Rough round the edges but with a beating heart of gold. Bristol is a beauty of a city to be living within. Its the unofficial capital of the west country, with an unmistakable dialect and its mostly open arms attitude that will see off the many gloomy wet days of rain we see a year.
The music scene here is thriving, and by many accounts, always has been. Some of the bigger names to call Bristol home over the years include The Blue Aeroplanes, Roni Size, Massive Attack and more recently the hard hitting, honest talking, post punkers Idles.
True Strays were formed, and cut our teeth (and still do) in the alternative independent underground bars and clubs of Bristol. These venues are absolutely essential foundations offering the stage for bands and acts to hone their craft and create cutting edge, relevant, engaging and down right incredible music. The places I’m talking about….Leftbank, Mothers Ruin, Stag and Hounds, The Golden Lion, The Canteen. The best thing about these venues is that mostly, they are run by fellow musicians playing in bands on the scene. LOVE AND SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT BAR, VENUE, SHOP, CAFE, SPACE!
What I’ve come to love most about our music scene here in Bristol is something I haven’t experienced before. The synergy! Crowd and band, follower creator, they are all one. On any given night you can be watching a band, in that audience its a given that you will see a member from another band, moshing, dancing, singing along to the songs elevating off the stage, the very stage that they may have been performing from just days before. There’s not a lot of pretension in our scene. Bands play for the crowds, the crowds dance for the bands and everyone shares a jar or two together after the show. Pure Osmosis in action.
Here are some of the legends that have been keeping this dynamic alive. Check them out, listen to their music, send them some love….
Binbag Wisdom, Little Thief, Mankala, Nuala Honan, Dizrali, Waldos Gift, Samantha Lindow, The King Dukes, Screamin’ Miss Jackson and the Slap your Mama Big Band, Snazzback, Henry Slim, Shelanagig, Hannah Williams and the Affirmations, Young Waters, Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith, Cousin Kula.