Searching for Dexys Midnight Runners: The Last Gang in Town | Nige Tassell (SIGNED COPIES)

"And everything i do will be funky from now on"

Nige Tassell dons his sleuth hat once more for his new book (If you haven't read his C86 Kids, treat yourself). Here, rather than tracking the personnel of many bands, he sets his sights on tracking the many personnel of just one: Dexys Midnight Runners, and it's a cracking read.

I'll admit, i'm a big fan of the band (i have a feeling you can only be a big fan, not a half-arsed one) and found Tassell's pursuit of band members from Dexys first three iterations (On the Waterfront, boxer boots and pony tails, and double denim) pretty thrilling. Saxophonists, keyboardists, bassists - all flung far and wide, from Los Angeles to... well, Brum, all with different stories to tell and different lives lead. Memories converge here, a picture, muddy and faint, coalesces, and through this oral history (usually told over tea and biscuits) a picture of a unique band unfolds.

I loved it, the way it looks back, but also forward from the band - each piece, each member finding their place in the world. Dexys persevere, of course, the project steered purposefully by their talisman present throughout the entire course, the band leader. However, by the end of 'Searching' you are left feeling that, without this diverse group of players, we'd have never had the records that still burn so brightly across the years  

Size: 162 x 240mm (hardback with dust jacket) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Nine Eight