Creeps up on you, that musical event for which you think you bought a ticket some time back. Yes, you did, fully twelve months ago, you early bird. Here we go round again at Brighten The Corners, the town's own multi-venue festival of new music (so nearly all people you've never heard of) following the successes of 2024 and 2023.

Bag check: leaflet with full schedule; bottle of strawberry Yazoo; glasses; mini Soreen loaf; pack of Softmints; house and bike keys.

Day 1 -- Friday (hot with thunderstorm from 11pm)

• (18:10) Disgusting Sisters at The Baths -- we kick off with two young women, a-shoutin' and a-singin', killing it with their choreography, exterior pants and a shared hairstyle worryingly close to my retired neighbour
• (18:35) Monster Florence at St Stephen's -- queued five mins to join 240 capacity in thrall to assorted men with hats (with live backing) rappin' and stirrin' up the crowd
• (18:45) The Pill at Smokehouse -- queued ten mins for hot new medicinal band then gave up
• (19:40) Pencil at St Stephen's -- arrived for soundcheck; first violin of the evening; thought sound balance much improved when the guitars dropped out
• (19:35) Lime Garden at Corn Exchange -- in to big hall for closing couple of tracks from all-female line-up creating a big sound; charismatic frontwoman
• (20:10) JD Cliffe at The Baths -- main character rap energy in shiny hat, Um/Bro jacket, a dervish in dark glasses, again with guitar guys: "I'll come here again: have you got a beach?"
• (20:45) Deadletter at Corn Exchange -- serious chaps laying down a commanding beat, oh, and a guy on sax; fronted by a hard-working bloke in an unironic vest and a guitarist giving it some
• (21:05) Deary at The Baths -- sweet and ethereal female guitarist; accompanied by a lady clearly here to chew gum and play guitar; pleasing palate cleanser and well received
• (22:05) Sholto at The Baths -- I spy a cello; very hard to miss that huge harp; great shame to leave them after their opening lush number
• (22:40) Richard Dawson at St Stephen's -- determined to be front and centre for the man from Mizu who I'd seen in Folkestone last month; that nasty-looking ACL injury perhaps prevented him from being electrocuted by his split water; somehow he stood for the mighty Jogging, then back on chair for the timeless Horse & Rider, and off to Swan for hydration with friend PSR

Day 2 -- Saturday (hot and dry)

• (15:35) Ellis D at The Baths -- fabulous Brighton combo; loud and quiet bits appropriate for 3:30pm; riffs, smiles and false endings galore
• (16:35) Y at The Baths -- "We forgive you for Ed Sheeran", they said; heavy on the sax and with a cool blonde in shades surrounded by the inevitable guys on guitars
• (17:00) Kirakira at Cornhill -- mellow open-air sounds from her on the acoustic and him on the Harman keys
• (17:35) Waldo's Gift at The Baths -- three piece, I think, with one of them telling their full origin story at length before launching their glitching guitar hero histrionics
• (18:25) Miss Tiny at Smokehouse -- once again waiting outside in unmoving Smokehouse queue so settled for hearing River Hands through the fire exit door
• (18:35) The Orchestra For Now at St Stephen's -- seven of them on that small stage inc. two-piece string section to bring us some excellent chamber pop a la Black Country, New Road
• (19:20) Silverwingkiller at Smokehouse -- ordered my lamb skewer gyros from the Greek guy by the Giles statue and, hearing that would take half an hour, biked off to the Smokehouse where I finally gained admission only to last perhaps ten minutes of pulsing industrial hammmer synths
• (20:50) Gruff Rhys at Corn Exchange -- American Interior PowerPoint presentation, why not, from the ex-Super Furry guy in the cap, telling the story of fictional 18th century John Evans seeking Welsh connections in USA; most odd and kind of weird to see friend PSR on stage playing a Canadian assassin

...and still missed corto.alto, Bob Vylan and Mermaid Chunky

Rather tired and cycling home up Portman Road I noticed I wasn't in the bike lane. Corrected that then realised I'd moved out again. Got off my bike, wheeled it across the road, and sat down on the pavement, suddenly sweaty. Decided to fully lay down to get head level with heart. Felt much improved after five minutes in a fully horizontal postiion. One passing guy enquired as to my health: ah, dizzy, he said, gave me a thumbs-up and carried on.

ITFC may be back in the old division 2 but Brighten The Corners remains a *PREM* music festival.