A Tribute to Brudenell NYE
Well folks, it’s the festive quarter. Personally, my main highlights for this time of year normally include: excess cheese consumption; dodging projectile fireworks in Hyde Park like Neo from The Matrix; and the Brudenell New Year’s Eve Party.
For those who don’t know, every year the Brudenell celebrates the evening by curating a line-up of tribute bands. They are rarely professionals and traditionally local musicians reinventing themselves for one night only. For example, NYE 2023 featured a performance from The Rolling Stones. Local rising star Tiss Vampiric transformed into ‘Mock’ Jagger for the evening, with members of Mush featuring in the rest of the band. On another note, James Smith (Yard Act) may hold the record for the most NYE cameos – having performed over the years in incarnations of Beck, Talking Heads, Pixies, Beastie Boys and Flaming Lips.
The NYE Party is no laughing matter. Participants in this circus treat the occasion with utmost dignity and respect. For some, the honour is comparable to that first Glastonbury invite. In 2016, rumour has it that most of the budget went towards making custom Daft Punk helmets. Similarly, in 2023, a neon sign was made for Justice that convinced most of the crowd it was the real duo. Whilst later disproved, there must’ve been a whiff of insider knowledge from the organiser as Justice announced their return from a seven-year hiatus the following day (coincidence? give me a break!).
The NYE Party is a night of legendary status. Tickets go on sale without notice, and sell out within days. Hopefully you nabbed one in time this year, but our advice if not for next year...check the Brudenell website daily from mid-October 2026- and pray.
A brief history so far…
(exc. DJs and generic tributes such as ‘The Antiques Riffshow’)
2013 – Nirvana, Pixies, Status Quo
2014 – Johnny Cash, Talking Heads, QOTSA
2015 – Flaming Lips, The Black Keys, LCD Soundsystem, Bruce Springsteen, Weezer
2016 – Daft Punk, Fugazi, Devo, Beastie Boys
2017 – The Stooges, The Cure, Madonna, The Offspring, Misfits
2018 – Joy Division, New Order, Pulp, Rage against the machine
2019 – The Strokes, The Clash, Beck, Kiss, Sum 41
2020 – COVID
2021 – Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Stone Roses
2022 – The Killers, Queen, Blondie
2023 – The Rolling Stones, Justice, Jimi Hendrix
2024 – Blur, Oasis, Prince, David Bowie
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