Pre-order the album HERE:
Album launch show confirmed May 3rd at the London Camden Underworld – Tickets HERE:
Although The Middlenight Men first came to life in 2019, singer and guitarist Nick Hughes has a long and rich history in music. Having attended Bretton Hall College in 2000 to study music, he formed a bond with drummer Leon Cave (who went on to join Status Quo as their full-time drummer in 2013), and the pair went on to play in many bands together throughout the early 2000s, before going their separate ways only for Nick to rejoin Leon in the band Crane Brothers in 2007. There has rarely been a break in twenty years where these two haven’t been in a project together since.
Nick then met producer Andy Brook (who has produced, engineered, and toured with the like of Status Quo, Ginger Wildheart, Wonk Unit, Role Models and Hayseed Dixie etc) upon joining the soho based power pop band The Role Models in 2015 and quickly a friendship was formed. Collaborations with the Danny McCormack led-UK rockers The Yo-Yos and Terrorvision (Nick has been a full-time touring member for the last eight years) soon followed, but after years of being told to write his own album, Nick finally found the inspiration when out on a South American tour with Duncan Reid and the Bigheads (featuring Duncan ‘Kid’ Reid of ’77 power-pop band The Boys). During a three-day stint in Buenos Aires, with no ability to speak the language, Nick found himself being driven to parties in the middle of nowhere and struggling to find his way from gig to gig. Out of this experience came The Middlenight Men…
The first Middlenight Men album ‘Issue #1’ was recorded with Leon and Andy at the end of 2019 and arrived in 2021, making an instant impression with its huge pop-rock licks and infectious melodies. Fast forward a global pandemic, and the last two years and The Middlenight Men are set to return with ‘Issue #2’, a second batch of songs with a heavyweight backbone, gelled perfectly with Nick’s unmistakable pop sensibilities. It features Leon Cave on drums once again and was produced largely by renowned producer Jason Perry, formally of Brit-rockers A.
Today we get to hear the first taste of ‘Issue #2’ in new single ‘The Middlenight Men Theme’, an irresistible song with an accompanying video that sees the band take a nostalgic look back at life in the 1990s, dreaming of starting a band.
“The Middlenight Men is somewhat of a cartoon band, and doesn’t every cartoon need a kickass theme tune? I’d always loved classic tv tunes accompanying animated series or old school 80s super-hero movies that had a bit of a rock edge,” explains Nick. “Even “the red car and the blue car had a race” from the milky way ads made a music appearance in one of our Issue 2 songs and then you looked at things like bananaman and turtles. It all [fucking] grooves. Plus, if they ever get picked up for sync, I’m one step closer to the guitar shaped swimming pool, huh? So, I decided I had to write my own. It just seems to be an apt song to say “HEY, We’re back, and we’re coming for you!”
Watch the video for ‘The Middlenight Men Theme’
‘Issue #2’ is released April 12th via Middlenight Records and available to pre-order HERE:
Album launch gig confirmed for May 3rd at the Camden Underworld in London. Tickets HERE:
Catch The Middlenight Men on tour in the UK in May/June on a co-headline tour with the Chris Catalyst Group at the following dates:
Fri May 24 Wolverhampton, KKs,
Sat May 25 Glasgow, Audio,
Sun May 26 Edinburgh, Bannermans,
Thu May 30 York, Fulford Arms,
Fri May 31 Blackpool, Waterloo,
Sat June 1 Huddersfield, Parish ,
More info at middlenightmen.com
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