Get to know
Neon Seas band
This Glasgow electro-pop band are hotly tipped for success, and features our very own ex-student Samantha Kelly.
As well as Samantha on vocals, Neon Seas features Davey Purdie (guitar/synthesizer), Calum Brown (guitar/synthesizer) and Craig Harkness (drums). Dead Cells is the latest single from the group to be unleashed. Selected as a Single of the Week on BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoon Show last month, the band describe it as their heaviest track yet. Check it out below.
The group spoke to Jim Gellatly recently for The Scottish Sun – they spoke about their early influences, the many elements and aspects to their sound, and their love of the Glasgow scene.
Here's some highlight quotes from the Neon Seas interview...
“From the start, we’ve been dancing between genres, dipping our toes in certain textures and ideas from various styles like shoegaze, synthpop and post-punk.
"As we’ve grown, the songs have got bigger sounding and we’ve been more willing to tap into certain ideas you wouldn’t normally hear in alternative pop music.” – Davey
: “We’re really excited to kick off what we hope to be our biggest year yet, by playing in one of our favourite venues. Our plan is to get out there as much as possible and make some new friends. And do what we love doing!” – Davey
“We were all fairly rusty performers at that time, having all been away from playing in bands for a while. It’s been great to grow together as musicians and as mates.” – Davey
"The soaring synths, coupled with infectious rhythms, create a captivating sound." – Jim Gellatly
Neon Seas were winners of Rebel Yell bourbon’s battle of the bands in 2018, they also graced the stage at the legendary Barrowland as part of the Music Matters, Happiness Matters, You Matter gig for mental-health awareness.
Read the full article here.
NME features alumni Ollie Southgate from Heavy Lungs in Fender Play online tutorial
More ex-AMS students are appearing in the media this week, with Exeter Alumni Ollie Southgate appearing in a Fender Play online tutorial. The tutorial was shared by industry leading music magazine NME earlier in the week (18 February 2020), as part of its promotion regarding Fender Play – “the app that can teach anyone to play guitar – even music critics.”
Here’s a short extract from the article…
“To celebrate Fender Play, NME invited Ollie from Heavy Lungs to The NME Office to see if he could put Deputy Editor and lapsed wannabe guitar hero Dan Stubbs through his paces.”
“Ollie’s intuitive guitar style is informed by a teenage love of innovative Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, and was developed in secret on his older brother’s guitar (Ollie was supposed to be the bassist). He channels his energy into the Bristol band’s blistering punk songs and fearless live performances.”
Ollie was a student at AMS Exeter about a decade ago. He studied the L3 Extended Diploma back in the day. His band Heavy Lungs, dubbed by Loud and Quiet as “yet another great Bristol punk band”, are another talented up-and-coming group to emerge from the South West.
Check out the full article on the NME website and watch the video in the player below.
Want to expand your music skills through online learning? Visit our online platform AMS Online…
Listen to AMS Glasgow band Layaway play on BBC Radio nan Gaidheal!
AMS Scotland's very own Layaway band appeared on the BBC Radio nan Gaidheal - a Scottish/Gaelic radio show - just a few weeks ago (January 27th 2020).
The band appeared on broadcaster Rapal's BBC show to play some tunes and chat about the band and their music.
They show has also featured the like of both Quiche and Cloth recently - who both hit it up at our 25th birthday gig in Glasgow last November - plus The Sherlocks and False Friends. Rapal also hosted a Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) show last year.
Layaway, an alternative rock band hailing rom Glasgow, were also featured on a few Spotify Breakthrough playlists last month, and were featured in Discover Magazine. They said in a social media post sharing the article, "We've been waiting to work with press and the timing couldn't be better. Some very kind words and we're looking forward to pushing this forward."
Have a listen to the full show in the player below...
Listen here
Free 'Digital Marketing for Musicians' Masterclass in Gateshead
AMS Gateshead team up with Plectrumm Social to offer the free marketing session.
