Oh What A Night! Burton Radio Fundraiser & Burton Echo Newspaper Launch A Resounding Success.
A vibrant evening of local music at The Brewhouse Arts Centre saw Burton Radio raise vital funds and celebrate the soft-launch of our online newspaper alongside showcasing talented local artists.
Local Talent: Gordon Parma. Picture credit: Honor Douglas
On 27th February, Burton Radio hosted a remarkable local music showcase, the first of 2025. Held at The Brewhouse Arts Centre, five talented local artists (along with Matt and J-Man!) delivered an exceptional performance to a sold-out audience.
The event featured local artists Romy, Anna Milne, Gordon Parma, Joel Foster, and Dirty Bomb. It also served as the soft launch for Burton Echo, Burton Radio’s new online publication.
The evening began with the impressive Romy. Despite her small stature, she commanded the stage with her captivating vocals. Her performance of ‘Imagination Games’ was a particular highlight, mesmerising the crowd.
Recently returning back into the music scene after travelling the States, Anna Milne brought a country-western vibe, sporting a denim jumpsuit and cowboy boots, and delivering her own material and a surprose Bob Dylan cover, the lyrics of which she had learned only an hour prior. Her cool and unflappable demeanour held the audience’s attention.
Gordon Parma showcased his exceptional vocal and instrumental talents on both guitar and piano. Joined by Dorothy Ella, they performed their collaborative song ‘Thunder’, a poignant piece that resonated powerfully with the audience. Their joint performance exuded talent and was truly breathtaking. A particular highlight was when he sat at the piano and delivered something made both of the Sonic Boomers, Chris Baldwin and Andi Jepson rumble with approval.
Local Talent: Anna Milne Picture credit: Honor Douglas
Joel Foster delivered a stripped-back set, highlighting his impressive vocal strength and range. His performance leaned into his music’s blues roots, with ‘Liberty’, a heartfelt piano piece dedicated to his fiancé, being a standout moment.
Between acts, members of the Burton Radio team addressed the audience, with station co-founders Matt Reid and J-Man contributing their own unique brand of humour and acts were punctuated by passionate words from our Head of Social Media and DJ host Honor Douglas and Brand Ambassador and DJ Harry Parker regarding the vision of both Burton Radio and Burton Echo. Interestingly, Harry’s father Andy Parker was the deputy editor of the Burton Mail for over 30 years, so the paper strongly resonates with him.
During one of these intervals, Strategy Director Scott Milligan and I announced that Burton Echo would be moving beyond its online format to include a print edition. 5,000 copies will be released on World Press Freedom Day, 3rd May, with a further 10,000 copies planned for the Summer, supported by East Staffordshire Borough Council, a stalwart of Burton Radio and now Echo.
Even singer songwriter Andy Crowe of ‘Andy Crowe’s Nest: Traffic Updates from Stapenhill to Willington’ fame made an appearance!
“We’re incredibly excited to be officially soft-launching the online version of the Burton Echo. It was evident to me through interviewing so many amazing guests on the Snoozy Breakfast Show that the positive work they were doing wasn’t given the airtime, and now soon to be column inches, it deserved. Artists, Community Organisations and Businesses doing great things for Burton now have a platform.
You’ll find no wheelie bin, pothole or bridge moans here. Similarly, it won’t be all butterflies and rainbows - so long as the outcomes are ultimately positive, it’ll be in the Echo.”
Alongside the announcements and performances, a raffle was held, with prizes ranging from bottles of wine and Dattie’s Soul Food (filmed on the same day as part of a forthcoming short film about the station and the paper) spice packets to stylish tote bags, art and even a dragon’s egg (courtesy of Yvies Imaginarium) plus merchandise from Romy.
Closing the showcase was Dirty Bomb, whose ska-infused covers of popular 90s and 00s tracks ignited the party atmosphere. Their energetic performance, moving seamlessly between genres, was infectious. The crowd erupted during their rendition of Shaggy’s ‘It Wasn’t Me’, a truly electric moment.
Local Talent: Dirty Bomb Picture credit: Honor Douglas
A fantastic £550 was raised throughout the evening, all of which will be reinvested into the community station to ensure its continued operation. Burton Radio & Burton Echo extends a huge thank you to the artists who performed, The Brewhouse Arts Centre for hosting the event, and to everyone who purchased tickets and attended. It was a memorable and special night for all involved.
By Tom Drysdale
Have a positive community story to share? Email Tom Drysdale at teamburtonecho@gmail.com, and we’ll do our best to bring it to life!
Please help Burton Radio and Burton Echo support the community through radio, online news and social media. Both initiatives are via a not-for-profit organisation. We support local artists, community organisations and businesses.
The Burton Echo will published in FREE tabloid form Spring 2025.
