I’ve previously commented many times on this blog about the enormous amount of musical talent coming out of the UK, and today I have yet another shining example of this in the form of Hardwicke Circus, an insanely good five-piece from Carlisle, England. Though they’ve been around since 2015, I only learned about them last week when their PR rep reached out to me about them and their recently-released album Fly the Flag. I liked it at first listen, and as I customarily do for all artists and bands I’m writing about for the first time, I listened to as much of their back music catalog as I could get my hands on. I love all of it, and am now a committed fan! Hardwicke Circus is a brilliant band, and I strongly urge my readers to take the time to check out at least some of their music.

They’re also clever and funny, and their bio so colorful and amusing, I’m just going to quote from it rather than try and paraphrase. “Just in case you’re wondering, Hardwicke Circus is from Carlisle, and “Where the fuck is Carlisle!” greets us gig after gig. You only end up in Carlisle by accident. It’s on the boundary of England but not Scotland, on the edge of the Lake District but not the countryside: we don’t fit. This storm centre of English drunkenness is home to an arms depot and an economy reliant on biscuits & the Blues, with a business icon in Eddie Stobart whose sole purpose is to take things away from Carlisle via the city’s best known roundabout, allegedly named after this gang of travelling brothers. Carlisle does not suffer fools; we export them.

Hardwicke Circus was formed by brothers Jonny and Tommy Foster, who had a passion for making music from an early age. They developed a reputation on their street for making a racket but they were not to be deterred. Throughout their school years they surrounded themselves with the best musicians Carlisle had to offer, more than once poaching them from other school bands. When their friends began the university treadmill, Hardwicke Circus jumped in a van, hit the road and didn’t look back. They earned their stripes in Hells Angels pubs, clubs, theaters and prisons, soaking up long journeys to the rebel rousing music of Dylan, Springsteen, Philadelphia soul, Motown, the Stray Cats, The Clash and more.“

Their dynamic live shows and skillful songwriting so impressed renowned music veteran Dave Robinson, he came out of retirement to become their manager. Robinson’s professional resume is both extensive and impressive. He started out as road manager for Jimi Hendrix, also handling major tours in the U.S. for Eric Burden & The Animals, the Young Rascals and Vanilla Fudge. He then returned to London and managed Brinsley Schwarz, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Ian Dury and Elvis Costello. He also built a recording studio above the legendary Hope & Anchor pub in Islington, and with Jake Riviera, started his label Stiff Records, signing such acts as The Damned, Motorhead, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Tracey Ullman, the Plasmatics, Jona Lewie, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Kirsty MacColl, The Box Tops, The Adverts, Lene Lovich, Shane MacGowan and the Pogues, Madness and more. Robinson was also installed by Chris Blackwell as president of Island Records where he oversaw the careers of U2, Robert Palmer, Steve Winwood, Grace Jones, Aswad and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. He personally compiled and marketed Bob Marley’s Legend, the biggest selling reggae album in the world. The list of his accomplishments goes on, but I’ll stop here, as this review is supposed to be about Hardwicke Circus!

The band became a six-piece early on, but now consists of five members: Jonny Foster (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Foster (drums, backing vocals), Joe Hurst (bass, backing vocals), Lewis Bewley-Taylor (keyboards) and Jack Pearce (saxophones). They released their debut single “Please Don’t Try This At Home” in 2017, then followed a month later with a four-song EP Hot Moves. After playing hundreds of gigs in pubs and parties throughout Britain and even some European countries, the band secured a coveted spot at the 2020 SXSW. We all know what happened next, and it was curtains for both SXSW and the 165 gigs they had scheduled after that festival.

Forced to regroup, Hardwicke Circus switched gears and focused their attention and energy on recording their first album. They rented a farmhouse in Yorkshire, where they wrote and recorded their debut album The Borderland, an outstanding work that pays homage to the land they love, as well as touching on then-current topics like the pandemic on the wonderful track “Lockdown”, and racial inequality and social injustice on “Hands Up Don’t Shoot”. One of the highlights on the album is their rousing anthem “Walking On Broken Glass”.

In November 2021, Hardwicke Circus played a series of gigs at 15 prisons throughout England. Inspired by Johnny Cash’s legendary 1968 album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, the guys decided to memorialize those gigs with their 13-track album At Her Majesty’s Pleasure, released in May 2022. (In the UK, prisons are known as HMPs, which stands for His or Her Majesty’s Prisons, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, followed by the location or city in which they’re located.)

