Luton band JW Paris ready for homecoming opening show for Kaiser Chiefs

JW Paris will open for the Leeds indie rockers at Party in the Park on Saturday, September 12, as part of celebrations marking Luton’s 150th anniversary as a borough.

The three-piece, made up of Danny Collins on vocals and guitar, Aaron Forde on vocals and bass and drummer Gemma Clarke, will perform alongside Kaiser Chiefs, The Feeling, The Hoosiers, Panjabi MC, Olivia Lynn and others.

For Gemma, who has performed with artists including Babyshambles and Adam Ant, the opportunity came as a surprise.

She told the Luton News: “We just got an email saying, ‘We’d like to offer you the slot,’ and it was frantic, hysterical phone calls between us all.”

JW Paris previously performed at Stockwood Park, appearing on the BBC Music Introducing stage during Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2024.

But this time they will be performing on the festival’s main stage immediately before Kaiser Chiefs.

Gemma, the only non-Lutonian of the trio, said: “It’s their hometown. All their families will be able to come, and I think just for them to be on the stage in a park that they used to play football in, it’s just a mad feeling.”

Danny Collins and Aaron Forde, both from Luton, look forward to the hometown audience at the same park where they grew up playing football.

Danny said: “We’re properly excited to be opening up Luton’s 150th birthday Party in the Park with Kaiser Chiefs. There’s also a weird full-circle moment for me. I’m pretty sure the first time I saw Kaiser Chiefs was when I was about 14, supporting The Ordinary Boys at the Electric Ballroom.

"Ricky ended up crowd surfing and me and my mate basically launched him straight over the barrier. Fast-forward all these years and we’re supporting them in Luton. Might have to apologise to him for that one!”

The scale of the event is something the band are still coming to terms with.

Gemma added: “There’s only one stage, which means that we are playing the main stage before Kaiser Chiefs are on the main stage. That’s epic.

“When we walk into the field and see the stage in front of us before we set up and soundcheck, it’s going to be a time to just take a few seconds, to process the size of it and the production that goes into it – us three little people standing on the stage making noise.”

She described the experience as an “epic feeling” and said she was particularly excited to see the reaction from people in Luton.

The band will also use the performance to showcase new material after recording a four-track EP earlier this year with producer Tarek Musa.

Gemma described Musa as “an absolute genius” and “like the fourth band member for us”.

She said: “We’ve come out with four amazing tracks and we still can’t believe it’s us.”

Two of the new songs will feature in JW Paris’ set at Stockwood Park.

The band’s appearance comes as Luton’s music scene receives a major platform during the town’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

Gemma said: “Luton has a really buzzing music scene. Most towns do have a music scene; they just need to be found.”

She praised events such as Party in the Park and Radio 1’s Big Weekend for giving musicians the chance to perform in front of larger audiences.

Gemma also encouraged young musicians to get involved with the local scene rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them.

Her advice was simple: “Just play. Be seen, be up for every gig, go to every gig, support other musicians; they will support you.”

After the Party in the Park show, Gemma will be heading across Luton to perform with her other project, Tuggawar, at The Castle.

She said: “JW Paris boys will of course be there too, it’ll be our aftershow party, it’s free entry too!”

Party in the Park takes place at Stockwood Park on Saturday, September 12, from 2.30pm to 10pm, with Kaiser Chiefs headlining.