club magic: arcane synthesis

Review by Yemi Sawyerr for Tenebris - 04 April 2026

There’s no better thing to do on Holy Saturday than attend church, so I found myself praying at the altar of Brighton venue Alphabet for a Spagetti Promotions night. The grade II listed building stands solemnly in an ornate gothic style, originally built in 1867 as a school for girls and later repurposed into a chapel, and now Alphabet, a church of sound, perfect for kicking off this holy weekend.

Not surprisingly for a strong lineup on a bank holiday weekend, the event was sold out and crowds started flocking early from the time doors opened at 7pm.

Curating our sound for the first portion of the night was DJ Dan Clark. Wielding a Roland DJ-808, he provided groove after groove and set the dance energy high for the night. Props must be given to his eclectic shirt and killer moves.

At 8pm, we moved into the first set as a one man version of Fukushima Dolphin took to the stage. Often seen in their six and two piece forms, this psy pop/ rock band have been captivating the country with their high energy performance. Tonight, we were treated to founding member Josh Butler’s solo set which was a gorgeous start to the live sets.

With his guitar, synth and various pedals, he curated a sound through loops that was beautifully reflective and uplifting with a vocal tone that speaks to the soul.

The set was a perfect mix of moveable and melancholic, a sound suitable to be blasting through your headphones on a cool summer night. The twang of the guitar sat comfortably over the keyboard melodies, and it's safe to say the crowd were captivated, with many singing along to the set.

DJ Dan Clark took care of business as we waited for our headliners to take to the stage, and just after 9pm, Club Magic began.

I had been massively looking forward to their set, having had particularly lovely interactions with the band throughout the night, I was excited to see what they had up their sleeve. This event was in fact the launch of their debut EP which is set to drop in April, I knew they would be pulling out all the stops.

They broke the anticipatory silence with some drawn out synth notes which quickly broke into a head bouncing beat and shifting bassline. The trio consists of Genti Allaj on synths and guitar stage right, vocalist and synth player Paul Thomas Saunders in the centre and bassist Daniel Hole commanding stage left. Visually aided by the projections of Inner Strings, the on stage projections were captivating and added an incredible immersive layer of bursting colours and shifting shapes.

It’s safe to say, I was wowed by Club Magic’s set. Some words that came to mind were; soulful, funky and timeless. Paul’s sauntering vocals were delivered with a heartfelt coolness that was true poetry in motion. With reflective lyrics, there was feeling and the certain uplifting energy that one seeks out on the dance floor.

Club Magic’s music satisfies the need for electronica whilst maintaining a distinctly raw and human touch. The synth-chaser in me was delighted by Genti’s vocal effects, blending human emotion with machine precision, creating a robotic voice that is simultaneously synthetic, as well as deeply soulful. Bassist Daniel held the funk together with skillful rolling basslines that he made look easy.

Throughout their set, the trio delivered groove after groove which kept me swaying from start to finish. There was something so excitingly original, yet completely familiar about their music which makes me so very excited about the future of the group. Their live set would be well suited to large stages, and they will bring such a positive and feel-good energy to any festival or party.

Follow @clubmagicmusic and @fukushimadolphin to keep up to date with their next movies.

Huge thanks to grassroots music and arts promoter Spagetti Promotions, they host some of the great music that flows through Brighton - check out one of their events if you haven’t already.

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