Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Rudimental's loyal routes inspire students
Piers Agget and Kesi Dryden, making up half the quartet that is Rudimental, graduated in 2008 from the BSc (Hons) Creative Music and Sound Technology course. And, upon meeting our volunteers at Hove Festival, didn't seem at all surprised to meet a group of Leeds Met's own students - so far from home and in the unusually informal setting.
Piers commented: "I guess you guys are volunteering? Leeds Met are everywhere - they've got such a great profile and they find you amazing opportunities. This is ace."
We are incredibly proud of the group's success and development both as artists and individuals; as Piers and Kesi remain actively working with Leeds Met and the alumni community, as their visit in November last year to talk to music students would indicate. The group are signed to Asylum Records and independent label - Black Butter. Their commercial breakthrough came on 14 May 2012 when they released "Feel the Love" (featuring vocals from John Newman) as the albums lead single. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1, making it their first number 1 single in the UK. Since then, their popularity in the UK has gone through the roof.
Events Management students, Hayley Thompson and Lisa Wagget took up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview the artists at the Hove Festival meeting, which featured in Hove's local & Regional newspapers soon after. Hayley asked if the idols were proud of their university.
"Hell yes, it's what got us excited about remixing music, we loved university and being in Leeds."
Featuring a wide range of talent from Kings of Leon to Bullet for my Valentine, the Hove Festival, which took place from 2 to 5 July this year, retained a line-up that was thoroughly magnificent; and the Festival as a whole, year after year, is a marvellous opportunity for Leeds Met's own students to participate in some beneficial volunteer work.
Leeds Metropolitan University has been working with Festival republic since 2007; giving our students the extraordinary chance to volunteer at Hove, Latitude and Leeds festival. And as Latitude festival is currently taking place, the benefits of this extracurricular experience is becoming more and more apparent. Prior to the Latitude Festival, though, was this year's Hove which took place on the idyllic island of Tromoya on the south Norwegian coast, where the sun sets for just two hours each night - providing atmospheric excellence and ideal vibes for the lucky ticket-holders.
Our very own volunteers' assistance was needed from the 23 June to 7 July (2 weeks) which involved anything from maintenance to crowd management. And who better to inspire them than Leeds Met's past students and recent chart-toppers - Rudimental?
Leaving behind some very excited, inspired and motivated students, Rudimental soon moved on to keep up with their busy schedule, and the volunteers back to the crucial acts of aiding the function of the Hove Festival itself. We, as a whole, appreciate Rudimental's time and simply the fact they are so loyal to their routes.
Jenny Hamilton, Student Work Experience Temporary Placement