Teen rock trio set to shake music scene thanks to UKSE bursary grant
An up-and-coming rock trio from Lichfield are set to make their first studio recordings thanks to bursary funding from investment specialists UKSE.
Rock band SHOOK received £1,000 in bursary funding from UKSE’s West Midlands team to record a four-track EP and fund a marketing campaign to promote the band.
SHOOK is a three-piece rock band consisting of Jacob Brooks, aged 16, who plays drums, vocalist and lead guitar player Fran Shaw, 16, and Ollie Purkis, 15, who plays bass guitar.
The band, who have just completed their GCSEs, hope the funding will enable them to promote their music to a wider audience and provide opportunities to play regular gigs at venues locally and across the country.
SHOOK have begun to build a profile across the local area, playing Lichfield’s Fuse festival in 2025 and 2026 and headlining the Lichfield Arts and Emerging Talent night at the Guildhall as well as playing various venues in Digbeth, Birmingham.
Providing investments of up to £1m to generate growth, create jobs and bolster the economy, UKSE’s team based in Keys Business Village, Cannock, supports SMEs in Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, Staffordshire and Telford. UKSE makes equity investments, ensuring management stays in control and with a flexible exit policy.
UKSE regional manager Steve Grice said: “We are delighted to provide SHOOK with funding to record their first EP and share their music with a wider audience. They are a great example of how support from businesses, coupled with their ambition and determination can make a big impact. We wish them all the success for their future.”
UKSE regional executive Mike Lowe added: “UKSE is committed to making a positive impact in the communities it operates in, and we hope that the bursary funding will enable the band to develop their music and promote themselves to a wider audience.”
Jacob Brooks said: “SHOOK gives me the opportunity to express myself through music, have fun and hopefully become one of the best drummers in the world one day. Over the next 12 to 18 months, I would like SHOOK to have released an album and to be touring the Midlands and UK.”
Fran Shaw added: “SHOOK is a place where I can share my song ideas with like-minded people. I want people who see us live to have something memorable to take away. The EP will allow us to become official, to use for online promotion and give us the opportunity to do what we enjoy. We can build our audience and climb local circuits.”
Ollie Purkis commented: “We started the band because we all wanted to create something that reflects who we are rather than trying to copy what everyone else is doing. Recording a professional four track EP would be a huge step forward and would help to get us exposed across more platforms.”
Since 1975, UKSE, part of Tata Steel, has invested more than £115 million in businesses and helped create more than 83,000 jobs.
Pictured from left to right: Ollie Purkis, UKSE regional executive Mike Lowe, Fran Shaw, UKSE regional manager Steve Grice and Jacob Brooks
