The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire*

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• boots
• virgin mega stores is pretty good got alot of selection but make sure u go up staires if you have a taste of the heavyer stuff
• hmv got a lot of hip-hop and some real rap too.
• Fish Music in Wolverton for cheap second hand bargains, i.e under 7 quid. It's on the High Street.
• HMV VIRGIN (NOT ME)
• The Dirty Needle phat records nuff said big up garron t,stevie 1DA,chemical warfare crew,ftp,convey
• spin a disc in northampton
• Ref to Paul Sams in Stony Stratford, He went out of business a long time ago so could'nt of been that great. Although he did stop us from selling most of our vinyl to him when we were skint!! Thanks Paul, tend to go to HMV for biggest selection now.
• Virgin megastores is the best place to go for a great variety of music, they pretty much stock everything, and the staff are actually nice to you, unlike in HMV. There are also place to sit down (always a good sign of a music shop)and an internet bit...havn't been on it so i wudn't know how good it is, the staff also had no problem wiv me going around the shop on my board, nice guys them.
• hmv will loof afetr you, even if youre a barry white fan!
• Virgin, Our Price went ages ago. Hopefully the Riverside development will add some more.
• HMV Virgin and a really good 1 in Stoney Stratford.
• HMV and Virgin are great places to buy music, they more or less have everything for everyone.
• Phat Trax- wolverton, Vibe records Bletchley and HMV are no doubt the best in M.K. Al the baggin toonz can be found
• Chappells, in the Shopping Centre stock the largest selection of classical CDs, they are usually the cheapest compared to other shops in the Centre (and if they aren't, they have a price promise to match prices advertised elswhere). They also have backing tracks (Karaoke) and loads of printed music.
• There's an independent record shop located in the high street of Bletchley.
• Be wary of 'Paul Sams Music and Video' in Stony Stratford shop as he rips you off and never has anything good in. Typical conversation: "Paul, have you got --------?" "If you'd only have come in two minutes ago, I had four copies in, someone came in and bought the lot"
• Revolution is a Japanese mail-order place in Milton Keynes, don't know exactly where it is though - I have ordered from there before however!
• The standard Our Price, and a spanking new HMV has recently opened up down the west end of the shopping centre.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• Shout, Sabotage (bus station) CMK
• On the Sabotage front I think thats a bit of overkill ;-) I promote the night and can vouch that the DJ's have played everything from prokoviev via the flaming lips all the way through to Orange Goblin. If you want to get hold of me my e-mail is scotty@sabotageme.co.uk. As for cliquey I chat to anyone who talks to me and I can't think of many other venues that let the clubbers have DJ spots. Also we've just paid £2000 out of our own money to put local live bands on :-) (starting June 1st), as for Indie kids they get everywhere.. we've tried enforcing smiling at the club but it doesn't change them ;-)
• DONT GO TO sabotage held on a monday at SHOUT! im milton keynes by the train station!!! seriously its filled with wannabe indie kids. The DJs are utter shite!! and the birds who go are all fucking ugly!! If you want to somewhere that plays alternative music DONT come to milton keyens there is no scene here apart from the one run by cliquey self obsessed Sabotage crowed who dont like outsiders. And think fucking Green day ia alternative!!!!
• Mood - this place has very aggressive bouncers so make sure you drink up before it shuts at 2am! Otherwise they'll remove your drink and throw you out. Drinking up time or not.
• Bar Central - everything from indie (The Smiths through to the Strokes) to Nu-Metal, to rock, sixties stuff and pop and dance.
• YATES, OCEANA, MOOD theyr all good
• The Empire, Flamingo's, Oceana hav a remarkably young patrons as do the Empire!
• chemical warfare raves 07855626569 ring at about 11 o clock to 12pm phat raves drum and bass techno and hard house all night
• the empire
• don't knock glof clubs we go up the driving range sometimes its a laugh not to seroius but music wise the pitz if your under age and bar centrel if your over
• Oceana - simply the best place to dance for miles around! a whole variety of rooms, however the Disco room is superb!
• Oceana
• chicagos has got real great its got deals now friday its a tenner to get in and drinks are free 14 quid on fridays and 16 quid on sats music is excellent and suits all ages. the empire has now shut down.
• oceania
• Jumpin Jak's is fantastic, if a little expensive on Fri's and Sats. Sunday nights when it's a £ a drink are cool ,especially when Club 18-30 are in town. Ethos and Visage on a Thursday night, you can't go wrong.
• Oceana a new club opened in 2002 really nice place lots of dance floors lots of bars lots of seating lots of high quality girls, its a nice place over 21 except monday and thursday. the bouncers are quite friendly and polite to which always takes me by suprise. The only problem theres about 60% guys on a good day and the pint glasses tend to run out
• Changes as of 11/05/02: 1) Bletchley night club is now a gay and lesbian estabishment. 2) Zaks is now located downstairs @ the Vic following refurbishment (200+ capacity). 3) Oceana @ Ski Slope boasts 7 rooms (2,000+ capacity). 4) Thirteen promotions in MK offer alternative late night to Friday nights @ Bar Central, regular events usually held on a Thursday @ Zaks in Wolverton.
