The Rookery music collective + Newcastle Startup Week

This is a guest blog by Joey Swindells (Co-Founder of The Rookery)

Me and my friend, Robert Nugent, have started a music collective because we love music but don’t think current popular music is ‘punching you in the face’ as much as it should be doing! Our Collective is called The Rookery and its’ main aim is to get musicians and other creatives in the same place doing what they do to create something amazing.

We have already held a series of events in Bolton and grown in size after each one. We are now launching in Newcastle on Saturday (25th Feb 2017) with our ‘Newcastle Launch Party’ at The Cluny from 7pm-11pm (tickets are just £4.40 at www.seetickets.com/event/the-rookery-newcastle-launch-party/the-cluny/1070306). After this we want to keep growing The Rookery so we can start making some serious waves in the music industry and get music back in people’s faces.

The Rookery

We have got this far because we both truly want to make music happen, however if we want to grow it we HAVE to learn more about growing business.

To do this we are going to need as much help as we can get….

I am currently on an Entrepreneurial Business Management degree at Northumbria University and Rob does maths at Leeds. Recently we decided to bring Rob up to Newcastle to meet with my coaches and help us set out a year plan to grow the collective so it could potentially support us in the future. We want to learn as much as we can to help us take advantage of all the opportunities we can possibly do…

Coincidentally this week, Paul Lancaster came in to my university to do an ‘Innovation Challenge’ workshop with us on his forthcoming Newcastle Startup Week festival and after seeing the itinerary I knew I had to get Rob to come up for it! Paul is putting on a week-long event all about aiding and pulling together entrepreneurs to help them start or grow their business.

The way Paul talked about his business completely struck a chord with me as he sounded like he was talking from the same place that Rob and I were talking from for The Rookery. He 100% seemed like he was doing this to support people in our position and help entrepreneurial activity in the North East of England. This attitude of wanting to help other people do what they want to I wholeheartedly respect.

Rob and I are now going to go to his event and learn as much as we can so we can move forward with our collective. I would seriously recommend any young people who want to do something they are passionate about but don’t exactly know how to do it, to come along too. Our world needs young people who are passionate about making what they want to happen, happen. Events like this will help us do what we want to do!

Paul is also very well connected in the UK and especially across the North East so I feel Newcastle Startup Week is a great way to network with people with similar interests, Paul himself and the other partners, sponsors and speakers at the event.

I hope see you there and at some of The Rookery events too!

Joey Swindells
Co-Founder of The Rookery


Leave a Reply