Keep Music Live: Alice Angliss takes the stage at TUC Congress

Ever wondered how a touring musical can sound like a full orchestra when you can only see a handful of musicians in the pit? One of our alumnae has some thoughts on that, and she recently took them to the Trades Union Congress. 

Alice Angliss, Class of 2011, plays drums in West End musicals, sits on the Musicians’ Union Executive Committee and has chaired its West End Sub-Committee since 2022. In September, she took to the stage at TUC Congress in Brighton to speak in support of the MU’s Keep Music Live motion. 

The issue is something called KeyComp. Imagine a keyboard player pressing a single key and triggering not just one sound, but entire pre-recorded sections of music layered over their playing. This means a show originally written for dozens of musicians can be performed with just a handful of live players. Alice cited a recent tour of a Disney musical that featured just six live musicians, with KeyComp covering the parts of another 20. 

As Alice put it: “It’s like Starlight Express with a driverless train.” 

And it’s not just about the audience missing out on live music. The job can be incredibly stressful for the keyboard player, Alice explained, as even the smallest slip can be heard by the entire audience. Finding cover when operators are ill or on holiday can also be a real challenge. 

Alice is clear that protecting live music takes resources, too. When Northern Ballet planned to replace its live musicians with recordings, the MU successfully challenged the decision, but doing so took significant staff time and money from a relatively small union. 

Despite these challenges, Alice remains optimistic. With 17.6 million people attending West End shows last year, she believes audiences will increasingly value the experience of hearing music performed live by real people. She also highlighted that KeyComp has been banned on Broadway, in several US cities and in Hamburg, where the software company is based. 

Her closing suggestion is something we can all do. Next time you’re at a musical or panto, don’t just clap for the band. Turn to the person next to you and say: “Wow, the band sounded great, didn’t they?” 

We’re incredibly proud to see Alice championing live music and representing musicians on such a prominent stage. We’ll certainly be cheering her on! 

You can watch Alice's full speech on her Instagram @aliceangliss