HOME | DEXYS NEWS | MUSIC | ALBUMS DISCOGRAPHY | SINGLES DISCOGRAPHY | DEXYS DIARY | DEXYS FEATURES | SOUND BITES | FAMILY TREE | BLUE OX BABES | THE BUREAU | THE KILLJOYS | DEXYS A-Z | SITE MAP

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

It seems unsurprising that a group which has engendered such passionate fandom amongst its followers has also helped to influence and inspire a generation of artists to create their own music. The following is a list of singers and groups - past and present - who have, at some point, acknowledged a debt to Dexys in inspiring their own creativity. If you know of any artists who should be included please "Add A Comment" [see bottom of page] and include any links which may help to validate the source of your information (such as web-pages featuring quotes from the artists). Or, if your own band has been inspired by Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners and is not already listed, feel free to include a link to your website so that visitors can sample your Dexys influences for themselves!

 

 

Adam Ant His appreciation of Kevin's work was demonstrated in the lyrics to his Number One single 'Goody Two Shoes': "When they saw you kneeling, Crying words that you mean, Opening their eyeballs, eyeballs, Pretending that you're Al Green, Al Green"

 

The Boy Least Likely To "There are other bands from that time that probably mean more to me now, like the Go-Betweens and Dexy's Midnight Runners... Dexy's were always a big influence." Lead singer, Jof Owen

 

The Charlatans Long-time Dexys fan, Tim Burgess has stated: "Their success meant so much to me when their song Geno went to number one that I did a dance outside the Northwich branch of Rumbelows."

 

Andy Keys Clark British singer/song-writer and former member of various Ska revival bands who released a single in 2012 entitled "When Dexys Ruled The World", a brilliantly brassy homage to Kevin Rowland and Dexys. 

 

The Concretes Absolutely brilliant Swedish band (formerly featuring vocalist Victoria Bergsman) who once declared that they had been inspired by the video to the Dexys Midnight Runners classic "This Is What She's Like".

 

Five O'Clock Heroes "As a teenager, bands like Dexy's Midnight Runners were very important to me." - Lead singer, Antony J. Ellis.

 

Florence Valentin This Stockholm-based band is probably the one Swedish group that most obviously is influenced by Dexys Midnight Runners. Their sound is almost a pastiche of the Searching-sound. This band played at a show that was held after the Dexys-gig in Stockholm to honour Kevin Rowland.

 

Franke Another band from the record label Service. Their music doesn´t quite sound like Dexys but I spotted the lead singer at the Dexys-gigs in both Stockholm and Gothenburg. He was upfront and he really seemed to like the show

 

Cee Lo Green "Something else that makes Cee Lo stand out is his eclectic range of influences. When we speak, he's making travel arrangements to hook up with his "hero" Elton John, just one of several British influences that has inspired him, along with Dexys Midnight Runners and Culture Club."

 

Hard-Fi "Formed in surburban West London, their sound is inspired by life on the minimum wage and years of listening to The Clash, Dexys Midnight Runners and Happy Mondays."

 

Håkan Hellström The best-selling male singer in Sweden. On a bootleg from a gig in Stockholm he announces a song with the words "This one´s for my heroes; Dexys and Paul Weller." His music is also strongly influenced by Dexys. A couple of years ago he released a hit-single called "Kom igen Lena!"; a homage to Come On Eileen.

 

Hot Hot Heat "People said we sounded like Dexys Midnight Runners, so I went out and bought a Dexys Midnight Runners album," - singer, Steve Bays

 

Jesse James Contemporary Ska-Punk band from Brighton: "we all shared a love of The Clash and Dexy's Midnight Runners and decided immediately that we wanted a brass section."

 

Jo Boxers "We were into Dexys (Midnight Runners). I loved the Bowery Boys, that whole New York City lower East Side thing. I brought that idea along. We mixed that with Dexys and, one thing led to another, and that look just kind of happened. It also happened out of the fact that we didn't have a lot of money: it was cheap to do. The most expensive thing we had on was our Doc Marten boots. We just put this look together and it was the right thing at the right time." "For sure, the early Dexys were influential. The soul influence, the disciplined playing, the unified look".

 

King Creosote "So of course Dad wanted one of his sons to play the accordion. I tried, but at 13 I got into my own music - Dexys, early Simple Minds, early, early New Romantics [for the two-and-a-half minutes the movement wasn't ludicrous]."

 

Jens Lekman A new astonishing act from Gothenburg-based label Service. He has expressed his admiration for Kevin Rowland at several occassions and I spotted him when Kev did his "in front of audience-interview" in Gothenburg, January 2004. Listen to some of his songs at www.srvice.com. The kid is a genius!

 

The Moment Mid 80s Mod band that featured a brass section. One of their songs "Carpenter Of Life" is about Big Jimmy. The Moment's trombone player Steve Rinaldi now fronts his own band - Rinaldi Sings.

 

Moneybrother Swedish singer who has performed with Kevin in Stockholm. Listed Dexys' show at Cirkus, Stockholm as the best gig he went to that year.

 

Mystery Jets "The music is somewhere between the Smiths and maybe Dexy's or something like that..." Blaine Harrison speaking about the Mystery Jets' single "You Can't Fool Me Dennis".

 

No Doubt Video for "Trapped in a Box" - "The scene on top of the roof was shot on top of Gwen and Eric's grandma's roof (they also filmed in her house for the Just A Girl video) Gwen was heavily into overalls and was influenced by the Dexy's Midnight Runners video Come On Eileen."

