Music

One of my most favourite albums ever is The Day The Country Died, writes Sammy Jones... I was a little too young to be exposed to it when it first came out, but when I discovered it during the late 1980s, the influence of this gnarly punk produce was colossal. In 2024 it is still played here as frequently as it ever was. It’s a masterpiece on so many levels, and there were others; From The Cradle to the Grave was every bit as brilliant. The band responsible, anarcho-punks Subhumans are right up there when it comes to my most influential. Subhumans shaped my childhood, and were the antithesis of the sanitised pop my peers were listening to. Heck, I even centred one of my school drama projects around one of their songs! Culture Shock followed from the ashes of Subhumans, and their gigs at the still-missed Countapoint Club in..

Record Store Day is an annual event where independent record shops come together to celebrate people's love of music with limited releases. This year Record Store Day will be on Saturday 20th April and Off The Record, located in Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes has been selected to be part of this worldwide event. Off the Record is a specially curated shop by Willen Hospice, selling pre-loved and new vinyl records to raise funds for the charity. They will be celebrating the day by selling limited releases and live music in store. The centre will open at 6am if people want to arrive early and the shop will open from 8am. The shop will be managing the queue and admittance will be limited to ensure people have space to browse. Each customer will be allowed to buy one copy of each LP and a list of stock will be updated throughout..

Other meaty moments to savour at The Craufurd Arms this month include Pearl Handled Revolver (March 9) who play a double headliner with Emerald Dawn. PHR fans are in for a treat too, with the band ready to reveal tracks set to feature on their sixth album, which is in production just now. As the band succinctly says of its own path so far, ‘it charts a journey from the limits of primal blues, via unlikely liaisons between cult film scores and bare bones stoner rock, to blackened psychedelic soul music.’ With lots upcoming for the locals, you need to add pearlhandledrevolver.co.uk to your bookmarks and keep checking in for news on that upcoming release and future shows. The Emerald Down will bring lots to the live party at the Craufurd too – the multi-instrumentalist, symphonic progressive rock quartet combine elements from classical music, jazz and rock, delivering a decidedly..

Wolverton music venue The Craufurd Arms is used to giving its customers a big night out. But sometimes, the only thing to successfully follow a late night is a big cup of good coffee – and now the Wolverton-based venue is able to deliver that, too! The Green Room opened its doors this week, and is a new coffee shop catering for all. "We're really proud of the space we have created, and want to make this into a centre point for the community," said Craufurd co-owner Jason Hall, who runs the venue with Max Harvey, "Whether you are keen to find somewhere to host your mum and baby group, want to hold a meeting, fancy a coffee and natter with friends, want to enjoy a little bit of 'me time' or maybe you run your business remotely and fancy a change of scene. Whatever it is, we're here for..

Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) filled the pop charts with gargantuan tunes and soundtracked a generation with era-defining songs from Kylie, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan and a whole heap of others. Now that music is making its way to theatre stages with the world premiere of the SAW musical, I Should Be So Lucky. The upbeat delivery will bring some colourful cheer to the stage in Milton Keynes in early March. The worlds of theatre and music share many of the same disciplines, but it’s not necessarily an easy transition, as Pete Waterman found out. “This is a very different genre for us – musical theatre – it’s hard work, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life,” Pete told us, “My admiration for the cast is unbelievable. The hours they work and the detail they put in. “The last thing you want is the writers of the..

It’s bonkers to think that this year is the 20th anniversary of the closure of The Sanctuary, but a whopping reunion is planned for November 2 and ready to raise the roof at the Marshall Arena, writes Sammy Jones. The venue originally opened its doors back in 1991 and was the birthplace of the legendary Dreamscape raves. It became a hub for ravers who flocked to the new town from around the country to enjoy mammoth 12 hour sessions of sounds. Despite its warehouse persona The Sanctuary was a palace for ravers and shaped the electronic scene before it was razed to make way for the MK Dons stadium. The curtain came down on the venue on July 10, 2004 with a momentous last visit by Slammin Vinyl. Grant Smith, Slammin Vinyl director recalled the venue in the pages of Milton Keynes - Wired For Sound: “It wasn’t a corporate..

The magnificent Meryl Streek (Feb 24) was last at The Craufurd Arms a year or so ago, with an angry, articulate and awesome show, and it was clear from the intensity and quality of the material that the politically-outspoken avant garde punk chap was going to be a highlight of the year, even at that early stage. And so it proved to be. We came away that night clutching a vinyl copy of his superb debut album 796 which is as brilliant and real as it is challenging. The pr blurb calls it ‘an emotionally volatile and heart-wrenching collection of cutting edge punk that pushes genre boundaries while traversing extremely challenging political subject matter with aplomb and vitriol,’ and frankly, we can’t better that. Since his last visit to the new city, Meryl has been making friends and influencing people quicker than lies drop from politicians’ mouths. Exactly. He’s had..

When Wilson & Wakeman make their return to The Stables at Wavendon this January, they arrive armed with a new album; their third release, ‘Can We Leave The Light On Longer?’ hits shelves on January 12. Aside from Damian’s vocal and acoustic guitar abilities, and Adam showing light work on piano, Hammond organ and acoustic and electric guitars (and percussion) the release is also swelled by trumpet and an 18-strong choir. There is a very personal depth to the songs, Damian said. “The album is about how we are connected as human beings and what drives us to be alive. It tells tales of hopeful inspiring dreams and our fight to live and function, with the ultimate and inevitable loss we face through mortality.” For those not already acquainted with these Pulse regulars, Damian is a songwriter and singer who has put his name to more than 70 album releases,..

