As the Burton Echo launches, it’s impossible not to reflect on the past while celebrating the now, especially when it comes to Burton upon Trent’s ever-resilient, ever-vibrant music scene.
As the Burton Echo launches, it’s impossible not to reflect on the past while celebrating the now, especially when it comes to Burton upon Trent’s ever-resilient, ever-vibrant music scene.
For me, this moment is more than just another article in print. It’s deeply personal. My father, Andy Parker, began his career right here in Burton as a junior reporter for the Burton Mail. Over the span of more than 30 years, he rose through the ranks to become Editor, a position he held with great integrity and pride. Through his eyes and words, I saw the power of local journalism and the importance of championing our community’s stories.
But it wasn’t just his typewriter that shaped me. It was his CD player too. There was always something spinning, from world-famous names to unsigned local acts. He reviewed it all. That musical energy trickled down to me, becoming the soundtrack to my teenage years. Add to this the fact that my father had a regular column in The Burton Mail called Off The Record, and in the 2000s, he even produced two CDs titled On The Record, promoting local music from the town. His passion for supporting homegrown talent wasn’t just something he wrote about, he actively created platforms for it. And nowhere embodied that energy more than the Wetmore Whistle.
It was our place. A gritty, no-nonsense venue that pulsed with raw, unfiltered talent. I saw bands cut their teeth there, some for the first time, others for the last. It was the kind of venue that made you believe you could be up there too.
When the Wetmore Whistle closed its doors in 2015, something changed. The heartbeat of our local scene slowed. Without a central hub, many wondered if Burton’s music spirit had quietly faded into memory. But if the last few years, and especially 2025, have shown us anything, it’s that the spirit never died. It simply regrouped.
From the soulful vocals of Dorothy Ella, to the anthemic energy of Eighty Eight Miles, the haunting melodies of JJ Lovegrove, and the soaring power of Jemma Johnson, Burton’s current crop of artists is nothing short of electric. Acts like Slumclub, Zebedee, Leah Wilcox, Charlotte Bettson, Alex Elson & Paige Morris, Honor, Gordon Parma, and the phenomenal Riding The Low continue to put our town
on the map.
Special thanks must go to Julie Tickle and Boz, whose work with The Midlands Open Mic has helped countless local musicians including me, take their first steps.
Someone said to me earlier this year that 2025 is the ‘year of the community’, and it hasn’t left my head. Let’s make sure it stays that way.
