Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Drury Club in Central London, just off Covent Garden on Drury Lane, to go and experience the Industry Link ACM@Metropolis showcase night. The venue was really great! It looked good, sounded good and had a great atmosphere in the heart of a really buzzing area.
Four ACM@Metropolis Songwriting students performed with their bands, alongside headline acts, the one-man looping band Johnny Lucas and ACM Alumni Cavalier.
The songwriters in order were:
- Sam Mckenna
- Anya Lou
- Child of Cecilia
- Cellars
The acts were very lucky to benefit from the professional sound of the monitoring technician ‘Manny’, from legendary rock band Jethro Tull, doing the out-front sound. The gig was superb and the bands played really well. I was so proud watching them! Not only was there a great crowd there, but it also included a few members of the record industry plus our very own Industry Link tutors and ACM staff.
I think the most important thing about this night was that it didn’t seem like a bunch of students doing a showcase in a nice venue, but a set of high-quality bands with really well crafted songs performing on a live club night!
Emma and Yasmin from Metropolis set all this up and did an amazing job, from the organisation of the show to the cheap entry and promotion of the gig.
This type of showcase is definitely something that all good student bands should be looking at doing. If you are interested, get in touch with Industry Link to play next time. It’s also fun just to watch bands, drink a beer and hang out with friends while supporting your fellow ACM students.
Naturally, it’s pretty essential as a new artist to be playing shows in central London, and with nights like this it’s a golden opportunity to play a decent venue and invite some influential people down to your show!
As I say, get on it, get in it, and get seen!
Cheers
Ace
