An Interview with
'Adam Norsworthy'
Guitarist & Vocalist of The Milk Men
that took place on 15th May, 2026.
Interviewed by Paul Mace.
The Milk Men started out as a project between two friends.
It features childhood school mates Jamie Smy (Vocals) & Adam Norsworthy (Guitar/Vocals) plus also Lloyd Green (Bass) & Mike Roberts (Drums).
The Milk Men take you to another Blues galaxy with The Milky Way, their sixth album, which is pretty amazing when you consider they started as a covers band.
I chat to Adam to find out what floats his boat and why there are so many puns, just look at these album titles: Full Phat, Gold Top, Deliverance, Spin The Bottle, Holy Cow & The Milky Way. Ernie would have been proud of that!
Paul: Hi Adam, Milky Way is excellent, loads of space, it’s far out man.
Adam: Glad you liked it thanks for that.
Paul: I love a name; how did the band choose the name The Milk Men? I used to be a Milkman and it’s not exactly Rock N Roll!
Adam: When you have been in as many bands as I have, you realise you spend about 2 hours rehearsing and 20 hours thinking of a band name. It is important, especially when you are young. Jamie and I have been in a lot of bands together and we just didn’t want to waste too much time coming up with a name, we wanted something unpretentious and simple.
It also has that nice sound. As you may know in the old days we were heavily influenced by Dr Feelgood, ‘Milk & Alcohol’ the Milk Men it has that connection that we could allude to. It has been a very good name for us. It is a bit of a Marmite name some people love it others don’t. It does mean we can play around with all the milk puns.
Paul: I have a milk pun for you.
Adam: Go on then.
Paul: With milk you have Gold Top, Semi skimmed, Skimmed, Homogenised, Sterilised, but how do you know when you have had too much milk? (Adam thinks about this but doesn’t know the answer). Because it’s Pasteurised! Past your eyes! He shakes his head in disbelief and laughs. You have been around the Blues scene for many years, what has been your biggest influences?
Adam: You mean musically? I grew up listening to Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, all the usual names but I was led into that by Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Cream and Ac/Dc, you fall in love with the Blues then the heavy Blues bands. It is the route that a lot of people took, but then you listen and hear Jeff Beck’s influences you go back and listen to those earlier ones. Jamie and I grew listening to the same music, so it was just a natural thing, Jamie’s voice was very bluesy and so was my playing, so we took that journey at the same time.
Paul: It is interesting you mention Jeff Beck because in my review I allude and compare Jamie’s voice to Rod Stewart especially when he was in Beck’s band.
Adam: Yeah, that is not intentional, that is Jamie’s natural voice, even his speaking voice is quite raspy, even husky, don’t say that because he hates me saying husky.
Paul: So, husky it is (laughs).
Adam: When we started, we were doing a lot of pop stuff and it wasn’t really working, but then we started the Rock stuff and wow!
Paul: When it came to writing Milky Way was there a set plan or was it about having fun?
Adam: It was a fun record to do. We like each record to have a different flavour, (that’s quite difficult with milk). The last one Holy Cow was quite stripped back, it was quite RnB, we wanted this one to be a bit looser and a bit more Rock & Roll, more up-tempo and colourful. This one has more energy, the idea being we wanted to create something we could play live.
Paul: Have you got a go-to guitar and set up?
Adam: Great question, I never get asked this, I do, I use thin line Telecasters with P 90 pickups. I like the twang that the hollow body gives, I also like the fact that they are light because I am very energetic on stage. I am getting too old to be throwing around a very heavy guitar. It is just the playability, with the P90’s you get a lovely mix, the nice twang and a bit more oomph like the Humbuckers on a Les Paul.
I don’t use many effects, I play through an Orange amp, the distortion is really warm and musical. Some amps when they distort you lose that. You get fuzz but not a lot of body. With an Orange you can really hear the notes and harmonies.
Paul: I think you are right there Glenn Hughes plays through an Orange amp and his live sound is incredible. His voice is alright as well lol.
Adam: There is no wrong or right everyone has their own feel, we are all chasing the magical tone. When you find one that works for you and the kind of music you are hearing you stick with it. When I do my solo stuff, I have a different set up because the music demands that. It would sound odd if with the Milk Men I played a Stratocaster through a Marshall, it just wouldn’t sound right.
Paul: I don’t think it would look right either.
Adam: No, it wouldn’t you are right. After a while people associate you with one type of guitar.
Paul: How do you think the band has developed since you started out.
Adam: When we started originally it was a side project, I was already with the Mustangs. We were going to be a covers band, that was Jamie’s idea. Then after a while we started writing songs. Then suddenly we had an album. Then you go through the process again and make another one. We started as a pure Blues R&B band, but our influences include classic Rock, Metal, Pop and easy listening. You can hear ZZ Top, Fleetwood Mac, it’s all there if you listen out for them. Mike has his Jazz drumming style, Lloyd has another set of influences, it all adds to the chemistry.
