MUSIC

There’s a bumper amount of good stuff in the Keynes in the coming month. Sammy Jones takes you through the gigs and releases to look out for...

Stray man Del is finally brought to book!

Stray will make their return to The Stables at Wavendon on November 11.

Never ones to short-change fans, this show will give you even more in exchange for your rock n’ roll dollar – and we’re all looking for a little extra during these lean times, aren’t we?

“We are the playing the whole show with no support act,” frontman Del Bromham said, and while the finer details have yet to be nailed down, Del promises you, “A trip down memory lane of songs stretching back to the first album and right up to date with some brand new songs from the as yet unreleased new album.

“We hope to play something old, something new, something borrowed and something blues,” he quipped to Pulse Music.

Del’s much anticipated autobiography, Rock And Roll Survivor is also set for release the same day and Del will be signing copies at the gig – so remember to take your crinkly bits of paper along to exchange for a copy of that too.

Rock And Roll Survivor will be out through Wymer Publishing, and knowing Del like we do, it will be full of awesome anecdotes.

It’ll be the perfect Crimbo stocking filler for music fans everywhere.

> Pre-order your copy by emailing shop@wymeruk.co.uk or call 01234 326691 Tickets for Del Bromham & Stray can be booked at stables.org

Del Bromham, pic: Lee Scriven

Sabbath Jazzy Sabbath

If only Black Sabbath had jazzed up their music-making, then they would sound like this lot – seriously.

Jazz Sabbath play instrumental interpretations of the songs made famous by metal behemoths Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward.

The trio say they ‘explore the boundaries between jazz and the songs that defined heavy metal,’ and there’s no arguing with that.

But if you’ve seen their documentary, you’ll know already that Jazz Sabbath say they formed in 1968 and are responsible for that gargantuan body of work that Brummie’s finest later found fame with. Could it be?!

Strangely, Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne have both utilised the talents of Adam Wakeman, and he is the one steering this music-making ship, going by his real name of Milton Keanes.

The pianist and composer told Pulse Music about three of the tracks that will definitely be on the setlist when Jazz Sabbath bring the goods to The Stables at Wavendon, on Thursday, November 24.

“We’re finally back out on the road, the first shows since 1969 playing our instrumental jazz classics like Iron Man, written about Derek the Ironing Man, Paranoid, the original nine minute version, and Changes, written about the frustration of all the loose change you end up with after travelling between separate countries.”

> Check more at jazzsabbath.net Tickets for the Milton Keynes show are available at stables.org

Solstice bring bright times to dark months

When Solstice issued their sixth album Sia, in 2020, it changed plenty for the folk-neo prog collective – co-founder Andy Glass is the first to admit as much.

“Sia was the turning point for Solstice,” he said, “Singer Jess Holland walked into the studio and produced the key to unlock the potential I always knew was there.

“After 40 years the moment arrived – I saw what could be, and the value in every single year that led to that point,” he added.

Fans and critics agreed; the album was lovingly received by both. In 2021 they escaped the shackles of covid lockdowns and went live again, and those fans were there to greet them, with a series of lively, well attended shows serving as a nice precursor for some serious festival successes this summer.

“Sia has taken us from a band playing a few gigs a year to a summer packed with festivals, the opportunity to work and just be, with a group of people I love,” Andy said.

On November 6, Solstice follow-up Sia with Light Up, their seventh album.

The production of this new elpee was realised thanks to a Crowdfunding campaign which took just days to hit its target.

Solstice drummer Peter Hemsley will also deliver a solo performance, and Composting, a garden jazz band, will take root to open the event, which is being held in support of Willen Hospice.

> Tickets for the Light Up Festival are on sale at £30. Tickets for the Q&A are an additional £5. Visit solsticeprog.uk to get mitts on tickets.

“With Light Up, there was no plan other than to harness the self-belief that’s grown with the success of Sia and the shows that followed. There’s a groundswell of joyous energy in and around the band and my hope is that Light Up will only help that feeling grow.”

Solstice are holding a mini-festival on home soil, at MK11 in Kiln Farm, on the day of release.

The nine-hour super session will begin at midday, and also features The Blackheart Orchestra (their new album Hotel Utopia is out now) and Ebony Buckle, who is herself now a member of Solstice.

Prog Magazine writer Martin Kielty will host a Q&A with the band and unleash his Boozer Cruiser alter-ego for a poetry performance.

