Loading ...
2009 has not been a great year for the clubbing scene in Milton Keynes. With the closure of Blueprint and 21cc during the summer and the recent news that Empire Red’s plans to open have been put on ice, things cannot look any worse for MK at the moment. For all of it’s bad points (and there were a few), has Milton Keynes really lost something with the closure of Buddha Blue?
Regardless if you loved it or hated it, Buddha Blue was always a talking point for the MK raver. Some claimed they would never step a foot inside the club and others gave spoke of the club in high regards. This was highlighted on the night that Buddha Blue played host to US R&B act Ne-Yo. Our camera crew were down on night and bumped into a trio of girls who we interviewed prior to Ne-Yo taking to the ’stage’. When asked if they came to Buddha Blue on a regular basis, the answers varied but all started with ‘errrrrrm no’.
“I’ve come here once before. I mainly go to Oceana but I really wanted to see Ne-Yo.”
There has always been stigma associated with Buddha Blue but why? The interior and layout of the venue was second ONLY to Oceana. The bar staff were always polite and EVEN the bouncers were friendly. The music was always on point thanks to a good selection of DJ’s including the former resident SheJay 1E who deserves a gigantic pat on the back for playing decent music each and every week. Let’s not forget to mention the types of international PA’s the venue attracted. Let’s be honest, where else in Bucks would you be able to see the likes of Ne-Yo, Lloyd, Sisqo and Wayne Wonder to name a few? Granted, these weren’t concerts and never advertised as such but even a guest appearance is better than nothing.
Where the problems start for Buddha Blue is quite obvious. From the moment you walk in and hit the bar, you get that “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” vibe. Buddha was clearly modelled on a big city club that plays ‘black music’ everyday it’s open as opposed to a club that plays ’urban music’ on a Thursday night but unfortunately, that does not fit in well with a town like Milton Keynes. For all the big US PA’s and all the good music, the vast majority of people who go clubbing in Milton Keynes like their alco-pops cheap, their cheesy chart music on loop and anything that deviates from that is seen as dangerous. Buddha Blue did prove it’s critics wrong with some impressive nights but in the end the inherent “danger” of Buddha Blue and it’s crowds proved too much for the local police to handle and as such, MK’s only decent venue for ‘black music’ is now closed.
The fact is, (and I’m working on assumption here) Buddha wasn’t designed a club which would appeal to the people that were filling Oceana every week. It was designed to fill a gap in the market. The stigma came from the people that didn’t go there, and I for one am sad to see it gone. Milton Keynes has returned to the dark ages when you can walk into any bar or club and find an almost exact clone of the one next door, no vibe, no atmosphere, no soul and too much cheese. Gone are the times that we can just go out without making plans days ahead, because now, everything is too damn far away to get a cab home.
We do agree that MK has lost out. In regards to the efforts of Crucial Robbie, this is something that we wanted to touch on as we know how hard he worked. Who would have thought a club in little old MK would be capable of bringing over some of the biggest international acts? We also wish him every success at MVP which has all but saved Luton’s clubbing scene from death.
Hmm interesting article and def a lot of truth in it. I worked there from the day it opened until about 2 weeks b4 it shut and can honestly say that Buddha def did not deserve the reputation it got. MK has lost out big time as all the other venues cannot handle/don’t want the sort of crowd that went in there but now its our loss as we have nothing else left. No other purely rnb-style club in MK has ever lasted that long & done so well & that is all pretty much down to Crucial Robbie and his departure sadly signalled the beginning of the end for BB. In fact a special mention for Crucial is the only thing missing from ur article as he is wat made Buddha Blue.