The Howlers Bring ‘Heavy’ to Huddersfield for a Vinyl Tap In-Store Tonight
A record-shop gig on a Wednesday night is exactly the sort of thing Huddersfield should make some noise about. The Howlers are at Vinyl Tap tonight for a live in-store performance and signing, celebrating a new album that has pushed the band into a leaner, heavier chapter.
Vinyl Tap’s official event page confirms the performance for Wednesday 21 October at 7pm. Entry is linked to ordering Heavy in any format through the shop — so this is not a vague social-media rumour or a gig to turn up for without checking the arrangement.
A proper album-night visit to Huddersfield
The Howlers released Heavy on 9 October through FLG Records. It is their second album and the first full statement from the rebuilt two-piece of frontman Adam Young and drummer Toby Richards.
The official release material describes a record concerned with what happens after dark: impulse, bad decisions, temptation and the clearer view that arrives the following morning. Across 12 tracks, including “Cold Sweat”, “Late Nights”, “Viper”, “D.R.I.V.E” and the title track, the band stretch their desert-rock foundations into something more nocturnal and deliberately weighty.
The record was written and produced with long-time collaborator Chris Ostler. Much of it was developed remotely through exchanged demos and rebuilt arrangements before live drums were captured in rehearsal spaces — a modern way of making a rock record, but one that still leaves the physical performance at its centre.
Why the in-store matters
Buying a record online is easy. Meeting the people who made it, hearing the songs played a few feet away and taking home a signed copy is something else entirely. Independent shops such as Vinyl Tap make that connection possible — not simply selling the album, but turning its release into a local live event.
For The Howlers, Huddersfield is the final listed stop on a busy run of UK in-stores that has taken in independent shops from Nantwich and Bury to Bristol, London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Leeds. Their European album tour begins on 30 October, with a UK run following in March 2027.
That makes tonight a useful little window: a band with a new record, immediately before the bigger touring machine rolls forward, playing inside one of Huddersfield’s best-known independent music shops.
The practical bits
The Howlers perform at Vinyl Tap, 42 John William Street, Huddersfield HD1 1ER, tonight — Wednesday 21 October 2026 — from 7pm. The accompanying event listing gives an expected finish of 8.30pm.
Vinyl Tap says customers should order Heavy in any format for entry. At the time of checking, the shop lists standard and indie-exclusive CDs at £12.99, with the available vinyl editions at £25.99. Check the live product page before travelling in case availability changes.
And if one Huddersfield guitar night is not enough, The Wave Pictures are at Parish on Friday as the town’s late-October run keeps moving.
Find more properly checked local music stories on the Monkey GigsList blog.
Sources: Vinyl Tap official in-store page; The Howlers / FLG Records album announcement; official event listing.
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