The Middlenight Men announce new album ‘Issue #2’ to be released April 12th via Middlenight Records
2nd February 2024Although 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 likes of Status Quo, Ginger Wildheart, Wonk Unit, Role Models 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 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 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 raced” from the Milky Way ads made a musical 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!”
Why The Middlenight Men? The Middlenight Men not only represents the thoughts that invade our dreams in the night, but it also signifies the philosophy of the band and all its collaborators. The band is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s the Marvel Avengers of the rock and roll world.
‘Issue #2’ is released April 12th via Middlenight Records and available to pre-order HERE:
The album launch gig is 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
