Music

The ‘High Priestess of New York Punk’, Lydia Lunch will play at The Lab as part of the IVW shenanigans. The musician, writer, photographer and performance artist will be with Etant Donnés' founder Marc Hurtado, who also releases his vision as a poet, painter, producer and film-maker. Their collective cup of creativity doesn’t just runneth over, it positively floods! The duo will dig deep into the songs of the ridiculously influential Suicide, aka frontman Alan Vega and instrumentalist Martin Rev, also feasting on some of Vega’s solo work. Lunch first met their acquaintance when she was a teen runaway who had just touched down in New York in the mid-70s, going on to form a creative partnership, and an enduring friendship with the pair. Get set for ‘a kind of sonic “Blitzkrieg” and a visual shamanic ceremony, where both artists will burn their souls in the volcanic heart of the..

Continuing Independent Venue Week (IVW) in Northampton, SBD Promotions presents Pavilion (Feb 1). The ShoeTown/North London indie-rock players haven’t been on the Black Prince stage for quite some time, so this will be a keenly observed return, and one that will also feature live sets from Century City and The Moonstones. SBD Promoter Phil Moore will have delivered nine dates under the IVW banner in 2025. It’s a lot of work, but more than that, he told Pulse it is, “...about having a week-long celebration of what we do, with a few surprises thrown in. “Some touring acts and some local stunners with as much diversity on display as we can conjure,” he said, and he definitely delivered on that score. “We get a lot of publicity off the back of the initiative and I know folk often want to be a part of it, so choose their favourite artist..

After a couple of weeks off to enjoy a few seasonal liquors and some peace and quiet (possibly), SBD promotions honcho Phil Moore gets back in the saddle towards the end of January, and he’s running at the new year hard – with nine dates in as many days, writes Sammy Jones. Things start with Sex Pistols Ltd (Jan 25 ) bringing all of the bad language, rude gestures and attitude that the originals favoured. We hope. Songs? There are a few of those too; God Save The Queen, Pretty Vacant, Anarchy in the UK, Holidays in the Sun, Bodies... you know the drill. This is the first date on Northampton soil for these Cambs/Beds based imitators, with support coming from locals, Marabar Caves. The last week of January is Independent Venue Week (IVW) and SBD aren’t messing around; delivering eight shows as part of the offering, starting with multi-instrumentalist,..

Northampton’s scene is burning bright just now, and Freya Rose is the one running with the indie-pop flame. Rushden-based, but making our town her working base, Freya released her current single, Enlighten Me, in November, which was another step closer to bringing her musical dreams to fruition. It’s a really good catchy player, too. She was attuned to sound from a young age: “I grew up surrounded by an amalgamation of artists that really influenced my music throughout time, my parents pumped a lot of 80s music into my ears,” Freya, who cites influences as Dodie, Phoebe Bridgers and The 1975 (“but I also take a lot of influence from artists like Fleetwood Mac, The Fugees and Radiohead”), told Pulse. She had a ready-made audience at home too: “I’ve always been a musical person, often putting on performances in my living room for my family, although they didn’t enjoy them..

Feeling musically empty? There’s a PiL for that! It’s taken a while, but John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd (PiL) will be back on the Roadmender stage this summer. Nine years since the band last played the venue to a sell-out crowd and they will be doing it all over again on July 31, as part of their This Is Not The Last Tour, tour. Lydon formed the post-punk originators after fronting the Sex Pistols, guiding the band from their debut album in ‘78, through to ‘92 when they began what would be a long hiatus. Breaking the silence in 2009, they have since issued a trio of prime releases, This is PiL in 2012, the essential What The World Needs Now..., in 2015, and 2023s End of World. Speaking with me before that last ‘fampton show, John said: I really love playing these small venues, I really do, and I..

This month at the Roadmender, From The Jam will play, celebrating the 45th anniversary of their fourth studio album, Setting Sons. This is no tribute event, mind you – From The Jam, as the name suggests, features Bruce Foxton, one-time bassist and songwriter with the stellar music makers. Taking the spot once occupied by Weller is Russell Hastings, who has been a part of From The Jam since inception and has also worked with Weller and other aces including the much-missed Wilko Johnson and Steve Cropper. Setting Sons was the first of the band’s releases to enter the charts stateside and hit the Top 5 over here.This is one night when the public will definitely get what it wants, and then some. “Even the obscure album tracks like Little Boy Soldiers and Thick As Thieves are as popular when we play them live as the hit singles,” Russell said. Ruts..

Fast-rising Milton Keynes mob Torus (Dec 13) are back in Northampton following a magnificent couple of months which has seen European dates, sell-out shows supporting Fu Manchu and the release of the debut, self-titled album. It is perhaps no coincidence that their name is an anagram of tours - hitting the live circuit is something they’ve done with gusto. Pulse told you first, but word is spreading and the band has now picked up coverage on the radio stations that count, and amongst the national music media. “We’ve been told by different people putting out a full length 12 track album is quite a bold thing to do,” Alfie told me, “This was the most important thing to all of us in our lives so far - we had to make our debut album count, so we really rolled up our sleeves and booked shows for the rest of the..

It’s (nearly) Christmastime, but at The Black Prince there’s no time for mistletoe and wine – SBD promotions has been busy assembling December’s tune bringers to help the month of merriment go with the right soundtrack. There might just be two shows at the venue this month, but they are pedigree and party ready. If you are partial to the Small Faces, December 6 is a must-do – Small Fakers are coming to cut loose all that you know and love – All or Nothing, Itchycoo Park, Lazy Sunday et al. “Back in the day, most bands only used to perform for 25 minutes or so at each gig, so we’ve had to improvise our setlist while keeping the vibe of various Small Faces setlists over the years,” said the tribute bringers. “Kicking off with the early singles, a Small Fakers show takes you through the best tracks from each..

