Transmission - Peterborough's new alternative music night playing 'stuff people loved back in the day'

'Transmission' at The Shed Tap Room and Deli on Fletton Quays, promises to be an alternative indie rock night “playing tunes you've forgotten, that are buried on an old iPod somewhere, or you only listen to on your own, that deserve to be heard and danced to again with a room full of like minded people.”

With a playlist covering everything from Soup Dragons to Ash, Beck, Hole, Eels, Alice in Chains, Siouxsie, Shed 7, Dinosaur Jr, Mud Honey, Cramps, New Order, Pearl Jam, and much more it kicks off on March 13, fronted by DJs Rob Gair and Olli Jones.

“It all came about after a very excitable and enthusiastic chat with Rob,” explains Karen Perks, who runs The Shed with business partner David Nightingale.

"We were talking about some of the brilliant music we grew up with and listened to, that these days we are confined to listening to in isolation at home on a smart speaker or on an old iPod somewhere. We decided we wanted to listen to them again in a room full of like minded people, so I contacted Olli and ran the idea past him – Olli used to DJ back in the day and so is partly responsible for my taste in music.

“With that 'Transmission' was born.”

Like many who enjoyed the city’s music scene in the 80s and 90s, Karen went to the launch of Sugar Clubbing at Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery – a brilliant new exhibition showcasing the legacy of The Sugar Club, which started upstairs at 5th Avenue nightclub, and the alternative scene through the 90s

"But there was a whole raft of venues and alternative club nights that preceded The Sugar Club,” says Karen, “such as Sanctuary (the backroom at The Crown), Danceteria (at PSL), The Glass House (at The Key Theatre), Viva La Rock, Fiddlers Elbow, Tropicana (at The Wirrina) and later Laughing Gravy at The Crown and Peterborough United ground – and of course then we all went to The Sugar Club, The Shamrock, Club With No Name (at The Park) and The Met Lounge.

“All these clubs we're playing alternative Indie and only on vinyl (nothing digital in sight), we would be dancing to The Cult, Cure, Sisters of Mercy, March Violets, The Smiths, The Fall, Siouxsie & The Banshees in the early years to Pop Will Eat Itself, Wonderstuff, Elastica, Verve, Nirvana, Suede, Kula Shaker Everything But The Girl, Echo Belly – our intake of music was broad and eclectic much like the bunch that used to attend.”

That era was also blessed with some quality local bands to go and support doing original material, such as The Pleasure Heads, The Frantix, Honeycomb Veil, Boys Dream, Destructors and Jilted Brides.

And The Cresset, Club With No Name and The Wirrina attracted the likes of Fields of The Nephilim, Squeeze, Billy Bragg, The Levellers, Dr & The Medics, Gaye Bikers on Acid, Zodiac Mind Warp, Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, Gene Loves Jezebel, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, The Verve, The Wedding Present, Teenage Fanclub – the list goes on.

Karen adds: “So 'Transmission' is all about hearing and dancing to these amazing tunes again, and remembering what a time it was, where there was no real dress code (although you would get turned away for looking too smoot!) where the DJs curated the night, playing new releases that they knew we'd love, a time when a group of people got together to appreciate music, and we can't wait to play stuff people loved back in the day, that doesn't get played out loud anymore.”

Transmission is already booked in at The Shed on March 13, June 12, September 11 and December 11.