Colston Hall 150th Anniversary Programme by Colston Hall

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150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

OUR BEGINNING

Our beginning – opening night Friday 20 September 1867. The first moment of true showmanship in Colston Hall’s 150-year history of entertainment took place when the gas lighting was turned up to full strength.

Everyone in the city wanted to be here on the first night of Bristol’s prestigious new “public room” and some 3,400 people had taken their seats. They chattered admiringly of the building and its décor or at least what they could see of it – it was hard to make out much detail. But when the lights were turned up, all could see the bright colours, the height of the ceiling, the room’s proportions, the ornate cornice work and carved capitals. They burst into spontaneous cheering and applause. Moments later, the acoustics were tested by a choir and soloists. They started with a Te Deum, followed by a number of other pieces, all delivered and heard, said one witness, “with a clear crispness about every note”.

(Left) Watercolour of the Hall in Victorian times. Courtesy of Bristol Post archives (Below) 1867, The completed Hall. Picture: David Martyn

The opening night was a public meeting of the London Missionary Society and the Reverend Mr Osborn got up to speak. Many here this evening, he noted with a smile, had probably come to see the new building, suspecting that among the crowd there were many “people who are not addicted to missionary meetings”. Other clergymen spoke, but also on the platform was His Worship the Mayor, Elisha Smith Robinson, as well as most of the city fathers. The Mayor’s speech praised the building, which had cost almost £20,000 and was still not quite complete. Many in the audience rose to their feet and waved hats and handkerchiefs when he mentioned George Thomas, who was well known for giving generously to local charities as well as being one of the Hall’s principal sponsors. A thunderous “yes!” and more applause and cheering was the response when he asked those in the gallery if they could hear him. After more missionary addresses, the evening ended with everyone singing the hymn From All That Dwell Below the Skies with energy fit to lift the brand-new roof. The screaming teenagers greeting their idols 100 years later may have been louder and more raucous, but given the normal behaviour of this (mostly) genteel Victorian assembly, you could say it ranked amongst the most passionate crowds the Hall has seen. At least until The Beatles came.

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

OUR STORY

(Left) 1873, Colston Hall exterior (Right) c.1850, The Tudor “Great House” was home to Colston’s School. ©Bristol Libraries

Our Story The site of Colston Hall has been occupied since at least the 13th century when the Whitefriars Friary had stood there. In Tudor times, this was replaced with a mansion known as the Great House, originally built and owned by merchant John Young. When Queen Elizabeth I visited Bristol in 1574 she stayed here and was so pleased by his hospitality that she knighted him. The Great House later became Colston’s School and when it moved to the vacant Bishop’s Palace at Stapleton (where it still is today), the site was purchased by a group of local businessmen who had formed The Colston Hall Company. Their aim was to build “a new public hall, which shall be suitable for concerts, public gatherings, and at the same time an ornament to the city”. The architects were the well-known local firm of Foster & Wood. John Foster, who probably led the design work, was a leading exponent of the ‘Bristol Byzantine’ style. While architectural historians see the influence of Italian Renaissance buildings in the Hall, it’s worth remembering that at the time, the style was seen as strikingly modern, not least because combining different coloured brick and stone – heavy and expensive to transport – was made possible by the railways.

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

Bristol’s lavish new 3,000-seat venue was meant to be a hard-headed business venture which would earn returns for its shareholders. But with such a complex and prestigious project there were inevitably cost over-runs and delays. Money problems meant that the entrance hall, the grand staircase and façade were not in place until six years after the Hall opened. A smaller hall and refreshment room, which would later become home of the famous Little Theatre and known today as The Lantern, were also added. In 1873, with the entire building complete, it hosted the first ever Bristol Music Festival. Earlier money problems made everyone cautious; before the festival took place, some 250 well off locals were persuaded to each put up a bond of £50 to cover any financial shortfall. A chorus master was appointed, a choir of 200 local voices was trained and Charles Hallé, the orchestral megastar of the day, was invited to conduct the orchestra. The festival was a huge success, everyone’s £50 was safe and the profits were donated to two local hospital charities. There would now be a festival at the Hall every three years.