To the many people that have supped at its bar, or rocked out to one of the 1000s of bands who have plugged in on site over the decades of service, Northampton’s King Billy will forever be ‘the biker pub,’ the place where gleaming bodywork was paraded outside and a warm welcome offered inside, writes Sammy Jones. But, following the announcement that the venue was closing with immediate effect last month, there is nothing for its regulars to get revved up about now. Landlady Rachel Nash, 59, broke the news of the closure with a Facebook post, writing, ‘I’m sorry to have to tell you that we have ceased trading with immediate effect. Those who know us, know how hard we have tried. “We’ve had THE most amazing two years, had brilliant fun; met some fab, straightforward people; raised money for charity, seen some amazing bands and made good friends...

Katatonia, Stockholm’s ‘architects of existential dread’ launch a busy month for the ‘mender on November 1, and the meritorious masters of melancholic metal (their words, not ours) have had more than 30 years to ripen their sounds, from doom and death metal to soul-gripping post rock. Sky Void of Stars, their latest long-player, is the band’s 12th album, ‘...a dynamic journey through vibrant darkness,’ the band promises, ‘Born out of yearning for what was lost and not found, the very peripheries of the unreachable, but composed and condensed into human form and presented as sounds and words true to the Katatonia signum. No stars here, just violent rain.’ Dark it will be, but deliciously so. Cobra The Impaler are up in support. Wednesday 13 wraps up his UK tour at the venue (Nov 10) with a set dedicated to Murderdolls material, and support coming from Hardcore Superstar. Chicago’s heavy rock..

Someone clearly forgot to tell promoter Phil Moore to pause and take a breath every once in a while, and so this month The Black Prince will be groaning under the weight of SBD events he has booked in. Still, that’s good news for us sound addicts, and things start at their heaviest with Pulse favourites, and ‘almost’ local boys, Raging Speedhorn (Nov 1). Read more about them over the page. Support comes from a name from the early noughties newly back in play, Defenestration. Ashborn will take to the stage first. Partners on and off stage, When Rivers Meet (Nov 2) are going back to their roots on their current Red Rum Duo tour – playing as a two-piece for the first time in five years, as that name suggests. It means that fans can expect an intimate show from the rock-blues bringers, and provided they don’t have any..

Raging Speedhorn have announced a brace of dates to welcome in their new album, Nightwolf, and SBD Promotions have bagged one of them. The Corby founded band will be live at The Black Prince in Northampton on November 1. Vocalist Dan Cook talked Pulse’s Sammy Jones through the latest... “It’s gonna be good to get back to Northampton again, it’s close to the birthplace of Speedhorn, and not far from where a lot of the creation happens and where the last three albums have been recorded, so it always feels familiar – even for the members from the other end of the country,” Dan said, “It seems the band will always be drawn back to near its roots and it will be great to see lots of old faces from the early days. “It’s one of two small shows we’ve chosen to kick the new album campaign off and what..

We did mention it last month, but here’s your timely reminder that The Subways visit The Black Prince (Oct 1) for SBD Promotions. They’ve spent two decades touring internationally, and accumulated a right load of nice moments; supporting AC/DC, Foo Fighters and Oasis, appearing on Live at Abbey Road, TOTPs, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman. They’ve commanded at more than 100 festivals, including on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, main stage performances at Reading & Leeds, Rock Im Park, Rock Am Ring, Hurricane, Southside, Lollapalooza and Rock En Seine. So, erm yeah, they know how to rock the roof off the Black Prince. And the rest! “The greatest drug in the world is seeing people screaming the words and dancing to the songs you’ve written,” the band said, “There is nothing more exciting for us than being on tour...we will rock till we drop.” What..

The Roadmender was all set to take you on a journey through the career of one of the biggest rock juggernauts to emerge in recent decades, this month - with a visit from pretenders the UK Foo Fighters. But that date has been scrapped. Quo Connection and Dizzy Lizzy team up for a night of classic rock at the venue (Oct 11); the former featuring members of John Coghlan’s Quo. Celtic rock infused punk rock sextet Ferocious Dog (Oct 12) ‘comfortably slot in between Billy Bragg and The Levellers,’ and they’ve been peddling their wares for aeons now. The Dog released its sixth album, Kleptocracy, earlier this year. Always a sterling live proposition, this show will be another winner. Support comes from The O’Reillys and The Paddyhats. The Style Councillors will be playing tribute to The Style Council, and more specifically marking the 40th anniversary of the Shout To The..

Regular readers will know that we’ve been championing Mae Stephens for a while now, and we’re not alone – the Kettering talent has enjoyed a sterling 2024, with more than 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and recent single If We Ever Broke Up achieving Gold status here, and Stateside. Not bad for a talented young lady who, just 18 months ago, was working shifts in her local supermarket, and finding solace in her music-making. Mae has just issued her new EP, Securely Insecure, which steps away from the infectious, colourful pop she displayed on that aforementioned single. This EP is quieter, and full of both vulnerability and strength. It’s a nice turn from a singer-songwriter with the music world at her feet. The EPs lead single, Small Town Syndrome, details the ‘goldfish bowl’ effect that you might feel if you grew up in a small community. “It’s about being..