Celebrated British guitarist and singer songwriter, Ben Poole, is pleased to announce his upbeat new single ‘Time Has No Mercy‘ released on Friday August 28th via Gypsy Soul Records. The single is available on all streaming platforms – here.
‘Time Has No Mercy‘ is the explosive third single from Poole’s highly anticipated new album ‘Post-Midnight Behaviour‘ — his first studio album of brand-new material in eight years. Following 2018’s acclaimed ‘Anytime You Need Me‘ (review here), the forthcoming album finds Poole pushing beyond his blues rock roots into bold new territory, igniting his signature guitar fire with darker grooves, cinematic atmosphere, and a powerful late-night intensity.
Released by Gypsy Soul Records on Friday September 25th, 2026, the new album is available to pre-order on CD and vinyl here and to pre-save digitally here.
“‘Time Has No Mercy’ was one of the last songs that we wrote for the album,” says Poole. “The idea was to react against what we had written to this point. We had been working up a few emotionally darker, heavier tracks and the idea with ‘Time Has No Mercy’ was to write something lighter and more upbeat.”
“It’s an empowering song, rather than a brooding or melancholic thing which we had just drowned ourselves in for the previous few weeks’ worth of writing. The whole idea came from the riff which is at the very end of the song now. It’s funny how that happens sometimes. The spark for the whole song came from a tiny outro section.”
“It’s a little more of a punk rock approach than I would normally take, with a lot of down strummed power chords in the choruses. I was slightly worried about drifting too far away from my style. In the end, once all was said and done, I added some lead guitar, some intertwining rhythm guitar parts and my vocals. I think the result is it still feels familiar enough to sit on the album. It’s a breath of fresh air and a light departure that follows on from the previous singles ‘No Second Chances’ and ‘Empty’.”
Pushing boldly beyond familiar blues-rock territory, Poole unveils a richer, more atmospheric sound, where late-night grooves, subtle rock dynamics, and sky-bright hooks collide with effortless confidence. Expressive, cinematic, and instantly memorable, the track draws the listener deep into the world of ‘Post-Midnight Behaviour‘ without ever losing its cool, understated power.
“I wanted this album to capture just how far I’ve come as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter,” says Poole. “After years of playing more than 150 shows annually across over 20 countries, everything has grown — my guitar style, my technique, my voice, and the way I hear music. ‘Post-Midnight Behaviour‘ is the sound of all those experiences coming together. It moves through Blues, Rock, Soul, Country, and Alternative Rock, but with a darker, late-night energy running through it. I still get to unleash the guitar, but this time it sits inside something more atmospheric, more reflective, and more emotionally charged. That after-hours mood is what inspired the album title.”
“In recent years I’ve released a few live albums, which are great snapshots of a specific moment in time,” adds Poole. “With this new studio album, I wanted to go much further. I took my time to make sure every detail was fully realized — the songs, the sounds, the arrangements, the performances, everything. My writing team and I pushed ourselves harder than ever, digging deep to make the song writing as strong, sharp, and emotionally powerful as it could be. I honestly believe fans are going to feel that energy the moment they hear it. It has been well worth the wait.”
Track List:
- No Second Chances (5:42)
- Empty (5:57)
- Time Has No Mercy (3:36)
- Living On Repeat (Buried in the Background) (4:13)
- Summer Haze (4:40)
- Runaway Souls – featuring Elles Bailey (4:22)
- Searching (5:30)
- Nothing To You (3:50)
- Start Of The End (5:26)
- Runaway Souls – featuring Elles Bailey (Radio Version) (4:12)
Production Credits:
Produced by Wayne Proctor, Oli Brown and Ben Poole
Recorded at House of Tone Mix Suite & Superfly Studios, Nottinghamshire, UK
Mixed and mastered by Wayne Proctor at House of Tone Mix Suite, UK
“Runaway Souls” (Radio Version) mixed & edited by Ross Hayes-Citrullo at RHC Music, Toronto, Canada
All songs co-written by Ben Poole, Oli Brown, Wayne Proctor, and Steve Amadeo
Line-up:
Ben Poole – Guitars, Vocals
Wayne Proctor – Drums
Oli Brown – Backing Vocals, Moog
Steve Amadeo – Bass
Bennett Holland – Hammond Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes
Elles Bailey – Guest vocals on ‘Runaway Souls’
Album Track By Track
1. No Second Chances
A dark, layered opener that sets the tone for the album. Driven by power chords and raw emotion, it follows a man walking away from a relationship that cannot be saved.
“I’ve tried to understand what you’re searching for.
While caught in the battleground of your internal war.”
It builds steadily to one of Ben’s signature guitar solos.
2. Empty
Subtle and sultry, this groove creates an evocative backdrop for a man confronting emptiness and fading memory. From that sense of helplessness comes a striking chorus.
“Dive into the deep unknown.
Here I go again, falling further out of the view.
Shadows that I hide within.
Here I go again, forever caught in the black and the blue.”
It rises to another of Ben’s melodic, standout guitar solos.
3. Time Has No Mercy
Hard-edged and urgent, this track is about seizing the moment, believing in yourself, and proving your worth.
“There’s no need to take the easy way out.
