Blue Nile singer in slow flow

Paul Buchanan released four albums in 30 years with his band. Now he has finally put out Mid Air, his first solo effort, says Ed Power

PAUL Buchanan was terrified. “I was booked to appear on Jools Holland and all I could think was that I’d forget the words to the song,” says the downbeat Scottish singer. “Before my performance, I sat there, watching the other acts. I could almost feel the lyrics leaving my head. It was pretty scary.”

His worries were in vain. With Holland on piano, Buchanan breezed through the title track from his new solo album, Mid Air. It was bleak, beautiful and wondrous: a haiku of melancholy gift-wrapped in gorgeous melodies.