Why Ben Poole's Post-Midnight Behaviour Is Blues Rock's Most Exciting 2026 Release.

Rock Metal Machine
1 hour ago
6 min read

BEN POOLE

BEN POOLE ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM

"POST-MIDNIGHT BEHAVIOUR"

HIS FIRST STUDIO ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL

IN EIGHT YEARS

Post-Midnight Behaviour is Ben Poole’s first studio album of new material in eight years, following 2018’s critically acclaimed Time Has Come. Rooted in blues rock, it also explores new musical ground.

Released by Gypsy Soul Records on Friday September 25, 2026, the album is available to pre-order on CD and vinyl HERE and to pre-save digitally HERE.

Released Friday July 3rd, first single “No Second Chances” is available on all streaming platforms HERE.

Venturing into broader musical territory, Ben embraces a more laid-back sound shaped by subtle rock grooves and hooks that flare like shooting stars. Expressive without excess and memorable without distraction, it leaves a deep impression without ever overwhelming the listener. In short, it is the perfect soundtrack for Post-Midnight Behaviour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbza4MH1ejw

“I wanted this album to showcase my evolution as guitarist and singer songwriter,” says Ben. “For several years, I have performed over 150 shows a year across more than 20 countries. My guitar style and technique have developed, my singing voice has matured, and my influences have varied. The new album is a journey that combines Blues, Rock, Soul, Country, and Alternative Rock. I still get to let loose on the guitar, but within a more subdued and reflective manner. Ambiance inspired the name of the album, Post-Midnight Behaviour.”

Bearded man in a black leather jacket sits in a moody studio beside an electric guitar, looking serious. — Photo Credit: © Sarah Kim

“I have released a few live albums in recent years. They are much quicker and a time stamp on where you are at that moment. I took my time over the new album so that it would be super-realised in every aspect. My writing team and I really pushed ourselves. We dug deep to make sure the songwriting was of the highest quality and the arrangements were carefully structured and perfectly executed. My fans are going to really like what we have created. It was well worth the wait!”

Man in a dim studio holding an electric guitar, with neon text Post-Midnight behaviourism and BEN POOLE.

TRACK LISTING

1. No Second Chances (5:42)

2. Empty (5:57)

3. Time Has No Mercy (3:36)

4. Living On Repeat (Buried in the Background) (4:13)

5. Summer Haze (4:40)

6. Runaway Souls – featuring Elles Bailey (4:22)

7. Searching (5:30)

8. Nothing To You (3:50)

9. Start Of The End (5:26)

10. Runaway Souls – featuring Elles Bailey (Radio Version) (4:12)

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Produced by Wayne Proctor, Oli Brown and Ben Poole

Recorded at House of Tone Mix Suite & Superfly Studios, Nottinghamshire, UK

Mixed and mastered by Wayne Proctor at House of Tone Mix Suite, UK

“Runaway Souls” (Radio Version) mixed & edited by Ross Hayes-Citrullo at RHC Music, Toronto, Canada

All songs co-written by Ben Poole, Oli Brown, Wayne Proctor, and Steve Amadeo

ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK

1. NO SECOND CHANCES

A dark, layered opener that sets the tone for the album. Driven by power chords and raw emotion, it follows a man walking away from a relationship that cannot be saved.

“I've tried to understand what you're searching for.

While caught in the battleground of your internal war.”

It builds steadily to one of Ben’s signature guitar solos.

2. EMPTY

Subtle and sultry, this groove creates an evocative backdrop for a man confronting emptiness and fading memory. From that sense of helplessness comes a striking chorus.

“Dive into the deep unknown.

Here I go again, falling further out of the view.

Shadows that I hide within.

Here I go again, forever caught in the black and the blue.”

It rises to another of Ben’s melodic, standout guitar solos.

3. TIME HAS NO MERCY

Hard-edged and urgent, this track is about seizing the moment, believing in yourself, and proving your worth.

“There’s no need to take the easy way out.

Head back into the fire again.

Stand tall and kick back.

Time has no mercy for you.”

