A decade in Bristol nightlife

As the 2010s draw to a close, the universe is calling time on a decade that introduced Instagram, Iggy Azalea and iPads to the world. A lot closer to home, Bristol – the South West’s cultural fortress – also experienced 10 years of change. Within the microcosm of the city’s clubscape, we’ve seen venues throw their grand opening, paint the town red and close their doors for one final time.

To zoom back out, the last year alone saw, as reported by the International Music Summit (IMS), UK nightclubs fall by 21% in 2018, compared to a drop of only 1% per year between 2013 and 2017. The rate of decline is alarming and, within the decade, Bristol has had its fair share of casualties.

Timbuk2 was left behind in the era where these blurry, bokeh and seemingly in-motion shots were ‘cool’.

Who remembers when Timbuk2 was a driving force of the scene? The 300-capacity venue eternised the rave atmosphere the city was famous for, bursting to life as the kind of grimy sweatbox synonymous with Bristol nightlife. The decade began with Timbuk2 – which was also home to a 24-hour cafe – as a mainstay, soliciting Serial Killaz, Hot Since 82 and Berghain residents Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann to their decks.

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“I started going to Timbuk2 while at UWE,” Jack, 26, reminisces. “There are very few places that still have that gritty underground vibe. I’ll never forget the Dirtytalk nights that turned me on to that kind of music: seeing Hunee play there was a night to remember”. Sadly, the Small St. hotspot met the fate of its national peers and succumbed to closure in 2016.

The Small Horse Social Club – a venture by Team Love – is always fondly reminisced by those who visited it.

Down the road, the venue at number 15 also hit a bout of bad luck – on more than one occasion. The ‘10s saw The Big Chill reincarnate into The Small Horse Social Club (both of which bridged the gap between lively bar and loafing dancefloor) and has most recently seen life as the now-deceased Faraway Cocktail Club.

Though these venues were socio-cultural staples – places you met friends, new people and romantic partners, heard era-defining tunes and gained a lust for life – threats from the authorities, issues with drug policies and gentrification dictated the conversation, making it harder and harder for nightlife to survive.

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Read more: Bristol nightclub hopes that buying its building will secure its future

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Yet the decade saw the rise of Motion as a superclub and global power on the circuit, having been voted 11th in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs poll as well as the UK’s best large club. However, domination could soon metamorphosis into a fall from grace if they lose their battle over redevelopment threats. The 20s could see Bristol Motion-less; Lakota also has an egg timer against their name.

But it’s not all doom and gloom: The Croft, who once hosted Arctic Monkeys, was rebranded as The Crofters Rights in 2013 and has since become one of the city’s best clubs thanks to its diverse events programme, boiler room-esque backroom and pub shop front.

Fellow Stokes Croft superpower The Love Inn opened in 2014 and we couldn’t imagine Bristol without it. The future looks bright for Boomtown’s Area 404 which already had a stratospheric launch last month. Nevertheless, the decade has been a call-to-arms for passionate people in our community to protect our venues and cultural heritage.

Main photo by In:Motion

Read more: Best of Bristol 2019: Clubs