Review: 6 Music Fest – Saturday, Trinity

I arrive late at the Trinity Centre, but just in time to catch the last fragment of Saul Williams’ set. The US spoken word and hip hop artist is standing in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a circle of fans, and the energy in the room is enough to tell me that it was a full-on experience. I’m also glad to glimpse the familiar blonde halo of Bristol gig-going legend Big Jeff, who was granted a festival pass in the wake of a successful petition signed by more than 3,000 people. 

Venturing upstairs, which is hosting an hour of poetry, I catch East London wordsmith and visual artist Kojey Radical, who is spitting rhymes satirising Sunday school and his mum’s religious inclinations, stood appropriately in front of the giant stain-glass window in the Trinity’s upstairs main wall. 

The highlight of my morning is taken up by the surreal performance by Julian Cope. The post-punk pioneer, writer and poet is “dressed as though he’s about to invade” in a leather waistcoat, black aviators and pilot’s cap. Alongside renditions of his songs, performed on a day-glo mellotron that used to belong to Tangerine Dream, the bulk of his slot goes over to a whimsical interview in which he discusses why Bristol is a magnet for West Country weirdos, the Norse origins of the days of the week, and attempting to bring down John Major’s government with a knitted Mickey Mouse jumper. 

There is a more sober air when I head back upstairs. Mary Anne Hobbs is in conversation with Poko from seminal West London reggae band Misty in Roots. The two discuss the cultural mix of Poko’s home of Southall, as well as soundsystem culture, alliances with dub-punks The Ruts, Rasta spirituality and police violence, all issues that have had an impact on the group’s sound and outlook. 

The penultimate discussion is given over to more local concerns. Nemone talks making music in the South West with a panel made up of Benjamin John Power, member of electronic/noise bands Blanck Mass and Fuck Buttons; pirate radio DJ and former owner of Cosies DJ Queen Bee and pivotal Bristol jungle producer Krust. The quartet discuss the nature of Bristol’s myriad music scenes, the communities that contribute to them, and whether it’s possible to talk about a ‘Bristol Sound’ in such a musically diverse city. 

The final hour of proceedings is taken up three heavyweights of their genre: UK dub producers Adrian Sherwood, Mad Professor and Dennis Bovell share the decks in a messy but enjoyable set taking in the full spectrum of dub, roots, steppas and Lover’s Rock. Starting out with A Space Oddity, Sherwood’s dub cover of David Bowie’s Ground Control to Major Tom, and culminating with Bovell’s lively and hyperactive toasting style, it’s an energetic end to the afternoon, readying the crowd to explore the rest of the festival. 

Photos courtesy of BBC. Click here for more photos, features and clips from the 6 Music Festival.

Read more: Preview: Bristol24/7 at 6 Music Fest Fringe