Music

The chance to indulge in a little local heavy nostalgia presents itself at The Craufurd Arms on September 7, and you’ll be swelling the coffers for a deserving charity by taking a ticket. Seethe, Crossburner and Keeper of the Rifle are coming together to raise money for the National Gaucher Foundation. Seethe’s Matt Downes is behind this event, and it is a cause close to his heart; he lost his niece to the condition. “Gaucher’s disease is a rare genetic disorder where the body is missing an enzyme that breaks down fatty substances called lipids, and as a result, severely lowers your life expectancy,” Matt said, “‘The disorder generally begins during childhood or adolescence, but can also affect adults.” The timing of this reunion show is important too – poignantly, Matt’s niece would have recently celebrated her 21st birthday. “Getting back together with the Seethe and Keeper of the Rifle..

Hard rock trio Torus will unleash their self-titled debut album on September 13. The much-anticipated twelve track opus has delivered on the promise they’ve been showing for the past couple of years, and the band is beyond excited that the big drop is imminent. “We’ve been through a lot as a band during the period around writing this album but working through those things is what’s made us the band of brothers we wanted to be the whole time. We came out of it with an album we all love and would be happy touring the rest of our lives if you told us we had to!” frontman Alfie Glass said, “We can’t wait for everyone to hear it! “The album is a rollercoaster of emotions and struggles from a year which had many ups and downs and the mental battle of trying to work it all out whilst feeling..

We’ve lost count of the number of musicians we’ve spoken with, only to discover they don’t really have much to say. Blag Dahlia, founder of Californian-based rock legends The Dwarves isn’t one of them, as Sammy Jones discovered... We could have filled a whole Pulse music section with Blag’s thoughts – everything from self-care (“you have to monitor yourself constantly for anger, jealousy, sadness – these are the things that kill us”) to his many epiphanies – the last one developed into his solo Introducing Ralph Champagne record, which pushed a different musical agenda; one where outlaw country and trucker ballads found a home through his retro crooner alter ego. But we’re here to discuss The Dwarves, and there’s plenty to natter about – starting with the brilliantly hooky Concept Album, which hit the racks last year. It boasted 20 songs that very much ran the gamut of musical styles...

Towersey Festival What is it: The festival for all ages – from children to grandparents. It’s all about reconnection; with music, dance, arts and culture and reconnecting with yourself, “as you escape everyday life at a festival that’s little enough to feel a big part of,” say organisers. Who’s on: Billy Bragg, The Staves, Oysterband, Seth Lakeman and The London Gospel Choir are among 100 artists set to perform over four days at the Claydon Estate in Buckingham. Music aside, you can engage with creative experiences, wellbeing and mindfulness events, dance classes, music and song workshops, guided walks, comedy and even axe throwing and archery! When: Friday, August 23 - Monday, August 26 And another thing: This year is the 60th festival giving cause for celebration, but it is also the last. Sad times. ‘We have faced too many forces outside of our control which have made it increasingly difficult..

Milton Keynes-based singer-songwriter Jon Kendall will be sounding out at the HMV store in Centre:MK on July 6. Jon will play a full hour long set from 2pm, delivering a mix of original songs and his own take on a few covers that will be familiar to all. Jon has been collaborating with singer Helen Dangerfield on a number of tracks and she will be joining the live set to showcase the developing project they are working on. Aside from the HMV date – which is free to attend – Jon is keeping busy songwriting for others, including the gospel artist Emmanuel Smith, who he joined on stage at the Indigo 02 just days ago. There’s plenty going on in Jon’s musical world, and this summer will see him graduate as a Masters in Songwriting with ICMP London. Keep up with gig news and developments at jonkendallmusic.co.uk

Love with Johnny Echols call in at Wavendon venue The Stables as part of their annual tour, and they will be keeping the music – and the memory of frontman Arthur Lee – alive by delivering classics from the albums Love, Da Capo, Four Sail and Forever Changes. Love formed in the mid-1960s in Los Angeles, and their exemplary catalogue of work still sounds as fresh as the day it was originally cut loose. Love co-founder and guitarist Johnny will be joined by Lee’s longest serving band, Baby Lemonade for the show. A cracking set of musicians with the songs to match. What will be on the setlist when they visit? Johnny took the time to share five tracks that will definitely air at the show. Orange Skies was originally a kind of show tune written by Bryan Maclean, though his version was much different than the record. After several..

When the news broke that Milton Keynes had lost one of its dance music innovators, it was a blow not just to his many friends, family and collaborators, but also to the scene he had been active in for so long. Spatts, aka Ian Allen, one of lauded hip hop mob The Criminal Minds, passed away on December 30, 2023. His passing was unexpected, and he was taken too soon. It’s perhaps not surprising that his friends have responded to the devastation in the most obvious of ways – with music, and lots of it. “We first met at one of my Gauge gigs at The Pitz alongside Tuesday Strange and Able Mesh,” recalled Craig White, who became a friend and longtime collaborator of Spatts, “I was coming to the end of this industrial tinged project with Magic Alec, and Spatts stepped in and did a remix for us -..

Graham Hulbert is a familiar face on the Milton Keynes music scene; fans of the hard-hitting and alternative will know him most recently as the frontman with Our Man in the Bronze Age, and Broken Castles. When not delivering the musical drama with them, he has discovered another way to get his kicks – exploring with the new solo project, Renormaliser. “It started life as me just noodling around in my basement with no real focus or goal, making new sounds, learning new instruments and doing whatever came to mind,” Graham told Pulse Music. And with no creative restraint he didn’t know where it would go: “It was strange being creatively free to do anything I felt like but I also needed to self assess and then confront notions of what is subjectively ‘good’. I enjoyed the idea of a lack of restraint but at the same time wanted to..

Following an extensive search, The Stables in Milton Keynes is delighted to announce the appointment of David Meadowcroft as its new Chair. David is a senior business leader in the facilities and technology sector and is currently Global Alliance Director (Facilities Management) with CBRE.  He has also played a leading role in the local community, recently stepping down from the board of governors at Milton Keynes College after nine years, seven of those as Chair, where he helped to steer the organisation through a period of growth, including the development of the Institute of Technology and the new Business College. He is a passionate advocate for music, the arts and education and is looking forward to taking up his position formally in June. David said: “Live music has shaped some of my most powerful memories. Witnessing the energy and inspiration that the arts can spark in people is truly impactful...

What happens when you are given the privilege of delivering a video for one of the most iconic songs ever written? Luke McDonnell and Dan Gibling, directors of Stony Stratford-based Chiba Film, told Pulse’s Sammy Jones. Some songs are simply so big that they outgrow the genre in which they are seated. Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water is one of those songs. The opening riff is instantly recognisable, and the track has a chorus to match. It’s a rock belter considered one of the best tracks of all time – hardly surprising then that it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017. More than 50 years since its release and the band has just issued its first video for Smoke on the Water. Chiba Film were tasked with delivering a visual treat to match the sounds. “As custodians of the visuals for one of the greatest..

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..