My lovely daughter Sophie visited me recently and being a stylish and creative young lady (she takes after her mother, clearly!) I took her to i gigi, the wonderfully stylish, beautifully presented, general store and Cafe near Brunswick Square in Hove. One Earl Grey tea and jammed scone (me) and a hot chocolate and piece of cake (Sophie) later and my wallet was over £17 pound, yes £17 pound(!) lighter! And I thought Teddy's in Shoreham was outrageously expensive! And to think there is a recession on? You'd never know it at those prices. I'm taking Sophie to the Grand next time...it's likely to be cheaper. PS Mark Ede's book 'a grumpy man's guide to tea and toast prices along the Sussex coast' will be out in paperback soon. Or not, as the case may be.
Anyhow, April is here and at BiGiAM towers, like for many of us Brightonians indeed, this the month of calm before the storm that is the month of May. May not only signals the start of summer, which itself brings the 'blow ins' (the tourists and day trippers etc) but also, of course, the Great Escape (new music) festival as well as the Brighton Festival and it's even more unruly cousin, the Fringe.. But, it's all good even if the trend seems to be the sunnier it gets, the harder we have to work.
Talking of sun, our friends at Yellow Fish Music Group are setting up studios in Portugal, and possibly South of France too. At the moment it's top secret but this is a gossip column right? So, it's just gossip until you hear it officially right? Right. The idea is band members will all chip in to fly to some sunny spot, get away from local distractions and actually get something done. I think the swimming pool, sunshine and night life might blow a hole in this theory but I suspect they'll be quite a few takers anyway. Meanwhile, at the Lewes branch of the Fish, the odd rock god has been seen recording there as has a top five artist from..er, France. Maybe there's some kind of cultural exchange going on? Watch this space.
Talking of Rock God's, I see Roger Daltrey turned up unexpectedly to perform at our very own Ropetackle, Shoreham, as lead vocalist for the Simon (brother of Peter) Townsend's band. For those readers who do not know who these people are - Who? I hear you ask. Yes, that's right 'The Who' - then ask your Dad. Or Grandad.
I've also just heard Gary Hutchins, of Hutchins guitars, has gone into the wine trade. Why? I don't know I'm a column writer (allegedly) not a psychiatrist. But there are bottles of red, bottles of white, with labels featuring guitars and everything. I shall do some suitably in-depth research and report back accordingly.
Meanwhile, well done local producer Al Scott whose album with June Tabor and the Oyster Band picked up four awards at the BBC folk awards. Apparently Al's hangover is just about worn off.
The ping pong table has disappeared from the Latest Music Bar and President Obama gives a present to David Cameron on the latest State visit. A co-incidence? I think not.
Adele moves to Brighton, Jo Harman moves to London. A co-incidence? Er...probably.
Till next month, keep it steady, and follow us on twitter @bigiambrighton or info@bigiam.co.uk
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