My name is Callum Pattenden and I am 17 years old and I live in Bridgwater
I have been interested in music and entertainment all of my life and belong to a local Theatre Group.
I love an opportunity to watch bands and shows. I was in town and noticed a flyer advertising a jazz band called Empirical playing at The Engine Room just up the road (i’m not usually the type of person to listen to jazz but it was free entry so why not!)
I decided to go and watch and it was one of the best live music experiences I’ve ever had! The band were really technically impressive and so cool (especially for Bridgwater!) I stayed for hours to catch the sets on Saturday and enjoyed every minute into the evening.
There were lots of friendly people who all made the effort to chat and make me feel welcome and I loved being able to talk to the musicians in their breaks and find out more about them and what they do.
The popup gig gave me an opportunity to do something independently and really boosted my confidence to attend more events put on.
So it’s safe to say I’m definitely a fan of jazz now!