We've said it once, we'll say it again. Social media and savvy digital marketing can be an excellent way to enhance your band's profile!
Good news then, Academy of Music and Sound Gateshead have collab'd with Plectrumm to offer a free Digital Marketing Masterclass. Gateshead students - get involved!
Founded by Matthew Wooton, Brighton-based Plectrumm brings a fresh and dynamic take on digital advertising. With over 5 years experience, the team have worked with some of the biggest artists in the game, including Thirty Seconds To Mars, Noel Gallagher, Four Tet and Freya Ridings.
"Born out of the desire to bring a memorable tailored service, Plectrumm's vision is built around growing engaged artist audiences, retaining key data and converting interest into income. With a creative and innovative campaign Plectrumm can help join the dots between the live, recorded and social streams."
~
"Proudly based in Brighton, Plectrumm looks to take the industry forward by delivering an untouched standard of e-commerce and advertising, exclusively to the world of music."
"The team are as passionate about breaking talented new acts as they are keen to work with household names. With a developing roster of some of the most exciting new acts around, this ethos fuels the belief that connected digital marketing will break the musicians of tomorrow."
~
Date And Time:
Fri, February 14, 2020
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM GMT
Location:
Academy of Music and Sound, Gateshead
191 High Street
Gateshead
NE8 1AS
Book now
Find out more on Plectrumm's website.
AMS Scotland's Zoe Graham gets interviewed in M Magazine: Read online
"Even if there’s a thundering beat under the track,
somehow, somewhere, folk will still be in there."
AMS Scotland alumni Zoe Graham was interviewed for the popular music publication M Magazine recently; Zoe spoke about her early influences, the new direction her music is taking , what's been inspiring her lately, and of course, her experience taking home the prestigious SAMA award towards the end of 2019.
Read the full article below (originally published in M Magazine on 28 January 2020).
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While there is a distinct contrast between early singles like Hacket & Knackered and her latest offering Sleep Talking, the storytelling nature of her songwriting is persistent amid the sharp electronics.
Despite being at a relatively early stage in her career, it’s a trait that bagged Zoe the Best Acoustic gong at last year’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs).
Possessing songwriting prowess beyond her years, she has steadily forged an impressive reputation in Scotland’s rich music scene.
Following a move to Glasgow, Zoe gigged heavily in the city at venues like The Hug and Pint before securing support slots for acts like Rae Morris at The Art School and a spot on the line-up for the prestigious new music showcase Wide Days.
The shift towards the electronic pop of Sleep Talking is an exciting development in an already impressive young career.
We caught up with Zoe to get the skinny on her new direction, her biggest inspirations and what it felt like to take home the SAMA award…
How did you first get into making music?
Music has always been a big part of my life. For as long as I can remember this is what I wanted to do. My older brother is a conductor and composer and I grew up listening to him blast classical music from his room and learn the piano. It’s easy to see that my brother was the main inspiration for me to then pick up the violin, and then the guitar. With my mum and dad being an actress and artist – creativity was never something to shy away from.
Does songwriting come naturally to you?
I’d say so yes! But that doesn’t make it easy for me. It’s definitely a part of me that I don’t think will ever leave me. But I labour over songs and find it very difficult to finish them. I get distracted and after writing the first verse I get very tired very quickly. That’s why I’ve really been enjoying co-writes. There’s a responsibility to get something finished and an expectation to come away with a finished and demoed song. Where if I’m writing myself, it will take me a couple of days to get around to it all.
How would you describe your music to the uninitiated?
That’s difficult, it’s changed so much throughout the years. My older stuff veers slightly more on the alt-folk side. But the new stuff is more electronic and pop based. However, I feel regardless of the instrumentation or genre I still have a foot firmly in folk music by the nature of my lyrics. They always tell a story and are quite developed. So even if there’s a thundering beat under the track somehow, somewhere folk will still be in there.
What inspirations outside of music impact your songwriting?
