When it was first announced that the British and Irish Institute of Modern Music, or BIMM for short, was opening a college in Dublin, many people - including ourselves here at GoldenPlec - were sceptical about the project because other music courses in Ireland have traditionally failed to produce talent on a regular basis.
Why would BIMM be any different? What could they bring to the table that other established music courses in Ireland have failed to do? And, of course, there’s the age-old question of nature versus nurture. Can you really teach people to rock?
With the first class of graduates leaving BIMM with degrees this summer in search of success and/or sustainable careers, GoldenPlec spoke to one of BIMM’s senior tutors and Irish rock royalty, Joe Wall (The Stunning/The Walls), to ascertain whether BIMM coming to Dublin has been a success or not.
Under the guidance of Mark Greaney (JJ72) and a host of other successful musician/tutors including Graham Hopkins (Therapy?/The Frames), Cathy Davey, Sarah Lynch (session violinist HamsandwicH/Ed Sheeran) and Conor Adams (Cast of Cheers/All Tvvins), the staff of BIMM have fostered a culture of doing, within both the student body and the faculty.
“They [BIMM] generally take on teachers with a proven track-record of doing things and continuing to do things,” says Wall. “To know that the musicians that are advising you and that you're asking questions of are successful at what they are doing is a big help.”
Prime examples of people who’ve continued to do things whilst teaching at BIMM include Kieran McGuinness and Rónán Yourell (Delorentos) whose 2014 album ‘Night Becomes Light’ saw them nominated once again for the Choice Music Prize.
Drum tutor Rory Doyle played on Hozier’s record-breaking debut album and is currently touring the world as part of his live band, while Conor Adam’s All Tvvins have released two of the best Irish singles of 2015 in the shape of Thank You and Too Young To Live.
However while Doyle, Delorentos and All Tvvins are inspirational yardsticks for students, nobody in BIMM is saying, ‘Follow me kid, I’ll make you a star.’ Instead, the emphasis within the college is focussed on creating “savvy, self-sufficient musicians,” says Wall.
“We are always encouraging the students to get things going outside of college and not to be cocooned in an academic environment. I think people learn best when they're having experiences outside of college and they can come and talk to tutors about it."
This is reflected in the students own achievements to date. BIMM student and one-half of duo Little Hours, John Doherty, was nominated for the 2014 Meteor Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year for It’s Still Love and has signed to major label RCA Records. Blades Club scored a number one on the Irish iTunes rock chart with their début single Asian Babes.
The Eskies, fronted by student Ian Birmiégham, scored a number 12 album in the Irish charts earlier this year with their debut ‘After The Sherry Went Round.’ Overhead, The Albatross, featuring BIMM student Benjamin Garrett, have recently opened for Kodaline and are causing a stir internationally with their vibrant brand of post-rock.
With other notable acts such as Pockets, Sails, Columbia Mills and We Were Giants emerging all the time, BIMM have made a palpable contribution to the Irish music scene
So why has BIMM been so successful, so quickly? “It’s created a hub of kindred spirits,” explains Wall. “In the past musicians would have moved from the countryside to Dublin, or from Dublin to London or New York to try and have access to different musicians or to be part of a scene. What BIMM has done is created that scene.”
Wall believes that despite the formal setting, BIMM provides the perfect setting for creative minds to fulfil their potential. “If you manage to bring in people with ability and flair in their field, put them together and hothouse them for a number of years, things will happen very fast.”
“You need to be of a decent standard to get into BIMM. You have to have a portfolio of work as a songwriter. You have to be able to display your musicianship - show that you can play, show that you can write songs that you can sing depending on what your discipline is.”
One of the reasons that BIMM has been so successful in the UK, with acts such as George Ezra and James Bay emerging from its halls in recent years, is because it shirks stage school traditions of producing graduates who look and sound the same, instead attempting to help each student realise their individual potential.
“One of the advantages of the college is identifying your strengths and weaknesses and learning how to improve in those areas,” says Wall. “There’s a lot of concentration on playing and zoning in forensically on performances”
One of the ways BIMM does this is by ensuring students are exposed to a wide variety of musical styles. “In first year what we make sure everybody gets a chance to play with everybody else,” says Wall “and what sometimes happens is those groups really gel - sometimes students find their kindred spirits in those temporary bands.” One such temporary band of kindred spirits is State Lights, who within several weeks of meeting in BIMM signed a management deal with Collective Management, home to singer-songwriter Gavin James.
What does the future hold for the first BIMM Dublin graduates? “I think there's a lot of people who are going to do well. There's a lot of distinctive songwriters and voices, and great players. The majority of students will want to have a go at their band.” But, Wall foresees a wide array of career paths for graduating students, with many students forging careers as session musicians or pit-musicians in musicals, while some will go on to “teach music, set up their own practice, or get involved with event management.”
In four short years, BIMM has become one of the main creative hives in the Irish music industry. Students and teachers alike are successfully forging ahead with their careers, proving sceptics -ourselves included - wrong. They'd done so long before the first mortarboards reached their heads, never mind the sky.