An ode to cheese, coffee, trains and tango. “Brighton Blue” is an innovative performance piece that marries live music with engaging video backgrounds to explore four quintessential aspects of local culture: Sussex’s ever-expanding cheese industry, Brighton’s ubiquitous café scene, the historical significance of trains, and the city’s vibrant dance life. Led by Richard Vahrman and Andy Fraser, this one-hour show guides audiences through a jazz-blues journey, accompanied by visuals that range from a high-speed train journey to a live dance performance, highlighting the unique cultural tapestry of Brighton. Each medley—dedicated to cheese, coffee, trains, and dance—features carefully selected songs that resonate with the theme, providing entertainment and sensory exploration of Brighton’s local flavours and rhythms.
A wonderful, fun hour of good music and film that sent me down memory lane. I have never seen an accordion played the way Richard played it, it came alive, two talented musicians. Wish I could go again. Thank you Richard and Andy
“Brighton Blue” epitomizes the essence of Sussex by exploring local themes such as the artisan cheese-making industry, the vibrant café and dance cultures, and the historical significance of the railways to Brighton’s development. Each element of our show—from the jazz-blues renditions of songs celebrating Brighton and Sussex to incorporating local products and talents—is a testament to our county’s ingenuity and cultural richness.
A really beautiful event. Imaginative fusion of music , words and moving image. Wonderfully presented in a stunning location.
There were four performances of Brighton Blue at James House in Brighton—sold out every night. Richard says, “It was hard getting used to the discipline of fitting in exactly with the projection, but I think we both pulled it off and learnt how we can improve when we perform all or some of this in the future.”
Very enjoyable hour with talented musicians Richard and Andy in a beautiful Hove Regency house setting
Here’s a clip from the show featuring the dance section with videos by Richard. The first part is Nature Boy, which was filmed in the gardens of the Casa Branca hotel in Funchal, Madeira. Richard searched the shelves of every toy and souvenir shop, looking for a toy to play the part of the “boy” and, running out of time, settled for an orange parachutist. Not ideal, but it does give a surreal feel to what is a mysterious song.
The second part is Boulevard of Broken Dreams and it was shot in one take on the path leading from Black Rock into Brighton Marina and the Asda car park. In the final section Dance Me to End of Love is sung to a number of clips of people dancing in Brighton.