Gruff Rhys

One of the very first memories I have is taking pots and pans upstairs to my room and using chopsticks to drum on them. Thanks to my parents and grandparents I’ve been interested in music since a very young age. Growing up, my drumming hero was [Slipknot’s] Joey Jordison. I’d say now it’s El Estepario Siberiano. As I got older I realised that I loved working with talented musicians and learning about music. While sitting my Year 11 exams, my passion for music transformed to being production-heavy too, and since Edge Hill offers both performance-based and production-based modules, I knew I’d enjoy it.

When I saw Edge Hill’s campus I decided right then that I was going there. Being from Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen in South Wales I’m far from home here, but Liverpool is known for its musical routes which aided my decision. There’s a real sense of community on the Edge Hill campus as everyone lives so close to one another. It’s a nice environment to come home to.

I love the creative freedom you’re given on this degree. You’re given the chance to choose your own genres for compositions. This doesn’t exclude any different languages, and I’ve sung a few songs in my native Welsh tongue, receiving high praise for my work. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Welsh music. Bands such as Dros Dro, Gwilym, Fleur de Lys, and Bwncath.

The lecturers are very friendly and helpful here at Edge Hill. You can ask for advice, course-related or not.

I’d say the facilities are pretty fantastic – I can’t think of anything that Edge Hill is missing. I initially struggled with the software, such as Ableton, Max4Live and Sibelius, but quite quickly they’ve all become second nature to me. And the music production department at Edge Hill has exciting plans to improve the studios and equipment further. The Edge Hill library is also up there with the best things about Edge Hill. If you love a quiet place to crack on, it’s so convenient. And the campus gym is set to get all new equipment this summer too.

One of the best decisions I’ve made was joining the Edge Hill volleyball team. I highly recommend getting involved with societies or teams – you get to socialise with people with interests that align with your own.

I like reading, and I’ve recently picked up the guitar. They have a way of taking your mind off things when you’re overwhelmed. I also love going to the gym, and as it’s so cheap it’s very convenient.

I’m doing the three peaks challenge this summer – and I’m well up for it. I’ve had a lot of drunken walks to random places – Liverpool and Ormskirk are both very beautiful with beer goggles on. The Clocktower’s a really good bar, with a really good view on a nice day. And I love [nightclub] Alpine.

The best gig of my life (so far) was when Bring Me the Horizon came to Cardiff. They’d be on my dream festival line-up, alongside Dros Dro, Sam Fender, Royal Blood, and that one guy who sang Gangnam Style [that’d be PSY – Edge Hill’s in-house K-pop editor]. The last thing I paid to see was Game of Thrones – tragic.

My goal is to work in a music production studio, working with musicians day in, day out. But I’ll honestly do anything music-related when I graduate.

My advice to applicants? Come for an open day. You’ll be sold.