BIMM Student selected for exciting Live Is Alive! internship
BIMM Institute Brighton student Seth Mayhew has started an internship with Live is Alive! as Artist Liaison Representative. He’s gained some valuable industry experience whilst helping kick some life back into Brighton’s famous music scene.
Live is Alive! is the collaborative effort of some of Brighton’s most renowned music venues. They’ve joined in allegiance for a series of live gigs that support and protect the city’s vibrant music scene. Live Is Alive! takes place in Brighton Dome and via livestream. Each event will feature local emerging artists and bands, presented in collaboration with grassroots music venues including Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, The Brunswick, Chalk, Concorde 2, The Green Door Store, The Hope & Ruin, Komedia, Latest Music Bar, The Old Market, The Pipeline, The Prince Albert and St George’s Church.
The Live Is Alive! collective of partners said:
“Live Is Alive! is what happens when a city comes together in a crisis –- a unified force pulling each other forward towards awareness and survival. It is the joining of Brighton’s live music venues under the beacon that is Brighton Dome. We want these events to represent hope and resilience and to reignite our cherished music industry for the venues, the staff and freelancers, as well as the up and coming artists, musicians, bands, the gig-goers and music lovers.”
Andrew Comben, Chief Executive, Brighton Dome, also added:
“We are delighted to be able to work together with the city’s grassroots music venues to offer a place for emerging artists to play and support the venues that aren’t able to open at this stage. These events will be our first step towards bringing live performances back in a safe format, and we hope audiences will feel confident and excited about returning to one of the city’s most treasured spaces.”
This will be the first event held in Brighton Dome’s iconic Concert Hall since closing in March 2020. Tickets are limited to 250 each night, presented in a cabaret-style seating format, as well as offering a live stream for viewers to watch online from the comfort of their own homes. The venue’s enhanced safety measures in place throughout the building will align with the Government’s social distancing rules.
Securing the Live is Alive! Internship
We caught up with Seth to find out more about his new role and this incredible event:
Firstly, congrats! How did you manage to get such an amazing internship?
Thanks! It actually happened as part of my internship at Melting Vinyl, which came from asking to shadow lots of gigs at the start of my time at BIMM Institute. My boss, Anna Moulson, (who also lectures at BIMM about the live side of the music industry) was involved in organising the Live Is Alive! events and, fortunately for me, put me forward for a few roles. I was lucky enough to be involved in creating a marketing plan and press release, as well as being artist liaison for each evening.
What experiences have you gained at BIMM that have helped you in this role?
Rather than experiences at BIMM itself – though the lectures gave a level of theory that is important – I think the biggest part of BIMM Institute is the way they encourage work experience. The Careers Team can put you in touch with someone at almost any music company, which is where the most valuable experience comes from.
Obviously, repping gigs through Melting Vinyl helped me hugely in the role, but I also learned a bit about backline in the Live Sound module at BIMM. It was helpful when making sense of a tech rider, as well as learning a lot about the roles of everyone else involved through the Event Promotion module in Year 1.
Live Is Alive! is extremely important in this current climate. Why are grassroots venues so important?
Definitely. It’s great how well it’s been received and says a lot about Brighton’s tight music community. I think the thing about grassroots venues is that they house the biggest part of the music scene and the strongest bridge between artists and fans. There are so many performers who rely on gigs in grassroots venues to build their fan bases and perfect their live sets – without this step, then how does a live act progress?
So many young people in the music industry rely on these spaces to gain experience working in the live sector, and so many students rely on these gigs to both discover new music and experience the culture of a city without breaking the bank (or the bank of Mum and Dad). Then there’s the doctors, social workers etc. who go to these events to let their hair down and destress, the young people who need a part-time job behind the bar to pay rent, and the couple who’ve been at home arguing all week and need an evening of music to relight the fire.
“The list of people whose lives involve grassroots venues goes on and on, and that’s why it’s so important that we keep them alive.”
Which performance have you enjoyed the most, or are you most looking forward to?
Tough one! I was buzzing for Bakk Lamp Fall and Yumi and The Weather on the first night, and they absolutely nailed it, as they all did. Personally, I’m really looking forward to the final evening. I’m really happy Normanton Street are on the bill – if you haven’t heard of them, ‘Take A Walk With Me’ and ‘Angelene’ are great tracks. Super Dupes are also going to be awesome. They formed over lockdown and have been busking on the seafront, so for them to have their first official gig at Brighton Dome is something really special about what the events represent.
Don’t miss out on supporting this amazing event. Live Is Alive! tickets are on sale from Brighton Dome’s website. Prices are £15, £10 concessions and £3 for the livestream. Discover more about some of our talented students, graduates and alumni via our success stories page.
