St Wilfrid’s trainee doctor fronts rock band
Trainee Doctor Gulz Dhanoya’s ‘day’ job is caring for patients at St Wilfrid’s Hospice, but during the evening, he can be found performing on stage with his rock band.
Gulz, who joined the hospice in April as a Foundation Year 2 Doctor, put together the four-piece band GULZ, which is named after him, when he was at uni during lockdown.
He plays the guitar and sings, along with another trainee doctor, trainee pilot and another friend who he describes as having a ‘normal job’.
Twenty-five-year-old Gulz said: “During medical school, me and a few mates got together. I’ve always listened to and loved music, but it was at uni that I started playing properly. I have lots of musical influences including The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Blossoms and Fontaines DC.
“We write the music as a band. I usually come up with a melody, and then the whole band gets together and we come up with the rest.”
The group has begun to make waves in the music industry and been interviewed by BBC News among others.
“Music is a really fun escape. Working every day is great, but it’s nice to have something else. We played a gig at Hackney Social a few weeks ago and play at lots of places around London as that’s where the industry really is. But we’ve also played in Newcastle, Manchester, Brighton and other cities,” Gulz said.
The hospice is Gulz’s first community role outside of a hospital, having spent time at Eastbourne District General and the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
“I feel fortunate to have ended up at St Wilfrid’s. The team are great and it’s such a nice facility. The patients are really lovely and it’s a great place to work,” he said.
Gulz is at the hospice until August and then plans to take a year out to go travelling. He said: “And then I need to decide what specialty I’m more in tune with.” No pun intended.
Pictured top right: Gulz in his doctor role