tastes with a mix of hip hop, grime, house, drum & bass, and chart remixes. The night offers a range of attractions to entice partygoers: free pizza and donuts, on-stage games and confetti blasts, £3.50 doubles all night long, free inflatables and temporary tattoos.

Among The Arch’s various weekly themed events are the following: McDonalds Motive with free fast food, Get Your Croc Out celebrating the famous footwear, ABBA x Mamma Mia Night for dancing queens, and Bringing Shreksy Back complete with swamp shots and Shrek-themed entertainment. The venue is known for its commitment to both underground and commercial music scenes, having welcomed in the past notable acts such as Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Annie Mac, Stormzy, Skepta, and Tinie Tempah.

The Arch’s atmosphere, the Ticket Fairy says, is characterised by its industrial aesthetics, ‘featuring exposed brickwork and metal fixtures that create an edgy, raw vibe’, The Tuesday session - only for 18+ - usually opens from 11 pm to 4 am, with last entry at 12:30 am; tickets generally cost from £5.50. 

The club has occasionally been in the news. In May 2024, rising rapper ArrDee highlighted - in Time Out - the  venue’s significance in his musical journey, noting that it kept him connected to his roots and the local music scene. Moreover, in April last year, according to Brighton and Hove News, The Arch hosted a notable psychobilly event featuring three bands, including the UK's founding psychobilly band, The Meteors. 

There is a long history of performance at this site starting with The Zap in 1984. A pioneering venue it was credited with regenerating Brighton’s seafront in the mid-1980s and in launching the careers of many young artists. It hosted an eclectic array of performers, including comedians, musicians, and artists, and was known for its innovative approach to alternative culture as well as for its acid house nights. The premises underwent various changes of brand in 2005-2014 before reopening as The Arch. See Wikipedia for more on Zap’s, and also for some background on the original See You Next Tuesday band, complete with an explanation of its (x-rated) name.

Happy birthday Passacaglia

Happy 27th birthday Passacaglia, the giant iron sculpture to be found on Brighton Beach not far from the old fishing quarter. Created by Charles Hadcock and installed on 17 March 1998, it has become an iconic part of the local landscape, inspiring photographers, climbing children and passersby. The sculpture is said to be in the shape of ‘a giant wave crashing on the beach’ - indeed, one could imagine the curved form having been inspired by Hokusai’s 200 year oil woodblock print The Great Wave. But no, it seem Passacaglia was directly inspired by a musical element from Peter Grimes. 

Hadcock was born in Derby, England, in 1965, and was educated at Ampleforth College Cheltenham College of Art, and the Royal College of Art. His sculptures, he says, reflect ‘an interest in geology, engineering and mathematics, and are enriched by references to music and poetry’. He established his first studio in 1989 in Bermondsey, London, where he worked until his practice outgrew the space. In 1999 he moved to Lancashire and established a large studio complex at Roach Bridge Mill ‘to facilitate the physical and conceptual space necessary to develop his sculpture’.

Throughout his career, Hadcock has gained recognition for large-scale sculptures. Passacaglia was constructed from recycled cast iron. The sculpture's surface is ‘a tapestry of tiles, some flat and others curved, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow’. Brighton & Hove Council’s text states: ‘The tiles have textured surfaces that resemble Yorkstone paving, some are curved and some flat which gives the sculpture the shape of a giant wave crashing on the beach. The reverse side of each tile reveals the nuts and bolts of the sculpture which was constructed by Hadcock on location in 1998.’ Only a few years later, in 2004, a crack appeared in the base tile, necessitating the work be dismantled - reinstallation took place in 2007.

Encounter gallery online has the typescript of a long interview with Hadcock which includes the information I’ve not found anywhere else - i.e. that Passacaglia ‘is directly inspired by the passacaglia in Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten’. Britten’s most famous opera, Peter Grimes, is set in Aldeburgh which has a long pebble beach - not dissimilar to Brighton’s - and it tells the forlorn tale of an outcast fisherman’s trials at sea and in society. (NB: Passacaglia is defined as an instrumental musical composition consisting of variations usually on a ground bass in moderately slow triple time.)

Hadcock’s website provides stunning photographs of many of his other notable works, and Wikipedia gives more biographical details about the sculptor.

Après Ski By The Sea!

Snow does not often fall on Brighton Beach; and very infrequently does it settle on the pebbles. Nevertheless, yesterday saw a brief, but flurry-full snowstorm. There was traffic chaos, of course, and children’s joy undiminished in residential streets and parks. It may or may not be widely known but Brighton Beach has the perfect venue for such days.

Located at 127 Kings Road Arches, the family-run Brighton Music Hall boasts the largest beach terrace in the UK with covered spaces. Every winter, the owners say, ‘we like to bring you something new and exciting - join us for Après Ski By The Sea!’. Amazingly, I would say, so far from the mountains, Après Ski By The Sea! features faux fur filled igloos, ski chalets clad with tartans, cushions, alpine backdrops and log fires, the Fallen Fairy bar, and decadent cocktails, alpine treats and dishes. And, of course, a wooden toboggan.

Currently, the venue’s website offers, in its What’s On section, ‘Drag Roasts’ and ‘Funky Fridays’. It is also promising free fizz for early birds who are prepared to make a 15 + booking for Christmas 2025.

As it’s perfectly possible the rest of these 365 days will pass by without further snowfalls, I am taking this opportunity to display the most snowy Brighton Beach photo I have - from April 2008. Although the ragged snowman is mine, the photo of Hattie was taken by a passing stranger, a professional cameraman who asked permission to take it, and then sent us a copy. Unfortunately, I seem to have no record of his name.