A Manchester band turfed out of their rehearsal space have packed in their day jobs and set up their own studios in response.
Manc rockers IST IST used to rehearse in Brunswick Mill, on Bradford Road in Ancoats, before it closed down in early March ahead of a multi-million-pound redevelopment. Currently, plans are in place to convert the former cotton mill into 277 apartments as part of a £58 million scheme.
The closure of the Victorian behemoth has forced Brunswick Mill Studios to relocate to Salford, and IST IST are following a similar route. The group has established KVR Studios on the third floor at Nile Mill A in Oldham.
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The band took the decision because it’s ‘the second time’ they have been forced out, they say. Andy Keating said: “This is the second time we've been in this situation, as I'm sure a lot of other bands have been.
“Instead of becoming a tenant elsewhere and potentially having to share a room with other bands which brings its own logistical headaches, we decided to establish KVR Studios, named after our label Kind Violence Records. We want our space to be somewhere where bands and artists want to hang out and for it to be an aspirational place to rehearse, write and create.”
The new KVR has 4,000 sq ft of space and boasts nine rehearsal rooms in total, a blackout photo studio big enough for photoshoots and videos, and lockable storage areas to store equipment. With 24 hour access to the facilities to accommodate all schedules and needs, rooms will be available to rent in four hour blocks or monthly, with multi-band sharing opportunities also available.
Brunswick Mill was purchased by a company called Arrowsmith Brunswick Mill Ltd in February, snapping up the building — and its planning permission — from Maryland Securities.
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