Dexys Midnight Runners - the name consistently spelled without an apostrophe - were a British Post-punk and Northern Soul band who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. The word "Dexys" in this case, comes from a colloquialism of "dextroamphetamine" or "purple hearts," a type of amphetamine diet pill that was a popular "upper" drug with England's Northern Soul scene in the 1960s.

Founded by former singer of the Killjoys, Kevin Rowland and guitarist Kevin "Al" Archer, in Birmingham (UK) 1978.