About Us

How It Started

As Dark Blues bandleader Nigel Tully arrived at Oxford University in the early 1960s with an electric guitar and praying at the altar of rock ‘n’ roll, he quickly realised that it might have been a bad call. Jazz was the order of the day at Oxford at the time and rock music was seen as inferior and too aggressive.

Then, to the chagrin of the jazz fans but the delight of Nigel Tully, The Beatles burst onto the scene and the musical landscape changed forever. Nigel can point to one night in particular that in effect launched a performing career that has spanned fifty years – singing hits from The Beatles and Buddy Holly, he was giving a jazz band a drinks break during a summer party in 1962 and the organisers told the jazz band not to come back on stage!

That was it. He formed a band and slowly found musicians who shared his musical tastes and visions for what a party band should be and by late 1963/early 1964 the Dark Blues were the top party band in Oxford. They played venues ranging from grimy student digs to palatial stately homes and during these halcyon days, the Dark Blues shared stages with the legends of the British music scene including The Hollies, The Who, Manfred Mann and Deep Purple.

Over the past five decades, the Dark Blues have played for the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle and countless balls and events at some of the finest hotels, stately and private homes around the world and have done so with one raison d’être –

“We are there to make sure that our clients’ parties are wonderful, that guests have a great time, and that everyone goes home saying ‘what a great band’”

Vision

As bandleader, Nigel Tully believes in a flat hierarchy when it comes to choosing new material, wardrobe, rehearsals and feedback but on-stage, Nigel is the master of his domain. Notwithstanding his responsibilities for sound quality, balance and volume, he doesn’t believe in a set list. It forms a barrier between audience and band and it takes away Nigel’s ‘sixth sense’ for anticipating the energy in the room and reacting on instinct. A skill set that has been honed, refined and perfected over fifty years.

“It’s disrespectful to the audience to decide in advance what they are going to want to hear, and not very conducive in creating a great party atmosphere. It’s much better to be constantly watching & gauging the audience and creating a party feeling requires instant sensitivity and reaction to the way everybody is feeling”

The Dark Blues are the ultimate party band and their motivations are the same today as they were in the early days struggling around Oxford with an electric guitar and a dream – to make people want to get up and dance, to keep the dance floor full and to create a happy carefree atmosphere for events of all types and sizes.

“The outcome I care about is a wonderful party where music and dancing were fundamental to its success”