• Empire --- awful horrible place, you are never sure if the girl is 15 or 14. thats on the over 21's night!!
• Check out Bar Med [Midsummer Blvd] on Saturdays, rammed every week, with the Lashkateers spinning the best in UK Garage and RnB, guest MC Glimma from Radio 1's Dreem Teem. Join the mailing list at lashkateers.co.uk!
• The clubs around the MK are great, there is alot of variety for al ages.
• Chicago rock cafe plays amixture of 60's 70's and 80' music and usually has some sort of special drink offer on a friday night.
• The Empire now has Ultra Vegas every Friday night until End of December!!! Spice room (upstarirs Empire) has Casino every Friday nigth aswell. (Ultra Vegas- house/trance, Casino - garage) If Empire is too packed go to Toad, which will be nearly as busy - but sometimes has Ministry of Sound DJs.
• Clubs are a bit crap round here. Empire's the only real club but that has not changed at all since it were put there. If you go before 9pm on a Friday and Saturday Casa in the Theatre District is a pretty good place and it also has a 2 o'clock licence.
• Bletchley Night Club- garage music, reggae, charts Empire- spice room= garage,other= house, dance, charts Q-bar= garage
• Club desert - new investors needed - just a First Lesiure package deal from Empire
• Major update: delete all references to the Winter Gardens, The Loft, Ultra Vagas etc - the venue has closed and is going to be redeveloped as a Livingwell Health Club!
• Ultra Vegas in the Winter Gardens. Great nights, very friendly. Room 2 in Empire plays surprisingly good tunes on a Friday night.
• ultra vagus empire
• * Empire (Used to be Flamingos), located to the right if standing in front of train station (Infamous Ritzy type music, marginally better though). * Winter Gardens, Top place on Friday and Saturday nights has all the DJs and most of the tours. Best times are when the whole place is opened and they allow you to leave and enter any of the other little pubs inside the complex. * Directors, in front of train station, has a reputation for being a very rough place. More of a pub than a club. Some Fridays they play drum & bass tunes.
• Happy Wednesdays is no more, may it rest in peace. A great nite out sadly missed. But then again there is Bar Central on a Friday nite, picking up the pieces where 'Wednesdays' left off.
• Flamingos was renamed in March 1998 it's now the Empire, and on Thursday's it's just £1.50 to get in. My personal fave. is Fat Tuesdays at the Winter Gardens, though they've started charging admission.
• Chicago's used to do some excellent events with the local cable TV operator!
• The Golden Flamingo closed last year and has since reopened as The Empire. It's advertising itself now as a dance club, but is still a fairly tacky chart dance type place.
• Flamingos is now the 'Empire' and it has over 25s nights, over 18s and under 18s! Very cool
• Empire (nee Flamingoes). The best in uplifting, bangin' house, man. So good, they had to close. Bar Central. Above Waitrose, sells beer to indie kids. Who go there a lot.
• Also... indi fans should check out Wednesday nights at the winter gardens... It was called Happy Wednesdays but has now changed its name. It's cool though...
• Golden Flamingo at the Leisure Plaza near to the central rail station. Very popular and expensive, but is very flashy (apparently).
• The Sanctuary.

Live Music Venues

• Woughton , The Pitz.
• The Pitz at Wooughton Campus - good for Battle of Bands every year
• deadly fusion at empire was the best night ever everyone should go there cost min £10-£25 but the more you pay the better the night.
• Weekly Live Jazz and Funk - Spice Lounge is sensational new concept venue, which mixes a blend of live and acoustic music, mainly jazz and funk, from across the UK and all over the world together with the truly mouth-watering flavours of traditional Indian cuisine with a modern twist. This is an upscale lounge that offers something different for an upscale crowd. No. 3, Savoy Crescent, Theatre District, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3PU www.spicelounge.org
• Woughton Centre and Bar Central for most of your indie / rock / metal needs. Recent gigs: Mark Lanegan (from Screaming Trees).
• stables theater my bedroom
• There's Zaks at Wolverton and also The Madcap. There's The Stables at Wavendon although it's not like it was. Occasionally there's someone who you thought was dead on but mostly it's half full due to the 'Tribute Band' syndrome and it being totally non smoking.
• The Bowl, The Pitz, Stantonbury Campus
• Pitz - usually full of kids from broken homes. Zaks - usually full of greasy ageing rockers
• soundhaus in northampton or zaks in wolverton
• The Cannon public house, High Street, Newport Pagnell, has monthly live gigs featuring bluegrass, folk, etc. There are also weekly music sessions (every Wednesday) in the front bar. Further info from www.cannonlive.in4mation.org.uk
• The complete dive of MK 'The Pitz' it would be good if they got rid of the annoying 14 year olds also Bar Central on friday night but thats a bit of a dive as well.
• once a year they have the music4 u, great outdoor event in the middle of the summer, totaly free!! cant get better than that!
• the stables cant be beaten
• Alas, the poor Pavilion...
