I was in the canteen minding my own business one day when someone asked me if we were journalists. “Yes, we write for The Informer student newspaper”, I replied. “Oh great,” the guy said, “because we need to do some publicity as part of our band project.”
He was Pad Wigmore, the lead singer of student band Revert. I don’t generally walk around the University with my eyes closed, but I had never seen these people. I was asked to meet up with them in the music practice room- I have never even been in that part of the University before. Sad really.
Revert is Pad Wigmore as lead vocals and syths/keyboard, Alex Pearson on guitar, backing Vocals and keyboard, Stuart Kirby on drums and backing vocals, Chris Wishart on guitar and backing vocals and Katie Bradley on bass.
One thing I notice is the small space they have. It’s very, well, basic. There are pipes that run right through all the rooms so the sound travels from each band practice. I start to feel sorry for these guys.
They aren’t fazed by the resources they have, as they point out: “We waited weeks and weeks to get a whiteboard in here”, so they won’t be holding our breath with that one then.
As soon as they started practising, I forgot all about the lack of resources in the room. They were incredible. I was lucky enough to hear them play a cover of I Predict a Riot by the Kaiser Chiefs and I, being a closet Kaiser fan, do not even hesitate in saying I prefer their version to the original.
It’s nice to see they have aspirations in life, with their music. As higher education has been through a change in recent years, with more people going in a different vocational road to a career, here we see these five people sitting here with me that clearly love what they are doing instead of sitting bored in a common room somewhere.
The music course seems to be very well run; they are encouraged to act like a real band by playing any gig they can and trying to set up a fan-base. And it’s not just cover versions they do- they also have to write and produce their very own album, which should be hopefully be out in March next year. Watch this space.
Catch up with Revert on Facebook.
Listen to my interview with the band: