This weekend's highlights

Ok, so it’s still a week ‘til the Bank Holiday kicks in with a deluge of late summer entertainment, but there’s still some fun to be had this weekend, if you know where to look.

Brighton hosts a smattering of interesting gigs over the next few days, including underground Long Beach hip hop crew Ugly Duckling (Concorde 2, Sat 21), brutal sludgecore band Part Chimp (Hector’s House, Sat 21), and, er, the Chris Moyles show’s Comedy Dave & Dominic Byrne’s novelty folk-joke Folkface (Audio, Fri 20). East’s favourite, as you might have spotted from our site banner these last few weeks, has to be psychedelic Montreal indie rockers The Besnard Lakes (Jam, Fri 20). Their latest album The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night is an office favourite, and their stratospheric noise should blow Jam’s low ceiling off, no problem.

After months of planning and consultation with the town’s skaters and riders, Hastings’ new skatepark finally opens to the public on Saturday, with the annual Boyley Jam. The vast new concrete park sits alongside the old wooden one, up in White Rock Gardens, off Falaise Road. There’s a Boyley Jam after-party down at the Brass Monkey from 10pm, with skater and DJ Marky Mark bringing his Stick It To The Man tune selection along. We’ve received some mixed messages, but it seems elusive Brighton production duo South Central could also be playing at sister-venue The Crypt that night. Keep an eye out for the selection of Hastings Film Challenge shorts, playing on a loop in Robertson Street’s F-Ish Gallery all through the night too.

Finally, Eastbourne serves up more traditional seaside entertainment this weekend, with a spectacular touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in residence at the Congress Theatre (Fri & Sat, continues ‘til Sep 4), or, for the adults, this month’s instalment of top stand-up from the Screaming Blue Murder Comedy Club at the Winter Garden (Fri 20). To be honest, though, East are rather curious about Phil & Grant’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Party at the Bandstand tonight (Fri 20) – Sure, it’s a Chas & Dave tribute (and we all love a bit of Chas & Dave), but... do they really do it in the style of the Mitchell Brothers? Only one way to find out...