London punk band Middleman release their debut album ‘Following the Ghost’ on 13th February 2026 via Evil Speaker Records. In anticipation of this, we invited the band to give us their Life in Ten Songs, or make that twelve songs, as each of the four members chose three of the songs that helped shape their life in music. Having reviewed Middleman twice before when I reviewed their debut EP here and featured them in a micro review here, I was very much looking forward to seeing their choices and their reasons for choosing them. I wasn’t disappointed.
Noah’s Tunes
Dinosaur Jr. – ‘The Lung’
I feel like any guitar band that has a solo, immediately draws Dinosaur Jr. comparisons and not to take away from J’s solo’s (they are amazing), I think the band is underrated in the way they can write these disjointed melodic tunes with strange chords and time changes, especially on their earlier albums. It’s hard to pick one song, but I think ‘You’re Living All Over Me’ is my favourite album, and “The Lung” is a classic. They were the first gig I ever went to and immediately set the standard of what a band can do.
The Replacements – ‘Sixteen Blue’
Nobody else does it better, The Replacements stand alone (as they always have, by their own hand). It’s easy to think about what could have been, but if they’d done it any other way they wouldn’t be who they are. Like Dinosaur Jr, it’s hard to pick a single tune but “Sixteen Blue” really does showcase them at their best, with Bob’s unique style of guitar playing, and Westerberg’s lyrics and delivery, raw and honest. The meandering solo at the end may or may not have inspired one of Rory’s on the new album.
Wipers – ‘Telepathic Love’
Greg Sage is one of the greatest, most understated songwriters ever. His ability to carve dreamlike melodies within such unrelenting, distorted riffs, has been maybe the biggest influence on Middleman from the start. He has such a unique sound and approach to music. I remember reading how his initial plan for the band was to record 15 albums in 10 years without playing any gigs. Obviously it didn’t work out that way, but his innovative thinking never waned, recording it all himself and releasing it on his own label. “Telepathic Love” is the perfect example of his dreamlike yet heavy sound on full display, as his voice wails harsh and beautiful.
Rory’s Tunes
The Beatles – ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’
This is my favourite song ever and yet every time I go back and listen to it I hear something new. The production and the sound of John Lennon’s voice are seriously wild but the song itself is so perfectly written. The home demos of this song are magical and you can hear Lennon figuring out the melody and chords like he’s pulling them from another dimension. There’s also a couple really cool guitar lines from Paul i think towards the end. Whenever i think about ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ I feel like its one of their weaker albums, but then I remember all the classic songs on it: “The Fool On The Hill”, “Blue Jay Way”, “I Am the Walrus”, “Hello Goodbye”, “Penny Lane”, “All You Need Is love”. Just goes to show why The Beatles are the greatest.
The Pastels – ‘Nothing To Be Done’
Love the lead guitar on this song its nothing flashy just pure energy and volume. The lyrics are so sweet, just a conversation between a couple dumping their pride and focusing on the future instead of dwelling on the past. The sound of this song and this band is one of a kind and their voices sound so sweet and endearing, hardly ever staying in tune and hardly even knowing or caring.
Richard and Linda Thompson – ‘When I Get To The Border’
Such a happy road trip song and a great way to open an album, Richard and Linda’s harmonies are so good throughout. The rest of the album is just as good but not quite as jolly sounding. Richard Thompson is such a good guitarist, I’d put him up there with the greats. Ive also been trying to get down the intro of The Calvary Cross, there’s so much to learn from his technique in those first 40 seconds, I read somewhere that he was trying to imitate bagpipes. His vibrato is really unique and the way he bends strings while at the same time leaving one string open is really hard to do.
Harper’s Tunes
Buddy Emmons – ‘Blue Jade’
This is my favourite song by the king of the pedal steel. I recently found this album, ‘Emmons Guitar Inc.’ on vinyl and it felt magical. Beautiful song on a beautiful album. Listen to it.
Amebix- ‘Arise!’
‘Arise!’ is definitely a coming of age record for me. It’s been my favourite album since hearing it for the first time as a teenager. Incredible record that sits just right at the intersection of punk and metal.
Killer of Men – ‘Royale Coachmen’
I found this track from a compilation on Mississippi Records called Anxious Color and it really grabbed me. It’s charming, amateurish and just 60s teenage garage perfection. And the intro sounds like “Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals.
Ted’s Tunes
Terry Reid – ‘Bowang’
Terry Reid is such a great guitar player and has a crazy soulful voice. This particular tune has really nice spacing in the drum groove.
Television – ‘See No Evil’
This tune gets me pumped most mornings, one of my favourite bands for production and guitar playing
Chris Spedding – ‘Box Number’
Fun tune with interesting textures and clever lyricism from Chris.
Well that was fun! Some great choices there and not as ‘obvious’ as I was expecting. I love this band.
The tail end of 2025 saw Middleman release two incendiary singles from their forthcoming debut. Check these two:
Vacant Days
And here:
The Furthest Place
Debut Album, Following the Ghost is due 13th February 2026 via Evil Speaker Records Album (preorder here).
Middleman are also on tour in the UK in Feb/March. Check them out here:
February 21st: London – The George Tavern
March 4th: Cardiff – The Canopi
March 5th: Nottingham – JT Soar
March 6th: Manchester – Fuel Cafe Bar
March 7th: Leeds – Boom Leeds
March 8th: Sheffield – Delicious Clam
Keep up to date with everything Middleman: Instagram | Bandcamp | Facebook
Photo credit Oscar Reynolds
Introduction by Ioan Humphreys: Bluesky | Instagram
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