Your monthly update for news, course information, performance and work opportunities & recommendations…

Studio Update… There is a new online viewer for the Music Studio and Mastering Room bookings. All students can now view the available dates in these areas and submit an email to Marcus to book the appropriate times they wish. Click here to email Marcus for a booking, use the buttons below to see the slots.

MUSIC AT GLOS

MAG – fanzine for the county providing gig listings and reviews. Click on the cover to read the latest issue.

BBC Introducing in the West The BBC has recently moved to creating new regions for the broadcast of the Introducing brand. Click on the picture to have a listen to the latest show and find out how you can get involved.

Perform at Wychwood!

Each year the Popular Music course programs and runs a stage for the Wychwood Music Festival.

This year’s festival is being held between May 31st and June 2nd. If you would like an opportunity to play, please click here to email Andrew

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POM students perform at the Olympic opening ceremony

When Frank Turner performed at The Olympics Opening Ceremony two ex-POM students were in his band. They played to a combined global audience of about 1 billion people - not bad when you consider they had only graduated two months previously! Simon Cripps and Chris Capewell had worked exceptionally hard to create, record and perform their work over the three years with us, and excelled in their 3rd Year Record Label Project, in collaboration with Charlie Pilsworth: The Morning Collective, featuring the band Harbour. Click the picture below to check out Harbour online

Snow Patrol tour support for Rams’ Pocket Radio Andy Black took a year out from his studies to tour as guitarist/keyboardist for Rams’ Pocket Radio including several tour support slots with Snow Patrol. As you might imagine, he had a pretty stunning time! Click the picture for more…

Fancy contributing? Any news, info or promotion you provide, we’ll share. Contact alansley@glos.ac.uk

Getting Gigs By Andrew Lansley 1. Open mic nights. There are loads all around every town in the UK. Take them as a 'loss leader' in terms of business. It's a great way to cultivate a new audience because you will most likely be one of the best acts there (rather than Joe Bloggs + out of tune guitar + poor Oasis covers) If you feel precious about performing at open mics and/or dubious about listing them as "shows" you can always justify it as trying out new material. Who knows - you might get a booking out of it. 2. If you’re still trying to establish yourself, take any shows you are offered! At the end of the day any work is work and it might return another booking. 3. Busk on the day of shows. Don't just turn up to the venue that evening, get there in the day and busk in the street till you have covered your petrol and food. You have a skill, use it to make you some cash. 4. Plan to rotate when you visit/play towns – don't hit the same places too often. For example, if you're trying to get shows down in Swindon – plan to visit a few open mics and have a busk. Get in contact with venues and promoters to say you'll be in town. If you book a show – great – if you don't, worry about it again once you plan to hit the town in 6 months time. They'll get to know you as a regular, dependable and present performer rather than taking a punt on an outsider. 5. Get in with other bands. See if you can 'trade' gigs in one place for putting one on in Cheltenham. Do the band have a competent musician at the show? Perhaps get them up for a jam if you feel confident in their skill… 6. Get some business cards made and make them interesting. A double-sided A5 piece of artwork that has the contact details on very small indeed puts art first and function second. It means it can double up as a calling card and something someone might want to keep as a piece of design/art. 7. Sell CDs. Just like a business card it's critical to get these into peoples hands. Barter for price, go around the venue and talk to people, don't sit in a corner waiting for people to come to you. 8. Promoters, venues, sound men, bar owners – everyone – has enough of the self-important clichéd pre Madonna nonsense that comes with the bad attitude some smaller artists carry in order to make themselves feel big. There is nothing worse than getting to a venue, doing your soundcheck and then immediately leaving and/or sitting in a corner looking at your phone all night. Talk to the bar staff, other bands, sound engineer – everyone, they're all there because they love music and you'll find you have a lot in common. It may seem like a cynical suggestion, but I propose this as face-to-face communication is often overlooked for the incredibly powerful experience that it is. You're not looking to be the promoter’s new best friend, but demonstrating that you're more than just a kick arse performer and consummate professional will do wonders for your return rate. More than this is will greatly enrich your soul!

I was recently emailed by a student asking for tips about how to increase opportunities to play live and generate more income from shows. I thought the advice I gave might be of benefit to others, so take a look below at some practical tips about promoting yourself to a wider audience.

Popular Music student wins Cheltenham Bowl

The Cheltenham Bowl is awarded each year to a student who has made an outstanding contribution to the life of the University and to the local community. At this year’s graduation ceremony, Charlotte Robertson, a 3

rd year Popular Music student, was

announced as the winner and received her award from the Mayor of Cheltenham. Our Faculty Dean, Ben Calvert, made the address, drawing attention to her extraordinary work with the Olympic Torch Event at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham Festivals, Wychwood Festival and 2000 Trees. He praised her as “one of the most proactive students within her School, (who) has continually gone ‘above and beyond’ in order to help improve the experience of her fellow students and to contribute significantly to the local community.”

“Charlotte has helped students around her to have experiences at this university that would not have been afforded to them elsewhere. She has also created opportunities for students who might not otherwise have ever met each other to create friendships and work with their peers from across the School.” Everyone within and connected to the POM course is immensely proud of Charlotte and we would like to offer her our congratulations for what she has achieved.

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