I’m a big art lover. My father being an artist, I’ve always been into making things my whole life. My initial plans were to actually go to art school. But instead I found The Academy of Music and Sound and decided to try that out as they had a songwriting course. I’m hugely inspired by the natural world, and I also sometimes like to pop religious themes in my lyrics too. Not in any Christian-rock or god loving kind of a way, I use that language as a leverage to make my statement hit a bit harder. For example, one of the lyrics in my new single Sleep Talking – ‘Judas you are not alone, I am with you.’ This lyric shows how bad I feel, how guilty I feel. But somehow it feels a bit worse when you add Judas into the mix.
What’s the thinking behind your latest track Sleep Talking?
I’m a really bad sleep talker, walker, and I see things in my sleep too. I used to wake up in the middle of the night with an ex-partner lying next to me thinking I had said something I didn’t mean, something horrible or untrue. And I used to really panic that they heard, or just confused if I had even said anything at all. This feeling was so awful that I knew I just had to write about it.
______
Can you tell us a little bit about the motivations behind the track’s accompanying video?
The video is a direct reference to the meaning of the song. I hallucinate in my sleep, I wake up seeing things; so Kieran Howe (director) and I ran with this. The three dancers in the video are my nightly hallucinations, each representing a stage of grief from a break up. Throughout the video we move from dark, to grey to light as I slowly start to accept these stages of grief. At the end I have totally accepted these emotions and they have become pillars to my progression in life, lessons learned. There are also a lot of religious themes in the video too. We used these as stylistic inspirations. For instance, the images of the hands are a nod to ‘The Creation of Adam’, and the final frame of the dancers and I is a reference to ‘The Descendant From The Cross’ by Paul Ruben. Baroque and Renascence art was the main jumping off point for Kieran and I.
How do you think your music has evolved since you first started out?
My confidence has greatly improved my songwriting. I was a very shy kid growing up. With this, I have progressed through quite a few genres. I used to write blues music, then folk music and slowly as my confidence has progressed I now have slid into the territory of more outspoken alt-pop music. Who knows where it could all go next!
How did it feel to win Best Acoustic at the 2019 Scottish Alternative Music Awards?
AMAZING! I’ve been playing gigs since I was 16 and, in that time, I’ve played hundreds of gigs (and that’s not an overstatement). Just like every musician I’ve done a lot of Bad (with a capital B) gigs in my time. Especially as a kid, you can end up getting conned quite a bit. Finally feeling like I had been recognised for my hard work and perseverance was such an amazing feeling. Winning the SAMA has now become a big driver for me to keep on going!!!
Do you have any plans for a full-length release?
…maybeeeee
What’s your take on the Scottish music scene at the moment?
It’s the place to be for new and exciting music. The music coming out of Scotland is genuine and has a real humanity to it. I’m close friends with most of the music scene in Glasgow and parts of the rest of Scotland too. It really feels like the most supportive family. Great music coming out of Scotland right now are Quiche, Russell Stewart, Kitti and VanIves, to name a few.
What’s next for you?
At the moment I’m writing, and trying to create as much music and art as possible. MORE OF THAT PLEASE! I’ll be showcasing my band a bit more this year and playing more shows across the border too.
Zoe Graham forthcoming live dates:
18 April The Poetry Club, Glasgow
This article first appeared on m-magazine.co.uk on 28 January 2020.
Working in the Music Industry? Fast Track to a BA (Hons) in just 12 months
Industry Professionals can now Fast-Track to the final year of a BA, gaining an Honours degree in just 12 months!
We know all too well that for many aspiring musicians, time is precious, and juggling your musical aspirations with life’s other responsibilities can be a big challenge. With that in mind, we have extended our fast-track programme - musicians working within the industry can now Fast-Track to to the final year of a BA (Hons) programme without needing a Foundation Degree or HND. Experience in the industry is enough.
