Born out of Birmingham’s original punk group The Prefects, the Nightingales have stubbornly ploughed their own furrow in the field of alternative rock n roll for three decades. 2006 saw the release of “Out Of True” on Iron Man Records and the return of a reformed Nightingales after some years away. The band have not wasted much time since then and yet another new album is on the way for 2014.
The new album, which remains secret for now, was recorded at Faust studio in September 2013 for release in spring 2014. There will be a vinyl lp and the record label & title will be confirmed soon.
The band hope to announce tour dates for UK/Europe for April and May and some Festivals to be confirmed for over the summer/autumn 2014.
There may be some United States dates in Sept/Oct time too.
Nightingales are planning a 7″ 45rpm to be released at some point & another album to be recorded later in the year for early 2015 release.
Described in John Robb’s definitive post punk biography ‘Death To Trad Rock’ as “the misfits’ misfits”, the band has constantly garnered praise and respect from other artists and received endless glowing press reports, particularly for their live shows. Led by singer/lyricist Robert Lloyd (‘The most underestimated songwriter of his generation’ according to Ben Thompson in the Independent) the latest incarnation of the Nightingales are back again with a new album recorded at Faust studio in September 2013 for release in spring 2014. There will be a vinyl lp and the record label & title will be confirmed soon.
Birmingham’s original punk group The Prefects had been part of The Clash’s ‘White Riot Tour’, recorded a couple of Peel sessions, released a 45 on Rough Trade and, years after splitting up, had a retrospective CD released by NY label Acute Records to all round glowing reviews – from Rolling Stone to webzines.
The Nightingales was formed by former members of The Prefects following that band’s demise in 1979.
With an ever fluctuating line up, based around lyricist/singer Robert Lloyd, the Nightingales enjoyed cult status in the early ’80’s as darlings of the credible music scene and were championed by John Peel, who said of them – “Their performances will serve to confirm their excellence when we are far enough distanced from the 1980’s to look at the period rationally and other, infinitely better known, bands stand revealed as charlatans”.
The group recorded a bunch of critically acclaimed singles (Almost always ‘Single Of The Week’ in the music press) and three albums, plus many radio sessions for their great supporter Peel – more than any other band bar The Fall. They also regularly toured the UK and Northern Europe, as headliners and supporting acts as diverse as Bo Diddley and Nico.
In the late Eighties the Nightingales stopped working but, following the occasional gig between times, they re-grouped in 2004, with Lloyd being joined by original Prefects guitarist Alan Apperley.
Since restarting the group have been more productive than ever – releasing five 7″ vinyl singles and three studio albums (Plus two live ‘bootleg’ albums), touring England, mainland Europe and USA numerous times, recording many radio sessions along the way. They have been invited to play various festivals in Europe and the States, including Glastonbury and SXSW. Their “Let’s Think About Living” 45 was ‘Single Of The Week’ on BBC 6 Music and they have continued to receive regular rave reviews for their records and live shows.
2006 saw the release of “Out Of True” on Iron Man Records and the return of a reformed Nightingales after some years away. In 2008 the band recorded “Insult to Injury” produced by Hans Joachim Irmler of krautrock legends Faust which was released in 2009 on Irmler’s Klangbad label. “The Lost Plot”, an Irmler produced 10″ EP was released to coincide with the band’s Euro tours in 2011.
“No Love Lost” was also recorded at Faust Studio in Germany but this time self produced and was released in April 2012.
small selection of recent press:
Nothing could have prepared for the astonishing revelation of Robert Lloyd’s Nightingales… The cumulative effect is one of euphoric delight, of old knowledge in the hands of new disciples. “Dig the depth of the furrow of mirth that I can plough,” sings Lloyd on The Overreactor. Tonight The Nightingales hit an epic new low. Catch them when they’re at it again – MOJO, UK
The Nightingales have always been simply a great rock ‘n’ roll band and 32 years on they’re right at the top of their game – THE STOOL PIGEON, UK
The Nightingales – they’re back and they’re marvellous – MARC RILEY/BBC 6 MUSIC, UK
Nightingales are unreal. The level of playing and songwriting after their post-punk hiatus is unparalled by any of their generational comeback cohorts – TERRE T/WFMU, USA
With The Fall getting Lifetime Achievement awards and Gang Of Four canonised it is long past time the wayward genius of Robert Lloyd and his cohorts was recognised – RECORD COLLECTOR, UK
Rock & Roll at its best – SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG, GERMANY
Consistently excellent, the Nightingales are back, as ferociously sardonic as ever. Nice to see them still mad, still funny, still wrecking the furniture after all these years. – DUSTED, USA
Shows just how poor these skinny jeaned little shits currently doing the rounds really are. – TASTY, UK
The Nightingales in Southend on Friday jetted in to my top ten gigs of all time – PHILL JUPITUS/BBC 6 MUSIC, UK
Forget all these NME Band of the Week types, who make out they don’t care, they won’t compromise, etc, whilst wearing the same indie uniform and churning out the same tired old riffs. They don’t need your attention. The Nightingales do. Because rock ‘n’ roll rarely gets as uncompromising as this – PLASTELIN, SERBIA
The Nightingales revisited their past and offered up the future. Still stunningly relevant – LONDON EVENING STANDARD, UK
The Nightingales subjugate a rapt and breathless audience with a performance of sinewy magnificence – DAILY TELEGRAPH, UK
Tuesday night at the Cake Shop in NYC. One of the best shows I’ve seen in years. Jangly, angsty, angular, punk, post-punk, just rock and roll, whatever, they destroyed – DAN SELZER/ILXOR, USA
The Nightingales have been responsible for some of the most genuinely innovative minority music of the past three decades. – THE QUIETUS, UK
They sound wired, edgy, boozy and as dangerous as ever, like a new band full of that energy that comes with those first moves and not a band who’ve been doing this since the start of punk. Robert Lloyd really shouldn’t be this good after all these years, should he? – THE ORGAN, UK
Boozy and deranged, Insult to Injury is how the new Franz record ought to sound – VICE, UK
This is a living, breathing beast of an album – ARTROCKER MAGAZINE, UK
This is their fiercest, most lacerating album yet, better by a good margin than the mid-1980s Pigs on Purpose…and that was excellent – BLURT, USA
Their freshest and most subtly intoxicating work to date – OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY, UK
The new album from the ‘Gales is their finest for 27 years. Start here and work backwards – SUNDAY TIMES, UK
Unlovable as ever. The Nightingales remain hard work for precious little gain – MOJO, UK
“The new album by Nightingales is brilliant. One of the fiercest and most exhilarating rock records I’ve heard in ages.” Andrew Male, MOJO
Nightingales ‘No Love Lost’ cd/dd – Cooking Vinyl – Released April 30th 2012 – Press Report March 30th 2012
www.thenightingales.org.uk
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nightingales/8860762012
http://twitter.com/_Nightingales