 

Beth Orton "She spent her late teens immersed in everything, from Nick Drake to Dexy's, The Stone Roses and Rickie Lee Jones, before toying with the idea of acting..." Beth Orton was signed to  Heavenly Records which financed some of the early-90s Dexys demos and one of Beth's backing vocalists, Tasha Lee McCluney also dueted with Kevin Rowland during the 90's.

 

Vinny Peculiar "Dexys were heros of mine way back when, I saw them in some of the dodgiest Birmingham club venues when they were starting out and always admired Kevins single mindedness."

 

Pele Early 90s band from Liverpool. Their debut album "Fireworks" is very Dexys influenced none more so than their single "Fair Blows The Wind For France"

 

Phoenix City All-stars  Authentic old school Ska band who released an album of Dexys covers entitled "Searching for The Young Ska Rebels" in 2016. Their excellent versions of classics such as "Burn It Down" and "There There My Dear" sound exactly as they would have sounded if they'd originally been recorded by The Skatalites in Sixties Jamaica! See Album Trailer.

 

PlanB Originally a mid 80s eight-piece Australian band who took their name from the Rowland/Paterson song "Plan B". Reformed in 2009, recording their debut album and are currently touring extensively in South East Asia. Visit their web site www.planbaustralia.com for more info.

 

 
Primal Scream/Bobby Gillespie It's been documented that Bobby used to take Kevin Rowland's creation demos on tour with him.

 

The Proclaimers The Scottish duo have cited Dexys as a major influence in many interviews and documentaries over the years. "Special thanks to Kevin Rowland for help and friendship over many years" - sleeve notes to "Sunshine On Leith" album. In 2007 Craig and Charlie Reid were interviewed by The Guardian along with Kevin Rowland which made for a very interesting read: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/aug/24/popandrock2  

 

Razorlight Razorlight's Johnny Borrell chose Dexys' cover of "Seven Days Too Long" as one of his '20 tracks everybody should own' in a Q magazine feature, saying: "Just a great fucking song. And what a voice. Brummie by way of Detroit. Fabulous!"

 

The Rumble Strips Indie band from Devon whose horn-filled songs have drawn many comparisons with the early Dexys sound. "OK, anyone who has read anything about them, seen them live, glanced at a photo of them, walked past them in the street or heard more than a three-second snippet of their music, will know that The Rumble Strips really, really, reeeeeally sound like Dexys Midnight Runners."

OK, anyone who has read anything about them, seen them live, glanced at a photo of them, walked past them in the street or heard more than a three-second snippet of their music, will know that The Rumble Strips really, really, reeeeeally sound like Dexys Midnight Runners
Read more at
http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-rumble-strips/8952#UJk8JUyZMEBTpUH3.99
OK, anyone who has read anything about them, seen them live, glanced at a photo of them, walked past them in the street or heard more than a three-second snippet of their music, will know that The Rumble Strips really, really, reeeeeally sound like Dexys Midnight Runners.
Read more at
http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-rumble-strips/8952#UJk8JUyZMEBTpUH3.99
OK, anyone who has read anything about them, seen them live, glanced at a photo of them, walked past them in the street or heard more than a three-second snippet of their music, will know that The Rumble Strips really, really, reeeeeally sound like Dexys Midnight Runners.
Read more at
http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-rumble-strips/8952#UJk8JUyZMEBTpUH3.99

 

Serotonin A Welsh band, apparently: "The musicians from Serotonin say their style of music is influenced by Dexy's 'Geno' era, Primal Scream and Spiritualised"

 

Stone Foundation "That album changed the gears, made us new friends. Not least the author and journalist Paolo Hewitt who mailed in to say it reminded him in equal parts of Tyrone Davis, Neil Young and Dexys Midnight Runners. Right words, right time, it spurred us on."

 

Texas Lead singer Sharleen Spiteri once revealed that, whenever she's away on tour she takes a tape of Dexys rarities with her to listen to on the tour bus!

 

The Thrills Daniel Ryan of The Thrills on the subject of Dexys: "They're one of my favourite bands. I think Kevin Rowland is a legend and talking to him about Dexys was a really big deal for me."

 

The Tough Alliance A brilliant band from Gothenburg. These two 22-year old guys just released their debut EP. In the song ´Take No Heroes` (heavily influenced by The Redskins song with the same title) they´re listing all their favourite artists. Kevin is mentioned alongside acts like Vic Godard, Ice Cube and Loleatta Holloway. You can listen to the song at www.srvice.com

 

Welsh Rabbit American-based Indie Power Pop/Psych-Rock band whose 2007 album, "Don Quixote Vs. Sancho Panza" featured a track entitled "Dexy's Midnight Lover".

 

Wet Wet Wet Yes really! Marti Pellow's boys named their own record label "The Precious Organisation" as a reference to the Dexys song "Let's Make This Precious".

 

Wildheartedoutsider  Named after the Dexys instrumental B-Side "...And Yes We Must Remain The Wildhearted Outsiders", I have it 'on very good authority' that this artist was influenced by Dexys Midnight Runners, The Blue Ox Babes - and, quite possibly, The Beach Boys!  

 

 

The Wonder Stuff The West Midlands band which came to fame with such early 90s hits as "Size Of A Cow" and "Dizzy" recorded an excellent cover version of the Dexys Midnight Runners classic "There There My Dear" in 2012.

 

 

This page was originally created on the MSN site as an 'interactive list' so that members could add information on other artists influenced by Kevin Rowland or Dexys and is the collective work of numerous individuals. That facility does not exist on this site, so if you have any information that you think should be included on this page please "Add a Comment" below and the page will be updated shortly.

 

Add A Comment