People only end up in Carlisle by accident. It’s on the boundary of England and Scotland, on the edge of the Lake District but not the countryside. The center of Carlisle is an iconic business, Stobart Logistics, whose sole purpose is to take things away from Carlisle via the city’s best known roundabout, Hardwicke Circus.

Another export making their way through the towns, villages and cities of the United Kingdom is Carlisle’s own Hardwicke Circus, a five-piece band winning praise from all quarters.

“Meet the five-piece band who are not only turning heads with the confident glide in their stride; they’re literally bulletproof,” wrote the Sunday Times. 

“It’s unsurprising to hear [lead vocalist and guitarist Jonny] Foster talk in such glowing terms about Dylan, and not just because, well, he’s Bob Dylan. Perhaps more than many other young band these days, there is a deliberate low-fi, almost traditional rock’n’roll feel to the band’s music and aesthetic; The press has drawn comparisons between Foster and Mick Jagger, while others might look at the mops and leather jackets and immediately think of The Jam,” GQ magazine wrote about Hardwicke Circus

Hardwicke Circus was formed by brothers Jonny and Tom 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, (which the brothers have been known to call a center of English drunkenness), 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 haven’t looked back. They earned their stripes in Hells Angels pubs, clubs, theatres and prisons, the long journeys making rebel rousing music with the music of Dylan, Springsteen, Philadelphia Soul, Motown, the Stray Cats and more “all fuel us to get our voices heard loud and clear wherever we land,” Foster said.

Their dynamic live shows and songwriting found a fan and a manager in renowned music veteran Dave Robinson, whose resume includes serving as road manager for Jimi Hendrix and as co-founder of Stiff Records. 

Hundreds of gigs later in pubs and parties and other European countries, the band was ready for a big break, a gig at the 2020 SXSW. Then came the pandemic. So much for SXSW and the 165 gigs they had scheduled for after the festival.