It's that time of year again: Graduation 2019 is upon us and we're waving goodbye to another gifted cohort of students as our 'Class of 2019' finish their undergraduate studies and set upon their careers.
This year boasts an array of talent from across all our courses. With too many to mention, we've selected just a handful of our upcoming artists and creatives to give you a flavour of the Leeds flair flooding the music scene this summer.
A true sum of its parts, the Class of 2019 are certainly set for good things and we can't wait to follow their musical journeys and celebrate their successes! Good luck to all our graduates; we're very proud.
Tamzene
Having already enjoyed a killer debut year with her soulful first single, Lullaby, gaining international recognition and a wealth or airtime exposure, this multi-instrumentalist is capturing audiences and the industry alike. Tamzene comes from Cromarty, a coastal town in the Scottish-highlands and began her musical journey learning the violin as a young child before exploring her innately lyrical mind for songwriting. Amongst her influences are the real giants of soul music, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone. These rich, powerful routes imbue her sound with timeless poignancy whilst her stylish contemporary approach foretells big things to come.
Her talent has already seen her hot-footing the festival circuit in the UK and further afield. Tamzene has performed at leading industry conference, MUSEXPO, in Los Angeles and was selected by Festival Republic and the PRS Foundation to participate in the pioneering ReBalance programme. Upcoming dates feature performances at Latitude Festival and the Belladrum Tartan Hart Festival.
Venus
Venus are an all-girl, ‘astrological’ alternative rock band, striving to make the creative industries a safer and more diverse environment for female/LGBT+ creatives. Described as, ‘new wave riot grrrl space punks’, Venus combine Riot Grrrl ideologies with sonic influences from bands like Wolf Alice, The Cult, and Garbage. Having met and formed at Leeds Conservatoire in 2018, they are building a heady reputation with their insurgent singles, ‘Deranged’, and ‘Sour’. The band consists of Grace Kelly (Vocals & Rhythm Guitar), Jess Ayres (Lead Guitar), Hannah Barraclough (Bass), Gabby Cooke (Drums) and Grace Stubbings (Synth).
Passionate about equality for ALL women in ALL industries, Venus are in the midst of competing in Centre Stage UK, as well as the Futuresound Emerging competition, hoping to secure a set at Reading & Leeds Festival 2019. “Whilst the representation of female artists at UK festivals is improving, the statistics are still disappointing,” say the band. “We’re driven by a desire to better this and so the competitions are close to our heart.”The band aim to provide comfort to those who feel singled-out and to provide a domain of reassurance in a time of need.
Sticking in Leeds after graduation, Venus have new music scheduled for release this autumn.
M.U.2
A prolific creative with riotous musical energy to match his crammed schedule, M.U.2 has been tearing up the Leeds student house music scene for the past 2 years. After playing at Leeds Festival, M.U.2 has gone on to perform at some well-respected venues in Leeds: Wire, Hifi, Distrikt, Belgrave, Space, East 59 th and the Old Red Bus Station as well as supporting Michael Bibi and Richy Ahmed at The Welly (Hull). M.U.2, also known as Greg Moseley, is now focusing on upcoming releases as well as his new collective, Fifth Element.
A quick, tight mixing style compliments his high energy on-stage presence. Filled with huge dance-floor stompers, M.U.2 serves up a variety of sets from Disco and House to Tech House and Techno, yet these varied programmes retain his characteristic signature - potent groove routes and an essence for funk. 2019 is set to be a huge year for this Leeds based House DJ/Producer with his upcoming releases and high-profile bookings.
B-ahwe / Bethany Herrington
Drawing influence from contemporaries such as Hiatus Kaiyote, Portishead and Fatima, B-ahwe explores elements of hip-hop, trip-hop and neo-soul with jazzy chords, lush vocal textures and moody, ambient soundscapes. The project originally started as a production venture, having honed her writing, collaborative and performance skills playing alongside alumni, Lausse The Cat and Necktr. 2018 saw her release the first singles, 'Blueprint' and 'Rising', before playing at several notable venues in Leeds including Belgrave Music Hall and Headrow House. Her bustling calendar is establishing B-ahwe as a key player in the city's racy jazz and soul circuit.
