Bruce tunes up venture
A Scarborough musician is to open a new music school in Yorkshire.
Bruce Dickinson, formerly of Scarborough band Little Angels, is opening up a new music school which will begin late next year.
Little Angels formed in Scarborough in the mid1980s and were together until the mid-90s.
They achieved a number one album with their third record ‘Jam’ and toured with the likes of Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and ZZ Top.
Mr Dickinson is co-founder of WaterBear, celebrated for its dedication to specialist one-to-one mentoring, focused class sizes and development opportunities across the music industry.
It first opened its doors in Brighton in September 2018.
Mr Dickinson and cofounder Adam Bushell decided to open a new college in the North of England, and chose Sheffield.
Mr Dickinson said: “The national recognition of our education philosophy is encouraging, because opening a college in the North was always in our sights. After all, the North itself is somewhat unrivalled in its music talent and industry output.
“Plus, on a purely personal level, I'm originally from Scarborough, so this absolutely feels like a homecoming for me."
WaterBear will be opening in the former Gatecrasher nightclub building on Arundel Street, Sheffield, in September 2023.
The college was first opened in Brighton in 2018 on a promise to show independent artists and musicians how to build sustainable careers in music for the rest of their lives.
It has since outperformed many of its more established rivals in student surveys for its range of BA (Hons) degrees and Masters qualifications for today's commercial music sector.
In 2001, Mr Dickinson cofounded the BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music) institute.
During their time at BIMM, he and Mr Bushell helped shape the music careers of now-celebrated artists, including George Ezra, Tom Odell, Beth Rowley and The Kooks.
Mr Bushell said of theSheffield venue: "No one is prouder and more aware of this location's legacy than I. Gatecrasher is not only a global icon, but to many, it's a Sheffield treasure."