The Nightingales

The Nightingales are a Birmingham band formed in 1979, whose debut album, Pigs on Purpose, appeared on Cherry Red in 1982. This concert takes place at Hare & Hounds, a Birmingham venue whose programme centres on pop, rock and indie.

The Nightingales grew out of an earlier Birmingham group, The Prefects, which had joined The Clash on their White Riot dates and issued a seven-inch single on Rough Trade. Formed in 1979, the Nightingales built a cult following through the 1980s, and the broadcaster John Peel spoke highly of their live work. Critic John Robb, in his book on post-punk, described them as "the misfits'misfits". Their debut album, Pigs on Purpose, came out on Cherry Red in 1982.

After a long break, the band regrouped in 2004 and have been active since. In 2019 filming took place on King Rocker, a feature-length documentary written and presented by Stewart Lee and directed by Michael Cumming, whose earlier credits include Brass Eye and Toast of London. The film was first broadcast on Sky Arts in 2021 and drew strong praise from viewers and film critics alike.

Hare & Hounds is a Birmingham venue that mainly hosts concerts, with a programme centred on pop, rock and indie music. The evening suits listeners interested in a Birmingham group whose work spans the post-punk years and its return in the twenty-first century.