Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Robert Nichols enjoys the long-awaited comeback from the dynamic post-punk band
Image: The Nightingales by Owen Tudor
“Good evening we are The Nightingales,” dynamic drummer Fliss Kitson made a welcome announcement to start a long awaited comeback tour gig. Last year’s tour had been cancelled because of serious illness. It was such a shame because 2025 album The Awful Truth was an absolute stormer, but a year on they have regrouped and are absolutely firing on all cylinders again. In fact, there is now an added dimension to the West Midlanders’ sound.
That extra dimension is not necessarily the wind instrument currently preferred by vocalist Rob Lloyd. He is very much outgunned by support act Terry Edwards in that department. A kazoo is never going to come out on top against a musician that can play Jesus and Mary Chain on a trumpet or combine two saxophones at the same time. Higsons, Gallon Drunk, PJ Harvey and Bowie supergroup collaborator extraordinaire Terry Edwards can seemingly play just about any instrument. His set featured Tindersticks and David Bowie musicians on a backing tape as he played trumpet, sax or melodica over the top. Often very avant-garde in style but with nursery rhymes as well as Never Understand it was full of amusing and entertaining asides. A top turn.
So, over to Mr Lloyd and chums. The guitar, bass and glam rock drumming is now supplemented by Natalie on flying viola. All presenting the tightest of sound waves for old hand Rob to vocal surf over the top. Starting with a double salvo from 2025 The Awful Truth of The New Emperor’s Clothes and Same Old Riff the Gales ploughed familiar country but with that viola like a highlighter pen over the top to help it all have extra sparkle like Fliss’ boots.
The Nightingales dug deep into a prodigious back catalogue stretching back well into the last century. Did You hear about the acapella favourite, Well Done Underdog, given extra curry sauce flavour by a two part harmonising backing vocals from Natalie and Fliss. It’s A Cracker followed quickly on from 1985. Last gig of the tour so the band could really let rip and as guitarist Jim Smith might say in one of his football manager monologues, leave nothing in the locker room.
Nightingales tend to segue every song into the next so an hour set really does last an hour. How they cope I have no idea because they absolutely throw themselves into song, the cascading drums, the rapid fire strings of guitar, bass and viola. All the while the tremulous baritone of big figure Rob Lloyd, barrelling out lyrical gems, besuited and bespectacled our post-post-punk conductor. Born and bred in Birmingham… Alright.
“Let’s think about love and let the good times roll”, croons Rob. Was it something he said? Most definitely. The 2020 film King Rocker presented Robert Lloyd as an under the radar national treasure. Blasting away the cobwebs all about the great man the band just keep hitting new heights both on record and live. There is probably no one out there today that plays the same old riff with such gusto. That is the awful truth.
Final words of the gig were from Fliss, “We’re The Nightingales and that’s what we do.” Simply superb.
