Graduates win major Download Festival opportunity

Passionflower, featuring graduates Kyle Richardson-Nickle and Liam Pickering, has been named the winner of Kerrang! Radio’s The Deal - a competition offering emerging artists the opportunity to take a significant step in their music careers.

Winning the competition means the band has earned a performance slot at the iconic Download Festival, along with the opportunity to sign a record deal with Marshall Records and receive management from Future History Management, known for working with major acts including Sleep Token and Bullet For My Valentine.

Kyle, 33, from Orford, the band’s lead singer and founder and Liam, 31, both studied Popular Music Performance at the University of Chester. Liam now works as a Music Lecturer on the Professional Music Programme at Cronton Sixth Form College, Widnes. They perform alongside guitarist Nathan Edwards, 30, from Runcorn, and drummer Josh Howell, 30, also from Runcorn.

Formed nine years ago, Passionflower has steadily built a reputation on the local music scene and has now broken through on a national stage with their competition win.

The first round of the competition was decided by public vote, with Passionflower securing a place in the final. Passionflower claimed the winning place following strong support from fans and the wider music community.

Kyle said: “To win this competition means everything to me. A year ago, I decided to take a step back from music as I didn’t believe that I had what it took to make it happen. There was a lot of self-doubt. Luckily, I found people who believed in me and what I was trying to convey through my music. To be able to play one of the biggest festivals in the world alongside some of our favourite bands and heroes and get signed to one of the best labels in music is a dream come true and something I will never take for granted. It’s been 10 years since I graduated from University of Chester and still carry and apply a lot of what I learned there with me in all aspects of Passionflower.”

Liam said: “As a graduate of the University of Chester, I wanted to say thank you to all my lecturers for the support and opportunities I had during my time there. It feels incredibly rewarding to reach this point in the music industry, especially knowing how much studying music helped shape me as a musician and performer.”

Associate Professor Ben Broughton, Head of Division (Communication Screen and Performance) said: “We are incredibly proud of Kyle and Liam’s achievements and delighted to see them succeed on such a high-profile stage. Their success is a fantastic example of how talent, dedication and the skills developed during their time at the University can lead to exciting opportunities within the creative industries. We wish Passionflower every success as they take this next step in their careers.”