BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT – Brighton

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT: pic by Ian Bourn / Scene Sussex

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT

Bright Light Bright Light played in Brighton at The Brighton Dome as sole support for Erasure on 19 February.

‘CHOREOGRAPHY’ – THE NEW ALBUM – OUT NOW.  NEW SINGLE – ‘LITTLE BIT’ – OUT 26 JAN 2018 

As seen on Graham Norton, the Elton John / Scissor Sisters collaborator and Welsh music prize nominated nu-disco artist is touring with latest album ‘Choreography’. He is touring with Erasure. Rod Thomas (aka BLBL) tours Europe, including the UK and Ireland, and is opening for his musical heroes ERASURE on the tour starting January 29th.

Having previously remixed BLBL’s ‘Running Back To You’, Vince Clarke is a friend of Rod’s, and with Erasure being one of his biggest influences, plus Rod signing to Mute Song last year, both acts hitting the road together makes perfect sense, and will undoubtedly be a great 2018 tour. Speaking about the tour Rod Thomas said:

“My love of Erasure and how important I think they are both to the LGBT community and to music in general has been well documented. Being able to do a full tour opening for them is a TOTAL joy. The teenage me can’t believe what’s happening and the current me isn’t much calmer either really! Vince and Andy are legends and also happen to be two of the nicest people I’ve met, so all in all, this double bill is a dream.”

Bright Light Bright Light shining Bright

Bright Light Bright Light, Rod took to the stage with a drummer and tech guy on an Apple and keys etc. Dressed in his recognisible rainbow suit Rod gave the crowd a wave, to which he had a great response back from everyone.

The Set

He has a rather splendid double vinyl album out and I imagine the gig would be a vehicle for Rod to do some of the songs live. Rod was armed with a set of drum sticks for his percussion panel and also a glistening sax. Love a bit of sax! The set opened up with the splendid Into The Night and then we had one of the finest tracks, there are many, from the album “All In The Name”. This song had the crowd dancing, it is a joy to listen to and we enjoyed seeing it performed live. This has all the marks of being a nightclub hit anthem. Rods musicians pushed out some fine sounds.

The drummer on percussion, working hard alongside the tech guy and together they produced a fine sound and the Dome is perfect for acoustics. The crowd got the colours of the music, the lighting and it all perfectly matched with Rods suit and performance.

A Video

 A intriguing and exuberant artist. With a penchant for “drama” like Erasure, BLBL’s song ‘Little Bit’ from the album captures his most euphoric and over the top loving side: a song about wanting to show someone the extent of your love orchestrated by pounding drums, gorgeous synths and saxophone.  Other tracks included in the performance were Two Hearts, An Open Heart and Running Back to You .

Rod seemed to be enjoying himself. Hardly surprising as was touring with his “favourite band in the world”.  He took some time mid set to make it clear just how much he loved Erasure and that their music had been a major influence on him and his own music. The set came to a close as Rod stopped everything to get a shot of the crowd.

Had a chance for a quick chat after the show. He had clearly enjoyed the set and loves playing in Brighton. I asked if he would be back anytime soon, “oh yes, I will be back in Brighton hopefully later in the year”. Keep an eye out and go see him live if you can.

Bright Bright Bright Bright is the alias of Welsh synth pop artist Rod Thomas. With numerous nu-disco flecked releases to his name including the critically acclaimed albums ‘Make Me Believe in Hope’, ‘Life Is Easy’ and most recently ‘Choreography’ Rod has seen success both sides of the pond, with the latter two records both cutting the UK Independent Albums chart top 20. Throughout his fascinating career, Bright Light Bright Light has collaborated with everyone from Scissor Sisters to Elton John to Alan Cumming; he’s performed on Graham Norton’s chat show; been nominated for the Welsh Music Prize; and last year even managed to make an appearance as an extra in one of his favourite TV shows: The League of Gentlemen.

Bright Light Bright Light can be found on the web

Please note all images (not album cover) / video are copyright, please do not copy. If any of the featured artists/promoters/venues want copies of the images – or more if available – please just get in touch.

All original pictures – copyright to IANB/MEDIA WORKS/ SCENE SUSSEX – Ian “The Lens” Bourn 2018.

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