WaterBear Alumni

Finished your course? It doesn’t stop there. The WaterBear Alumni Network will keep you up to date with events, masterclasses, job opportunities, conferences and industry happenings, so even though you’ve stopped studying, you’ll always feel involved and part of the WaterBear family.

Sacha Skarbek >
Grammy nominee and two-time Ivor Novello winning songwriter. Worked with artists such as Adele, James Blunt, Samantha Mumba, Beverley Knight, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Ray.

Mark Richardson >
Drummer of Skunk Anansie, founder & trustee of music industry mental wellbeing charity Music Support, inventor of Tunerfish Lug Locks. Drummer of Little Angels for a time and supported artists such as Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi & Van Halen.

Ben Ash >
WaterBear Mentor, Dean Guitar Artist, Strigoi Guitarist and former session guitarist at Satyricon/Carcass.

Melanie Howard >
Bass player for The Wedding Present and also formed the project 'Such Small Hands', releasing her debut album titled 'Carousel'.

Jon Constantine >
Jon is a recording engineer and producer. He worked at Rockfield studios, had mixes approved by the likes of Universal Music, Virgin, EMI and has worked with bands who've gone on to sign for Big Machine.

Stuart Bruce >
Bruce, a studio engineer has worked with artists such as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley. He was also the engineer for Band Aid's charity single "Do they know it's Christmas?".

Dave Colquhoun >
Guitartist for Rick Wakemen. Worked with aritists such as Brian May & Ian Brown, & coached Rami Malek on the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Abi D'arcey >
Abi is an educator, singer, songwriter and performer who has supported artists such as Paolo Nutini, Newton Faulkner, Nick Mulvey and Congo Natty, and performed at venues including the O2 Academy and Maida Vale Studios

Matt White >
Songwriter, educator, Ivor Novello nominee, and guitarist with The Temperance Movement. He has toured with acts such as Deep Purple and The Rolling Stones.

Zoe Beth Hobbs >
Zoe-Beth, known as Xoe-B is a portfolio career musician, a vocalist, songwriter, dancer, teacher and budding entrepreneur. After completing her BA she is now studying her MA at WaterBear.

Liam Kearley >
Music educator, drummer of the Black Peaks and The Totemist with Rabea Massaad. Supported bands such as the Deftones, Mastodon, A Perfect Circle, System Of A Down and Prophets of Rage.

Tim Trotter >
Tim is a drummer, audio mixer, and producer, and runs Full Phatt, an audio production company. He has toured and recorded with many artists including multi-platinum UK band Feeder, and South African band Amersham.

Amba Tremain >
As a session vocalist Amba has worked with artists such as Eva Cassidy, Boy George, and Newton Faulkner. As well as running her own band, Blame Jones.

Aidan Hampson >
Aidan is a bass player and has received plaudits from some world’s greatest bassists including Nathan East and Leland Sklar. He has taught bass for over twenty years, specialising in theory and technique.

Lisa McKeown >
Lisa has extensive experience within the music industry. She is Founder & Director of Revolt Artist Management and also an Artist Manager at Siren Artist Management Inc. She is also Co-Founder at Ninelives UK.

Pat Heath >
Pat is an educator, rock-fusion guitarist, and online content producer. He’s also a magazine columnist and transcriber, and product demonstrator for ESP Guitars.

Demelza Mather >
A drummer and music educator, Demelza is drummer of the The Wytches and has also played with Projector. She is a passionate advocate for improving the experience of women in the music industry.

Rob Town >
As a member of Panic Cell, Rob toured and shared stages with the likes of Metallica, Papa Roach, Alice in Chains and Alice Cooper. He runs a PR/Marketing agency, Stampede Press, and co-founded music management consultancy, Lightning in a Bottle.

Mike Ross >
Mike is a songwriter and performer with over 25 year’s experience, a committed DIY artist with a portfolio career. He is also a fully qualified Therapeutic Counsellor and registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists).

Samuel Organ >
Founding member of critically-acclaimed The Physics House band. He has also toured with Alt-J and Django Dgjango, and worked with artists such as Caroline Polachek and Donna Missa as a producer.

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Abi D'arcy >
Abi is an educator, singer, songwriter and performer who has supported artists such as Paolo Nutini, Newton Faulkner, Nick Mulvey and Congo Natty, and performed at venues including the O2 Academy and Maida Vale Studios

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Alumni Benefits

Although you've finished your studies at WaterBear, you still have access to all this awesome stuff. For more information refer to our regular alumni newsletter.

Hire of the WaterBear Venue

Each year, we will award 5 members of the WaterBear Alumni with free hire of our WaterBear Venue on Brighton seafront. You simply need to submit your application and tell us about your event, then a panel will decide who the successful recipients are through the year.

Masterclasses and events

We have a great line-up of guests and events through the year, and we don’t want you to miss out! We will keep you updated with upcoming events and how to sign up (hint: also keep an eye on our Instagram where we announce gigs etc).

Opportunities in the industry

We always have lots of opportunities available for our students and alumni such as paid work, gigs, internships and competitions.

Equally, if you have an exciting opportunity or you’d like support with your projects from one of our current students, please do get in touch!

A&R Advice with Kieron Pepper

WaterBear’s Artist Development Director, Kieron Pepper, will still be on hand to support you with your projects and sprinkle a bit of that Pepper magic. He will have regular slots available for you to book into.

Entrepreneurial career advice with Toby Moore

Toby Moore is the Founder of Content Club, a content strategy agency for creative people, and director and curator for TEDxBrighton. If you’ve got a business or entrepreneurial idea you’d like to develop, Toby is on hand with regular slots available for you to book into.

Discounted studio time

South Lanes Studios in Brighton is a rehearsal, recording, production, mix & mastering studio with a focus on artist development from the moment you step in the door up until release. WaterBear Alumni receive a hearty 10% off services.

Mindfulness sessions

We will continue to run mindfulness sessions online for anyone to get involved with – these quick 30 min sessions are great for reducing stress and anxiety and increasing productivity and creativity. Each week will have a new theme, for example using colours to inspire creativity and shift mindset and the power of visualisation.

The chance to be a WaterBear Mentor

As you know, all students at WaterBear have access to one-to-one mentoring with a music industry professional. Now we invite you, as our impressive and talented WaterBear Alumni, to be a mentor for our current students and help support the next wave of WaterBear musicians. This is a great way to become part of our WaterBear team.

WaterBear Alumni

WaterBear Alumni

Alumni Benefits

Why We're WaterBear...

Why We're WaterBear...