The Nightingales in Sunderland + Terry Edwards

Name: The Nightingales in Sunderland + Terry Edwards
Start: 2026-03-01T18:00:00+00:00
Location: Pop Recs Ltd

Schedule

Sun, 01 Mar, 2026 at 06:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Pop Recs Ltd | Sunderland, EN

Birmingham's original punk group The Prefects had been part of The Clash's 'White Riot Tour',recorded a couple of Peel sessions, released a 45 on Rough Trade and, years after splitting up, had a retrospective CD released by NY label Acute Records to all round glowing reviews-from RollingStone to webzines.
The Nightingales was formed by a few members of The Prefects following that band's demise in1979. Described in John Robb's definitive book on post punk ("Death To Trad Rock") 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-pretty much always 'Single Of The Week' in the music press-and three albums, plus many radio sessions for their great supporter Peel. They also regularly toured the UK and Northern Europe, as headliners and supporting acts as diverse as Bo Diddley and Nico.
In the late Eighties the Nightingales stopped working but, following the occasional gig between times, they re-grouped in 2004. After fucking about with various part timers, starry eyed wastrels, precious sorts and mercenaries the group arrived at a long standing line up, which featured Lloyd, Andreas Schmid from Faust on bass, ex Violet Violet wonder drummer Fliss Kitson and on guitar James Smith, who Lloyd had spotted playing with Damo Suzuki.
Since restarting the group have been more productive than ever-releasing seven vinyl singles, a couple of EPs, two 6 song mini albums, nine full length studio albums plus a movie soundtrack and a double live LP. They have regularly toured UK, mainland Europe and also the USA numerous times, playing various festivals and recording many radio sessions along the way. The band continue to operate with no actual manager, booking agent, et al, but they get by. And they work equally well with pop musicians, rock n rollers and the avant garde. The group is independent, maverick, diligent, daft, blah blah.
Until recent times the Nightingales made one record for a label and then, by choice or otherwise, moved on. But in 2017 they started going steady with Tiny Global Productions. The first TGP release was the sold out "Become Not Becoming" 10" EP, followed in 2018 by a 45rpm collaboration with Vic Godard-"Commercial Suicide Man"-and another critically acclaimed 'Gales album "Perish The Thought" and to support this album the group toured Europe extensively, from Scotland to Serbia.
2019 saw the recording of a new album plus filming of a feature length Nightingales documentary film, "King Rocker"-written and presented by brilliant stand up comedian Stewart Lee, directed by Michael Cumming ('Brass Eye', 'Toast Of London',etc). The album, "Four Against Fate", was released in May 2020 but unfortunately the accompanying UK tour had to be postponed, several times, until late 2021 and pencilled European and U.S shows were cancelled until much later. They toured the UK with the original line -up of The Damned post -Covid.