Who are you listening to at the moment?
My favourite band at the moment are Arcane Roots. They are a very talented three piece from the UK. Their music is quite math-rock in nature, very riff driven, with some incredibly strong vocal lines and incredible musicianship throughout.
What I love most about the band is they incorporate some very technical and musically ‘heavy’ things into a package that I believe is accessible for the general listener. They have an ability to impress anyone who listens, musician or not, without being too niche and restrictive. And they sound massive for a three piece. If you haven’t already, give them a listen – they have three albums of material, so lots to get into yet they’re very much up-and-coming!
What do you love about Manchester?
Manchester is historically musical. With a pioneering musical background such as Oasis and the Stone Roses and legendary music venues such as the Hacienda club. And with the current music scene featuring tons of great bands such as Blossoms, it shouldn’t be ignored as a very important place for music to take shape and thrive.
I also see BIMM Manchester as specifically important, as there is nothing like it further north. That means it is a melting pot of many musicians from the North of England and Scotland, giving BIMM Manchester a real mix of people and styles that makes it unique. Manchester also has a very strong sense of community – you really feel like you belong to the city and it can quickly feel like home.
Why Songwriting?
I was originally on the Professional Musicianship course for guitar, but decided to change to Songwriting as I believe the course allowed me more creative control and time to work on what I want to achieve. The course also allows me to collaborate with other musicians when writing, to draw influence from sources I otherwise maybe wouldn’t and still allows me to play live. I get to work with the house band and with fellow classmates in practical songwriting sessions that allow me to work on instrumentation, dynamics, and timbres that I may not be able to outside of the course. It really is an opportunity for minds to come together in music. BIMM has facilitated my meeting some fantastic musicians who I plan to work with for the long-term future. I’ve never met so many like minded people in one place!
Discover more about Songwriting here at BIMM
