Keele University

[Annika]

I was sort of hoping for a city with higher indie-pop-density. But then again, most cities beat Luleå in that aspect.

Maybe Stoke should be twinned with Lulea! When we started putting on popshows, we had this crazy idea that local people would come out of the woodwork and admit to their indiepop leanings but no! Nottingham and Sheffield are great centres of indiepopness, though, and they're not far away.

Brilliant idea. Brilliant.

[String Bean Jen]

Tonight brought a most unexpected Keele University anecdote.

I was at this panel and one of the speakers mentioned she was finishing her PhD from a British university. Afterward I go talk to her. She's completed all her coursework but needs to finish her dissertation which I guess she is able to do from her home base here in Chicagoland. I ask her where she has done her work. She says Keele University! No way, I say, near Stoke? Yes! She confirms.

I didn't ask her about the social life because I gathered that wasn't an issue to her. She is, I guess, middle-aged (which of course doesn't preclude one from going out and about) and I gathered that her kids had gone off to university themselves so she had gone off to complete a PhD.

Keele!

[Annika]

Tonight brought a most unexpected Keele University anecdote.

I was at this panel and one of the speakers mentioned she was finishing her PhD from a British university. Afterward I go talk to her. She's completed all her coursework but needs to finish her dissertation which I guess she is able to do from her home base here in Chicagoland. I ask her where she has done her work. She says Keele University! No way, I say, near Stoke? Yes! She confirms.

I didn't ask her about the social life because I gathered that wasn't an issue to her. She is, I guess, middle-aged (which of course doesn't preclude one from going out and about) and I gathered that her kids had gone off to university themselves so she had gone off to complete a PhD.

Keele!

..Studying off-campus is certainly a possible option these days..!
Must require a lot of determination to study from home, huh..sort of out-of-touch with uni..except for contact via internet. Maybe I´m just old-fashioned, conservative or something, but I think I´d probably rather study AT the university, or at least within a reasonable proximity to it, than from a distance.

I actually have a friend who plans to be a distance-student (erhm..? dont know what you call it in proper english, mind my swenglish) next fall. She´s taking some courses at Luleå university, but intends to live in Switzerland til christmas.. I hadnt even thought about that possibility..!
Anyone tried this?

[TheAlex]

I live in Newcastle-under-Lyme...Keele seems to have a good reputation in some circles though I wouldn't know for which schools. When I'm travelling I'm surprised how many people know where Newcastle-under-Lyme is, and it's usually because they know where Keele University is. It's a nice location, and the reason Stoke-on-Trent is so weird is because it's actually six distinct towns that became one city that is still spread over six distinct towns...

It is only a one-hour drive/train-ride from Manchester and Birmingham and only an hour drive to the Indietracks festival! There is lots of nice countryside nearby. I'm not too hot on the local scene at the moment but I don't think there's much indie-pop going on. The Sugarmill is the main music venue, it's hosted the likes of Camera Obscura, Teenage Fanclub, The Research and some lower profile indie-pop bands over the years but probably not on a regular basis...

Anyway, I don't know if any of that was still of use to you?

[Outcognito]

I'm not too hot on the local scene at the moment but I don't think there's much indie-pop going on.

Indiepop wise, there are probably only our Sunny Inside nights, which we've put on semi-regularly over the last couple of years. We used to be at the Glebe in Stoke but the recent ones have been at the Norfolk Inn, Shelton. We've had some great times!
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... =206178087

[TheAlex]

Oh, cool, I thought the night ended once The Glebe shut down. Would MySpace be the best way to find out what bands you have coming up?

[Outcognito]

Would MySpace be the best way to find out what bands you have coming up?

We'll post on here as well but yes, MySpace too! Nothing arranged for now though.