Music

Sunday night is usually reserved for episodes of The Antiques Roadshow and digging hard to find motivation for the upcoming week. Surely it’s not only us?! But Sunday, May 4th offers a welcome break from the sedate routine – it’s a bank holiday weekend, which means no work on Monday for many of you. If only SBD Promotions had gone and booked a raucous troupe of girls to do justice to the sublime catalogue of material left by The Ramones... Oh wait, they have! The Ramonas pay mighty fine tribute to Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy, and embody that 70s spirit of the ultimate garage punkers. The girls have staying power too – they’ve been smashing out those tremendous tracks like Blitzkrieg Bop, Pet Sematary, I Wanna Be Sedated and Sheena Is a Punk Rocker for two decades. A ‘high energy, full throttle one hour’ show is the promise,..

Freak Fridays has been helping music aficionados get their weekends off to a flying start at The Charles Bradlaugh since its launch back in February. ‘Wall-to-wall bangers, unapologetic anthems, and guilty pleasures,’ is the promise, with indie belters, hip-hop classics, disco grooves and 80’s new wave all ready to tickle your ears. You might remember we told you about this new venture from Rich Byles a couple of issues ago, but we wanted to put the needle in the groove, so to speak, and get the gist on one of those at the controls. Sylvia E. DeGray, aka Sylv, aka DJ Bad Apple, is among those bringing the tunes, and she has spent the past three years building up her live portfolio on the ‘fampton scene. Oh, and she is also working as a promoter in the town. She’s keeping busy. Sylv, a self-confessed ‘zealot DJ and disciple of goth..

For those who haven’t already had the pleasure, meet MC Hammersmith, the world’s leading freestyle rapper to come from the ghetto of middle-class West London. He’s been delivering his smart solo freestyle rap for nigh on a decade now. And it’s fab. He’s a much in demand, multi-award winning player at comedy festivals around the world. and his clever word work has been rewarded online; his videos have racked up more than 100 million views and he has half a million followers on TikTok. MC Hammersmith dropped his debut album, Mother’s Fettuccine at the tail end of 2023, a collection of 10 tracks including I’ve Definitely Got A Gun, I’ve Literally Got Millions of Guns and Why Does Nobody Listen? I Said I’ve Got Guns. It also boasted the Post British Boy Raps In Car riot with lines including ‘rhymes so cold you’ll need double glazing’ and ‘Your girl costs..

Northampton Town Council’s Bands in the Park season kicks off this on Sunday, 6th April, with a packed calendar of free live performances from local bands and musicians every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday until 29th September. The popular event takes place between 2pm and 5pm at Abington Park’s historic bandstand, in the relaxing surroundings of the town’s premier park. This year’s programme features a wide range of brass, jazz and concert bands from Northamptonshire and beyond, along with choirs, music groups and solo performers, with three performances sponsored by The Park Café – Abington Park. A town council spokesperson said: “We have a brilliant line-up arranged for this year’s Bands in the Park season, with performances from traditional brass bands, plus some contemporary acts including Hayden Regan Rock n Roll Covers, Similar Jones and Hannah Faulkner & Friends. “We are very grateful to the Park Café for their ongoing..

Some bands get about, don’t they? Originating in Vancouver, Yeti Valhalla are now based out of Tokyo. What will they make of the ’fampton when they roll into The Black Prince (April 17)? Music-wise, think classic hard rock meets modern metal sensibilities, with ‘much guitar shredding and double bass blast beats.’ You know you want some, and this Thursday night will lead onto a Good Friday. Literally. Which means no work. Go let your hair down and get a portion of the Yeti. Support comes from heavy grungers from this Shire, LOKI, and Silence Mutant. Marisa and the Moths are currently on the road in support of last year’s second album release, and the What Doesn’t Kill You tour visits The Black Prince (April 19). The album did great shakes in the rock and metal album charts upon release last May – you don’t get any better than the top..

Record Store Day returns on Saturday, April 12, and Northampton’s music retailers are gearing up for the important date on the annual calendar. But while music fans scramble to get their mitts on some of the limited releases – this year more than 400 will be issued – the event is not without risk for the stores. “It takes a huge amount of organising, and is frankly a major risk for all record shops...it’s a huge investment and often a gamble,” said Alex D’arcy from Vinyl Underground, “However, putting any potential financial risks and rewards for a small independent retailer to the side, and remembering entirely why we do what we do, it’s all about a passion for music, a passion for the humble vinyl record and sharing that passion with likeminded people.” Vinyl Underground has been a force in the town for more than three decades and those behind..

The Roadmender has the nation’s dresser in play (April 26), but he’ll be sans the magic clothing wand, and instead we foresee him waving his arms around – after all, Mr Wan will be in town not in his role as the man with his finger on the fashion pulse, but the fella in charge of the tunes at the decks. The Gok-meister will be delivering an exclusive DJ set with ‘an incredible selection of iconic house tunes’ which will bring the chills all night long. If you want to raise the energy and cut loose on the dance floor, this is the bash for you. Bingo Loco is back at The Roadmender (April 4) with hilarious hosts, the best in 90s and 00s music, confetti showers, dance offs, lip sync battles and prizes galore. The bash runs from 6pm to 10pm and it’s over 18s only. Alabama 3 are..

The Rezillos pull the van into The Roadmender car park (March 1) for the ’fampton show of their ‘Mission Accomplished...But The Beat Goes On’ tour, marking 45 years since that elpee made a connection with ears. The Scottish punk/new wave wonders originally caused a stir when they debuted in the mid-1970s, and their debut 7” I Can’t Stand My Baby was picked up by airwaves king John Peel. The debut album, Can’t Stand The Rezillos smashed the Top 10 album chart here and became a punk classic. Essex boys Eddie and the Hot Rods have done the mileage career wise too, and following the loss of their frontman Barrie Masters in 2019, former bassist Ian ‘Dipster’ Dean is now handling those frontman duties. Sambroso Noda arrives (March 8) with his All Stars to deliver a loving tribute to the eponymous debut album by the..

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..