musicians | Westminster World

Dec72020 by Shiyan Wang. Subedit by Leanne TanNo Comments

The ‘Locked’ Actors in the lockdown cities

Art, Covid-19, Culture, Entertainment, musicians, Theatre

Theatres in the cities Tier 2 and below can be reopened after Boris Johnson publicly announced new rules about the end of lockdown in 3 December, which is undoubtedly the best opportunity for some of the actors to return to the stage. Since UK lockdown in March, many actors are out of work. "They're very talented, but they can't stand on stage," said a cabaret teacher, who has seen actors around her lose their jobs one after another. Jody Zimmerman, a musical theatre actress, did the latest performance before pandemic. Photo by Jody Zimmerman A 'locked' year for actors Grace Beazleigh, who was learning music theatre and graduated from Lain Theatre Art Collage this year, has been eager to perform on stage, but the sudden lockdown in March made it difficult for her. "When ...

How are musicians making ends meet during the pandemic?

Business, Covid-19, Music, musicians

(Photo: Ellie East) Many people within the creative industry have been affected by financial hardship due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result of this, people are looking for new and creative ways to support themselves. With the introduction of the furlough scheme in March, the government has made an effort to ensure workers do not go without. This however, has been a far cry from the the harsh realities faced by people working within the music industry. With little hope and not much to rely on, music professional Ellie East, 21, and her partner started a small music business - Tracks from Scratch. The business aims to produce affordable live instrumentals made from scratch for singers who aren’t able to use or pay for expensive beats from YouTube. For Ellie, the lockdown ha

Nov162020 by Leanne Tan and Mengqi ZhangNo Comments

From the streets to online: How London’s buskers survive the pandemic

Breaking News, Covid-19, Explainers, London, Music, musicians

The streets of London may be quieter without its usual hustle and bustle but for its buskers, the show must go on so they could continue to weather the coronavirus pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kaUFBnriWI&feature=youtu.be Video produced by Mengqi Zhang For one busker, Lucy May Walker streams her performances online as one of the many ways to pay rent. “I started live streaming on Facebook and put up a Paypal link. And it felt like I was almost busking but online,” said Lucy, who is also a singer-songwriter. Screenshot of Zoom interview with busker Lucy May Walker. Photo by Mengqi Zhang. Lucy started live streaming on her social media channels when the UK went into its first lockdown on 23 March. England is now into its second lockdown which

Apr122020 by Kuheli BiswasNo Comments

The History of Jazz

Explainers, Music, musicians

At one point in history, Jazz was considered so appalling that Serbian villagers used it to scare away bears, other stories say that a celebrated conductor had a heart attack on hearing the music. The genre itself became a huge discussion on whether it could be considered as proper music or not. In the 1924 issue of ‘The Etude,’ a popular magazine dedicated to music wrote that jazz “In its original form it has no place in musical education and deserves none.” However, no one can deny that the spontaneity of jazz that The Etude called ‘sloppy’ is the reason it remains, even today, a popular style of music. Image Credit: Kuheli Biswas So how and where did this interesting style of music start? Going back to the 19th Century, America as a new world full of opportunities attracted p

Dec102018 by Ethan Megenis-ClarkeNo Comments

University of Westminster alumni pay tribute to Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley

Entertainment, Media, Music, musicians, News

When Pete Shelley, frontman and guitarist of legendary punk band Buzzcocks died on Thursday of a suspected heart attack, tributes and stories poured out from all corners of the music industry. Amongst those paying tribute was writer and University of Westminster alumni Jon Ronson, author of books such as The Psychopath Test and Men Who Stare at Goats. Ronson tweeted: “RIP Pete Shelley! When I was 19 we occupied our college building on Regent Street in London for some reason I forget and someone told Pete Shelley and he turned up in the middle of his night with his guitar and did an impromptu solo show for us.” RIP Pete Shelley! When I was 19 we occupied our college building on Regent Street in London for some reason I forget and someone told Pete Shelley and he turned up in the mi

