BMFR’s DJ Rose meets The Milk Men! Rose attended the Old Bush Blues Festival in Worcestershire, England on August 15-17 and among the many blues acts she got to see, there was a fan favorite of the Blues Music Fan Radio audience, The Milk Men. Rose was able to spend some time with the group, chat a bit, and share some hugs!
The Milk Men are arguably one of the hottest contemporary blues rock groups in the UK. Formed in 2010, the group members are Adam Norsworthy (guitars), Jamie Smy (vocals), Lloyd Green (bass) and Mike Roberts (drums). Their music is a mix of Rhythm & Blues, soul, rock, and metal that is solidly founded in the blues. They have been nominated for 8 annual UK Blues Awards and have been British Blues Challenge finalists.
In addition to performing and touring, the Milk Men hold their own annual Milkfest to support families facing dementia. The next Milkfest will be held on March 1, 2026 and already features confirmed artists The Climax Blues Band, Alice Armstrong, Errol Linton, and Mississippi MacDonald.
Chatting with the Milk Men
After the Old Bush Blues festival, Rose was able to chat with Adam via email and got him to answer some questions for the Blues Beats readers.
Q1. On your 2020 album, Deliverance, you include a song When the Blues Keep Calling? Did the Milk Men begin as a band focused on blues rock or were you drawn to the music as a natural evolution of the band over the years that you have been playing music together?
Jamie and I were heavily influenced by Dr Feelgood and had been in a couple of R’n’B bands together before, but we also liked classic rock, a lot of soul and metal and I have a big folk background, so we used the blues as a springboard but also wanted to bring in all these other elements and influences that we have. When we started out together as teenagers we thought we were a rock band but looking back, the blues has always been there in one way or another…..the music suits Jamie’s voice so well!
Q2. Your latest album release Live At Milkfest (May 2025) has a great raw live feel to it. We understand that it is recorded in mono? Why did you do so and did it present any challenges using “old school” technology?
A2. Actually it was really easy as we didn’t plan to record it at all! We’d actually spent a lot of money trying to record a show in Leicester but listening back to the the tapes we felt the band could have been better on the night. When we played Milkfest we made sure we were firing on all cylinders, but had made no plans to record anything. When we saw the video back we thought the sound was great – so I asked the video guy if he could let me have the 2-track audio files from the video, and we went from there! The mix just happened to be great and we just EQ’d the sound, and hey presto! We had a live album…
Q3. Speaking of your annual Milkfest festival, what drew the band to donating the proceeds to the Dementia UK foundation?
A3. My father died of dementia, and I already knew what a huge issue it was. It has resonated with our fans as of course many of them have friends and relatives who are sufferers as well.
Q4. The lineup for the 2026 Milkfest on March 1st of next year has been released and includes an interesting mix of both blues and blues rock artists. What kind of challenges do you face putting together a one day festival and how much time does it take each year?
A4. Well it takes all year, to be honest. It’s very hard to find established bands and acts who are not only free on the date, but are prepared to come to London and play for only 45 minutes, often for a fee below what they are used to. We also need to find acts who are big enough to sell enough tickets to help fill a big place like the Indigo, so although I get a lot of smaller bands offering to play, I have to say no as we need bands with a big following. We also want a broad range of styles…8 acts in one day is a lot of blues! Brit blues is a broad church of styles now, so you can have blues’n’soul, R’n’b, guitar blues, acoustic blues etc etc… If we mix it up, it not only provides more variety for the punters but showcases just how differently blues and blues rock can be interpreted. Many people probably still think of the blues as sad, slow music about dogs dying and wanting to leave town after catching your woman with another man!
Q5. The Milk Men’s discography of 5 albums, one EP, and the newly released live album includes influences from Rod Stewart, AC/DC, David Bowie, and The Who among others. Have band members had the chance to meet and play with any of the artists that helped shape your musical sound?
A5. I’ve met Brian May and David Gilmour, both of whom were very nice, and both of whom have influenced my playing for sure. Chrissie Hynde too, who was super cool. But I’m not a huge one for meeting heroes, they are just people. It’s the music I love. That said I’d have loved to have met Bowie. Lloyd’s dad was Mick Green, who played guitar with Paul McCartney and Van Morrison, so I think Lloyd met a few rock stars when he was very little. We know most of the names on our own circuit and generally we are all very supportive and friendly to each other.
Q6. Your upcoming schedule includes dates all over the UK. Do you plan on making a milk run to mainland Europe or the United States in 2026?
A6. We did have plans to tour parts of Eastern Europe this winter but it got complicated. We are playing two shows in Greece next year in the Summer. We are always up for doing shows in Europe, we just need the right offer at the right time. America would be more expensive and complicated, given the political situation there right now, which seems a bizarre thing to be saying.
Q7. Given your active touring schedule and working on next year’s Milk Fest, any idea on when we can expect the next studio recording from the band?
A7. We are working on a new album right now, and all being well it will be out late Spring next year. We always get very excited about our new albums as we really love doing them and this one is no exception. We have some great plans for it, so watch this space!
