Mike ‘Dr Blue’

Now based in Wellington, originally from the UK, Mike has been singing and playing since his father put a guitar in his hands at the age of 4. It's been a long and varied road. From joining his classmates to record an album with The Spinners at EMI studios in Hyde Park in the 60's, to playing guitar with a folk group in the 70's, to setting up a country and rock duo in the 80's, with Dave 'Guitar' Piggott with whom he eventually formed a band, 'Dr Blue & The Prescription’. The band spent 10 years together, playing a variety of venues, including a residency at the iconic 'Ain't Nothing But...' in London's West End and touring a variety of festivals in the UK and Ireland.

In 2010, Mike wrote his first solo album, Heaven Bound. Featuring all original songs, the album was written together with Sameena Zehra, over a summer spent in Kashmir (India) with the sound of birdsong and gunfire all around. The album was released at Arch 1, London in 2011, and for the next couple of years, Mike toured it in the UK and Australia.

Mike has been the Musical Director on a number of projects, including the award winning 'Fiery Tongues' for which he composed and performed  music that backed the polemic poetry of Heathcote Williams. His composing and MD skills cover a wide variety of genres, including cabaret (Matt Roper, Adelaide Fringe), comedy (John Robertson, Edinburgh Fringe), children's cabaret (Monski Mouse's Baby Cabaret  Brighton, Edinburgh, South Bank, London). He also wrote and performed and show of storytelling and songs (Irish Jimmy, Edinburgh, Brighton, Dundee, Wellington). Most recently, he was MD for the award-nominated ‘Tea with Terrorists’ (Circa Theatre, National tour)

In 2018 Mike published his first chapbook of poetry, Sin, performing his poems at spoken word events including the Glastonbury Festival Poetry Tent. He was runner up in the 2019 Fringe Bar Poetry Slam in Wellington. Mike enjoys performing and collaborating in a variety of genres, and is thoroughly enjoying his newest discovery- playing live music alongside cabaret and burlesque performers. A new book of poetry is in the works, along with a theatrical adaptation of Irish Jimmy for 2025, to coincide with the 80th anniversary of WWII.