Blurt: with Ted Milton playing sax on the right

A totally alternative election night

As both politicians and impressarios know, things never go according to plan. Back in February, Blurt and Near Jazz Experience were set to share the stage at Kino-Teatr. Unfortunately Ted Milton – the man behind Blurt since 1979 – was ill and the gig was postponed until 8 June. Then Theresa May announced a general election. Erica Smith finds out how to escape election madness into a whole new world of musical madness.

When poet/puppeteer Ted Milton picked up the alto sax for the first time he experienced catharsis and, after his short-lived sax tutor told him he couldn’t teach him anything without spoiling his aspiring pupil’s idiosyncrasy, he formed Blurt in 1979. 38 years later Blurt finally arrive at the Kino-Teatr in a double header with The Near Jazz Experience.

NJE © Shelley Guild, Spinning Chilli

The NJE are not strangers to the Kino – they headlined the first  music show in the auditorium – but it’s a rare treat to have such a great band perform in town. We are lucky that drummer Simon Charterton (The Higsons, Simon and the Pope) is a local lad, whilst show-off saxophonist Terry Edwards (2 saxophones at the same time!) and Mark Bedford (aka Bedders from Madness) are London-based. If you are new to NJE, explore some of their music on Soundcloud. Here’s a link to a locally named ditty: St Leonards Suite.

If you want to drown out all news of the election in a disonant symphony of saxophonic proportions, the Kino-Teatr is the perfect place to be this Thursday!

Blurt and NJE. are playing on Thursday 8 June:
Kino Teatr, 43-49 Norman Road, St Leonards on Sea TN38 0EQ
Doors at 7pm, Blurt on stage at 7.45pm, NJE on stage at 9pm.
Tickets from the venue or online: £10, (plus online booking charge)

You can find out more about Blurt here.
You can read more about NJE here.
The NJE’s debut album will be out in September and can be heard in its entirety here.

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