Inaugural Circuit Break music festival to bring dozens of acts to Northampton venues

Headliners Honeyglaze, Villagerrr and thistle. will be joined by some of the best up-and coming musicians across the UK with a selection of familiar Northampton names as well as international performers.

Circuit Break is on Saturday, June 27, with The Black Prince in Abington Street, The Picturedrome in Kettering Road, The Lamplighter in Overstone Road and V&B in St Giles’ Square all hosting music. Music will be from 11.30am until 1am across the venues.

Circuit Break has been organised by Lara Maughan, who has previously worked in venues across the East Midlands and at festivals.

She said: “Northampton has 15 live music pubs and venues which is a staggering number for a town our size.

“I came to the conclusion multi-venue festivals are probably the most sustainable and accessible way to experience live music.

“You're making use of existing spaces so there's less environmental impact, people can travel easily using public transport and audiences get far more value for money than they would from a standard gig.

“And if it’s in a town like Northampton, you can get a pint for under a fiver so the whole day ends up being more affordable.”

Joining the three headline acts will be Alice Costelloe, Ashnymph, Blood Visions, Clémentine March, Jacob Brathwaite, Lemonsuckr, Ninush, Tanhai Collective, 1000 Rabbits, Al Cologne, Blood Wizard, Goodbye, Jonique, litesleeper, OCULAR, Restless Taxis, The New Cut, Woegetter, AtticOmatic, Big Long Sun, Casual Smart, Helen Ganya, Kitchen Lover, mui zyu, MORN, Ok. Lady, Pem, SLAG, Tigers & Flies, Wing! and Y.

Circuit Break has been in the works for more than a year, with the line-up mostly put together by Lara who used feedback from family and regulars at the Garibaldi while working as a sound engineer to gauge who she thought would fit.

She said: “The main two things I wanted from the line-up were diversity and quality.

“Around 80 per cent of the artists are openly female, LGBTQ+ or people of colour and that's something I'm really proud of.

“The music industry has historically been quite a closed boys' club. Things are improving, but there's still a long way to go.

“At the same time, I wanted the standard of music to be incredibly high.

“Blood Visions are a Northampton legend at this point. They were the only band that were going to get Northampton down to the venues at 1pm.

“Then you've got artists like Ninush, who's worked with Little Simz, Michael Bublé and Black Country, New Road.

“Villagerrr are flying over from Ohio and playing Primavera London later this year and Tanhai Collective who are actually playing Ronnie Scott’s the same night.

“These are genuinely world-class musicians and I hope the festival can help platform the great local bands that are playing and people come away pleasantly surprised by just how much talent they have on their doorstep.”

Lara grew up in Northamptonshire before studying in Nottingham and living in London.

However, she returned to Northampton, admitting in the last couple of years she has “fallen in love with the town”.

“I think everyone in Northampton has a bit of a love-hate relationship with the town but a lot of that comes from seeing how much potential it has and feeling frustrated when that potential isn't realised,” she explains.

“The reality is live music is becoming less accessible. Costs are going up and people are having to make difficult choices about what they spend money on.

“One of the things that pushed me to start Circuit Break was going to see an artist in London who had actually played Northampton just a few years earlier.

“By the time I'd paid for the train, the ticket, a drink and the tube, I'd spent just under £100 to see one band.

“That's not sustainable for most people. If we want live music to remain accessible, we need thriving local scenes and we need artists to feel confident that towns like Northampton will support them when they come here.”

While Circuit Break is predominantly the brainchild of Lara, she said it wouldn’t be happening without the support she has received from the arts community of Northampton, citing the venues, Prendergast Basses, The Lodge, Photomafia, staff from The Garibaldi, Silly Gooze, Loose Ends Studios and Picky New Promotions among those who have helped.

As the festival approaches, Lara said Circuit Break is a chance for Northampton to show what it is capable of and help prove to artists, agents and promoters that the town should be a regular name on the touring circuit.

She added: “If we want more live music, more touring artists and a stronger local scene, we have to support the events that are already happening.

“Circuit Break is a chance to show what Northampton is capable of.

“But those gigs can only happen if people turn up.

“What's really encouraging is that agents are already showing a willingness to bring more bands to Northampton, both for future editions of Circuit Break and as part of their wider tours.

“If people get behind this, then this doesn't have to be a one off.”

Tier 3 tickets for Circuit Break cost £37.50 in advance before fees via https://tikt.link/CircuitBreakFest