Sea Monsters festival: Brighton’s Kraken wakes

What more appropriate name than Sea Monsters could promoters One Inch Badge have chosen for their first ever festival in Brighton? We’re choosing to assume it’s a reference to the Wedding Present album of the sameish name, combined with a cheeky tilt at the host city’s coastal location. Whatever the truth – and we don’t really care what that is – Sea Monsters looks set to be a treat and a half over the next five gruelling but gratifying days.

Actually, is it even a festival? Not in the strictest sense, since there’s no daytime fun. One Inch Badge are taking over the Prince Albert venue (right near Brighton station, potential commuters – it’s the one with the giant mural of John Peel on its outside wall) every night between today and Sunday, in a wholehearted sledgehammer/nut-cracking scenario to promote their debut compilation album, also called Sea Monsters.

Who’s playing? Well, they’ve handily made a full colour programme available here, but if you just can’t bring yourself to click on the link, here’s the full band list, split into days.

Wed 26/1: Salter Cane, Crowns on the Rats Orchestra, The Squadron Leaders

Thu 27/1: Drum Eyes, Cold Pumas, The Sticks, Speak Galactic

Fri 28/1: Pope Joan, Nullifier, Hind Ear, Illness

Sat 29/1: Mary Hampton, Jane Bartholemew, Curly Hair

Sun 30.1: Stuart Warwick, Us Baby Bear Bones, Birdengine

Really you should see the whole damn lot, obviously, but if we had to choose, our pick of the five nights would definitely be Thursday’s noisy-assed Drum Eyes/Cold Pumas lunatic double-decker…

Tickets are £4 a night or £15 for a five-night pass (which gets you a free copy of the album as well) from www.wegottickets.com/oneinchbadge – so you see, if you miss it, you’ve only yourselves to blame. Not us, let’s be sure about that. Right.

Sea Monsters, the album, will be released in Brighton through OIB Records on Mon 31 January, and in the rest of the world on Mon 4 April. Don’t ask why, it just is.