But this was only the most high-profile event. Week in and week out it became the venue for everything from concerts and recitals to novelty and music hall acts and public meetings. This all came to a temporary halt in September 1898 when a fire in a neighbouring clothing factory rapidly spread, destroying much of the auditorium and the organ. As a direct consequence of the conflagration, the strength of Bristol’s municipal fire brigade was doubled to 28 men.

6 8

(Above) 1898, The Hall destroyed by fire (Below) 1914, 12th Battalion Black Watch (Right) 1914, Locally-printed postcard

OUR STORY

The Hall was rebuilt and reopened in 1901, complete with a new state-of-the-art Grand Organ, paid for by tobacco magnate Sir Henry Wills. Sir Arthur Sullivan had accepted an invitation to conduct the celebratory musical programme, but unfortunately he died a few days beforehand. Colston Hall played an important role in Bristol’s war effort between 1914 and 1918. When local army recruiting offices were overwhelmed with numbers in 1914, the Hall became a temporary recruiting centre. It would be here that the 12th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, always referred to as “Bristol’s Own” and comprising young men from the Bristol area, was raised. When one 17-year-old inadvertently gave his correct age, he was told by the recruiting sergeant that he was too young, but that if he walked around the Hall three times, it would magically age him by three years. Half an hour later, he was enlisted. Over the winter of 1914-15 it was an improvised billet for Britain’s rapidly expanding army, hosting

men of the 10th Battalion The Black Watch. They were part of a Scottish brigade and Bristol adored them. So much so that local moralists worried that too many local girls – they were said to be suffering from “khaki fever” – were throwing themselves at soldiers. The Hall in the Great War was, as before, a place of entertainment, but also a venue for public meetings and celebrations. The men of “Bristol’s Own” were given a rousing send-off before they left for further training and then for the front. The Lord Mayor promised that the Hall would hold a special homecoming party for them when they returned. Many never did and the party never happened. Bristol became a major centre for treating wounded men, and soldiers in their regulation “hospital blues” – the light blue uniforms worn by men under medical treatment – were a common sight at the Hall, which set aside free seats for wounded men and often hosted special performances for them.

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

(Clockwise from top left) 1936, Audience. ©Bristol Post 1945, Firemen damping down after the Hall is destroyed for the second time. ©Bristol Post 1951, Duke of Gloucester opens the re-built Hall. ©Bristol Post 1961, Ella Fitzgerald, poster 1961, Acker Bilk, souvenir programme 1959, Louis Armstrong, poster

OUR STORY

In February 1919 the Hall also hosted a special reception for soldiers who had received awards for gallantry, including five Victoria Cross winners. Many had been killed in action and so were represented by family members. Bristol’s Corporation bought the Hall in 1919 at a cost of £65,000 and between the wars just about every major musical figure, as well as many stars of stage, screen and radio, appeared. These ranged from the great Russian pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff to the American singer, actor and political activist Paul Robeson. The sight lines were improved with a £30,000 scheme in the mid-1930s, which tiered the seating and removed pillars and replaced them with steel girders. Much of the musical fare was classical but certainly by the 1930s there were more popular entertainers too. It also remained a venue for public meetings. There were regular religious events too, with ‘Sunday Evening Services for the People’ that usually included a recital on the organ and solo singers as well as hymns and preachers. As another war threatened, the Hall became a distribution centre for the gas masks issued to every man, woman and child in Bristol. Once war broke out, much of the BBC relocated to Bristol on the assumption that the city was too difficult for enemy bombers to reach (it was, until the fall of France in 1940). Bristolians were treated to regular performances from the BBC Symphony Orchestra, including a hugely popular series of lunchtime concerts.

