To celebrate Independent Venue Week we thought we’d shine a light on our very own live music venue on Brighton seafront, the WaterBear Venue. The venue is fast becoming an established mainstay of the Brighton music scene and much-loved space for students, performers and visitors alike.  

It first opened its doors in 2021 when the music industry was still in flux as a fallout of the pandemic, with live music mostly limited to online performances. From that moment, it became clear that live music and community had never been more important. 

Since opening, over 800 bands and artists, including WaterBear students, have graced its stage, underscoring Brighton's vibrant music scene and the need for great music venues across the UK. The intimate space allows every performer to shine, encouraging creativity while celebrating music, community, and diversity.

Promoting independence for a sustainable career in music

To promote independent artists and support sustainable careers in music our careers and industry team create a mix of performance opportunities and work experience for students. This approach gives them essential real-world insights and experience working at a professional level within the music industry.

The WaterBear Venue serves as a fantastic platform to drive that vision. Students use the space for performance classes, freshers' events, and self-organised gigs and events. They also have opportunities to work at the venue, shadowing sound engineers and the events team. To further support their professional development, the venue hosts a variety of masterclasses and Q&A sessions with industry professionals such as record labels, festival owners, tour managers, musicians, bands, and artists, including Royal Blood and Idles. During Brighton Freshers in 2023 our students also had the opportunity to support ARXX, Libra Libra, Milkshake, Kid Bookie and Zuzu alongside running their own night with a set of student bands, Grin and Bear it. 

The Great Escape Festival

The WaterBear Venue is available for touring bands and was chosen as one of the official venues of the Great Escape Festival in 2022 and 2023. WaterBear students were given the opportunity to perform at the festival alongside bands and artists from all over world. During the event students also gained work experience in areas such as event management, backline tech, artists liaison and sound engineering. Held in May each year the festival showcases over 500 up-and-coming artists to industry across 35 venues in Brighton and Hove. The venue is pleased to say they have been chosen again as an official venue in 2024 and look forward to a week of new music and activity where the whole of Brighton will be buzzing.  

A Night of Amy Winehouse

More recently, the venue hosted 'A Night of Amy Winehouse,' a celebration of her incredible body of work, featuring Amy’s original band, who toured globally with her. Seventeen WaterBear vocalists had the chance to perform alongside the band, honouring Amy's memory and her significant musical legacy. This event provided students with an unforgettable live performance experience alongside world-class industry professionals.

WaterBear student Matilda Sharpe who is studying BA (Hons) Professional Music (Songwriting) commented: “Amy Winehouse is such a huge inspiration for me that when this opportunity came about, I couldn’t quite believe it! The song I performed means so much to me and on the night, I was so nervous. But it was such a breathtaking experience, especially with a skilled band like them, that it’s one I’ll always hold close to me. I just hope I did Amy proud!” 

Creating world class performers in a worldwide industry 

Our BA and MA students have a diverse range of musical interests, including songwriting, vocals, electronic music, DJing, drumming, guitar, bass, and production, as well as a focus on the music business. The pull of the stage is strong, and a live music platform is essential for the growth and development of new artists, grassroots music, and the broader music industry. Supporting emerging artists and musicians helps create world-class performers in a global industry.

Both WaterBear campuses, in Brighton and Sheffield, are embedded within their respective cities, and students have access to numerous independent music venues and recording studios, such as Alphabet in Brighton and The Leadmill in Sheffield. These venues are used by our students for gig nights, performance workshops, and teaching spaces, ensuring they gain invaluable professional industry experience and networking opportunities.

Building careers in industry 

The WaterBear careers and industry team work tirelessly to bring the best of music to the WaterBear Venue, creating incredible student experiences and opportunities.

Jodie Amos, Head of Events at WaterBear comments: “The music scene in Brighton is outstanding and there is such a wealth of talent in the city, our students continuously blow us away. To see our students grow in confidence and start building their careers makes all the hard work worth it. As a working venue we attract a diverse range of bands and artists and its real joy to help manage this wonderful venue which is in one of the most fantastic locations in Brighton”. 

WaterBear offers BA (Hons) degree and master’s courses made for today’s musicians, artists and industry professionals. Its colleges are based in the heart of Brighton and Sheffield, two amazing UK cities with incredible musical roots and heritage. The college also has a range of online distance learning courses. 

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WaterBear is a College of Falmouth University, a pioneer in creative industries education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Run by musicians, for musicians WaterBear is about smaller class sizes, flexible course delivery, bespoke one-to-one mentoring and exclusive work experience and career development opportunities.