Dec32018 by Prabal SharmaNo Comments

Death at Bring Me The Horizon concert points fingers at security arrangements

Band, Breaking News, Celebrity, Music, musicians, News

The music venue denied that the incident was related to security measures in place A fan passed away at a Bring Me The Horizon concert on 30 November, 2018 at Alexandra Palace in London. Emergency services rushed to the north London venue to reports of a person not feeling well at around 10 pm but were unable to save the man. The deceased was identified as Ali Mills from Essex who died in a mosh pit at the event. A London Ambulance Services spokesperson said: "We sent an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car, an advanced paramedic and our hazardous area response team to the scene. Our first medic arrived in less than three minutes. Sadly the patient died at the scene." link The Sheffield based rock band released a statement shortly afterwards via a tweet saying: “

Dec112017 by Madison Pearce No Comments

Lost music and film history – Where has the memorabilia gone?

Art, Audio, Blogs, Entertainment, Fashion, Film, Music, musicians, Watch, What's Hot

Silently sitting in Mariah Carey’s penthouse, Marilyn Monroe’s white piano is locked away from the world. Sold at a private Christie’s auction in 1999, it is unclear if the public will ever be able to view it again. Is the sale of personal memorabilia threatening the loss of parts of music and film history? However, It’s positive news for auction houses. The popularity of film and music memorabilia has steadily increased over the last decade. Christina Moriame from Ewbank Auction house believes its due to “more activities and awareness of sales in this specialism, marketing and being able to be pushed by valuers” another significant point is that “items are becoming older thus more collectible” she added. Auction houses are now cashing in, generating profits b

Dec112017 by Betina GluhovaNo Comments

English duo Hurts explore new grounds

Art, London, Music, musicians

After six weeks of touring the world, English pop duo Hurts finally arrives home this December. Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson are both very happy to be on home soil and finally, after weeks of performing, they get the chance to introduce their fourth full-length album Desire to the London public. The songs from the new album sound lighter, happier, and more positive than all their previous work. Westminster World went to see them live at Brixton Academy to see their new style. After releasing their album Desire, the duo shared with NME that this is some of the best music they have ever made in their career. For the lyrics of Desire, Theo Hutchcraft (singer and songwriter) explained that they have been 'a bit more personal on this record'. The band has always been very open-

Aisling Quinn, the woman behind a popstar’s success

Celebrity, Entertainment, Experience, Music, musicians

Behind every pop star, in the shadows, is a large crew who work around the clock. Their jobs are critical to ensuring the success and smooth operation of everything from press tours to world tours. Aisling Quinn is one of the very few female tour managers in the famously male-dominated industry. Working with Mumford and Sons, Jess Glynne. Aisling is now tour manager for International singer and songwriter Bebe Rexha. It comes at a price though, there has to be an understanding there is no such thing as a personal life. “It's so time consuming and your social life becomes non-existent,” she adds. In fact, her job is so time-consuming that our correspondence is limited to emails, as she travels through the USA managing Bebe’s appearances on the award and chat show circuit including an ap

Dec102017 by Sreelakshmi VachasapthyNo Comments

Imaginarium: the next ‘go-to’ place for Christmas

Art, Culture, Entertainment, Food, Galleries, London, Music, musicians, Theatre

An underground hothouse in the centre of Borough Market, the Imaginarium welcomes Christmas with a different outlook. Opening up a creative hub for artists from all fields such as storytelling, painting and live performances. Photo Credits: Sreelakshmi Vachasapthy I was able to make it on the very first Sunday, where I witnessed the opening of these feasts, ideas and theatrics. It also gave me a chance to interact with the owner of the place- Naomi, who gave an insight about the events happening over next couple of weeks. She said: "It is a six-week long program which consists of theatrical events, music, arts, dinning and workshops for people to join." The place stands out for its interior work and atmosphere. It also has stores set up which marks London’s independent artists, d