THE young boss behind a new business which gives bands in Colchester a space to practise says he hopes to make it a "multi-use creative space".
Albie Bareham, 18, of Clacton, is the owner of Bullroom Studio at 26c Hythe Quay, Colchester.
The guitarist has been playing in bands since the age of 11 and he’s offering bands, artists, and rappers of all genres a new location to rehearse at.
Having opened officially three months ago, he opened the large practise room with its high ceiling, and control room on September 9.
He spent the prior year getting the concept and equipment all together – he’s delighted to finally be running the business.
Mr Bareham said: “I have been playing music for around ten years and have always wanted to start up a studio.
“I’ve been involved in the Colchester scene and made a few friends in bands, so it’s nice to have a space where they can all come.
“I’m feeling really positive, I’m looking forward to the future and seeing what it will bring.”
What sets the business apart from other competitors is the “fully equipped rehearsal space”, he claims.
Mr Bareham said: “Here you can turn up, you only need to bring your instruments like a guitar, bass or keyboard.
“We have microphones, guitar amps, a bass amp, drum kit and breakables such as cymbals, and a snare.
“The idea is you can turn up, plug in, and play.”
Bullroom Studio only offers rehearsals at the moment, but the musician is hoping to offer recording services from “early next year”, he says.
Alongside this, he plans to open-up a podcast space and an area for photography – the main idea is for it to “become a multi-use creative space”.
He said: “It’s going alright, we’ve had 12 different bands, it’s mainly going around by word of mouth.
“It’s awesome, it’s really cool, you get to meet loads of bands, you get to see how each band interacts with each other.
“It’s good to support younger bands, when I was more involved in the local scene in terms of gigging, I noticed at The Brewhouse in Queen Street, a lot of the younger bands go there, there is a community here.
“It’s geared to anyone wo can play, you don’t have to be in a rock band to come up here and play, you can be in a jazz band, electronica group or a DJ, it doesn’t have to be just people who play instruments.”
Plugged in “really loud” bands can practise from 5pm until 10pm, Monday to Sunday.
During the daytime, Bullroom Studio is open from 10am until 5pm for acoustic, vocals and anything electronic.
It costs £15 an hour to rent the space, and a two hour minimum booking is required.
To find out more, visit instagram.com/bullroomstudio.
