Gulz: The NHS doctors who started a rock band

Gulz Dhanoya (right) started putting out music during the pandemic

Being an NHS junior doctor means long shifts, anti-social hours and challenging work. Now imagine being in an up-and-coming band at the same time.

That's a reality for Gulz Dhanoya.

"It was a lot easier when I was at uni," he says. "I had a lot more time."

He's the lead vocalist of Gulz - an indie-rock four-piece named after the 25-year-old.

Maybe appropriately for a band with four doctors as members, the project started in Gulz's rare downtime during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I decided to release some stuff I'd been working on," he says. "I was really nervous and I put it out on socials, then deleted it all off my phone for a week.

"I was worried my mates were going to give me stick for it.

"Luckily, it went pretty well."

He's right. Some of his tracks got picked up by local radio stations and music press, and Gulz started getting gig offers.

So he recruited three pals from University College London (UCL), and they've since sold out shows all over London, and have a tour planned for next year.

And they've recently released their debut EP Age of Youth with Fierce Panda Records - a label that's put out music from some of the UK's biggest bands including Coldplay, Oasis and Keane.

As you might imagine, working it around the day job can be tricky.

"We understand that the hospital patients always come first and the need to be a bit flexible with our rehearsals," he says.

"Like one week, I'll be on the night shift and then the next week someone else will.

"We can support each other a bit with that. And on days off, we just focus on the music."

Newest member Eliza says being in the band has been a surprising booster for her mental health

Focusing on music is what attracted the band's newest member, 26-year-old bassist and fellow foundation year doctor Eliza Lassman.

She says music has always been a big part of her life, but she was "a bit on the fence about joining" because she wasn't sure if she'd last more than a month.

"But just having a play through with Gulz made me realise that it's something I had to do," she says.

Since becoming part of the group, Eliza feels it's actually helped her to manage her work and her mental health.

"Medicine is a really, really stressful job," she says.

"Sometimes you come home from a shift and you can end up sitting around and thinking about stuff that you've done, especially if you've seen something that's a bit traumatic.

"So it's really important to have things outside of it that help you kind of switch off, give you something to focus on outside the hospital.

"People think that doctors have to be made of steel and can go through anything without having a wobble, but we're all human. It happens.

"Being able to practise and just be in that flow state is really good for your mental wellbeing. I'm really grateful to have music in my life."

Gulz says the buzz he gets from performing inspires him to keep going

When Asian Network speaks to Gulz, he brings up the ongoing junior doctors' strikes in England and says the band "fully supports" them.

He agrees with medics' union the British Medical Association (BMA) that doctors "don't get paid enough for the work we do".

They've been unable to agree a pay deal with the government that would end the strikes.

• How much do junior doctors really get paid?

• Why talk of a UK doctor exodus is premature

• What is the NHS pay offer?

Another key complaint from junior doctors is about their working conditions.

Gulz admits he asks himself a lot why he chooses to balance the demands of a musical and a medical career in the current climate.

"It is stressful," he says.

"It can feel like a nightmare to be honest, a continuous nightmare.

"Managing rotas and gig offers can be consuming. Neither industry is amazing for pay, either.

"But every time I play a gig - and it sounds really clichéd - I absolutely love it and it reminds me why I do it. There's this buzz I get.

"We sacrifice a lot to do this, but it's worth it."

Listen to Ankur Desai's show on BBC Asian Network live from 15:00-18:00 Monday to Thursday - or listen back here.