The 27th of July sees the return of Milton Keynes’ only drum festival.
As you may know, Milton Keynes is a little limited when it comes to catering to its drummers and enthusiasts. This is where The Drum Cupboard has begun to make its mark, starting with the delivery of local masterclasses, clinics and workshops.
The Drum Cupboard Takeover Festival (iii) is a celebration of drums for DC students, educators, the local drum community, budding drummers, enthusiasts and anybody interested in drums.
WHO?
The Drum Cupboard
“A creative space for drummers”. Founded in 2018 by J A Blunden, the Drum Cupboard offers Drum and Percussion Tuition, Drum Recording, Workshops, Drum Hire and now Masterclasses and Clinics. Seeing a gap in the industry in the area, founder of the Drum Cupboard, J A Blunden re-introduced drum events into Milton Keynes, building a local drum community, piece by piece. Guests so far has seen the likes of Richard Hawking (Hacktivist), Dave Forster (Premier Drums Education Ambassador), Adam Gammage (Tom Grennan) and AJ Rousell (Drummers Odyssey). 2025 has seen the introduction of drum workshops with the focus on a specific skill set, shining the light on local professional drummers. This was the case with the sold out “intro to brushes”, with local jazz cat, Salvo Elia.
WHAT?
Drum Cupboard Takeover Festival iii
A celebration of drums focusing on inclusion, opportunity and community. Expect to see a showcase of the DC’s students, giveaways (including a sonor snare drum), a huge raffle including a drum kit and prizes from Evans, Sonor and more. Q & A and meet and greet with industry experts, drum stalls thanks to Sweet Deal Drums; they’ll be showcasing their range of Balbex sticks and Amedia Cymbals - both of which MIGHT have something to do with some of the raffle prizes. PLUS a drum clinic with J A Blunden (Drum Cupboard, BLUNDEN), Calvin Davidson of Scottish funk sensations “High Fade” and headlining the event is local music icon Beanie Bhebhe. The list of artists Beanies worked with over the years is honestly astonishing, including and not limited to: Rudimental, Anne-Marie, Gabriella Cilmi, Liam Bailey, Paloma Faith, Nile Rodgers.
WHEN and WHERE?
The festival will be held at MK11 Live Music Venue, starting from 2PM and finishing around 7.30PM. This is a family friendly event, so whether it’s yourself, Child, Auntie, or even your Grandad with a love for percussion – bring them along to see the DC Takeover in action!
Give @thedrumcupboard a follow on socials for updates about the event, tuition and all things drums.
To book tickets and find out more about the event, please visit the link below. https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Milton-Keynes/MK11-LIVE-MUSIC-VENUE/Drum
