AN ASPIRING singer-songwriter from Blackbird Leys has set up a record label to help young people in Oxford and further afield break into music.

Elliot Vanderhyde, 23, has signed his first band and is looking for would-be musicians aged 16 to 25 to jump aboard his fledgling project Vanderhyde Records.

The former Wheatley Park School student has performed at venues around Oxford and wants to offer a hand to others.

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He said: “I have started a performing arts course at City of Oxford College and the idea was to continue to do some freelance music and events management.

“At Paddington Station I met a couple of twins who happened to be going to Oxford and a few months later I signed them up.

“We all have our own way of generating music that will resonate with others. I’m looking for content that is easy to relate to – something emotional and real.”

Vanderhyde Records will organise recording sessions for new bands, help with promotion and set up gigs at locations around Oxford.

Before he started writing songs Mr Vanderhyde tried learning drums and guitar and eventually taught himself the latter.

The project began in earnest on December 24 when Mr Vanderhyde released his own debut album, entitled Christmas at #2 – a dig at the national obsession with the UK Singles Chart’s Christmas No 1. It is now being sold online for £5.

Many of the songs have social and political themes at their core, including Corbyn’s Cuts (Stop The Cuts), which was performed in the Old Fire Station at a play celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Leys Community Development Initiative (CDI) in November.

Mr Vanderhyde said “the cuts” had been a really common phrase in the last two years and he wanted to put it into music.

“I’m against people not being able to strive towards what they want and things becoming harder for them because of the cuts.

“Protesting is a bit obsolete now. People don’t take it as seriously as before. Now I want to use music to do it instead.”

Along the way Mr Vanderhyde was helped by East Oxford-based charity the Young Women’s Music Project (YWMP), directed by Oxford musician Zahra Tehrani, which also aims to give young people a leg-up into the industry.

He said: “I only started thinking I could do this because of the support I had from Zahra at YWMP.

“It’s difficult to break into music. But I am always open to check out new artists, or support them.”

Anyone interested in recording or promotion services at Vanderhyde Records should call 07469646921 or email elliotvanderhyde@gmail.com