WaterBear Sheffield: New music college opening at former Gatecrasher nightclub site on Arundel Street

Founded on a ‘promise to show independent artists and musicians how to build sustainable careers in music for the rest of their lives’, WaterBear first opened in Brighton in September 2018.

And now, a brand new WaterBear college is set to open in Sheffield city centre – at the site which used to be home to the Gatecrasher nightclub building on Arundel Street.

The Gatecrasher nightclub burned down 15 years ago in 2007, completely destroying the almost century-old building; and the site was subsequently redeveloped and reopened in 2016 as student accommodation.

The college has been founded by Bruce John Dickinson – who has had 11 top 40 hits and a number 1 album with Little Angels and has toured with bands including ZZ Top, Aerosmith and Van Halen – and Adam Bushell – a musician with over 20 years’ experience in music education, who has played for bands and artists including Freak Power, Will Young, Martha Reeves and Sam Brown.

Adam said: "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. Our first term for students will be September 2023."

"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."

Bruce co-founded the now successful BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music) institute, and Adam has also been involved with the group of eight colleges.

The pair say the ‘educational dynamism’ Adam is referring to has seen them ‘help shape the music careers of now-celebrated artists, including George Ezra, James Bay, Tom Odell, Beth Rowley, The Kooks, Fickle Friends and more’.

Commenting on their decision to expand their education offering by opening a new WaterBear college in Sheffield, Adam added: “Thanks to our remarkable students — who forever champion us — our unrivalled reputation for specialist music education quickly spread beyond our Brighton borders, and we started attracting attention from talent across the country.”

WaterBear Sheffield is now enrolling for September 2023. For more information please visit: https://waterbear.org.uk/sheffield/.