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Alumni Profile: Pickles

Posted by Darren Leadsom on 15 January 2025

We love hearing from our former participants to find out what they have gone on to do. We recently caught up with Pickles, who was part of our Stages project from 2008 to 2013, where they made their first steps as a songwriter and performer. Pickles now manages the freelance team of sound engineers at AIR Studios, a prestigious recording studio based in London and founded by Beatles producer George Martin.


When did you first encounter More Music and what appealed to you about becoming a participant?

I think I first came across More Music when I was around 13 or 14, which was around the time I’d started learning the drums (I later realised that the drums definitely weren’t my instrument!). We had a couple people from More Music come into my high school (the forever excellent Rachel Parsons being one of them!), where they offered a one off music making workshop after school, which had teenage me immediately sold! I had been attending a weekly music club called Dukes Boogie at The Dukes, but I gladly added Stages, run by More Music, to my weekly routine from that workshop on.

How did More Music support your development as a young person – either musically, or personally?

Musically, More Music provided a solid foundation for my career as a performer – teaching me gig etiquette and the importance of good songwriting, but beyond the essential music skills they provided, More Music was a safe space for me to awkwardly grow. I was quite an anxious teenager, constantly rattling inside, but I also had a lot of motivation and aspiration, which More Music supported every step of the way.

What were the highlights for you of your time at More Music?

Stages took me and my band on a mini tour when I was 16 which gave me an insight into touring life, and taught me that what I loved most about making music was the people I worked with – I am still in touch with people I met during that tour. And nothing can top the regular Stages gigs – all your mates playing music they’ve written to an audience of even more mates? I want that in my life again!

How did your More Music experience support your career and what have you been up to since leaving?

I’ve been working in the music industry for over a decade now, in various roles. I left my hometown in Lancaster for London in 2013, taking everything I’d learnt from my teens spent hanging around More Music and The Dukes (not to mention, the numerous pubs across Lancaster and Morecambe that hosted me and my music). London was a shock to the system, but I carried the valuable skills built at More Music with me (particularly the networking skills – it really is who you know!).

I had a complicated and turbulent career as an artist, performing under the name PILLARS, signing a publishing deal with East City and performing across London and parts of Europe. Unfortunately, my mental health wasn’t looked after by me or those around me, and retrospectively I was very young for the amount of pressure I was under. I decided to take the bad and make good, undertaking a Master’s degree at Goldsmiths UOL researching how the music industry affects mental health.

From there, I endeavoured to use my research to help improve the careers of freelancers working in the music industry, which is where I find myself today – I manage 17 freelance engineer producers at AIR Studios and have worked with the likes of Nick Cave, Yungblud, Keaton Henson, Alicia Keys, and Coldplay.

Outside of my work at AIR I volunteer my time to support the work of LGBTQIA+ creatives, using my management skills to support their careers and creative projects. It’s been a ride, and I could never guessed I’d end up where I did, but there is no doubt that More Music played a pivotal part in spring boarding my confidence and implementing the networking skills required to explore the music industry in the way I have.

What advice do you have for young people about careers in the music industry

You never know where an opportunity might take you, so say yes to what naturally excites you and trust the process. I have had my fair share of setbacks, but even when an opportunity didn’t fit with where I thought I was meant to be heading, as long as the opportunity excited me, I’d trust the process and say yes anyway. As creatives we are multifaceted and it might be that the opportunity you say yes to today is where you find your calling. Oh – and work with nice people, not just the big or famous or cool names – the nice people will make your career way more enjoyable!

Why are organisations like More Music are important for young people?

The most invaluable thing about More Music is that it’s a safe space – being a teenager is hard enough but if home isn’t comfortable or happy then organisations like More Music provide somewhere to escape. Organisations like More Music also build confidence in a way that the standard schooling system doesn’t – it’s somewhere that young people can explore and make mistakes and build friendships without pressure. When it comes to music making, the standard schooling system feels it’s pulling away from creative subjects, which is absolutely heartbreaking – if organisations like More Music can keep kids from all backgrounds making music then in my opinion they are absolutely vital to the diversification of the creative industries.


We’d love to hear from more former More Music participants to find out how your time here has impacted you, get in touch by emailing info@moremusic.org.uk and tell us your story!

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