The Lord Mayor of Bristol also wrote of his hopes that the Hall “will increasingly become a main centre for the expression of the public and cultural life of Bristol and the West.” One of the most noticeable changes in the post-war era was the increasing number of American musicians and performers coming to the Hall, thanks in part to the objections of the Musicians’ Union being overcome. Star performers whom Bristolians had only known from the radio, cinema or records, could be seen here in person: Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Sarah Vaughan, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis and more played to capacity audiences – but so did homegrown jazz talents like Ken Colyer and our own Acker Bilk. Most of these concerts were promoted by the legendary ‘impresario’ Charles Lockier, who would go on to bring the biggest names of the 1960s to Bristol. Lockier was not a man to be lightly challenged, but he backed down when he tried to postpone a gig by British jazz hero (and later radio presenter) Humphrey Lyttleton because Lyttleton had revealed himself to be a Labour party supporter.

Remarkably, considering the amount of damage to central Bristol done by German bombers in 1940-41, Colston Hall survived the war unscathed. Instead, a discarded cigarette did what Hitler’s air force failed to achieve and in 1945 Colston Hall was destroyed by fire once more. This time it was not rebuilt nearly so quickly. Money, materials and builders were needed for more urgent tasks so the new Hall was not completed until 1950 and it was officially opened by the Duke of Gloucester on 7 July 1951 to coincide with the Festival of Britain. “This modern Colston Hall embraces many highly advanced improvements in acoustics, heating, ventilating and general comfort,” said the commemorative programme.

(Below) 1938, Signed Paul Robeson programme, Courtesy of Lindsay St Claire (Bottom of page) 1960, Charles Lockier. ©Bristol Post

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

The late 1950s brought rock ‘n’ roll to the Hall, most memorably in the form of Buddy Holly and the Crickets and Chuck Berry. It swung in the ’60s to the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and the Tamla-Motown of Martha Reeves, The Supremes and a 14-year-old Stevie Wonder. Long-haired rockers in the ’70s including David Bowie on his famous Ziggy Stardust tour, Led Zeppelin, Mott the Hoople and Black Sabbath performed alongside the reggae of Bob Marley, the poetry of Leonard Cohen and the punk rock of The Clash. Since then, Blondie, The Eurythmics, Nina Simone, as well as Thin Lizzy and Joy Division on their final tours, and almost every big name in jazz and popular music has performed at the Hall. It’s hosted speakers from Ian Botham to Tony Benn and has long been a regular gig for touring comedians. In the ’90s Colston Hall was one of

the first major venues in the region to recognise the growing popularity of world music, and still brings acts from around the globe to the city. Throughout its history the Hall has been a home for classical music. Long associations with the Hallé Orchestra, under the renowned Sir John Barbirolli and latterly Sir Mark Elder, as well as Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra have provided audiences with the opportunity to see some of the finest symphony orchestras, soloists and conductors of their day. That continues with the annual Bristol International Classical season attracting ensembles from all over the world. For all this time, Colston Hall was also one of the region’s most important venues for wrestling. There were regular bouts here from the ’50s to the early noughties.

OUR STORY

From 2007 to 2009 the building was extended and refurbished, with the addition of the striking new foyer. In 2011, management of the Hall was transferred from Bristol City Council to the newly-formed Bristol Music Trust, with plans to complete the transformation process which began 10 years ago well under way.

youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen here. Maybe it was your first gig, with Dad waiting in the car to pick you up afterwards. Perhaps you saw some of your idols in the flesh and were even more thrilled than you thought possible. Maybe it was a first date or maybe you now have a fond (if faintly embarrassing) recollection of screaming for The Beatles or Boyzone.

The Hall will close in 2018 and reopen two years later as an international standard concert facility and a National Centre for Entertainment, Education and Enterprise across the arts.

You may have been on the stage yourself, whether as part of a youth orchestra or choir, a schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s singing event, or taking part in the annual Festival of Remembrance, or perhaps in some big public meeting called to campaign on the important issues of the day.

