I love this band and probably won't speak to you if you don't. It might just be the blessed relief of a band with little, if any, agenda beyond just doing their unique thing together for the sheer joy of it.

The other month I finally attended a Blue Midnight gig, although I might possibly have caught them in the Magic Theatre at the yard in Hammersmith (where you could 'catch' lots of things) about hundred years ago. They just kept giging closer and closer to the GAS office, like some strange game of chicken, so in the end I had to go before they gigged IN the bloody office, anyway one of them, it might have been Blue himself, told me, We started off wanting to be Dexy's Midnight Runners, (yes they are originally of that vintage), …but then we lost the horn section and ended up with just the trombone. So somewhat frighteningly, at one time in seems Blue Midnight were a bigger band… mmmm, thinking about it, that would be okay - bring on the 12 piece version, the one with accordions and marimbas (but hold the banjos - of course).

Have you ever noticed how you just seem to put on the right music, at the right time, for the right mood - No, neither have I, it so often goes horribly wrong. However, whenever that disaster strikes I can give no better advice than a bite of Blue Midnight (sounds like a classy cheese), the best periferally Gong-ish band this side of Larry Adler, Scarlet Rivera and, (move over Rico Rodriguez), the legendary George Chislom's slow-dub version of The Road to Mandalay. And if that could be on the next album I would be eternally grateful.

The rhythm section remind me of Sly and Robbie - albeit occassionly on each other's intstruments, I jest - in reality Grant and Mike provide the ideal sort of shimmery/slow rock-steady platform perfect for the rest of the band to do their wonderous thing, then now and again everybody goes hell for leather together.

If you have been keeping up over the decades you'll know the rest - String the words together in your preferred order - Intelligent, Humourous, Hungarian, Gypsy, Dub, Unique, Brillant, Harmonica, Laid back, Quirky, Real, Hidden gem… etc.

Seeing this band will probably improve everything about your life, in particular your mood. However as Blue Midnight only appear to gig (unless they are stalking me) when there is a Q in the month during leap year, and only on the Somerset Levels at Swan Upping time (slight problem there, Swan Upping happens only on the River Thames) - you'd better buy this CD instead… They are working on the gig thing, so "Keep 'em peeled", as Shaw Taylor used to say on Police 5… probably.