Jacco Gardener brings a splash of Psychedelic colour to Brighton

He and the four members of his backing band arrive at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar in Brighton tonight (15th Sept) for the first night of this UK tour and makes this dark basement venue feel instantly welcoming – Jacco has the capability to pull you away from your surroundings and transport you into a world which is full of colour.

With no introduction they begin. The title track from his second album Hypnophobia proves to be the best place to start; it gives us that first insight into how these new songs are interpreted in the live environment and the truth turns out not to be much different from the older ones where delicate rolling melodies intertwine with psychedelic touched backdrops to form five minute long capsules of musical bliss.

After a brief hello the band swiftly leap straight into "Clear The Air", the song off his debut which first helped introduce him to the wider world. It may have been one that led some to describe him simply as “Sixties revivalist”, but to fully accept this would neglect his ability to write charmingly retro pop songs that have a distinctively timeless appeal.

Newer songs such as the relatively stripped down "Face To Face" may see him venture into more pastoral baroque pop but underneath a strong psych influence still comfortably sits. Rockier moments such as "Find Yourself", with its sun soothed vocals underpinning bass, is another slab of glittery psychedelia that helps reconfirm that Gardner has reached that comfortable place where songs are not separate helpings meant to stand alone but rather ones that are built to help form a catalogue of songs that nestle together, each comfortably fitting side by side.