The future of the Hall will be built on the foundations of a glorious past and on memories we all share. The chances are that most of your memories of Colston Hall are bound up with the various musicians

The Hall is not just about visiting celebrities or big orchestras. The Hall is a place for all Bristolians. It always was and always will be.

(Clockwise from top left) 2011, The Saturdays. Photo Martin Thompson 1965, The Kinks 2014, Kirill Karabits conducting Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 1984, Festival of Remembrance 2017, The Flaming Lips. Photo: Sarah Koury Entirety Labs 1980s, Big Daddy 2014, Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra 2011, Anoushka Shankar. Photo Martin Thompson 1958, Buddy Holly 2015, Schools Concert 2004, Jamie Cullum. Photo Martin Thompson (Inset) 1965, The Supremes

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

Tales from the Hall With 150 years of history at the centre of Bristol’s social life, the Hall and its audiences have a lot of stories to tell. Most are happy, some are funny, and some are just strange…

Painting of Carlos Trower by Rachel Hemming Bray, reproduced with permission. rachelhemmingbray.co.uk

1882

Evangelists vs the pubs 1888

Every night for a fortnight in early 1882 the Hall was filled to capacity for ‘Gospel Temperance Mission’ rallies, where American evangelist Richard T Booth preached abstinence from drink. Hundreds “signed the pledge” each evening and even more signed at meetings elsewhere in Bristol. It was said that 36,000 Bristolians took the campaign’s blue ribbon emblem, of whom 21,000 had pledged to become teetotal. That year, several pubs and beer shops in Bristol went out of business.

The highwire daredevil High-wire artiste Carlos (sometimes Carlo or Charles) Trower (1850-1889) started life as a slave in the American south, but escaped at the age of 11. He was helped by American anti-slavery campaigners, who paid his passage to Scotland where he joined a troupe of circus acrobats. He became a popular and well-known performer in Victorian Britain. The “African Blondin”, as he was often billed (there was a famous French trapeze artist called Charles Blondin) could walk a tightrope carrying another person or would take a small stove to the middle of the rope and cook steaks or pancakes, throwing bits of food down to the audience to eat. He performed in Bristol at least twice: once at Colston Hall where he was on the bill for a fortnight. A 120ft length of rope was hung 50ft above the audience on which he walked forwards and backwards blindfolded.

TALES FROM THE HALL

1910

1901 “An exceedingly smart and refined entertainment”

Royal funeral and an intelligent chimp When King Edward VII died in May 1910, a memorial service was held at Bristol Cathedral. But the Cathedral was for members of the Church of England and so local nonconformists (Baptists, Congregationalists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc.) hired the Hall for a service of their own, but due to demand this was extended to two services. A few days later, the Hall was filled to capacity for several nights as people came to watch film footage of the King’s funeral, though the bill also included movies of other items of topical interest, including “incidents in the voyage of an extremely intelligent chimpanzee across the Atlantic on a North German liner”.

Thousands of Bristolians saw themselves on film for the first time at Colston Hall. In April 1901, a twoweek visit from the Thomas Edison Animated Photo Company played to packed houses showing footage of the Boer War, the Boxer Uprising in China and short dramas including the burning of Joan of Arc. But the real draw for audiences was the footage shot locally, including workers leaving the Wills and Fry’s factories and film shot from the top of a moving Bristol tram. The Edison Company was back later that year with more local footage. It’s claimed that it filled 140,000 seats that year – the equivalent of half the entire population of Bristol at the time.

