MUSIC

Twinfest feeds togetherness

Twinfest returns for four days of cool this July (28-31) and it is ready to once again celebrate the friendship that exists between the twin towns of Northampton, Marburg in Germany and Poitiers in France using our love of music. And there’s no glue as good as that.

“We like to think that Twinfest is the festival that reaches out, not only to musicians, but also the wider public - to welcome into their town and sometimes their homes, our friends from Marburg and Poitiers,” organisers Kenny, Paul Thursday, July 28 Indie-pop and alt-indie is the calling, with a splash of noisy shoegaze over at The Black Prince:

Eddz Rathmann (Marburg) Nothing Works (Poitiers) Viddy

Friday, July 29, Freaky Friday The Lamplighter will deliver four bands and between them your ears will be taking in indie-pop-rock, garage punk, some more noisy shoegaze and a set of rap:

Flimboy (Marburg) The Snakeman 3 Nothing Works (Poitiers) Krankhead

Eddz is at The Black Prince on the Thursday Friday, July 29, Freaky Friday A journey into alt-rock at The Garibaldi Hotel:

Stereo Ghosts Bloody Bath Rathmann (Marburg) Rolling Thunder

Cave men return

Fancy getting a Friday buzz with some high energy psychedelic rock?

Northampton’s own The Marabar Caves will be dishing that up for those ready to share in their date at The Lamplighter on July 8.

Marabar Caves debuted in the town the year after Charles and Di walked down the aisle, issuing the single, Seeds that Never Grew/ Sally’s Place and an EP Eyes of the Fire, and they were scene regulars for more than a decade, eventually calling time in the mid-90s.

They reformed in 2018 with guitarists Tony Riseley and Bill Westley and drummer Steve Goddard being joined in musicality by bassist Duncan Bisatt, who took over from Chris Jess. and Bee told Pulse, “It’s a festival that unites, which is needed more than ever in this hour of separation, that which the politicians would have us celebrating.”

Here’s what’s happening, and when as Twinfest celebrates it’s 25th anniversary. Headliners in bold.

The Marabar Caves

They are keeping the creativity going, too; the quartet issued a new single a couple of months back – Suicide Mission is out all the usual streaming platforms.

Alex Novak will take up position at the decks keeping the tunes coming thick and fast for the rest of the evening.

Doors at 8pm, and the bash – running through to 1am – is free. Saturday, July 30 – The Super Saturday all-dayer A mammoth day of music being hosted in The Charles Bradlaugh Garden, with acoustic sessions, alt-rock, rap and all sorts of cool during a mad 12 hour session, which will include eco-political-folk-comicopera-theatre courtesy of Fossilheads. Obviously. The full listing is:

Tu-Kay and Ryan Russ Heyworth Paul Cox Celine Ellis Tom Rose Fossilheads Ant!i! Rathmann (Marburg) Wishing Wolf Nothing Works (Poitiers) Leo Robinson Flimboy (Marburg) Tragic

Sunday, July 31 – Twinfest Super Sunday You’ll have had three days of live antics, but if you’ve got the stamina, organisers have got one day more. The festival reaches its end over at The Black Prince, with the Garden Stage handling music by:

Luna Rosa Glow Worm Crawlspaces Balter Deaf Trap Dancing Drums The Marabar Caves The Barratts Rathmann (Marburg) Nothing Works (Poitiers) Phantom Isle

> For ticket details and all the latest information visit Facebook: twinfest.northampton

The Black Prince turns Scarlet

It’s not always about quantity, it’s quality that counts and SBD Promotions only have two shows at home this month, as festival season kicks in. But they are goodies.

First up, Wonk Unit will visit The Black Prince on July 2.

Formed by former Flying Medallions member Alex as an output for his personal diary, the band and its unique take on punk rock has charmed audiences one gig at a time – and they’ve played many, accumulating a great fan base far and wide.

You can ask for a definitive band sound, but you’ll not get one; ‘The Wonk Unit sound is hard to box in,’ they say. In fact, Alex tips his ears to everyone from Leatherface to Elton John. Wonk Unit exited the lockdown in 2021 with their eighth album, Uncle Daddy, ready to go, and the rest of 2022 looks good too, with gigs aplenty, including a stint on the road with Californian punkers Bad Cop/Bad Cop, featuring the greatness of Stacey Dee. But back to The Black Prince date, and support is coming from Northampton’s own punk players Spring Park and fellow ‘fampton punk rockers Kröker. Female fronted grunge-pop rock types Scarlet bookend the month, with a date at the venue on July 30. The band, which hails from the Northwest of England, has been through the town before, but not for five years, and since then they’ve gained support from a heap of necessary radio stations. As for festival dates? They’ve done more than a few of those too – from South Korea’s Zandari Festa to London’s Hanwell Catch Wonk Unit at The Black Prince this month Hootie in memory amplification giant founder Jim Marshall.

Scarlet bring July to a close at The Black Prince

The majority of dates sold out for their last two tours, and when the pandemic hit they kept on trucking; releasing the single Friends, which was dedicated to the NHS, frontline staff and everyone struggling with the isolation that lockdown created.

Support comes from Sleepy Beaucat, whose debut EP found favour on this page last year, and Parking on Pavements.

Tickets for both shows are £10, plus booking fee. > Check in with sbdpromotions.com for more.

Charming men and Kelly’s Eye

Some bands leave such a legacy that they still feel almost present. The Smiths are one such act; a band whose influence still resonates widely, whose lyrics are still devoured in bedrooms of angst ridden teens far and wide, and are still remembered with fondness by those old enough to identify with them when they were initially released.

And yet 2022 marks 35 years since tensions between members saw time called on the band.

Morrissey and Johnny Marr have both been prolific creators since, but despite some very tasty amounts being waved under their noses, they’ve never snatched the dollar and reunited.

Going to see The Smyths on stage isn’t quite the same as the real deal, but it’s a pretty darn good alternative. And this is not a tribute band, right? Let’s make that clear.

“We didn’t just want to be a tribute band – we wanted to play the music of The Smiths and recreate what it was to see and hear The Smiths live. It just happens that when you do that, the world calls you a tribute.

“For us, that was a world of silly wigs and props – everything we felt a homage to The Smiths shouldn’t be,” the band recalled.

So back in those formative days of 2003, the band rehearsed solid week in, week out for a year, cooking up a genuine sound – and spirit – that The Smiths used to deliver.

Eighteen years and several hundred shows later and they are still packing out venues and making people smile.

Oh, and these days they are quite happy to be called a tribute band. Eh?!

“The word tribute has developed... coming to represent something that is not silly or trite but the best way to see and experience the music of bands no longer with us played by artists who are as passionate and dedicated to their shows as actors and actresses,” they said.

Tickets are on sale at £17.

On July 15, Bingo Loco is back. This is bingo, but not like you know it!

“We’ve flipped the traditional game on its head and turned it into a three hour interactive stage show complete with dance offs, lip sync battles, throwback anthems, confetti showers and prizes ranging from cars to lawnmowers,” organisers promise.

“Bingo Loco is not an event, it is a show with the mentality of a theatre performance and the energy of a festival.”

Show time runs from Lucky Seven to Boris Johnson’s den. If you know, you’ll know.

> Visit theroadmender.com for more on either show.