The Nightingales

Please Please You and Brudenell present The Nightingales at Brudenell Social Club.

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 positive reviews from Rolling Stone to webzines. The Nightingales was formed by a few members of The Prefects following that band’s demise in 1979.

Described in John Robb’s book on post punk (Death To Trad Rock) as “the misfits’ misfits” and comprising an ever fluctuating line up based around lyricist and singer Robert Lloyd, The Nightingales enjoyed cult status in the early 1980s 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 1980s to look at the period rationally and other, infinitely better known, bands stand revealed as charlatans”.

The group recorded a bunch of acclaimed singles, pretty much always single of the week in the music press, and three albums, plus many radio sessions for their 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 1980s The Nightingales stopped working but, following the occasional gig between times, they regrouped in 2004. After working 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 drummer Fliss Kitson and on guitar James Smith, who Lloyd had spotted playing with Damo Suzuki.

Since restarting the group have been productive, releasing eight vinyl singles, a bunch of EPs, two six song mini albums, ten full length studio albums plus a movie soundtrack. They have regularly toured the UK, mainland Europe and the USA, playing various festivals and recording many radio sessions along the way.

Following the film King Rocker (Stewart Lee's documentary feature about the band), which had been produced by Fire Films, the group has been working with Fire Records. The label has been issuing the band's back catalogue in a series of deluxe editions, the movie soundtrack and a studio album The Awful Truth.

In the last few years the Gales toured as special guests of The Damned on a UK tour, released a double live LP and have continued to play regularly around Europe. Following the release of The Awful Truth in 2025 the band was officially augmented by viola player Natalie Mason, who had previously guested with the group on stage and record. The five piece have completed short tours of the UK, Ireland and Germany and will be supporting their new recordings with a full UK tour in March and April 2027.