Through our unique Fast Track process, we save you time by rewarding you for your hard work and experiences by mapping these against the earlier years of a BA (Hons) programme. This way, you can achieve a BA (Hons) degree in as little as 2 Semesters full time or 3 Semesters part time, without the need for formal prior qualifications.
You may have extensive experience as a performer, song writer, producer, publisher, tour manager, artist representation, audio engineer, festival organiser, business owner, composer or private teacher, and all of that experience can count towards your fast tracking.
For those interested in developing a career in formal teaching, achieving a BA(Hons) is a must have step in gaining a post graduate certificate of education. Having an honours degree could also help you progress much more quickly to M.Mus level, which you may need for a variety of careers in the industry such as Music Therapy.
If you've been working predominantly in music for 5 years or more, and you can prove this by submitting a portfolio of musical links and back it up with references, then you could be eligible to fast track straight onto the final year of our BA (Hons) Music & Sound. Read more
Lewis Capaldi gets support from Ex-AMS Student Greg Pearson on stage in Dubai!
An ex-student performed with Lewis Capaldi last week...
It's been a very proud week for AMS Scotland. Last week, Ex-AMS Student apprentice Greg Pearson - a singer-songwriter hailing from Edinburgh, supported the one-and-only Lewis Capaldi (who also happens to be a ex-short-course AMS Edinburgh alumni...) on stage in Dubai, in front of a crowd of 3700.
Greg released his new single in serious style earlier this month, supporting another Scottish talent on stage.Greg spoke to the midlothian Advertiser an about how delighted he was opening for one of the biggest names in music right now. “I was asked by the Al Majaz Amphitheatre if I would like the opportunity to showcase my music. Being a Scottish singer-songwriter living in The UAE, and a fan of Lewis Capaldi, I was delighted to say yes."
He was also full of praise for Capaldi: “He was so genuine and down to earth. Him and his whole team were an absolute joy to be around.”
In 2016 we covered the news that Greg's track These Walls was picked as Single of The Week on the BBC Scotland Janice Forsyth show. He moved to Dubai later that year to pursue his career in music, and let's just say, it seems to be going pretty well for him. Best of luck Greg, from all of us here at AMS.
We're officially very chuffed to have these two talented Scots among our alumni. ????
Follow Greg Pearson....
Check out Greg's new track Million Miles here - and read the recent article about the gig in the Midlothian Advertiser.
Apply to play at one of the South West's best Festivals in 2020!
Apply to play Beautiful Days Festival 2020
Our centre in Exeter has teamed up with Devon’s Beautiful Days Festival to offer up and coming bands and acts the chance of a performance slot. Open to unsigned bands and artists everywhere, this is your chance to play a notable and established festival, hop on the festival circuit, and hopefully get some amazing experience in the process.
So, what’s on offer?
3 performance slots are available to new and/or unsigned artists to play in the Big Top, The Little Big Top and The Bimble Inn at this years festival which will run from 21-23 August 2020.
APPLY NOW on the Beautiful Days website.
Beautiful Days festival has been running at Escot Park near Exeter in Devon, since 2003 when it was set up by the band The Levellers, and has since been host to some incredible acts such as KT Tunstall, Frank Turner, Echo & The Bunnymen, Happy Mondays, The Pogues, Primal Scream, Seth Lakeman, Manic Street Preachers and Seasick Steve. Great company, eh?
In 2011 Beautiful Days was pronounced “Best Family Festival” by the UK Festival Awards, later winning the “Grass Roots Festival Award” in 2015, as well as the “Best Medium Festival award from FestivalKidz the same year. Described as an “old school, non-corporate” event, it’s no wonder every festival has sold out in advance.
Applications will open on 31 January 2020 and run through to 2nd March. Any applications sent before this date will not be considered.
MAR 2nd 2020 APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED
You can read more about Beautiful Days on their website, and check our their Instagram page for updates.
