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June 2025 | Phonebox Magazine 11Blues gig to raise funds for the Brain Tumour Charity Local musician Josh Cox got in touch with Phonebox to let us know about a charity event he%u2019s running in Wolverton on 14th June. He explains more here...%u201cI%u2019m an 18-year-old blues rock guitarist based in Northamptonshire and I%u2019m running a charity event at the Craufurd Arms in Wolverton called %u2018Blues for Brain Tumours%u2019. The gig is on the 14th June and doors open at 7.30pm. Blues For Brain Tumours was set up by myself and my friend Louis Humphreys in 2024. We set it up after my dad got diagnosed with a terminal Grade 4 Glioblastoma (which is an incredibly aggressive type of brain tumour) around August of 2023. This came after he had a sudden seizure at work one day, then got rushed to hospital in an ambulance. This completely changed my family%u2019s and my lives. Following my dad%u2019s diagnosis he was given the option to either have a highly risky surgery in London to remove as much of the tumour as possible and have 12-18 months to live or have three months to live. He chose to have the surgery, which went as well as it could have gone. However, after the surgery, he couldn%u2019t even remember mine or my mum%u2019s and brother%u2019s names, although he knew who we were. Over a few days he improved considerably, and we managed to all go home. A few weeks after the surgery he began chemo and radiotherapy, which meant regular journeys down to a hospital in Oxford. At this point I felt I needed to do something to help people in a similar situation. After much thinking and speaking to my friend Louis, we decided to set up %u2018Blues For Brain Tumours%u2019 with the goal of running live events to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Our fi rst event was on the 14th June last year at The Charles Bradlaugh in Northampton, with performances from The Mojo Mules, The Josh Cox Trio and The Atomic Prune. We successfully raised %u00a31,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity. This gig was made even more special as my dad was able to attend. Dad%u2019s chemotherapy treatment lasted several months before the doctors did a scan and saw the tumour had grown back in several places, which meant they couldn%u2019t proceed with the same chemotherapy. Then they tried a few other treatment options. Over the summer, Dad%u2019s health began to get worse. This led to the doctors saying they wouldn%u2019t be able to proceed with any more treatment. After that, his health worsened rapidly. He went from walking around and going out of the house, to being unable to get out of bed at all, over the space of a week. He then lost the ability to speak and spent almost all his time asleep. In early October last year he sadly passed away. This further strengthened my desire to help fi ght to stop others from going through what my dad and my family had to go through. I wanted to run a larger event for 2025 and raise more money. This led to me and Louis planning this year%u2019s event with the goal of raising even more money for The Brain Tumour Charity, a cause incredibly close to my heart. %u201cTickets are %u00a38 in advance and %u00a310 on the door - you can purchase tickets here at https://www.seetickets.com/event/blues-for-brain-tumours-w-ramblin-preachers/the-craufurd-arms/3283371The Line up:First on are young Milton Keynes based neo-soul / indie / blues band The Chess Pieces. For fans of John Mayer, Bill Withers, Dave Matthews Band and Daniel Caesar.Second on are Josh%u2019s own band Sleepwalk. They are an alternative blues-rock band. For fans of Philip Sayce, Jack White, The Black Keys and Jimi Hendrix. Headlining are Milton Keynes-based Americana / southern rock/blues band Ramblin%u2019 Preachers. This is their last gig for the foreseeable future. They got nominated for the UK Blues Federation%u2019s emerging act of the year. For fans of Blackberry Smoke, Black Stone Cherry, Chris Stapleton and Robert Jon and The Wreck.THE LINE UP(Doors are 7:30pmFirst band on at 7:45pm)The Chess PiecesSleepwalkRamblin%u2019 PreachersThe Chess PiecesSleepwalkRamblin%u2019 Preacherspicture credit Firebird.photo