Paul: There is space within the music, too often there is just too much going on at once, it becomes difficult to differentiate between one thing and another.
Adam: It is lovely to hear you say that, we very consciously try to put that space into a song, particularly as a guitar player myself, I’m not a million miles per hour shredder, I don’t really want to be. It is as much about what you don’t play as it is what you do play that creates the songs.
Paul: How important is the fun factor in what you do?
Adam: The priority is always the music. When you are younger you can be a bit pompous and po faced about music, you can take it almost too seriously. When little mistakes occur, they can wind you up and get you down, because me and Jamie have been together for so long, like with the name, let’s just have some fun with it. We are kinda easy going guys, let the audience see that and communicate that to them.
After every gig people come up to us to talk, have a photo, get something signed, it’s about making that connection. We dress in these ridiculous suits that we wear for the whole show, the audience know we are having fun, so they go home happy with a big smile on their faces.
Paul: You have all known each other for a long time, was there an immediate chemistry?
Adam: As I have said Jamie and I have known each other since we were kids, Mike and Lloyd knew each other really well, when we joined together the chemistry was pretty instantaneous, especially between me and Lloyd musically, I play things that are catchy rather than flashy and he does all the flashy stuff so I can sit back and play a few chords while Lloyd is doing all the hard work.
Paul: What do you think separates you from other contemporary Blues artists?
Adam: One is our mix of influences, Jamie’s voice is unique, my playing is different to others on the circuit, our rhythm section is very lithe. We don’t pigeonhole ourselves into one box. We are very passionate about what we do. The four of us are very opinionated and that is the creative chemistry and spark. Then there is our image with the suits, Mike is the dapper drummer, the best dressed guy on the circuit.
It is very easy to go on stage when you are younger and think that time on stage is the most important, everything is about the next hour and a half, it is but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it and take the crowd on a journey with you, sort of saying, "Hey you watch us now!". It is about everyone in the room.
Paul: I couldn’t agree more with that. Do you think This album is a big turning point for the band?
Adam: With every album you want to take things to the next level and draw more people in. With this one we wanted to do the big video the colourful cover, which was done by the wonderful Mark Wilkinson, just keep pushing.
We are very unapologetic about our influences, we know we are not reinventing the wheel, we have a very bright poppy song on there called ‘Loving You Baby’, there is a huge big epic at the end called ’Evergreen’, those types of songs can be risky if you don’t get the arrangement right, they can plod and feel very flat. ‘Down In The Hole' is us being heavy, but it’s not dense.
Paul: ‘Evergreen’ is an excellent way to close the album, the sequencing is perfection, your guitar solos on that track totally nail it, you really capture a sound.
Adam: That’s great the sequencing is so important, next to the songs that is the most important part of a record. You can kill a great set of songs if you get that wrong. Also with proper sequencing you can elevate an average set of songs. With ‘Evergreen’ you have the main riff, but the solo had to be as epic as the song, it had to carry the right emotion, the solos have to serve the song, that is all that matters to me.
Paul: I like asking this question, how do you feel about streaming sites?
Adam: What I feel about them is irrelevant, they are here to stay, that’s one way of putting it. It does mean everyone has a shop window, you don’t have to go cap in hand to a record company begging top get signed. The problem with streaming sites is the way you are re-numerated, it is grossly unfair. Let’s re-evaluate how the musician/artist is being compensated. We can’t all be dinosaurs with our vinyl and record players going, “This is how it should be!”.
Paul: I was talking to a Blues artist from Canada called Spencer Mackenzie. He said streaming doesn’t work because it is like going into your supermarket and taking everything you want for say £25. It just isn’t fair or feasible on the artists who are the creators.
Adam: I think the business is changing, especially with AI coming in the amount of people uploading songs. I think with the price of concert tickets people want to go back to see local bands in local venues. The idea of being a musician and sustaining a career means getting out there and cultivating the audience, talking to them after the show, using social media, that is what us and all our contemporises are doing. You cannot rely on record sales alone; you have to do that, so embrace that.
Paul: That half hour after the show is so important to the fan.
Adam: It’s the overall experience. It’s not like paying £250 and seeing a band from 100 metres at the O2 away. There are other expenses, travel, hotels. I think that is why some of these big tours are beginning to die and get cancelled.
Paul: I’m guessing you are a totally independent band, do you have any pressures put on you to be a certain way?