In October, The Libertines released Run Run Run, their first single for the best part of a decade, and they caused more excitement with the announcement of a new album – All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade will find its way into record collections in March. Speaking about the upcoming single, Carl Barât said: “It’s about being trapped, and trying to escape your dismal life, a bit like the man in Bukowski’s ‘Post Office’. The worst thing for The Libertines would be to get stuck in a ‘Run-run-run’ rut, constantly trying to relive our past.” As for the forthcoming album? “Our first record was born out of panic, and disbelief that we were actually allowed to be in a studio; the second was born of total strife and misery; the third was born of complexity; this one feels like we were all actually in the same place, at the same..

Quite often, a new year brings new resolutions, but at The Craufurd Arms, they ain’t bothering with any of that – instead, it’s business as usual at the venue, which means gigs galore. After all, if it ain’t broken, there’s nothing to fix, is there? Things get off to a flying start with the return of British Lion (Jan 5), the hard rock mob founded, and featuring, Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris. Of course it’s all sold out – the opportunity to see bassist Harris in a hot and sweaty club is too good an opportunity for fans not to take up. But, this is more than just an opportunity to gawp – British Lion play with an undisputed roar, and tunes? They’ve got lots of ‘em. The UK winter tour also features Tony Moore’s Awake in the special guest slot. “Tony was, of course, in Iron Maiden back in 1977..

Recognised as one of the founding fathers of the punk era, Eddie & The Hot Rods have been playing loud, fast, in your face Rock n Roll since the ‘70s. They preferred that attack rather than ‘bad mouthing the Queen or fermenting anarchy,’ and even without that middle finger in play they struck a chord – their single Do Anything You Wanna Do was eventually withdrawn by Island Records after sales of more than 475,000 kept it in the charts for the whole of the summer of ‘77. Punks loved their attitude and energy, and everyone else was smitten by their RnB, rock and blues components. The loss of frontman Barrie Masters shortly before the pandemic was tragic, but fan support helped the band reach the decision to continue, with Ian Dean now at the mic. The band even released a new album this year; Guardians of the Legacy is..

The Craufurd Arms is bonkers busy this November. Pulse’s Sammy Jones explores the monthly calendar... Bournemouth hard rock mob South of Salem visit the new city (Nov 1) as part of their Samhain Supernova tour, kickstarting a monstrously busy month for the venue. It’s SoS’s first headline stint, and support will come from She Burns Red. The Professionals (Nov 2) made their debut at the end of the ‘70s, formed by Paul Cook and Steve Jones following the end of the band that changed a generation, the Sex Pistols. Three years later and The Professionals were over too, and it would be 2015 before their resurrection. The band released its first new material in 2017, on an album which had key players queuing up to take part; Billy Duffy, Mick Jones, Duff McKagan and Phil Collen all left their mark on that release. A second studio album, SNAFU, followed in..

Damian Lewis is one of our best loved actors, but his current role sees him stepping out of the screen and onto the musical stage, as he realises a long held dream. He will be playing at The Stables at Wavendon on Monday 6th November. For tickets visit stables.org As he prepares to visit the new city, he talks with Pulse’s Sammy Jones about swapping acting for truthful sounds... The album, Mission Creep, was released to glowing reviews earlier this year. ‘It’s an album that is real and warm and moody,’ I say. “That’s nice, good... that is what we were hoping it would sound like,” Damian says, “I definitely wanted it to have that quite present feel – that you feel you are in the room with us. “We recorded on tape, we didn’t do it digitally, and I think a lot of those takes are actually live takes..

News has broken that Take That will be heading to our hometown, Stadium MK, on Thursday 30th May as part of their 2024 tour. "This Life on Tour" will see Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald head to Milton Keynes as they play 29 dates across 15 cities. The band will also be joined by special guest Olly Murs. Take That originally formed in 1990 and have since received huge success across the world. They became a sensation with their second album, "Everything Changes" (1993), which included hit singles like "Pray," "Relight My Fire," and "Babe." The album went on to become a chart-topper in the UK and propelled the band to international fame. The band have been dropping teasers and hints over the past week by projecting their logo onto stadiums, and fans have been speculating whether a tour was on the cards. Tickets for their 2024 tour..

The innovative music concept store moves to a larger premise in Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes, offering music lovers a wider range of pre-loved vinyl and memorabilia, all in aid of a noble cause. After a successful stint at The Point, 'Off The Record' ushered in its first patrons at the expanded location in Midsummer Place this weekend. A haven for music aficionados, the store showcases an eclectic mix of affordably priced, second-hand vinyl records, instruments, collectibles, and other music-related treasures. This relocation not only presents a refreshing new aesthetic for the store but also positions it in a prime spot, making it more accessible to the Milton Keynes music community. Beyond its retail offerings, the store's central mission remains: to raise crucial funds for Willen Hospice. Profits from sales will directly contribute to the specialised palliative care that the hospice offers to local families. With this move, the charity envisions..