Northern Town

About

Written by Robbie Williams and Stephen Duffy, Northern Town appeared as a B-side to Radio in October 2004. Recorded during the sessions for Greatest Hits, the track captures the duo’s early experimentation with electronic textures and surreal lyricism. Blending pulsating synths, hypnotic beats and distorted vocals, it offers an eccentric glimpse into the sound world Williams would later explore on Rudebox.

The song paints a dreamlike portrait of a city in motion — part industrial landscape, part club scene — where nightlife, nostalgia and alienation merge. Williams delivers the repetitive, chant-like lyric “Get down in the town” with tongue-in-cheek intensity, evoking a feverish descent into urban chaos. Layers of processed vocals and a disembodied female voice add to the sense of delirium.

It’s like falling through the night in some mad northern city — noisy, trippy and a bit sexy. It’s one of those where you just press record and go with it.Robbie Williams

Though divisive among fans, Northern Town demonstrates Williams and Duffy’s willingness to push boundaries. Its mix of indie attitude and electronic experimentation foreshadowed Williams’ later embrace of dance and electro-pop influences. Weird, hypnotic and unapologetically offbeat, it remains one of his most unusual and adventurous B-sides.