Hello Brighton & Hove!

We are properly into November now, and the city has wasted zero time trading fireworks for an absolute belter of a weekend. Whether you are lacing up for a brisk Sunday morning dash along the seafront, digging through loft treasures at a classic Hove car boot, or simply looking for a warm room to hide from the sea breeze, there is plenty to pull you off the sofa over the next three days. Grab a cuppa, have a scroll through what is kicking off across town, and make some solid plans.

Here Is What's Squawking This Week

🎤 Comedy giant Peter Kay brings arena-sized laughs to town.
🧠 Irish mentalist Keith Barry celebrates 25 years of mind-reading.
💃 Full-band Spice Girls tribute brings 90s girl power to the stage.
🎺 Dutch trumpet virtuoso fuses Baroque classics with live jazz.
🏡 Co-living day offers speed-friending, lightning talks, and potluck lunch.

Books & The Bookshop

I was thrilled to drop into Books and the Bookshop, a gorgeous, brand-new independent spot just by Seven Dials that ticks every single box I love to champion: female-owned, freshly opened, and completely dedicated to printed goods. Run by lovely couple Marta and Anna, both originally from Poland and now true Brightonians through and through, this little shop is the result of a long-held dream finally coming to life.

While opening a bookshop has long been Marta’s biggest ambition, Anna is right beside her as both a supportive partner and a brilliant ceramic artist with an illustration background. Alongside the carefully curated shelves of books and printed treasures, you’ll spot Anna’s own handiwork dotted around the space. I honestly couldn't resist walking away with a couple of her silly cat ceramics, so definitely keep an eye out for them when you visit.

Whether you're hunting for your next great read or a one-of-a-kind handmade ceramic piece, swing by to say hello and help welcome this wonderful new creative hub to the community.

📍 83 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JE
🕒 Wed–Fri: 11am-5:30pm, Sat: 11am-4:30pm, Sun: 11am-2pm
(Closed Mon–Tue)
💰 Independent books, printed goods, and handmade ceramics
🔗 Follow On Instagram

Commuting back and forth between London and Brighton this week has made me realise– I’m never moving away from Brighton. There are too many things I love in this place! 

Let’s start with our Support Local Supper Club. Every month, we get a big group together and visit a new restaurant (mostly as an excuse to make new friends). This month: Detroit Club for a birthday pizza party, where I played my first ever game of Pass the Parcel. Next month: Indian Summer for a SLSC Christmas party. Consider this your invitation to join us!

Next, all of the independent makers and artists. I’ve been loving my Skylark coffee, Iona Hepburn’s new book Bonfire (I can’t stop thinking about Lewes last week), board games that my cat immediately interrupts, and advent calendars from Art Chocolat and Bird & Blend. It makes a 4PM sunset slightly easier to bear. 

Finally, I love how this community comes together. 300+ people expressed interest, so the Brighton Social Book Swap is officially a go! We’ve just confirmed the Fabrica Gallery is ours for the evening of Wednesday, 2 December. The space will be decked with Christmas trees, fairy lights and mulled wine. You can pick up some new-to-you books to stock your winter shelf and make some new bookish friends. 

Plenty to love this coming week: a birthday dinner at Bonsai, food + kittens at Istanbul Katz, and asking all of my friends if they want to do another Christmas-themed escape room with me. And because we don’t gatekeep the good stuff around here, all you lovely Squawk subscribers can get 10% off with code MARLEY10. A little something from me to you! 💛

Why would anyone live anywhere else?

Marley x

ps. And if you can’t get enough of me, you can always follow me;

🔗 on TikTok
🔗 on Instagram

🍺 The Cow (my review)

Sitting just a stone’s throw from the Seven Dials roundabout on Dyke Road, this spot captures everything you want in a proper, welcoming local pub and then elevates it with seriously good food. I popped in for a casual lunchtime drink and decided to sample the Nok Nok Thai kitchen residency, which completely blew me away. I ordered a delicious prawn starter followed by a classic prawn pad thai, and honestly, the fantastic lunch deal means you can save a few pennies without compromising an ounce on fresh, vibrant flavour.

Beyond the kitchen, the bar keeps things exciting with a rotating selection of IPAs, alongside an impressive selection of flavoured gins, fine whiskeys, and changing cocktails. With weekly chess nights every Wednesday and a brilliant vinyl night on the last Friday of the month, it is a lively, character-filled neighbourhood staple that goes far beyond your average boozer.

