Son of Dave - The Haunt, Brighton, 22/10/11

The Haunt is a new venue for Brighton, opened in February 2011. Located at the back of Pool Valley, it's built into what used to be the ABC cinema. It's small, dark and comfortable and very well suited to the unique talents of one 'Son of Dave'. Supported by two rather eclectic (to be polite) acts, the pyjama-clad Benjamin Darvill (ex 'Crash Test Dummies') opened with a barn-stormer blues-harp/beatbox number which immediately warmed the growing crowd and quickly got the old feet a-tapping. A little while later, in between bouts of shouting at his equipment when it didn't do what he wanted it to, Mr Darvill announced that he was lonely and proceeded to pick an older couple from the audience to join him on stage. Seating them to one side of him, he plied them with wine and beer and some rider-provided fresh fruit before launching back into a selection of numbers from his last two albums. The highlight for me had to be 'She just danced all night' (at which point I got a wry and knowing smile from Sal) but the whole 50-minute set and one encore was one good thing after another. A thoroughly talented man providing an evening's entertainment second to none.