In 2019, B-ahwe is going to be making a mark with the release of her debut EP, alongside a line of integrated visuals, ready to drop in the autumn. On the back of various summer festival dates such as Manchester Jazz festival and World Island, the EP release will be supported by a ten date UK tour in October.
Rob Davies
Having only just completed his studies on the BA Production course, Rob has already secured a job at Curioso, a video games company under the parent company Blue Beck, a pioneering digital engineering company. A multi-talented producer, Rob has built up his experience working in audio-visuals and as a studio technician alongside a variety of solo projects and collaborations. Rob had recently collaborated with Venus, recording and mastering their latest single, Sour, for Monomyth Records. He is also active in the Leeds music scene, curating live sound at The Domino Club, having previously worked as a studio assistant at Beat Street Studio Leeds.
Rob secured this post straight from the back of his work on the Interdisciplinary & Collaborative Project module offered through the Production degree at Leeds Conservatoire and will be writing and producing music and sound effects for the video games company.
Olivia Crawford
Olivia is a film and video game composer specialising in orchestral composition, harnessing the power of this large instrumentation and utilising its colours to captivate film audiences and video gamers with the perfect emotive accompaniment to any scene. Olivia also composes hybrid, electronic scores. She recently created the soundtrack for the video game CREO: God Simulator, the title card theme for the film production company NVLX Productions, and the main theme for an upcoming Doctor Who fan series.
Olivia currently works at the LGI as an Aviation Firefighter having initially studied Emergency Medicine but, originally from America, Olivia will be moving back to the States to pursue her career in composition based in either LA or New York. In the USA she will be collaborating with fellow Leeds Conservatoire alumni, Dan Suett, (who worked at Hans Zimmer's studio) a good friend and also owner of trailer music house, Really Slow Motion.
Olivia has been awarded The Nicholas Dodd Award for Outstanding Achievement, (the conservatoire's own prize for the highest overall mark) and is looking forward to meeting with him for a 1-2-1 soon - an exclusive privilege accorded through this award.
Rory Mann
Rory is a guitarist and composer specialising in jazz repertoire. A highly experienced ensemble musician, he plays in a wide variety of groups: Voyager Sextet play original, contemporary jazz, centred around intuitive group interaction, unrivalled spontaneity and boundless energy. Ophelia (led by vocalist Lucy Everatt) play a sweet blend of contemporary jazz, thoughtful lyricism and songwriting - infusing the essence of their sound.
Remaining in Leeds, Rory will be gigging with his own group, as well as Voyager Sextet, who regularly perform Rory's original compositions, and Ophelia. Additionally, Rory is undertaking work as a session guitarist for a variety of musical theatre companies and will be teaching both privately and for music services.
Heju
Heju is a singer-songwriter from South Korea. Through her music, she explores stories about a different side of love, the feelings that bloom between people, and the stories of what happens after love. Writing in Korean, her native language, Heju’s lyrics often look back with compassion at her perspective on love as a young woman. Heju says; “The songs I write are all about my life. I think I would make the same choices again if I turned back the clock in many scenarios, but through music I explore roads I didn’t choose.”
Robyn Saunders
A classical clarinettist with a natural flare for creating captivating and charismatic on-stage experiences, Robyn has been awarded The Joseph Stones Prize for BA Music (Classical). During her time at Leeds Conservatoire, she was principal of the Wind Ensemble and member of the SU Camerata, SU Concert Band, Avena Clarinet Quartet, Abbie Finn Big Band and the New Music Collective (NMC). Through NMC Robyn was given the opportunity to perform with the ensemble and as a soloist at the Gala Concert 2019. Robyn is also an experienced musician working in amateur dramatics, acting as Musical Director for 2 companies - Bramley Parish Theatre Players and High Flying Productions Company, producing 6 shows in 2 years.
In August, Robyn will be flying out to Malaysia to start a year-long contract as Musician in Residence for Marlborough College Malaysia. She will be using this time to not only explore Asia, but to raise funds to pursue a Master's degree as well. Robyn is also undertaking her 2nd music tour to New York in October. She performed at the BBKings Jazz club on her first tour and will be returning for a second performance at the Swing 46.
Discover the extended version of our Class of 2019 Playlist here!
