It’s less than TWO WEEKS until Christmas, and so I thought it was about time for an update from me as the year draws to a close.
Coming up in 2025
I’ve got a lot to look forward to for 2025, and plenty that I hope you will join me in being excited for too! Following the successful launch of my online music platform, Ukulele Online, I will be creating and releasing plenty more courses for users to enjoy. Confirmed titles coming early 2025 include George’s Genius, a follow up to the Formby Fundamentals course, and the Ukulele Boosters, a course to help beginners move on to the intermediate stage. Updates will be broadcast here first!
Gig wise I am already looking forward to be appearing at four ukulele festivals, which are UkeTok and Old Riverport in March, Pembrokeshire Ukulele-ender in June and Shrewkfest in August. For more information and updates, check my gigs page.
I am hoping to release more live dates across the UK as the year progresses. If you know of a venue, club or anything else that might be interested in some music, do let me know as I am always looking for new places to play!
Looking back at 2024
The past year has been a time of exceptional change for me with its fair share of challenges and successes. After an incredibly busy 2023, I started the new year with very little to do.
I took this time to write my first ever book Go Faster and release my first two online courses, Formby Fundamentals and Jazz Beginners. The book has been a huge success, with my first batch selling out within a month and the second batch of 100 is nearly all gone too! The courses saw over 20 subscriptions in their first week, with the number of members steadily climbing all the time.
It’s a real pleasure to share what I can with the musical community and it’s so heartwarming to see this hard work be so greatly received. Thank you to you if you were one of those people who has bought and used any of my content this year!
There were also some pretty cool gigs. The standout highlight was of course my first ever ticketed solo evening show, held at South Hill Park back in May. I performed my 2-hour musical cabaret show to a wonderfully intimate audience. These shows are the best as I can really connect with and get to know an audience and try out mad and daring things that I wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to do. Thank you to everybody who came and made the night special. Here’s to more in the future!
Whilst wedding gigs are nothing new for me, each one is very special and for the first time this year I played a bride down the aisle! What a privilege to be there for the big moment! I can’t say that I wasn’t nervous just before going on.
There were also gigs at the Derby festival Epsom Racecourse, onboard the Basingstoke Canal Society’s boat John Pinkerton II for a lovely cruise, Naish Hoburne holiday park, down in Somerset for the West Somerset Railway’s WWII platform dance and over 100 private engagements too, each with their own happy memories.
What are your hopes for 2025?
I would love to hear what you all have in store for the new year! If you’re a musician, maybe a new instrument or a new milestone in your playing career? If you’re an audience member, how many gigs are you planning to see this year? Let me know in the comments!
In the meantime, please take care of yourselves. I look forward to seeing you all on the other side, so have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Matthew Quilliam 