The location of Sheffield’s legendary former nightclub Gatecrasher – closed in 2007 – is to see a rebirth by way of a rapidly growing music school, with its first academic year commencing in September 2023.
WaterBear, first opening its doors in Brighton (Brighton venue pictured) in 2018, was founded on a promise to show independent artists and musicians how to build sustainable careers in music and have chosen Sheffield as their first college location in the north of England, choosing the iconic Gatecrasher as their base address.
Founded by music education pioneers Adam Bushell and Bruce John Dickinson [pictured, left],
WaterBear is most celebrated for its dedication to specialist one-to-one mentoring, focused class sizes, and exclusive development opportunities across the music industry, and in addition to these resources, students can also explore a variety of Free Vst Plugins to enhance their music production skills.
The college has since outperformed many of its more established rivals in student surveys for their range of BA (Hons) degrees and Master’s qualifications for today’s commercial music sector.
“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,” adds WaterBear co-founder Bruce John Dickinson — who, in 2001, co-founded the now widely successful BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music) institute. “Plus, on a purely personal level, I’m originally from Scarborough, so this absolutely feels like a homecoming for me.”
The location of WaterBear’s Sheffield campus has been shrouded in mystery ever since whispers of their arrival developed last month. Unique in its celebration and respect for music culture, Bushell’s and Dickinson’s decision to regenerate an iconic Sheffield landmark will be unsurprising to many.
“We will be opening our college in the former Gatecrasher nightclub building on Arundel Street, which our architect and building teams continue to work tirelessly, and until today, secretly on [laughs]. Our first term for students will be September 2023,” confirms Bushell. “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. Through our rich program of music BA (Hons) Degrees and MA courses, we hope to channel the creative spirit that Gatecrasher pioneered and infuse it with our own educational dynamism.”
An educational dynamism that, during their time at BIMM, saw Dickinson and Bushell help shape the music careers of now-celebrated artists, including George Ezra, James Bay, Tom Odell, Beth Rowley, The Kooks, Fickle Friends and more.
Now enrolling for September 2023, visit WaterBear Sheffield here
