DJ Bad Apple is music obsessed to the core

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 culture’ got her footing dabbling a little at The Garibaldi Hotel, alongside DJ Seatea.
“Both our tastes in music included a varied range of musical scents and flavours, mainly introducing her frolicsome energy for pop-punk and my eternal devotion to post-punk and the 80s,” Sylv recalled, “We played a few nights together until mid-2023, when we decided that our palates are both fascinating in their own ways, and my comrade was also busy with other hobbies.”

So Sylv stepped out on her own, learning on the job, and acting a sponge to learn from fellow deck deliverers: “…picking up tips and tricks wherever I could, and forever shall do, gaining new appreciation for the art that is mixing.”

With three years of spinability under her belt, she is currently feeling her way around different types of decks – digital and analogue, but there is a particular penchant for the latter mentioned. The reason for the preference?

“Due to its feeling of authenticity and my fervour for physical media over digital,” she told Pulse Music’s Sammy Jones, “This entails the collection of vinyls, which is one of my domineering hobbies. During a scavenge of record and charity shops, I will normally look for original pressings and special editions of post-punk, punk, rock, alternative and indie throughout the years.”

If you want to check in with DJ Bad Apple, Freak Fridays will continue weekly through to the end of May, with the possibility of an extension if the town’s music fraternity shows its support.

And those attending will hear what?
“My playlist’s rather nocturnal tones create an ironically colourful, kaleidoscopic atmosphere when paired with Rich’s funk, soul and indie firmament,” she says, “No two nights are ever the same, and that is what keeps us youthful.”

Freak Fridays runs at The Charles Bradlaugh, 1 Earl Street, Northampton 9pm ’til late. Entry is free.

Tracks guaranteed to spill when DJ Bad Apple takes the Freak Fridays decks…

Depeche Mode –
Never Let Me Down Again A song that is very sentimental to me; it always reminds me of the amazing bonds we can have with people and how wavering they can be at times, although the real meaning of the song is much more dark. Siouxsie and The Banshees – Arabian Knights One by The Banshees that doesn’t get enough plays; I love how it explores the theme of environmentalism, as well as fantasy.

The Cure – The Walk A banger by The Cure that I find is heavily overlooked amongst the much more popular, but still loved songs, such as Friday I’m In Love. Gary Numan – Are Friends Electric? New Wave’s own pioneer of many must get a mention when I play, especially later on during a night – who doesn’t sing along? Joy Division – Disorder A Post-Punk classic that cannot go unplayed at a night of Gothic celebration.