34 years ago……..Midnight Express

L-R: Kev, Col, Fos, Emers

Way back in the post-punk world of 1978, a harrowing film by Alan Parker, ‘Midnight Express’ hit the big screen. But never mind all that malarky. In the city of Derby, four lads had taken that name for their own. Midnight Express played the pubs and clubs of Derbyshire sometimes 5 nights a week, serving up a mix of new wave hits by the likes of The Boomtown Rats, and a sprinkling of their own quirky compositions. the band were formed almost by accident. Myself and Fos were already committed to what we thought was the ‘serious’ venture of Crosstown Traffic, who didn’t really gig, just wrote and rehearsed, and Midnight Express came together from a desire to just ‘get out there and play’. But it became so much more than that, garnering a substantial local fan following who hung on every word of the original songs, and the peculiarly surrealist banter in between, usually between myself and the unique Mike Emery. It might be mentioned that one of us had a hankering for Rice Krispies, and someone would turn up with a box of them at the next gig.  In a few short months, our own songs became the favourites that everyone wanted to hear, and gigs at The Bull and Bush in Mackworth, and The Horse and Groom in town became packed on a regular basis.

The Derby Evening telegraph’s music reporter, the late and legendary Alan Smith, was a strong supporter of the band. The late Seventies saw some great bands around Derby, including Strange Days, and The Tourists (Not the Annie Lennox lot!)

Mike was taking an Art degree at Alsager College, and we spent a weekend over there recording some of our songs, and having a photoshoot in nearby Kidsgrove.  I’ve salvaged some pics from that time, which is what has prompted this retro piece. It’s the first time any of these photos have seen the light of day.

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS were:

MIKE EMERY – Vocals/Guitar

KEV MOORE – Vocals/Bass

ADRIAN ‘FOS’ FOSTER -Lead Guitar

COLIN HIDDERLEY – Drums

Coming up soon: More pics from ’78 – and some lost recordings!

Kev Moore