Live Review - The Smoking Hearts - St James' Laundry Centre, Brighton - 12/5/12

By Madeline O'Shea

Not going to lie. The prospect of a gig in a laundrette is both exciting and slightly worrying. Especially when the place is a hole in the wall in Kemp Town and it's The Smoking Hearts, a band whose live performances have become renowned for their high-octane, balls-out aggression, or in other words breaking shit in the name of rock and roll.

What kind of acoustics does a laundrette have? How is everyone going to fit? Do they have insurance?  Any relevance these concerns have are quickly negated by the fact that the PA doesn't appear to be working while the band sound check.

A frazzled sound man tries time and time again to fix it but the only thing he manages to get done is expose his incompetence. The band decide they're not too proud just get on with it, so they scream and sing their parts into the air instead of into mics,  which is a down right dirty shame as they're playing super tight and as per usual, exploding with energy.

Can't deny that it looks somewhat awkward but you also can't help but admire a band that's still willing to play on regardless for everyone there to see them. In the end, they only end up playing three songs but didn't matter 'cos they kicked ass, took names, and overcame adversity to bring rock and roll to the masses.

By Madeline O'Shea

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