Why not come along to one of the Filing Room Sessions live open mic jams, its free! You could improvise with others, play a set song, just listen, meet new people, make some new friends or find that band member you’ve been searching for! The Filing Room Sessions is a music hub for all to enjoy.

The idea for the Filing Room Sessions came about through the freeing up of an old filing room at the back of the Graham Sykes Offices. Over a period of time, the paper files where transferred to an electronic filing system called ExeScan. This cut down drastically on the amount of paper being used. In turn this created a lot of office space, allowing it to become the starting ground for this musical journey.

The Filing Room Sessions began as an eclectic music show for musicians and music lovers. A collection of music videos were recorded, filmed and aired on social media. This helped local musicians gain exposure for their music, secure gigs and add to the local music scene.

After gaining a presence on social media and being discovered by more and more musicians, it took its first steps to reach out into the wider world. The first Filing Room Sessions Jam was started to great success, and fast became a music hub for musicians and music lovers in the local area. As the word spread, musicians started to come along from further afield, and its reputation was growing as a friendly space for musicians of all levels to hang out, play some tunes, have a few drinks and a chin wag.

The Live Jam Sessions have a diverse range of players, from beginners to advanced musicians, some of whom have performed with big names within the music industry. There is a very relaxed feel to the jam sessions, creating an atmosphere where musicians feel safe to try out new ideas and learn together. There is a strong sense of support and encouragement from all musicians towards each other, along with a lovely warm audience.

The Sunday Jam Open Mic is held at Topsham Brewery on Exeter quay, an awesome venue in a stunning location, serving their most excellent local ales along with top guest ales. Ideal for the perfect Sunday afternoon walk with your family and friends, topped off with some great live music. Our furry friends with the waggy tails are very welcome to.

We welcome bands, duos and solo artists as well as individuals that just want to improvise and jam with others. Musicians come from all across the country and we are lucky to sometimes have musicians from outside the UK.  Special guest slots can be booked through Michael Sykes, the organiser, or you can just turn up and play. As the Filing Room Sessions continues to grow and develop, so does its identity and purpose: to support and encourage local musicians and the local music scene.

The Filing Room Sessions aims to boost the local music scene, help fellow musicians and build a warm musical community for all to enjoy. If you are a musician, someone who just loves to listen, or maybe your friends or family members might benefit from being involved, please spread the word. Just by liking and sharing posts, informing people you think love music would help massively. It doesn’t cost anything but will go a long way towards helping musicians and the local music scene. With your support, the Filing Room Sessions can grow and explore new possibilities, making a big difference.

If you have got this far, thank you for reading this.

Exciting developments are in the pipeline, the future is funky, the future is jazzy, the future is folky, the future is rockin’… The future is proper good times.

Thank you,

GSi Team