Live music in Northampton this August

Things get off to a fiery start at The Black Prince this month with The Dollheads (Aug 1) making their return, heading to see us all the way from the bright lights of Las Vegas where these teen siblings are definitely ones to take a gamble on.

When they first began playing music together, Angela, Samantha and Austin were little more than wee nippers; the eldest being just 10 years old.

Seven years on, and they are adept at creating punked out pop edged players – hit up YouTube and take a peek at their See You In Hell track. There’s something going on here.

Their debut album, What Teenage Angst? dropped in the autumn of 2022, followed last summer by the EP Et Cetera, and they’ve put more hot air into their cover of Nena’s eighties smash hit, 99 Red Balloons.

Nice work from a trio who just happen to have youth on their side.
Support is coming from ‘fampton emo-gazers Rebecca.

Kettering’s The Gadgets will get things started. The father and son lean to influences including pioneering greats Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, and more modern makers like The La’s and Little Barrie.

When you’ve finished listening to The Dollheads on YouTube, go visit The Gadgets on the same platform. They are good – well worth hot-footing it to the venue early for.

Friday night (Aug 2) is ZZTOPPD night. No prizes for guessing what their game is, or that they’ll be sharply dressed.
If you go expecting beards, furry spinning guitars and greatest hits, you’ll return home satisfied.

Banbury-based Neon Nights will get you all warmed up for the ZZ’s, weaving ‘a tapestry of soulful landscapes,’ from the indie rock genre.
Earlier this year the guys released the single, A Drop For Your Soul, giving a taster of what to expect on the upcoming debut album.
Syteria – fronted by current Girlschool guitarist Jackie Chambers – arrive on August 9, promising to be ‘a realm of colourful, pounding and punked-melodic rock.’

Their current, third elpee, Syteria World, has seen them craft what they say is ‘an introspective album that explores the ups and downs of life through twelve tracks of powerful guitar riffs, pounding beats, and catchy choruses.’

Gypsy Pistoleros are along for the bash too. The ‘preposterous, epic, overblown and totally glorious’ noise makers are sure to have a little of what you fancy within their setlist, with a sound ranging from anthemic rock to latin swagger, and from Phil Spector 50s ballads, to pure glam rock. And that’s not the half of it.

Pompous, overblown and totally out there, these swashbuckling renegade flamenco rock rumba punk n roll players will be the business.
Grungy rock will open the night in the shape of NN players Liliths Army.

> For more details on any of these shows, take a look at sbdpromotions.com

Also at The Black Prince this month, original NWOBHM noise makers Marquis De Sade.
They first showed their musical cards in 1980, calling it quits just two years later. Thirty-seven years later, they decided to put the outfit back together and released their debut album, Chapter II, last year to a warm reception.

The only music to make it to wax the first time around was the single Somewhere Up In The Mountains. Find that at a record fair and you’ll want to splash the cash – it goes for a pretty penny these days.

Before the Marquis take to the stage, another reinvigorated mob, Northampton metallers Talk of War will warm things up.
Tickets for the bash on August 16 are a fiver in advance, twice the price on the door.

Get yours through skiddle.com