Music / Bristol
New project seeks Bristol’s music memorabilia
Bristol’s musical heritage is known worldwide, but it goes back far further than the Bristol Sound that saw Tricky’s Knowle West accent reach a global audience, and turned Portishead into a byword for ethereal cool, rather than just a town by the sea where your nan lives.
“Bristol has a music scene that has allowed lots of genres to flourish, and I wonder whether that is unique,” says Becky Peters, engagement officer for exhibitions at Bristol Museums, as she looks look through several choice pieces from their collection of musical heritage at Blaise Castle Museum.
“I feel like the Bristol has a DIY nature that other cities don’t have. Yes, there’s the ‘Bristol Sound’, but it’s rooted much further back in a broad folk and jazz scene, plus a backdrop of immigration. There’s a historic context to the music scene that other collections tend to overlook.”
is needed now More than ever
It is this wider interest in how music exists in Bristol’s diverse spaces, both geographically and through the passage of time, that has spurred on Bristol Museums’ latest project. Titled simply Bristol Music, it will be part oral history project, part sociology study and part musical memory lane, all tied up neatly into an immersive exhibition that will run for five months at the M Shed from May 2018. Donations from the good people of Bristol will be vital.
DIY posters advertising now-defunct venues The Tropic and The Bristol Troubador
At Blaise Castle Museum, curator of social history Amber Druce shows some of the pieces they currently keep across several of their sites.
“These shoes were donated by Dennis Lewis,” she says, motioning to a chunky pair of royal blue suede shoes that look almost box-fresh – barely scuffed, though they are over 50 years old. “He moved to Redcliffe Parade for the jazz pubs: The Ostrich, a place called Cheese Pie and nearby King Street. He was going out in the 1960s and would wear these blue suede platform shoes when he went out. They are unbelievably heavy.”
Becky chips in: “It’s amazing how people keep things, and the condition they are in. These shoes were obviously a big part of his life.”
Much of their social history collection consists of female outfits, but they hope to attract different types of donations this time, Becky explains. “We hope the Bristol Music collection will help to redress the balance and get in items from both genders. People are so passionate about music, and there are so many facets of the scene. Music memorabilia can be a real conversation piece.”
Dennis Lewis with his dancing shoes
The aim of Bristol Music is to create a collection that spans both time and musical genres. Bristol Museums already have certain memorabilia, but, as Becky puts it, wish to “develop a richer collection”.
“We want clothing from the 1950s, 60s and 70s in particular, as that’s material that we’re lacking. On the whole, the 1980s and 90s are better documented,” she continues.
“I would also love to see people turning up with moving images of venues pre-1990s. Video footage from that time is very rare, and it’s a really powerful thing to see. It takes people back to venues that are no longer here.
“We also want to know where people went out – personal, individual stories, spurring on moments like, ‘Oh, I was at that gig!’
“The stories we want are all told from the perspective of the audience – lots of music collections tell the stories of the stars, and we are trying to avoid that.”
As for what the music fans of Bristol might dredge from the loft or the back of the wardrobe, neither Becky nor Amber can predict – and that make this project exciting for them.
“Essentially, the public will be curating the exhibition, as it will consist of the items they bring in,” Becky says. “They’ll be loaning their items, although the curators will be willing to have conversations about donations as we know there are gaps that we’d like to fill.”
Detail from a hand-sewn outfit, made for a first ever gig
Stories, objects and memories will be collated between now and when the exhibition opens next summer.
“In terms of how the exhibition looks, we want to achieve something fluid and interactive – it’s an open canvas, and we want it to change over time, to be provocative, social and relaxed,” Becky says.
“We want it to be a lively and chatty space to listen to the music and memories, to watch videos and to reminisce – it’s not going to be a museum exhibition where you just read about objects in cases.
“We’re hoping there will be costumes, posters, zines and live music – we want to recreate something of the atmosphere of a gig in a museum space.
“As well as collecting objects, we’ll be doing interviews with people and leaving them uncensored and unedited – whether written out or in recorded formats. We also want to get groups together to film their conversations about the places they used to go out together, to spark memories off each other.”
A paper bag from Blackboy Records
Leafing through the DIY band posters that someone took the time to not only make but keep – flat, unwrinkled, unblemished from sun and age – and touching the hand-sewn items that people wore to their first gigs, there is so much love tied up in these objects.
“There’s something about the passion and stories locked into objects that makes them fascinating,” Amber comments.
“I think it’s about reliving your youth and the possibilities and creativity of that time – the feelings of escapism and nostalgia,” Becky says. “People aren’t around forever and the city changes so much – it’s heritage we want to keep.”
If you’ve got items you’d like to loan or donate to Bristol Music, or a story you’d like to tell about your musical memories of Bristol, submit them via www.exhibitions.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-music.
Read more: Preserving Bristol’s music scene in vinyl
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
