Jack Wylie (Portico Quartet) ‘VIP Guest Talk’
On Friday 13th October, Jack Wylie from the group Portico Quartet visited the Southampton Music Department to deliver a ‘VIP Guest Talk’ about his career and approach to making music. 3rd-Year Music student Archie Combes tells us more:
After performing a short solo set of soprano sax and electronic loop pedals, Jack talked extensively about how he forged a career in music whilst still being able to stay true to his own artist intentions. He spoke about: his early days of busking on the Southbank Centre in London with the Portico Quartet; the ‘cottage industry’ the band set up in the homes to get their records out to the public; the band’s nomination for the Mercury Music Prize and the impact it had; and the experience of touring the world as a successful group. After this, students from the Jazz & Pop Class asked Jack a number of interesting questions, where he offered advice based on his experiences.
In the evening, before Portico Quartet’s performance in the main hall, my neo-soul band Elegy were asked to perform a support set in the Turner Sims foyer. This was a fantastic opportunity for us as Music students to support an international band and it also gave us an opportunity to perform to a new audience. We were pleased to see a really large audience turn up for our set and were very proud of the positive responses we received. We were then treated to Portico Quartet’s fantastic set. These kind of opportunities are definitely what makes studying Music at Southampton so special, we look forward to networking and meeting more musicians like Jack Wylie in the future!