📍 95-97 Dyke Road, Brighton, BN1 3JE
🍽️ Kitchen: Mon to Sat 12pm-3pm & 5pm-9.45pm
🔗 Visit their website

Fri

🎨 Fabian Perez: Exhibition & Artist Appearance | 6pm, Fri @ Clarendon Fine Art-Meet the celebrated figurative artist as he unveils a unique centrepiece artwork alongside drinks, a live DJ, and a new collection of atmospheric originals and limited editions. Free entry. More Info

👻 Melting Vinyl & CINECITY presents: The Phantom Of The Opera (1925) | 9pm, Fri @ Fabrica-Experience Lon Chaney's gothic silent horror classic accompanied by a dramatic, brand-new live neoclassical and electronic score performed by Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman. More Info

📚 Cover Story Pop Up | 3pm, Fri @ Pink Moon
Browse hundreds of rare indie magazines, collectable art editions, and niche print titles spanning fashion, design, and culture. Free entry. More Info

🎤 Filthy Fridays With Angela Barnes | 8pm, Fri @ The Old Market, Hove
A packed night of razor-sharp stand-up and hilarious true stories in aid of local Sussex NHS hospitals. More Info

🥊 Laugh To The Death | 7:30pm, Fri @ Caroline of Brunswick
Eight local comedians battle head-to-head across four rounds, with the audience picking the winner, featuring a prize draw for a signed Brighton & Hove Albion shirt. More Info

📚 The Wandering Chapter Pop-Up | 10am, Fri @ Temple Cafe
Browse curated reads from a charming pink mobile bookshop parked up outside for a lovely morning of coffee and page-turning. More Info

🎤 Peter Kay | 8pm, Fri @ Brighton Centre
The comedy icon brings his massively popular brand of observational humour and arena-filling cheeriness to Brighton. More Info

Sat

🎶 Musical Evening | 6:30pm, Sat @ Calvary Church Brighton
A welcoming community showcase of live music, poetry, and spoken word raising vital funds for local homelessness charity Just Life. More Info

🕺 80's Charity Night in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support | 7pm, Sat @ The Gather Inn, Hove-Dust off your leg warmers and glow sticks for a retro party packed with classic throwback anthems, raising vital funds for cancer support. More Info

👗 Vintage Kilo Sale | 11am, Sat @ St Bartholomew's Church
Rummage through nine tonnes of handpicked retro fashion from the 60s onwards and pay just £20 per kilo for your haul. More Info

💼 W*nkernomics SHOW_V4.1_FINAL_USETHIS | 7:30pm, Sun @ Brighton Dome (Concert Hall)-Synergise your stakeholders for a brutally funny, Q&A-style satire skewering corporate jargon, office bureaucracy, and everyday workplace nonsense. More Info

🎺 Dido and Aeneazz: Purcell, Pachelbel and Jazz | 7:30pm, Sun @ Brighton Dome (Corn Exchange)-Baroque masterpieces collide with contemporary improvisation as Dutch trumpet virtuoso Eric Vloeimans joins Brighton Philharmonic Strings for a genre-bending evening of classical reimaginings. More Info

🚔 Alfie Moore: Acopalypse Now | 7:30pm, Sat @ The Old Market, Hove
Get sworn in as a rookie cop for an interactive night of stand-up, tackling real-life police casebooks and modern-day chaos with hilarious results. More Info

🎮 Down 2 Play | 10:30am, Sat @ Brighthelm Church and Community Centre
A full-day celebration of video games bringing players together to discover new titles from talented local and independent developers. More Info

🕯️ In The Dark | 6pm & 8:15pm, Sat @ All Saints Church, Hove
Switch off the outside world and immerse yourself in a carefully crafted acoustic journey experienced in complete darkness inside a stunning historic church. More Info

Sun

🏡 Living In Community: Sussex | 10am, Sun @ West Hill Hall
A family-friendly day exploring alternative living from co-housing to community gardens featuring speed friending, lightning talks, a shared potluck, and practical discussions. More Info

🧸 Brighton Toy Fair | 9am, Sun @ Brighton Racecourse
Hunt for rare vintage collectables, preloved treasures, and brand-new releases across over 200 stalls at the South Coast's largest toy fair. More Info

🧠 Keith Barry Unhinged: the Final Shows | 7:30pm, Sun @ Komedia
Celebrating 25 years of mind-reading mastery, the acclaimed Irish mentalist brings his sold-out psychological illusion and hypnosis spectacle to the UK for the first time. More Info

💿 First Press/Choice Cuts pop-up Record Store | 4pm, Sun @ ONAIR
Dig through top-drawer vinyl crates from select local record dealers while rising 1btn selector DJ Cal soundtracks the evening. Free entry. More Info

⚽ Women's Super League: Brighton and Hove Albion vs Liverpool | 2pm, Sun @ Broadfield Stadium-Back the Seagulls as they go head-to-head with top-flight rivals Liverpool in a thrilling Women's Super League showdown. More Info