Nightingales – Four Against Fate UK Tour 2020
with special guests: Pete Astor (The Loft, Weather Prophets) & Kamura Obscura (Frank Chickens, Mizutama Shobodan)
2020 is due to be an exciting year for The Nightingales – The recently completed new album is to be isused in April, Fire Films will be releasing a documentary feature film written by Stewart Lee and directed by Michael Cumming, the series of reissues (Starting with the expanded 2xLP version of ‘No Love Lost’ in November 2019) will continue, the band guest on a new record by a ‘70s glam pop star & they will be hitting the road, starting in the UK in the Spring.
Tickets https://thenightingales.org.uk
Nightingales – Out Of True (CD)
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 a few members of The Prefects following that band’s demise in 1979.
Described in John Robb’s definitive book on post punk (“Death To Trad Rock”) as “The misfits’ misfits” and comprising 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 – pretty much always ‘Single Of The Week’ in the music press – and three albums, plus many radio sessions for their great supporter Peel. 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.
After fucking about with various part timers, starry eyed wastrels, precious sorts and mercenaries the group arrived at it’s current line up, which features Lloyd, Andreas Schmid from Faust on bass, ex Violet Violet drummer Fliss Kitson and on guitar James Smith, who Lloyd had spotted playing with Damo Suzuki.
Since restarting the group have been more productive than ever – releasing six 7″ vinyl singles, two 10″ EPs and six studio albums, touring England, mainland Europe and USA numerous times, playing various festivals and recording many radio sessions along the way.
Until recently the Nightingales made one record for a label and then moved on. They continue to operate with no manager, booking agent, publisher, et al. They work equally well with pop musicians, rock n rollers and the avant garde. Independent, maverick, diligent, daft, blah blah.
The band’s latest releases for Tiny Global Productions, are a six track 10” mini album “Become Not Becoming” (2017) plus a 7” 45 collaboration – “Commercial Suicide Man”- with the great Vic Godard and a new album “Perish The Thought” in 2018.
To support “Perish The Thought” the group toured Europe extensively, from Scotland to Serbia.
In 2019 they played selected dates in the UK, recorded the next album and completed a full length Nightingales documentary film with Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming (‘Brass Eye’, ‘Toast Of London’, etc).
By hook or by crook, more adventures will follow.
