Record store gives young bands chance to play live

Budding bands have been given a boost with the chance to play on stage at a city's local record store.

Access Creative College (ACC) has teamed up with HMV in Norwich to give students the opportunity to showcase their music at free public events in the shop.

College bands played there last Saturday and a further three are set for the stage on Saturday.

Dan Foden, the head of campus at ACC Norwich, said it was a "privilege" for students to be able to play at HMV and that the college could not wait for them "to wow audiences at the Live and Local showcase".

Grassroots music venues can offer a vital launchpad for fledgling acts.

However the last annual report by the charity The Music Venues Trust (MVT) said that financial stresses led 125 UK venues to abandon live music in 2023, with more than half of these shutting entirely.

Mr Foden said the new partnership with HMV would hopefully "give local grassroots music a boost".

"Access is a really vibrant place full of young creatives, with our musicians finding their way into bands, possibly for the first time," he said.

"It's very exciting to see bands come together at the college in their first few weeks and getting it together to play amazing shows."

Majic and Cheers! With Lewis Maxam played last weekend and three more college bands are playing on Saturday - the Amy Reeve Band, Amourette and The All Tomorrows.

Adeleine Elek-Arnold, 17, who plays rhythm guitar and is a vocalist in four-piece Amourette, said: "No matter how big or small the gig is, they're all so worthwhile - you learn so much."

The band got together at ACC and has played several venues in the city as well as in Great Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast.

Amourette is a punk/alternative rock group and Adeleine said they loved to "write songs that have meaning and that people can relate to".

The band only got together in October, which she said was thanks to the college "mixing people together, to see who melds - and we all just clicked".

Racheal Everson, the assistant manager at Norwich's HMV, said: "The UK music industry requires a constant flow of fresh new talent to ensure a strong future, and we’re excited to use our platform to support the grassroots industry, and give young artists experiences they can build on to achieve successful careers."

It is not the first time the college has teamed up with other local organisations to showcase its students' musical talents.

Earlier this year a series of gigs dubbed New Noise! saw emerging artists perform at a city venue, which Mr Foden described as incredible. The rapper $ebbuku, a former ACC student who took part in the first gig, said it was "such a great opportunity".

Saturday's showcase takes place from 15:00 BST at HMV in Chantry Place and is a free event with no age restrictions.

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