Midnighters

The Midnighters were a popular R&B band who played in the 1960s in South Wales and elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The band comprised Ray Palmer (lead guitar), Gareth Palmer (Rhythm Guitar), Roger Still (Bass guitar) and Keith Humphreys (drums). The band played in Cardiff and South Wales clubs from approx 1961 through to 1965, and also travelled into England occasionally. Key venues for the band were Cardiff's Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Barry Memorial Hall, Red Dragon Club at RAF St Athan, the Blue Moon Club and Estrella Club in what was then Tiger Bay, Cardiff, and the numerous Working Men's Clubs in the Welsh Valleys. They played in the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, as a result of which they were offered a tour of US Army bases in North Africa, and also work in Hamburg clubs. They were unable to follow this through, however, as one of the band was still undergoing his studies and the band did not want to take in a replacement. The Midnighters supported many well-known acts visiting South Wales, including Gerry & The Pacemakers, Swinging Blue Jeans, Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames, Sounds Incorporated, David Ede and the BBC Oscar Rabin Band, Lulu, Kathy Kirby, The John Barry Seven, The Tremeloes, and Shane Fenton, who later became Alvin Stardust, with his band The Fentones.

Midnighters may also refer to:

• The Midnighters, an American rhythm and blues group from the 1950s, led by Hank Ballard
• Thee Midniters, a Chicano rock group from the 1960s
• The Midnighters trilogy book series written by Scott Westerfeld
• Midnighters (Organization), a fictional intelligence organization from Scott Lynch's book series The Gentleman Bastard Sequence