Midnight Stompers

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The Midnight Stompers were formed as the house band for the Don Dapper Soho Speakeasy for a weekly Swing night in London Soho at the Floridita club. Led by Mark Pointing (The Hot Club of Bellevillle/Swing Zazou) and Mike the Mic (Harry's Tricks), the band pulls together musicians from Brighton's vintage hot Swing night  Club Chat Noir and London's Cake Walk Cafe.

The Midnight Stompers play 20s, 30s and 40s Swing (and a little Jive), with Mike the Mic's distinctive rat-scat vocals, double horns, double guitars, bass and drums. They can play a sweet vintage style 'dinner set', but put their stomping rhythm section to best use when driving the Swing for the dance floor. Though heavily influenced by the golden era of Swing, the Midnight Stompers enjoy playing in their own style with an emphasis on song, improvisation, scat vocals, and hot swingin' rhythm.

Why are they called the 'Midnight Stompers'? Well, the guitars, bass and drums came up from Brighton, and the horns from London. After the gig the band would disperse, with the rhythm section (just) catching the last train to the coast shortly after midnight. Mike the Mic would often get out his guitar and strike up a song to entertain the carriage... Before long the rest of the band would most likely have joined in and it'd usually be a stompin' Swing jam till the end of the line.