Since Georgie Fuller and Will Turner beamed their neo-psychedelic folk-rock as The Heavy Heavy in from their native Brighton for our “Neighborhoods” series back in 2022, the duo has gone on to conquer America off the strength of their debut EP Life and Life Only—taking both the network stage for Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and the festival stage at Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Fest, in addition to warming up venue stages for the likes of Band of Horses and Black Pumas. Now, their debut full-length finally arrives tomorrow in the form of One of a Kind, an album title that betrays the unique accents of their retro-rock sounds.
But because their music tends to transport listeners to Laurel Canyon or Haight-Ashbury, we asked Fuller and Turner to walk us through an ideal day in their actual hometown: Brighton, England. “I’ve loved this city since I was a wee baba, and I’ll never stop,” Fuller gushes. “From its lavish Victorian seaside holiday charm, to its cool mod history, to its unofficial title as the LGBTQIA+ capital of the UK—it’s colorful, there’s always something fun going on, and you can express yourself however you damn please. Even on the greyest of days (and we tend to have a lot of them here in the UK) you’ll find yourself drawn into the vibrancy of this fabulous city.”
Scroll on for the band’s breakdown of their perfect day in Brighton (all photos were taken by Turner, while Fuller provides commentary).
THE GEORGE PAYNE
Our local—they sell proper beer, proper gelato, do a banging Sunday roast, and have just redone their pub garden and it’s gorgeous. What’s not to love?
HOVE BEACH HUTS
There are hundreds of these beach huts lining the promenade the whole way out of the center of town—it makes for a gorgeous walk. They’re all painted their own individual colors and stripes, and you can always count on their owners sitting outside sipping cocktails, playing music, and getting out/putting away their wind sails/paddle boards, etc. It creates such a great atmosphere as you walk along, and there’s always something cool to look at.
THE FLOUR POT BAKERY
This chain is our favorite Brighton coffee spot. It’s our ritual to go there on our first morning back off tour. My go-to is a half caff flat white and a pan au chocolat…I dream of it on the flight home. It’s a real treat and something I look forward to as I wearily head home from Heathrow. They have them all over town and they have the best atmosphere, make delicious coffees, and always have paninis and freshly baked pastries. What more could you want?
MARROCCO’S (left)
Marrocco’s is a religious stop for any Brightonian. They make the best gelato in town and have been there for decades (I get as excited about going there for some chocolate gelato now as I did when I was seven). It’s also next to David Gilmour’s incredible Turkish Bathhouse residence on the seafront—quite a beautiful building to walk past, and of course it’s always exciting. Could the man himself be there at that very moment? Is he in the queue next to me about to buy his favorite flavor of gelato? Is his favorite also chocolate?
THE WEST PIER (right)
The West Pier is such a powerful image as it slowly crumbles into the sea. It burnt down in the early 2000s after being derelict for almost 30 years. The most phenomenal sunsets blaze through its structure on a sunny day, but it takes your breath away even on the grimmest of days. Interestingly enough, the clairvoyant/psychic Madame Binnie had her fortune teller booth on the West Pier, and it was the only part of the structure to remain intact after the fire which I’ve always found spooky. It finally collapsed into the sea in the last decade—perhaps Madame Binnie was ready to let go.
CUTTLEFISH ECO SALON
A perfect day out in Brighton really wouldn’t be complete without visiting the best hair salon in the country. They do curly cuts, which means we both finally walk out of a hairdresser’s happy. The stylists are all super cool and they play the best music. Also they’re 100 percent eco-friendly from hair dye to toilet paper. Very Brighton, I love it.
THE TWISTED LEMON
To be honest, there are so many great cocktail bars in Brighton it was hard to choose. But The Twisted Lemon is always a winner—it’s an awesome cocktail bar down a tiny alleyway in what’s known as the Posh Lanes. You’d never know it was there unless you knew to look for it, and even then the chances of completely passing it by are high. They do a great and varied cocktail menu and the staff will happily get creative if you want that. Also, you can always count on them to be blaring out some great music. Let’s face it, a perfect day out isn’t complete without a great cocktail or five, is it?
THE PAVILLION
You can’t really do a day out in Brighton without visiting (or at the very least walking past) this stunning building. The Prince Regent, George III, basically built the most insane seaside party mansion in the 1800s—it’s unbelievably beautiful inside, every room a different theme with the most flamboyant and intricate decorations. Bet some filthy stuff went on at those house parties…
THE DUKE OF YORK’S PICTUREHOUSE
Is this not the coolest cinema you’ve ever seen? I’ve been obsessed with those legs atop the building for as long as I can remember—very Wicked Witch of the West. Very Brighton. Bought a pair of those tights from a goth shop in the lanes once upon a time purely to mimic the look. Also, it’s a picturehouse, which means it shows really great movies, not just blockbusters, and has proper popcorn—standards, innit.
THE NORTH LANES
These are some of the coolest streets in the country. It’s bougie, it’s hippie, it’s just bloody great. With everything from beautiful independent clothes stores, to health food cafes, to vegan hemp shoe shops, to the many, many vintage stores and some incredible record stores—if you’re feeling free and creative, this is where you wanna get lost. And if you aren’t feeling free and creative, if you head down here, chances are you will be within a very short period of time. Highlights include: Snooper’s Paradise (more trinkets than Aladdin’s cave), Resident Music record store, every single vintage shop you have time for, and, finally, all the mod-themed shops to honor our Quadraphenia history here.
BRIGHTON BEACH
While a few of these pictures are in and around Brighton beach, there’s nothing quite like crossing the promenade and taking yourself down the steps onto the pebbled beach itself. I always say there’s something wonderful about a seaside town—there’s a whole side to it, geographically speaking, that humans just can’t really touch. It makes a city so peaceful when the man-made just…stops, and all that’s left are the waves and the horizon. I read recently about how neuroscientific research has proven that the sea air contains certain unique ions, and when breathed in they actually increase brain functionality by up to 47 percent, which then has an effect on your mood, sleep, etc. I can’t tell you the way my body relaxes when I slip my shoes off and relax on the cool pebbles of Brighton Beach. I’ve no doubt it’s the same on every beach in the world, but this is where I call home, so there’s something extra special about it. Even the squawking seagulls don’t annoy me. Pure bliss.
SEVEN SISTERS
If you can fit this into your day, I’d certainly take a drive to see the Seven Sisters—about 45 minutes out of town, and truly breathtaking. The cliffs are known as the Seven Sisters due to the seven hilltops that made up the silhouette of the cliffs. They’re an amazing geological phenomenon—the chalk being formed under an ancient sea that existed between 65 and 100 million years ago, when T-rex and Velociraptor still roamed the earth! Also, the air is just really fresh, and if you’re lucky there’s an ice cream van selling 99s with a flake. All round 10/10.