#BD2020
In Photos
The Big Gig at St Lukes Glasgow
November 2019 saw us take to the incredible venue St Luke’s & the Winged Ox in Glasgow for an epic BIG GIG celebrating our 25 years in music education. It was a joint birthday affair along with the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs) and the Scottish Music Centre who were celebrating their 10th and 50th birthdays respectively, and was sound-tracked by a whole host of amazing bands and artists.
Cloth, Vandal Palace, Marina Rolink were all there to help celebrate, with Melisa Kelley and the Smokin Crows playing an outstanding headlining set. The atmosphere was incredible and we couldn’t have asked for a better venue, crowd, and line-up to help mark our 25th year, and to send of 2019 in style with. Thanks to all who made the Big Gig possible.
AMS Scotland’s Marc Sharpe made a statement about the event:
“Having been employed at AMS for over ten years I have been privileged and humbled from the amount of raw musical talent that not only was developed from students forming bands, collaborating and watching the first iterations of the original material created, but what they have continued to work towards when their studies with us have ended – some of them on the brink of not only breaking and becoming known locally but also across the UK and Europe.
The Big Gig was not only a celebration of 25 years of the Academy of Music and Sound but also a celebration and recognition of the students/alumni that have developed under our tutelage, supporting local businesses/networks, charities close to our heart.
We collaborated and shared our birthday with the Scottish Alternative Music Awards and Scottish Music Centre who respectively turned ten and fifty this year and always appreciate and welcome their support, we always strive to maintain close industry networks and collaboration to share unique opportunities to current and former students. Not only this, we invited industry professionals such as; Creative Scotland, The Musicians Union, 23rd Precinct, Hit the Road, Help Musicians UK to provide inside knowledge on what they can offer people during and beyond their studies.
The evening also had some additional support from current HN students (Cameron Wilson and Jack Geddes) who are also developing their own photography skills and offered to take pictures alongside our media partner (former BA(hons) alumni) Emma Bryceland who have their own creative film company. Additionally, we had thirst-quenching sustenance from local brewers Drygate who provided a healthy stock of drinks for everyone who attended.
From start to finish, from the opening act to the final act, every single performer, musician, artist was flawless. The night featured an eclectic taste of music and on paper, you wouldn’t typically see many of these performers on the same bill however, I also think that this demonstrates a key understated area in that AMS helps develop musicians regardless of their musical background or interests. Furthermore, I think it shows great strength in the musical talent in Scotland and I’m sure that it’ll continue to grow.
Thank you to everyone involved and I mean absolutely everyone.
Wandern Media, Cameron Wilson and Jag Media were on hand to capture the event in all it’s glory. Check out all the photos in the gallery below.
Nina Nesbitt speaks to AMS Glasgow students
at YouTube x SMIA event
Last week we were back at Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox where 70 of our Glasgow students attended an educational music event hosted by YouTube and Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA).
Singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, who originally hails from Livingston, spoke to over 120 people from Glasgow’s thriving music scene, including 70 students from our very own Glasgow centre about how YouTube helped to bolster her career in music when she was just starting out.
Speaking to The Evening Times Nina said, “I started my YouTube channel when I was 15, and I think it made a massive difference to starting off my career.”
“Myself and musicians like Gabrielle Aplin, Lewis Watson and Orla Gartland are just a few that I used to listen to who all started in the same way, and I think they will agree that using YouTube in the way that we did was life-changing.”
She also commented on how social media helped her make connections in the industry; “I was from a small village in Scotland and there wasn’t much in the way of a music scene, or even any connection to the industry. Using social media and YouTube was my only form of connection to that world. The site has obviously changed since then, but I want to help teach other aspiring musicians the ways they can use it to help them nowadays. Visuals are so important.”
Commenting on Instagram, Nina said, “Hopefully my story can remind you even if you aren’t from a musical family, rich background or have the connections around you there is still a chance to get where you want to be.”
