The Nightingales gleefully grace a few paths less trodden in 2024, which includes a stop-off at RMH on Bank Holiday Monday 6th May!
One of England’s great originals, championed by the likes of Stewart Lee and Phill Jupitus, they work equally well with pop musicians, rock n rollers and the avant garde. Get yourself involved at the risk of serious FOMO.
“A maelstrom of Krautrockin’ grooves, Beefheartian guitars and pummelling percussion. Still scabrous, sardonic and singular, you really wouldn’t want it any other way” – Q Magazine
Nightingales was formed by a few members of The Prefects following that band’s demise in 1979. Described by John Robb 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 and three albums, plus many radio sessions for their great supporter Peel.
In the late Eighties the Nightingales stopped working but they re-grouped in 2004. In 2014 the group arrived at its current line up, which features Lloyd, Andreas Schmid (Faust) on bass, drummer Fliss Kitson (Violet Violet) and on guitar James Smith (Damo Suzuki). Since restarting they have been more productive than ever releasing singles, EPs and 8 studio albums, touring Britain, Europe and USA numerous times, playing festivals and recording radio sessions.
They continue to operate with no manager, booking agent, publisher, et al, but they get by.
2019 saw the filming of a feature length Nightingales documentary film, King Rocker -written by brilliant comedian Stewart Lee and directed by Michael Cumming (Brass Eye) which is premiered on Sky Arts in Feb 2021.
“There are drum and guitar bands and then there is the Nightingales, dwarfing the rest, unmatched and utterly underrated in both musical originality and stylistic innovation” – Rock n Reel
“Heartening evidence of the British art of mentally transforming ennui and chagrin into something approaching gold. Stitch that, popularity” – MOJO
“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