1909

Suffragettes in the woodwork Before the First World War, large numbers of Bristol women were active suffragettes and they resorted to ever more creative tactics in their campaigning for votes for women. In 1909, local MP Augustine Birrell (1850-1933), who was also a cabinet minister, addressed a meeting at Colston Hall, but was heckled by two local women, Elsie Howey and Vera Holme. They had evaded the meeting’s security by sneaking in hours previously and hiding in the Hall’s organ. Astonishingly, the same thing happened again in 1912 when the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage held a rally at Colston Hall and speeches by East Bristol MP Sir Charles Hobhouse and the novelist Mrs Humphry Ward were heckled from the organ loft. (Right) Hall of Memories. Photo Dominika Scheibinger

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

1917

Socialist revolution comes to Bristol

1917, Mayor Ald Frank Sheppard

At a crowded meeting at the Hall on 22 December 1917, Alderman Frank Sheppard was presented with his robes of office as Lord Mayor of Bristol. This was a revolutionary moment; for the first time in history Bristol’s Mayor was a trade unionist and a member of the Labour Party. He would later become chair of the city’s Housing Committee and pushed the council’s house-building programme forward with characteristic energy and bluntness.

The Bristol Temperance Choir at the Hall before WW1. A young Elsie Griffin was among the soloists.

1914-18

From Fry’s factory girl to superstar As a girl, Bristol-born Elsie Griffin (1895-1989) was a gifted amateur singer and was a soloist in many concerts at Colston Hall and around Bristol, including a large Temperance Choir of 500 voices. During the First World War she joined a concert party entertaining troops and her fame was assured when local composer Fred Weatherly sent her his songs ‘Danny Boy’ and ‘Roses of Picardy’ to perform for the soldiers. Both were huge hits and both still rank as iconic anthems of the Great War. Elsie would later go on to become a principal soprano with the D’Oyly Carte and Carl Rosa opera companies, made several successful records and was heard regularly on BBC radio.

TALES FROM THE HALL

1961 ©Bristol Post

1929

Effortless Rachmaninoff

1958 Little

“I do not remember any single artist being received with such unanimous approbation as was accorded Rachmaninoff at Colston Hall last night. His perfect and apparently effortless performance was astonishing – even to those accustomed to the playing of other International Celebrities. The climax of the evening was reached with the first chord of his universally popular Prelude. The audience had obviously come determined not to go home without having heard it, although it did not officially figure on the programme, and directly the opening notes were heard the whole gallery rose en bloc to obtain a better view of the pianist – the first bars being entirely lost in a wild outburst of clapping.”

Theatre. ©

Bristol Post

Newspaper review

1923

Rapier-sharp acting The Colston Hall complex included a smaller auditorium known for many decades as the “Lesser Colston Hall”. In the 1920s, the Hall’s new owners, Bristol Corporation, spent £2,000 on refurbishing the Lesser Hall and included a proper stage for the first time. And so was born the Little Theatre, which many Bristolians remember fondly to this day as a place where they saw some wonderful plays. The earliest programme was organised by Bristol Rotary Club, but its real golden age was between the mid-1930s and the early 1960s when it was home to the Rapier Players, a repertory company run by husband-and-wife team Ronald Russell and Peggy Ann Wood. The Little’s productions were hugely popular with Bristolians of all ages and social class and they continued undaunted through the war years even, on at least one occasion, in the middle of an air raid, the cast having asked the audience if they should carry on. A blue plaque remembering Russell and Wood was unveiled close to where the theatre entrance used to be some years ago by actor Timothy West, who had appeared with the Players himself at the start of his career. The Little Theatre was converted to a bar area in the 1980s, but when the new foyer opened it became a performance space once again. It’s now The Lantern and hosts an eclectic programme of music and comedy. Peggy Ann Wood and Ronald Russell. © Bristol Post

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

1940

Rowdy scenes after Dunkirk In June 1940 Bristol was a temporary home to hundreds of soldiers taken from the beaches at Dunkirk. Naturally, Bristol treated them like heroes and many were treated to a concert by Joe Loss’s Band at Colston Hall. It was a rousing evening by all accounts: “Sturdy lads in khaki clambered on to the stage to dance Boomps-a-Daisy with equally sturdy lassies – they had to be, to come within range of those flailing army boots,” said one review. There was also community singing, including ‘The Quartermaster’s Stores’ and other old favourites.

1940

1933

Who won the “Battle of the Batons”?

