A Will to Live

Will and I met outside my student digs as I invited him upstairs to get out of the rain. “Just so you know, mate. I’m deaf in my left ear.” He enlightened me to as the doors to the lift closed and we became trapped in what smelt like an Amsterdam ‘Coffee Shop’. “I think I’ve fucked it to be fair” He continued, carelessly dropping an ‘F bomb’ and chuckling as he elaborated on his ailment. The motivation behind Will taking part in the forthcoming jam night at Manchester’s famed Bierkeller was questionable, but regardless, he was joining us.

Saying “yes” is Will’s throughline; regarding the opportunities given to him as a duty to please, even if it means putting himself under immense physical and mental strain. “I’m in my second year at RNCM now, I study Soprano but I’m heavily involved with stuff for my Trumpet really, more the pop side of it... Outside of the RNCM, I run a Big Band called NQBB, and that’s something else that has made me notice the different paths that I could go down.” As a musician, he offers what very few others can, an honest ‘lead’ Trumpet. This role involves being able to hit notes only comprehensible if you happen to be a dog, and the ‘purity’ of his talent is incredibly rare, which of course means being in demand. Will’s short-coming however is that he doesn’t know how to say “no”, but was the first to defend the decisions he has made. “I don’t regret saying yes to anything because it’s helped me find what I wanna do. If I’d have turned down the opportunities that I have been presented with I won’t have known what I was missing out on. It’s a leap of faith, you’ve gotta go ‘let’s try this’.”

None of us were particularly in the mood to fight our way through the wind tunnels of Manchester’s city streets that night. Oxford Road had seemingly become Everest in the space of 24 hours, but unfortunately, on that bitter Tuesday evening, we were our own Sherpas. Carrying the weight of major projects motivates Will thoroughly, but as a Soprano Cornet and lead Trumpetist for several high-calibre bands in and around Manchester, he ensures that burning out doesn’t become a concern for him again. “I’ve burned out before, but I think by saying yes to things, you get a better grasp of who you are as an artist and an individual… Even if what I say yes to is a lot, I know I won’t implode because I enjoy it and I want to devote time to it.”

We eventually arrived at the venue, and settled into our usual spot on the German Beer Hall-style benches. Nevertheless, we soon warmed up thanks to the £2 pint student offer. £4 for a Stein if you’re feeling particularly Bavarian. Will is a Bierkeller Oompah Band member - as soon as we arrived he looked onto the stage as a veteran looks at gallantry medals. “At least I don’t need to be wearing fucking Lederhosen tonight” he announced as he pulled out his Trumpet. Regardless of what he happens to be wearing however, he relishes in the nights where he doesn’t need to be concerned about any kind of formality and he can simply play to enjoy himself. “Some things are easier than others. There’s nothing I take home with me [after a Bierkeller gig], obviously I don’t organise it and just in general I have less of a foot in it. So it’s chill, I like having that for just being able to turn up and play.” He continued, “Then at the same time, take the Big band, I love having such a big influence on it. But everything surrounding it is so different... It gets to the start of the gig and my stress dies down and it’s all worth it. You see everyone having a great time listening to great music and it’s just like ‘this is why you do it’.”

Will’s demand stretches far beyond the name he has developed for himself at the RNCM, and will soon join Sigma at the LIM Festival in July to play in front of an audience of 30,000. However, his creative process doesn’t finish when the music stops. “Afterwards, it's a great feeling, to be able to say you’ve had a hand in this, it’s just great. Obviously I’m smashed by the end of the gig and we carry on the party with many more drinks. It’s about the winding down at the end of the gig, that’s how I know it’s a really good thing for me. Yeah, I go through the stress of it, but it’s so worth it because it’s just a massive thrill.”

The electric evening at the Beirkeller inevitably ended with a further invitation to join any future jam night by the head of performance at BIMM Manchester, to which Will inevitably said “yes”. The underscoring chatter of “what the fuck is a Trumpet player doing here?” soon turned into handshakes and smiles from the audience, which Will was incredibly thankful for. Regardless of whether it’s a “thank you” from an international recording artist or ‘any other student’, he takes every bit of praise he receives with him and transforms it into stunningly hypnotic performances.

It’s a testament to a player that uses different kinds of live gig to determine his temperament. If I had to summarise Will in three words it would be ‘watch this space’. I’m constantly blown away by his talent and how easily he can encapsulate an audience in any kind of situation. What is so endearing about him however is the fact that you wouldn’t guess it if you didn’t already know. If anyone deserves ‘it’, it’s William Dakin.