“I’ve seen first-hand the positive energy that appears at every show Solstice play,” Martin said, “To actually hit the stage as part of their festival show is nothing less than some kind of magical circle completing, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of the day.” Solstice pics: Vincenzo Nicolello Photography

MK11 visit for Mondays man Shaun

Alittle reminder that Shaun Ryder will be in conversation at MK11 on November 20.

The rescheduled show follows the 2021 release of his second album Visits From Future Technology, and is your chance to catch the Happy Mondays main man uncensored... isn’t he always?!.

Read our exclusive interview on pages 18 to 20.

> To book tickets visit mk11kilnfarm.com

He could be wrong, he could be Wright

Terrorvision frontman Tony Wright

Tony Wright, frontman with Northern rock mob Terrorvision, has just released his new solo LP, The Anti Album. Now he’s out on a 19-date tour in support of the disc, which sees him swing by The Craufurd Arms on November 3.

The album has been described as the perfect manifestation of Tony’s ‘immutable wit, sadness, quiet anger and charm,’ and recent single Dreaming I’m In Love is a case in point.

“It’s a love song about someone who is only in love when they’re asleep and always wake up disappointed when they open their eyes and reality bites,” Tony said, “It’s open and honest and played extra simply with just a guitar and a vocal to try and lend that vulnerability to the subject in the song.

“As with most songs, I’m trying to tap into those emotions that we all know but some may feel too awkward to talk about,” he added.

Having done their business, so to speak, in Germany and Switzerland, Skinny Lister returns home with a live run to see out the year, and they are heading our way.

The shows, in support of their current release A Matter of Life & Love, will bring them back to The Craufurd Arms on November 24.

That release, which made its way into record collections late last year, has been described by the band as, ‘The distillation of everything that has seen the world fall for Skinny Lister’s charms. It swings from ska to rock, to folk-punk and traditional shanties over the course of its 12 eclectic tracks and pulses with blood, sweat and cheers.’

The album is also the first that the band has mixed and produced by themselves.

Joining the Skinnies for this show will be Deux Furieuses who issue their new studio album, Songs From Planet Earth, this month.

This new 10 track slab of defiant punk/rock is their third full-length delivery. Deux Furieuses – vocalist and guitarist Ros Cairney and drummer Vas Antonaidou – say the release ‘touches on the maelstrom of socio-political issues that continue to dominate the UK, from widespread inequality to the ongoing outcomes of the pandemic to gender politics; while taking

Pic: Drew Roxanne

Skinny Lister (above left), Tom Jenkins (above right) and Deux Furieuses (left) are at The Craufurd Arms on November 24

unflinching aim at a government completely incompetent to deal with them.’ Tom Jenkins will open the show. His new album, It Comes in the Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky, will be released the day following this show.

He has already teased the album with single releases, including the most recent delivery Be There For You, which expertly blended country-tinged melodies with jangling indie-rock guitars.

Get set for a thunderous Thursday night at The Craufurd.

> Visit thecraufurdarms.com for tickets.

Calls for a Ceilidh adventure

The Cock & Bull Band return to Milton Keynes Gallery this month – you can catch the collective when they deliver another ceilidh adventure live in The Sky Room on November 19.

The band, who took their name from two of the pubs in their hometown of Stony Stratford (you should know that much already), made friends early into their career for their unusual Anglo-French traditional tunes.

Indeed, first album All Buttoned Up made it to the top of the folk chart in the now defunct Melody Maker, back when that weekly paper was a bible for music fans.

As you might expect, line-ups have changed over the decades, and so too has the music technology enabling their sounds. Traditional instruments now work in sync with cutting edge technology – a MacBook now joins them on stage, creating their signature loops and grooves that fans expect.

One thing the band refuses to compromise on though, is their ability to tempt the ear, ‘while igniting the inner dancing spirit,’ as they deliver original tunes and rework traditional numbers, covering them in a unique groove that you will want to be a part of.

“Covid and the lockdowns forced us into hibernation, for whilst we were still making music, ceilidh dancing was seen as a super-spreader so all dances were off,” said Pete Lockwood, “So this year it has been fantastic to be back playing ceilidhs and festivals during the summer. There is an even greater intensity to our performances and also from the dancers recognising that we are finally back doing what at one time we thought was possibly lost for the foreseeable future.

“Playing our music is always a wonderful experience and it adds an extra dimension

The Cock & Bull Band play in The Sky Room at MK Gallery on November 19

when you see a hall full of people dancing in such a responsive and enthusiastic way and lifts you to a higher level,” Pete added, “It’s so good to be back.”

> Barry Goodman will be the caller at the show, and tickets, at £10, are on sale now through mkgallery.org