UEA Mourns Ents Manager

Former Union Entertainment Manager, Nick Rayns, has died, it was announced yesterday. Nick worked at UEA for 34 years.

Nick Rayns

A lifelong music fan, Nick helped cultivate Norwich’s music scene. Beginning as a one-man operation, Nick organised gigs, sold tickets and handled security himself. As a result, UEA went from hosting eight concerts a year to sixty two. Nick helped organise more than two thousand gigs, bringing legendary artists such as U2 and The Jam to Norwich.

Often faced with the unpredictable temperaments of musicians and their fans, Nick had to deal with all kinds of situations in his time at UEA. In a 2007 interview he described how a Doc Marten boot was flung at a drunk Shane MacGowan during a gig by his band The Pogues.

The four full time Union Officers expressed their condolences at his passing: “Nick was a larger than life character who will be sorely missed by all union staff and UEA students. Our thoughts are with his family at this terrible time.”

Norwich’s Future Radio also paid tribute on Twitter by saying: ‘Nick Rayns a Norwich legend – will be sorely missed.’

If you wish to write your own messages of condolence, which will be passed onto Nick’s family, please visit: http://ueastudentblog.wordpress.com/nick-rayns/