• As of 01/09/01 - Zaks had a big refurbishment, venue now downstairs - bigger and better. Independent promoters "Thirteen" have gone on to book Seafood, Crackout, Haven, Supernaturals, Halo and Hundred Reasons in MK (though not the later at Zaks)
• Zaks -- my band PRINCE MINK played there once, just two of us. crackin.
• Just want to add to the comment on bar central. If people were prepared to make an effort and support the nights then they might actualy get a metal/rock night on the weekend, Bonzi is still doing his Thursday nights but some weeks with so few people in he's not even making his petrol money. Tuesdays have been axed now because the place was empty, so dont complain about it just get up there Thursdays before we end up with 7 nights of garage a week.
• Woughton Centre - PITZ
• The pitz, woughton centre is great for Rock and metal Milton Keynes National bowl during summer time usually has some big bands to mention, this year (2001) we've had ACDC, Black sabbath, Bon jovi, Robbie williams.
• BIG disaster at Bar Central as they've cut the EXCELLENT Saturday nite.(dunno why,management decision haha so take it up with them).DJ BONZI doin slot on Thurs nites now - only good thing left in the place.
• Hiya! I'm not a resident of good ol' Keynesey! (that's Milton Keynes to U lot but im from Bristol and that's wat we call it!) Jus a quick note: Y haven't U coverd the prestigious Santuary Music Arena's? It's been host 2 sum wicked raving nites! Slammin Vinyl, Helter skelter, Hardcore Heaven to name but a few! The venue is that blatently the absolute.... b*^++{£*s!!!! Containing sum of the best nites throughout the UK! If you like your Happy Hardcore, Jungle, Techno, OldSkool, Hard House, Trance etc. this is THE place 2b! DJ's forefronting the scene with the like of Sy, Hixxy, Vibes, Energy, Billy Bunter, mark EG, Hype, Nicky Blackmarket, Rat Pack... need i go on?! You get the jist? So give this place the respect it's due! A unique and perfect raving venue with a crowd 2 match! CU there! take care and respect P.L.U.R. The @cid Bunny = ) x x p.s. is you wanna find out more info. or opinions or find out wen the next stormin' event is on call/me on 07968 084 660 or email me on acidbunnyuk@hotmail.com
• The Fox and Hounds pub in Stony Stratford - to the northwest of MK is brilliant on a Thursday or Saturday night if you like live guitar-based / Blues-style music.
• The Sanctuary music venue next to Rollers, has all the good raves, from Helter Skelter to Hardcore Heaven , plus events like Gods Kitchen etc.
• Zaks (above Queen Vic Pub) Wolverton
• The Pitz - yeah, 'Terrorvision' played a couple of weeks ago and it was great (I even crowd-surfed), 'Teen Spirit' are playing on 9th Oct, and they're supposed to rock, but I'll be in Cambridge at Skunk Anansie, *tut*!
• Stables @ Wavendon is where you can go to hear not just jazz but music of all types, bluegrass, folk, acid, classical, comedy and revue
• sanctury
• * Bar Central, a club with over 200 capacity, is located at the top level of the food hall in the shopping centre (next to waitrose). Friday and Saturday nights are eth best. Fridays are indie nights and have a band on generally every 2 weeks. The bands are mostly local talent. Bands don't start till 12pm as there is a restaurant below. The sound system is alright. Saturday nights is more dance orientated with a great little club. * Zaks Bar, Wolverton. Nice little venue, more cover and tribute bands though. * Main Arena, Wolverton. (Surprisingly not closed down). Good capacity venue. The Supernaturals & Wannadies played there in 97 to packed audiences. Been very quiet since. Occasional club night on. * Woughton Centre, Woughton (A.K.A The Pitz). A leisure centre with an exceedingly large sized hall. Only place real commercial bands are likely to play. Still remains more heavy metal orientated with bands on. Very good for looking after the local talent. Puts on nights with 3 or 4 local bands. * The Sanctuary, holds massive dance nightsm is an arena size venue. * Stables, only acts that play here are the less commercial ones and those who are getting old.
• Nearby Olney has wine bar with live bands Wed,Friday and Saturday night that is WELL worth a visit...
• "The Stables" at Wavendon. Eclectic.
• New theatre, near Food Centre it is being built and it will be an art gallery and theatre also with liive bands, clubs and restaurants etc! THERE IS A NEW HOCKEY STADIUM TOO!!!
• Woughton Centre (The Pitz). Played host to bands such as Blur (before they were signed), Boo Radleys, etc. Small bands nowdays. Bar Central. Raw Milton Keynesian talent
• The Bowl (ouch, not nice place).
• I have now been to the Stables and have to report this is a live venue that is superb. It is so small that you feel as though you are able to talk to the artist whilst they perform. It does have drawbacks like the seating plan means that half the audience is watching side on. I am impressed that the artists keep on coming back to such a small venue. This is definitely the venue to support!
• There are also a few live music venues - and anyone who has been to one please let us know what they are like. I mean there are the Stables, then there is Woughton, the Bowl (- I don't rate this as it is too flat - OK if you are 7 feet tall but us normal folk can't see!).

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Last updated: 2007-12-17