Seagull Recommends 07/04

Hello and welcome back to Seagull Recommends! This week we've got our review of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Brighton Dome, an animation festival, and where to find the best bánh mì in the city.

If you come across anything coming up in the city that you think we should know about, let us know!

🎶Gigs: Theatrical pop and singer-storytellers Spence Hood and Gecko are coming together for a night of whimsical storytelling through catchy rhymes. Spence Hood is a multi-instrumentalist who recently dropped his debut LP The Beginner's Guide to Theatrical Pop; Gecko is an artist covering the big topics in life, including iPhones, libraries, and Guanabana fruit juice (tickets).

🤣Comedy: Seagull favourite Joe Wells is at Komedia tomorrow with his show I Am Autistic, and if you're going to do anything this week we recommend this. With jokes about his 'severely not autistic brother' and warning us not to heckle ('it's a hate crime'), his show will remind you just how important it is to be yourself (tickets).

🪩Club night: Polyglamorous is back tonight, at Chalk from 11pm. Very excitingly, The XX's Romy will be DJing alongside Chalk's resident DJs, something our editor is very excited for. Featuring drag hosts, gogo dancers, visual artists and more, with £3 drinks, Polyglamorous aims to be a queer safe space for all of its guests (tickets).

💻Animation: Brighton International Animation Festival is set to take place at Latest Music Bar on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th April.  Now in its second year, the festival is a celebration of animation and showcases the best in the next generation of filmmakers. This year, it will include an AR exhibit, a retrospective from director Joanna Quinn (Affairs of the Art), a masterclass from Barry Purves (Wind in the Willows,  Mars Attacks!, King Kong), and more (tickets).

🚩Hustings: Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT), a membership organisation campaigning for community-led housing development in the city, is hosting a hustings on Thursday evening. It's an opportunity to grill the different parties on how they're responding to demands for community-led housing, with confirmed speakers including councillors Carmen Appich (Labour), Siriol Hugh-Jones (Green) and Bridget Fishleigh (Independent), as well as Dominique Hall (Liberal Democrat) (tickets: free, but register your spot).

🍱Food: People haven't stopped talking about Earl's Sandwiches, rumoured to have the best bánh mì and coffee outside of Vietnam. The vegan tofu bánh mì has marinated tofu, edamame bean paste, pickled daikon and carrot, sambal mayo, coriander, mint, cucumber and fresh chilli; we also recommend the vegan shrooben, which has portobello mushrooms, sauerkraut, pickles, Applewood smoked cheese and Reuben dressing. A friend of The Seagull said:

Not only is this incredibly reasonable priced for bánh mì in the UK, but it's the best one I've ever had too. Generous portion sizes both in the amount you get and how much filling there is, and they also do delicious cookies and muffins—just in case you're not full afterwards.

☕Drink: Coffee At 33 in Trafalgar Street is a lovely little cafe, with beautifully roasted coffee, delicious pastries and such friendly staff you'll want to stay all day.️

Team Seagull enjoyed a splendid evening at the Brighton Dome last week watching the London Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Dima Slobodeniouk, close out their 2022/23 season.

There was an eclectic mix of pieces, beginning with Stride, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composition by Tania León (who was in attendence), followed by Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No.1, with Beatrice Rana at the piano. Following the interval, we enjoyed Sibelius’ Syphony No. 2, often finding it difficult to take our eyes off the conductor’s windmilling arms. Stride was a little modernist for my taste, but Rana’s virtuosic performance for the Mendelssohn was exceptional.

We eagerly await announcement of what the LPO’s ‘23/’24 season will bring!