REVIEW: The Launch Party
On Wednesday 6th September 2023, Nasty Mode Records held their long-awaited launch party at the renowned Green Door Store in Brighton; and much like the sun on that scorching day, NMR’s fired up roster really brought the heat.
Pop starlet G had the honour of opening to the sell-out crowd, and she immediately displayed her knack for writing and performing a catchy hook with real flair. Backed by a full band, which included NMR co-founders Toma Lazarov and Dan Pimblett on Keys and Drums respectively, G’s songwriting and arrangement skills were showcased brilliantly; and it was increasingly evident with each song why Nasty Mode wanted to snap her up before any other label or publisher did. An energetic cover of Cher’s Believe followed by an anthemic, and already fan favourite, original Collateral Damage brought G’s set to a close. The bar had been set, very high, for what promised to be an entertaining evening.
Next to take the stage was Molly Thorne and their “sexy band”, which was compiled of musicians from fellow Nasty Mode act Goētīa. This sultry set from another star in the making was nothing short of encapsulating, with Thorne’s soulful melodies and Winehouse-esque aura keeping the audience firmly in the palm of their hand for the duration. It’s hard to believe that their first ever gig was only five months prior, but easy to see why NMR asked them to sign that very night; Molly Thorne is a real talent and crowd pleaser - with a confidence and stage presence, explained by their musical theatre background, that will take them far as a jazz vocalist.
Performative poet bankiyan was the penultimate act of the night, and his explosive set cranked the volume back up to 11. The hype and sheer energy in the room was hard to ignore, with a small army of fans marching up to the stage in anticipation of bankiyan’s inevitable pop-off. The wordsmith delivered, and, much to the crowd’s jubilation, performed a mixture of released and unreleased material. Tracks such as Run From the Fire and Good Time melded genres in a way all great rap songs do, and were driven by hard hitting sub-bass and live drums (courtesy of Lazarov and Pimblett once more) designed to punctuate bankiyan’s visceral delivery. From midway through the set he was joined by a cellist, who added an air of ethereality to the accompaniment which juxtaposed the passion of the lyricism, and to great effect. bankiyan’s set displayed perfectly how he got his current recognition as a promising upcoming artist (who sold out the o2 Academy2 Islington last year), and also teased more exciting things to come as part of the NMR family.
The aforementioned Goētīa were tasked with putting an end to proceedings, and it was just as well they did, as they provided an almighty performance which would have been impossible to follow. This cantankerous sextet simply cannot be categorised, but are self-described as a “Dystopian Junk Fusion” act, whatever that means. Despite their musical ambiguity, Goētīa’s intentions are clear: they want to get your blood pumping. Whether that be through an involuntary bodily reaction to their vigorous percussion, meaty riffs and screaming saxophone solos, or an empathic response to their socially minded call to arms. Goētīa’s set was as polished as their demeanours were unruly - “this is us being professional” said the frontman Billy Fox-Coates, which begs a frightening question - just how entertaining are they when they misbehave?
Overall, Nasty Mode Records’ first event was an outrageous success, and a statement of intent from Brighton’s newest independent label. The founders (Lazarov, Pimblett and Phoebe Lauren) have been plugging away all summer to bring something novel and exciting to the Brighton scene, and it’s easy to see that their hard work is already paying dividends. Nasty Mode Records aims to build a label which puts the artist first, but also to cultivate a community of creatives, for creatives - a bastion of hope and support in an industry which historically prioritises profit over its people. This outlook is as refreshing as the music that their roster is already producing, and it was apparent throughout the evening of the launch party that every member of the team is a cog of the collective machine. There’s a real buzz around this project, which was only amplified by the show, and now the waves of optimism are truly reverberating through the wider NMR community. For this special group of artists, the sky really is the limit.
Words by Ollie Ivan