Adam: We are entirely autonomous. We release everything on our own label, we make every single decision. I have had three or four record deals throughout my career. Everyone one of them was a pain in the arse. You have to let the record company make decisions. It’s not worth it anymore. Record companies are dying out, people realise you don’t need them. I generally manage the band, that is why I have boxes of stuff in my house.
Paul: Have you got a favourite track on 'Milky Way' that really captures what the band is about?
Adam: I really love this new album, it really makes me smile when I listen to it, maybe ‘Loving You Baby’ because it’s a different side to us, it’s acoustic, catchy as hell, Pop Rock. Melodies are so important to us. Jamie is fantastic at plotting top lines and finding that. I think earlier you called it an earworm and that is exactly what we wanted to write.
Paul: What has been your biggest musical challenge that fans won’t know about?
Adam: What a great question! The travelling and amount of it. The amount of work behind the scenes. Everybody just sees you for that show. We did 1000 miles going up to Scotland a few weeks ago. It’s all about logistics. From my perspective it is a full-time thing. I run Milk Fest our annual charity show, and there is so much going on people don’t see!
Paul: Back to a song, is ‘Jimmy The Weasel’ about someone you know?
Adam: Jamie writes most of the lyrics, you would have to ask him. It has that kind of Thin Lizzy thing, I think Jimmy is whoever you want him to be!
Paul: With all bands things go wrong, have you had any major disasters?
Adam: Things always go wrong, the older you get the less serious you take things and laugh it off. In the olden days you would be scratching your head going, Arrrgh! Arrrgh Arrrgh! Now you let the audience know something’s gone wrong, whether a guitar strap’s broken, you’ve lost your set list, you fall over, it doesn’t matter, it’s the live experience.
Paul: I have done a bit more research and I have discovered you came from a family where music was important, your mum was a folk singer. But it was the Beatles that made you pick up your first tennis racquet and it appears you have been making a racket ever since. Were there any other bands that you liked way back then?
Adam: When I first fell in love with music it really was just the Beatles for a few years. I was quite militant about it! But I enjoyed all the rock'n'roll on the radio, from the States, Elvis, Chuck Berry and stuff like that. Then I discovered David Bowie, Queen and a host of great rock and pop bands. Once the flood gates opened there was no stopping me!
Paul: Outside of music have you any other hobbies / interests?
Adam: Yes many. I'm a big Liverpool fan and try to watch every match. I love films - especially westerns and old black & white films. I also do a lot of writing and published a memoir of my life in music last year. It's called 'Stage By Stage' and is available on Amazon. I was thrilled when it was very warmly received. I've written quite a few things and I hope to publish more stuff over the next few years.
Paul: You know I saw your film list, 'That’ll Be The Day' was great, but it will never beat the 3 in a bed scene with the boxing commentary of Ali, Frazer over it. From Stardust! I was 13 when I saw that at the cinema, I went back the next day to watch it again!
Adam: Haha! 'Stardust' is also a great film, and of course I remember that scene well too. But I related to That'll Be The Day much more as I was that character for a few years, in my head, at least. A dumb young kid desperate to be a rock star. lol!
Paul: Your book sounds interesting have you got a couple of highlights from that?
Adam: The whole book is a highlight! I really can't single out one or two moments, I'd like to think the whole book is full of good moments. It starts with my first ever gig when I had fruit thrown at me and got into a fight, and ends with the success of Milkfest, the charity festival I organise. It has loads of highlights in-between!
Paul: Is there anything else you can tell me about yourself or the band?
Adam: I suppose one of the most interesting aspects of the band is that Jamie and I have been friends since we were 11 at school. And we started writing songs together at 13, and here we are many decades later. We've been through an awful lot together, on and off stage, so to still be writing music and playing together after all these years feels very special. We don’t take it for granted for a second.
Paul: What is the biggest venue you have played in?
Adam: I played Glastonbury with my old band The Mustangs but we played one of the smaller outer stages but the potential for 250,000 fans was there! The largest venues are probably the Indigo at the O2 and the Shepherds Bush Empire but some of the festivals we have played will have had far more people.
Paul: Is there anything about you that would surprise your fans?
Adam: I'm not sure, I'm a pretty normal bloke, I think. I like to work hard and give it everything on stage , so people may be surprised that I like to flop on the sofa, turn on the TV and switch off completely every now and then, which might seem at odds with my live-wire energetic stage manner!
Paul: How was the 100 club? It is a great iconic venue I would have loved to be there but I currently have a leg injury and can’t stand for long.
Adam: Sorry to hear about your leg. That was a brilliant night! It was the launch of our new album 'The Milky Way#. The place was packed with the hardcore Milk Men family of fans, and they were in great voice. It was lovely to have Thomas Heppell and Sarah O'Sullivan get up and guest with us too.
Paul: Thanks for your time and good luck.
Adam: Thanks Paul!