It’s the kind of song made for long overnight drives on empty roads when you’re racing toward whatever waits ahead.

4. LIVING ON REPEAT (BURIED IN THE BACKGROUND)

It opens with dark, fuzzy bass and surges forward on jagged, heavy guitar riffs. The song becomes a metaphor for breaking chains, resisting inertia, and forcing a way out.

“I cut and cauterize to see if I can feel this.

I’ll count the days till I’m no longer displaced.

I don’t want this taking over I’m done drifting.”

Fragmented and unsettling, it rejects a clear verse-chorus structure in favour of a single driving impulse: to escape and survive.

5. SUMMER HAZE

With shimmering pop textures and bright, glinting guitars, Summer Haze initially feels light and carefree. But beneath the surface, it tells a wistful story of fleeting love reduced to memory.

“The sun's gone down, the tide is out.

It's all lost in the summer haze where I once knew you.”

6. RUNAWAY SOULS (FEATURING ELLES BAILEY)

Elles Bailey delivers a guest vocal that is the very definition of rock and soul. Over a backdrop of driving guitars and thunderous drums, she sings of leaving it all behind, chasing something greater, and living without regret.

"We won’t be told we’re good for nothing.

We’re gonna be long gone.

This town won’t swallow us whole.

Kick up the dust, we’re runaway souls."

As ever, Bailey is full of surprises and utterly uncompromising. A phenomenal performance.

7. SEARCHING

It’s 4 a.m. and sleep is a distant prospect. Few songs capture those lonely, restless hours better than this melodic, languid, and beautifully understated piece of rock. Beneath its laid-back groove lies an existential reflection on the pull of the past and the uncertainty of the road ahead.

"We’ve been searching for a way out of everything that’s come before.

I know we can’t keep holding on to nothing.

We have to believe there’s something more."

At its heart, this is a song about hope and finding the courage to keep moving forward when the destination remains unclear. You may never find exactly what you're searching for, but you'll be changed for the better by the journey itself. Thoughtful, poignant, and deeply affecting.

8. NOTHING TO YOU

For those about to rock around the clock, we salute you. This irresistible slab of groove-laden rock, driven by a snaking guitar line and an infectious rhythm, is the perfect companion for the small hours when fatigue is setting in but sleep remains out of reach. Yet beneath the swagger lies a tale of longing and frustration; of wanting something that remains stubbornly unattainable.

"Keep refusing, I’m reaching the end here.

However I try, can't keep giving it all when I'm still nothing to you."

The object of desire may mean nothing to the singer in the end, but this song could mean everything to anyone looking for a soundtrack to those long, lonely hours. Effortlessly cool, relentlessly catchy, and impossible to resist.

9. START OF THE END

"Hijacked maniacs, emotional amnesiacs.

I see the cracks tearing our lives apart again.

It’s time to face whatever we’ve been running from."

A desperate cry from the point of no return. Yet for all its darkness, this is a song of monumental uplift and renewal. Emerging from the wreckage of regret and denial, it embraces the moment when the first light finally breaks after a long night of the soul.

As the sun rises, pure melody and power-anthem guitars provide the perfect accompaniment, transforming despair into defiance and uncertainty into hope. And then comes that chorus—soaring, life-affirming, and utterly irresistible. What a way to greet the solar miracle that has captivated humankind since the dawn of time. Exhilarating, redemptive, and unforgettable.

ABOUT BEN POOLE

Ben Poole is an internationally acclaimed force in blues rock. Recognised by multiple publications as one of the world’s leading blues guitarists, he has been cited by Guitar World alongside artists including Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Joe Bonamassa.

He has also been named among the world’s top 15 blues guitarists by Total Guitar and Music Radar.

Ben has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines and earned praise from guitar greats including Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Richie Kotzen, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Philip Sayce. He is widely regarded as one of the standout artists on the international blues-rock circuit.

BEN POOLE UK TOUR 2026

TICKETS AVAILBLE FROM

https://benpooleband.com/live

Kinross, The Green Hotel

Saturday October 31

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