Five Bonnettes Songs Hiding in Plain Sight: The Deep Cuts That Deserve a 2026 Encore

The Bonnettes have never been shy about a big chorus. What they are shy about is repeating themselves — and somewhere inside that instinct sits a small, glitter-dusted pile of songs that got one airing, one support slot or one late-night radio play and then quietly went back in the box.

We have spent the last few weeks going through the catalogue with a notebook and far too much tea, and the conclusion is unavoidable: the B-sides are blooming. They have aged better than some of the singles, they suit the current live band down to the ground, and at least two of them would absolutely bring the house down as an encore.

So this is part appreciation, part campaign. Below are five deep cuts worth dragging back into the light — and at the bottom of the page, a way to actually make it happen.

First, a Word About the Word 'B-Side'

Strictly speaking, the Bonnettes have released about four actual B-sides in the old-fashioned sense. The rest of what we are calling deep cuts are album tracks, EP fillers and one song that only ever existed on a tour-only CD that now sells for silly money on resale sites. The spirit is the same: good songs that never got their proper turn.

1. ‘Cardigan Weather’

Where it lives: Track four of the Fizz EP, 2019.

The origin story: Written in a Blackpool guesthouse in February with the radiator making that noise radiators make, it is three minutes and ten seconds about a jumper you refuse to give back because giving it back would mean admitting something. Bonnie has described it as 'the cheapest song we ever wrote and the one I am proudest of,' which is exactly the sort of line that makes fans start petitions.

Why it works now: The current live arrangement has a three-part harmony on the middle eight that did not exist in 2019, and it lands beautifully. Slot it third, straight after the opener, while the room is still warm and curious. It is a breather that does not feel like a breather.

2. ‘Penny Arcade Lullaby’

Where it lives: A one-off single released for a friend's wedding, later tacked onto the Seaside Rules mini-album.

The origin story: Written on the pier at Cleethorpes with a 2p coin and a lot of misplaced confidence. It was never meant to be a Bonnettes song at all, which is probably why it sounds so unbothered by the pressure of being one.

Why it works now: This is the slow-dance moment the set has been missing since the band started leaning harder into tempo. Played on keys with the drums out entirely for the first verse, it turns a room of strangers into something closer to a wedding reception. It also gives the tambourine a rest, which the tambourine has earned.

3. ‘Second-Hand Serenade’

Where it lives: The flip side of the Tiny Revolutions seven-inch and, later, the deluxe digital edition.

The origin story: A charity-shop-tour artefact, written in a back room in Leeds between rails of coats, with the riff nicked from a music box that no longer played.

Why it works now: The clap-along is already built in. You do not have to teach a UK crowd to clap on the two and the four; you just have to give them permission. In a 300-capacity room, this one goes from polite to lively in about eight seconds, and it is one of the few deep cuts that could comfortably follow a single without the energy dipping.

4. ‘Slow Dance in the Kitchen’

Where it lives: Nowhere official, which is the scandal of it. A lockdown voice note, played once at a soundcheck in Bristol, never released.

The origin story: Recorded on a phone propped against a kettle. Bonnie has said the full version exists and is 'about forty seconds too long and I love it'. Fans have been trading grainy recordings of the Bristol soundcheck for years like they are rare stamps.

Why it works now: As an encore. Not the big, confetti-cannon encore — the other one. Lights low, band close together, no monitor mix to hide behind. It is the sort of song that makes people put their pints down, and there is no higher compliment available in this country.

5. ‘Vinyl Dust’

Where it lives: The B-side of ‘Half-Past Heartbreak’, and therefore the song most people skipped to get back to the hit.

The origin story: A studio leftover that the band liked too much to bin and not enough to fight for. It has a crackle sample running all the way through it that the producer apparently hated and the drummer apparently won.

Why it works now: Opener. Genuinely. It has that slow-build, walk-on-into-the-lights quality, and the crackle gives the sound engineer something fun to do in the first thirty seconds. Starting a 2026 show with a song most of the room has never heard is a flex, and the Bonnettes are a band who enjoy a flex.

The Case for a Deep-Cut Encore

Here is the argument in one paragraph: a setlist is a negotiation between what a band wants to play and what a room wants to hear, and deep cuts are the only part of that negotiation where the fans get a genuine vote. The Bonnettes have played the hits beautifully all year. Giving one of these five the last five minutes of the night costs nothing, risks very little, and rewards the people who have been paying attention since the EP days.

How to Cast Your Vote

We are calling it the Sparkle Ballot, mostly because we like the name. Pick one song from the five, tell us why in a sentence, and send it through the site's contact form or the mailing list reply address. If you are coming to a show, bring it on a postcard — the band genuinely read them, and a postcard is harder to ignore than an email.

The plan is simple: whichever song gets the most votes before the spring dates gets trialled as the encore for one night only. If it goes well, it stays. If it goes badly, we will all pretend it never happened and go back to shouting for the hits.

Either way, the B-sides get their sparkle back. That seems worth a stamp.