David Mogendorff, YouTube Music’s Head of Artist Relations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa hosted the event. David, who hails from Aberdeen said, “Having grown up in Aberdeen and always been a huge fan of the brilliant music scene in Glasgow, it was fantastic to come back to the city today with YouTube.”
Throughout the evening there were performances from Nina Nesbitt and Free Love, and YouTube Music’s Head of Artist Relations for Europe spoke at the event.
Want to know more? Why not check out our blog on the importance of social media for aspiring young creatives.
Parts of this article were originally published on The Evening Times.
Follow the Academy of Music and Sound Scotland on Facebook for latest updates from our Glasgow and Edinburgh centres.
AMS Edinburgh host Women's Employability
in the Music Industry workshop
Free short course: Women's Employability in the Music Industry
The Academy of Music and Sound in Edinburgh is hosting a free four day course for anyone identifying as female looking for opportunities in the music industry.
The event is a completely free four-day course, running over two consecutive weekends the 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th of January 2020. The course is for anyone identifying as female who wants to enhance their knowledge, network and toolkit with the aim of being employed in the music industries in any capacity, whether it be performance, behind the scenes, journalism or event management.
The course will be hosted by Karlyn King, (BIMM, ICMP, University of Birmingham, UWS, AMS) who will teach attendees about gaining confidence in a competitive and harsh industry, how to find a musical direction, and female specific struggles and strengths in the music world and broader culture. The final day will be a masterclass with the wonderful Melisa Kelly of Melisa Kelly and the Smokin' Crows - the incredible blues band who killed it at our 25th Birthday Celebrations in Glasgow last week.
The course will take place at the Academy of Music and Sound, 88 Giles Street, Edinburgh EH6 6BZ. The deadline to book is Thursday 09 January 2020 at 23:55.
For further information, please contact [email protected] or call 0131 656 0600.
The Academy sweep at Scottish Alternative Music Awards SAMAs 2019
The Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs) returned with a bang last Friday night (25th October) at St. Lukes in Glasgow, celebrating in style a night of the best in Scottish underground music talent. The Academy of Music and Sound were proud to once again sponsor the award for Best Newcomer, which went to the multi-genre bending duo Vanlves.
Richy Muirhead, creative director of the SAMAs, said: “The seven winners are all very exciting artists with exciting futures ahead.”
He added, “this year’s SAMAs were another huge celebration of Scottish music…. It is fantastic to see the public get so involved and participate in the vote to determine the winners. We gathered over 12,500 votes in two days this year, which is a new record. It’s great to see so many people engaging with the nominations, streaming the music, and discovering other artists involved.
“The Scottish music scene is such a friendly and supportive community.
It wouldn’t matter who won really, the kindness and respect we all have
for each other really sets this scene apart.”
It was also a great night current and past AMS talent. Academy alumni and accomplished acoustic superstar Zoe Graham, took home the award for Best Acoustic act, who took the prize a year after another previous AMS Glasgow student Megan Airlie was awarded the prize in 2018. Zoe was a HND student at our Glasgow centre and is embarking on a solo headline tour at the end of November, performing in Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen.
We caught up with Zoe after the event. She commented on her experience at the 2019 SAMAs and her win: “I totally wasn’t expecting the win, I was up against some stiff competition and considering it all depended on votes I really thought Aaron Smith was going to take home the prize. Safe to say I was slightly lost for words during my speech.”
She continued, “After many years of graft and dedication to my music it’s just so nice to be recognised for it. Afterwards it was a great night with so many of my friends. The Scottish music scene is such a friendly and supportive community. It wouldn’t matter who won really, the kindness and respect we all have for each other really sets this scene apart.”
Five other former alumni from AMS Glasgow were nominees for the award including Aaron Smith, Godeater, CRYSTAL and Cloth (who are also headlining our highly-anticipated 25 Year celebrations in Glasgow next month). The event itself raised more than £300 for Help Musicians Scotland.
You can check out the full list of nominees and winners here and keep checking the SAMAs website for updates and photos from this years installment.