On June 9th, they dropped their third album Fly the Flag, a delightful romp featuring 12 head-bopping bangers fashioned from an eclectic mix of influences, including rock’n’roll, punk, Motown, Philadelphia soul, ska, blues and even Gypsy folk. The album opens strong with the buoyant “Every Day I Find the Luck“, an uplifting track with an exuberant, toe-tapping groove, colorful instrumentation and soaring choruses as Jonny and company sing of keeping positive and always aiming high: “Is this what I’m looking for? I can tell that I’m getting close, closer to the prize at the end of the rope. / Show me a sign, is it all I’ve got? I’ve given it my best shot. Every day I find the luck. If only I could reach it.”

The wonderful “Bang My Head (To the Rhythm of Life)” reminds me of some of the great 70s songs by Sound of Philadelphia acts like the O’Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, T.S.O.P., McFadden & Whitehead and the Trammps, grabbing us by the hips and compelling us to move! And “True Love & Near Misses” is downright fabulous, with an infectious, fast-paced groove and achingly beautiful hook, highlighted by Lewis Bewley-Taylor’s gorgeous keyboards and Jack Pearce’s exuberant saxophone. And I cannot emphasize enough how much I adore Jonny Foster’s raspy but beautiful, heavily-accented vocals that occupy a sweet spot between Joe Strummer and Eddie Money here.

The anthemic “Can You Hear Me Now?” has an early Springsteen folk-rock vibe, with Jack’s soulful sax seemingly paying homage to the great Clarence Clemons. “Rejection Is Better Than Regret” – one of the my favorites on an album full of them – is a delightful take on the old adage ‘it’s better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all’: “Rejection is better than regret my love. I guess that’s why you’re my ex. You’re so sweet and lovely though, but I don’t like the way you look with him.” I love the fun, retro 70s vibe that calls to mind songs by ABBA, The Sweet and Bay City Rollers.

The guys slow things down on the introspective and melancholy “Battlefield“, a song about a love affair that now lies in ruins: “I live on a battlefield, where love has turned to rust./ You feel abandoned, who’s to blame. Courage is not what you keep, it’s what you give away.” Musical highlight for me are the expressive percussion, bold piano keys, moody sax, soulful organ, and what sounds like a vibraphone. With it’s lively, piano-driven groove, “A Johnny Come Lately” has a catchy ABBA vibe, nicely augmented with Jack’s rousing sax and Tom’s spirited drums. The album’s title comes from the lyrics “I’m flying the flag for you.”

“The Colour In Everything” has a strong Motown vibe, and in fact features a piano riff that sounds a bit like the one in the Four Tops’ classic “I Can’t Help Myself”. Also, what I’m guessing is Jack’s baritone sax gives the such a distinctive Motown sound. The colorful, synth-dominant “Our Town” is a brutally honest homage to the contradictions of the band’s home town, with cheeky lyrics like “Runny noses and ripped wedding gowns, that’s romance in our town. A compliment is a good putdown with a smile in our town.” The song starts off with a pleasing melody, but gradually transitions to a full-blown rocker with edgy guitars, heavy organ riff, aggressive percussion and bold sax, abruptly ending with rapped verses in the final 20 seconds.

The terrific songs just keep on coming. The rousing ska-infused gem “Night Train To London“, with its exuberant Gypsy folk vibe, fortified by Jack’s wailing sax, is pure delight. The guys let loose on the high-energy banger “It’s Not Over Till It’s Over“, unleashing a torrent of driving riffs, stomping rhythms, colorful keyboards, soaring choruses, and more of those great saxophone flourishes. Saving the best for last, the guys channel late 50s rock’n’roll with the wonderfully bluesy “No More Doggin’“. Holy shit, these guys can play just about anything! The combination of bluesy guitars and bass, sultry sax, and that phenomenal honky tonk piano create a dramatic and colorful backdrop for Jonny’s raw vocals oozing with unabashed swagger.

I’m not sure what more I can say about Fly the Flag, other than to keep gushing about how wonderful it is. Just about everything I can think of – the songwriting and lyrics, arrangements, instrumentation, vocals and production values – are perfection, and it’s easily one of the best albums of 2023 so far. Every song is first-rate, with no filler tracks or ones I would even consider skipping over. I love this album and love this band.

Here’s the album on YouTube:

Those fortunate enough to be in the UK can catch Hardwicke Circus at one of their upcoming shows:

Connect with Hardwicke Circus: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube