Ben Poole – Post-Midnight Behaviour: Blues Rock For The Small Hours

Review By Glen Parkes

There is something about music made for the small hours that hits differently. When the world has gone quiet, the thoughts get louder, and that is exactly where Ben Poole’s new album Post-Midnight Behaviour finds its sweet spot. Released Friday, September 25th, this is an album that moves between blues, rock, soul and darker alternative textures, creating a collection that feels both powerful and deeply personal.

Produced by Wayne Proctor, Oli Brown and Ben Poole, Post-Midnight Behaviour benefits from a wonderfully organic sound. Recorded at House of Tone Mix Suite and Superfly Studios in Nottinghamshire, the production gives Poole’s guitars plenty of room to breathe while keeping the rhythm section tight and muscular.

Opening with “No Second Chances”, the album immediately establishes its darker side. Power chords and raw emotion build towards one of Poole’s trademark guitar solos, setting the standard for what follows. “Empty” takes a more sultry route, its groove underpinning a beautifully melancholic song before another melodic guitar performance takes centre stage.

“Time Has No Mercy” shifts the gears, bringing urgency and determination. It feels built for an overnight drive, while “Living On Repeat (Buried In The Background)” pushes further into heavier territory, with fuzzy bass and jagged riffs creating an unsettled atmosphere.

Then comes “Summer Haze”, a welcome change of pace. Shimmering guitars and pop textures disguise a wistful story about love becoming nothing more than a fading memory. It is followed by one of the album’s biggest moments, “Runaway Souls”, featuring the exceptional Elles Bailey. Bailey’s rock-soul delivery is absolutely outstanding, locking perfectly with Poole’s guitar and the thunderous drums.

“Searching” is perhaps the album’s most reflective moment. Languid, understated and beautifully melodic, it captures that strange 4 a.m. feeling when sleep refuses to arrive and the past starts knocking at the door. There is sadness here, but also hope.

“Nothing To You” brings back the swagger with a groove-heavy rhythm and infectious guitar line, while “Start Of The End” closes the main sequence in spectacular fashion. Dark, dramatic and ultimately uplifting, it transforms regret into defiance, building towards a chorus that feels made for sunrise after a long night.

With Steve Amadeo on bass, Wayne Proctor on drums, Oli Brown providing backing vocals and Moog, and Bennett Holland adding Hammond, piano, Wurlitzer and Rhodes, the musicianship throughout is first class.

Post-Midnight Behaviour is an album that understands the darkness but never becomes trapped inside it. Ben Poole has created something atmospheric, muscular and melodic, proving once again that the blues-rock genre still has plenty of places left to explore. A seriously impressive soundtrack for the hours when everyone else has gone to bed.