Head back into the fire again.
Stand tall and kick back.
Time has no mercy for you.”
It’s the kind of song made for long overnight drives on empty roads when you’re racing toward whatever waits ahead.
4. Living ON Repeat (Buried In The Background)
It opens with dark, fuzzy bass and surges forward on jagged, heavy guitar riffs. The song becomes a metaphor for breaking chains, resisting inertia, and forcing a way out.
“I cut and cauterize to see if I can feel this.
I’ll count the days till I’m no longer displaced.
I don’t want this taking over I’m done drifting.”
Fragmented and unsettling, it rejects a clear verse-chorus structure in favour of a single driving impulse: to escape and survive.
5. Summer Haze
With shimmering pop textures and bright, glinting guitars, Summer Haze initially feels light and carefree. But beneath the surface, it tells a wistful story of fleeting love reduced to memory.
“The sun’s gone down, the tide is out.
It’s all lost in the summer haze where I once knew you.”
6. Runaway Souls (Featuring Elles Bailey)
Elles Bailey delivers a guest vocal that is the very definition of rock and soul. Over a backdrop of driving guitars and thunderous drums, she sings of leaving it all behind, chasing something greater, and living without regret.
“We won’t be told we’re good for nothing.
We’re gonna be long gone.
This town won’t swallow us whole.
Kick up the dust, we’re runaway souls.”
As ever, Bailey is full of surprises and utterly uncompromising. A phenomenal performance.
7. Searching
It’s 4 a.m. and sleep is a distant prospect. Few songs capture those lonely, restless hours better than this melodic, languid, and beautifully understated piece of rock. Beneath its laid-back groove lies an existential reflection on the pull of the past and the uncertainty of the road ahead.
“We’ve been searching for a way out of everything that’s come before.
I know we can’t keep holding on to nothing.
We have to believe there’s something more.”
At its heart, this is a song about hope and finding the courage to keep moving forward when the destination remains unclear. You may never find exactly what you’re searching for, but you’ll be changed for the better by the journey itself. Thoughtful, poignant, and deeply affecting.
8. Nothing To You
For those about to rock around the clock, we salute you. This irresistible slab of groove-laden rock, driven by a snaking guitar line and an infectious rhythm, is the perfect companion for the small hours when fatigue is setting in but sleep remains out of reach. Yet beneath the swagger lies a tale of longing and frustration; of wanting something that remains stubbornly unattainable.
“Keep refusing, I’m reaching the end here.
However I try, can’t keep giving it all when I’m still nothing to you.”
The object of desire may mean nothing to the singer in the end, but this song could mean everything to anyone looking for a soundtrack to those long, lonely hours. Effortlessly cool, relentlessly catchy, and impossible to resist.
9. Start OF The End
“Hijacked maniacs, emotional amnesiacs.
I see the cracks tearing our lives apart again.
It’s time to face whatever we’ve been running from.”
A desperate cry from the point of no return. Yet for all its darkness, this is a song of monumental uplift and renewal. Emerging from the wreckage of regret and denial, it embraces the moment when the first light finally breaks after a long night of the soul.
As the sun rises, pure melody and power-anthem guitars provide the perfect accompaniment, transforming despair into defiance and uncertainty into hope. And then comes that chorus—soaring, life-affirming, and utterly irresistible. What a way to greet the solar miracle that has captivated humankind since the dawn of time. Exhilarating, redemptive, and unforgettable.
Ben Poole Uk Tour 2026
Tickets availble from – here
Kinross, The Green Hotel
Saturday October 31st
Tickets
Glasgow, Nice ‘N’ Sleazys
Sunday November 1st
Tickets
Newcastle, The Cluny
Monday November 2nd
Tickets
Coulsdon, The Tuesday Night Music Club
Tuesday November 3rd
Tickets
Oxford, The Bullingdon
Wednesday, November 4th
Tickets
Frome, Tree House
Thursday November 5th
Tickets
Swansea, Sin City
Friday November 6th
Tickets
Winchester, The Railway Inn
Saturday November 7
Tickets
Brighton, Komedia
Sunday November 8th
Tickets
Tunbridge Wells, The Forum
Wednesday November 11th
Tickets
London, Half Moon Putney
Thursday November 12th
Tickets
Luton, Bear Club
Friday November 13th
Tickets
Barnoldswick, Music and Arts Centre
Sunday November 15th
Tickets
Leicester, The International
Tuesday November 17th
Tickets
Camberley, Login Lounge
Wednesday November 18th
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Chester, The Live Rooms
Thursday November 19th
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Dudley, Lamp Tavern Live
Friday November 20th
Tickets
Leamington Spa, Temperance
Saturday November 21st
Tickets
About Ben Poole:
Ben Poole is an internationally acclaimed force in blues rock. Recognised by multiple publications as one of the world’s leading blues guitarists, he has been cited by Guitar World alongside artists including Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Joe Bonamassa.
He has also been named among the world’s top 15 blues guitarists by Total Guitar and Music Radar.
Ben has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines and earned praise from guitar greats including Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Richie Kotzen, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Philip Sayce. He is widely regarded as one of the standout artists on the international blues-rock circuit.
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