British Women’s Symphony Orchestra

On Saturday 2 November 1940, the 3rd Battalion, Bristol City Home Guard, organised an afternoon’s entertainment at the Hall. The highlight of the bill was to be “a public challenge to a duel between Henry Hall and his orchestra and Sir Adrian Boult and a section of the BBC Symphony Orchestra”. Henry Hall led a popular dance band, famous for hits like ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’ and ‘I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)’. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, now temporarily based in Bristol, performed regularly at the Hall. The “duel” was to feature Henry Hall attempting to conduct the symphony orchestra in a “serious piece of music” followed by Sir Adrian taking charge of Hall’s band for a popular song. As to the outcome of this “Battle of the Batons” we don’t know. Perhaps they were too gentlemanly to declare a winner or loser.

In 1933 Colston Hall hosted the first performance in Bristol of the British Women’s Symphony Orchestra. The ensemble was founded in 1922 “with the idea that the time had come for professional women musicians in this country to be represented by their own complete Symphony Orchestra”. Just five years had passed since women had gained the same voting rights as men, and in a review that reflects how many must have been grappling with the new attitude towards women and their role in all spheres in society, one critic wrote: “those who imagine that a women’s orchestra must be inferior to a male orchestra are making a mistake.” The Orchestra used it in their advertising.

TALES FROM THE HALL

1964

1958

“In October 1958 I went to see the Kalin Twins. We watched the support acts and suddenly a young boy exploded onto the stage in a bright pink suit and an Elvis-style haircut and sang his hit ‘Move It’. It was of course the young and barely known Cliff Richard. He was an instant hit, everyone was screaming and clapping.“ Theresa Stewart

1958

Buddy Holly plays, Des O’Connor doesn’t Buddy Holly and the Crickets played the Hall in 1958 as part of a 16-week UK tour. Also on the bill were the Ronnie Keen Orchestra, Gary Miller and the Tanner Sisters. The MC was to be singer and comedian Des O’Connor. As the audience took to their seats for the first show, promoter Charles Lockier announced that since it was a Sunday, the Lord’s Day Observance Society had objected to Des appearing on stage. Audience jeers and boos turned to applause as a spotlight picked out Des sitting among the capacity audience. One man who was in the audience that night later recalled: “Buddy and the Crickets bounced on stage to roar through about 30 minutes of rock ‘n’ roll music – the like of which had never been heard in the city before. The sheer volume of sound coming from Buddy’s Stratocaster guitar, Jerry Allison’s drums and Joe Mauldin’s unamplified double bass was incredible.” Another remembered: “There was little security in those days, and after the show we went backstage. We found Buddy and the Crickets in a smoky little back room and got all their autographs.” Less than a year later, Buddy Holly would be killed in a plane crash.

“What a night to remember, March 23rd 1958, off to see Buddy Holly and the Crickets at Colston Hall. All dressed up in my drape fingertip length jacket, drain pipe trousers and suede shoes. The concert was fantastic!” R C Hughes

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

1958, Ella Fitzgerald

1950s

The Jazz Age Probably one of the most famous trumpeters to ever walk the planet, the inimitable Louis Armstrong played Colston Hall in 1959 and gave Charles Lockier the signed programme pictured below. What’s more, the legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald performed at the Hall numerous times, often as part of the Jazz at the Philharmonic show alongside some incredible musicians including Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson. Other legends to appear in this era included Count Basie, Miles Davis, and in what was described as “a terrific scoop for Bristol” and “the sensation of the century”, Lionel Hampton and his orchestra made their only appearance in the West Country in 1956. Jazz legend Duke Ellington appeared at Colston Hall for one performance only along with his famous orchestra. Dubbed “the greatest jazz orchestra in the world” by Bristol Evening Post’s Roger Bennett, the group played five encores. Bennett added: “In addition, the Ellington band is made up of highly individual, creative soloists, most of whom could justify a whole concert on their own. It has musical brilliance and humour. And it swings like mad”.

1959

1958, Oscar Peterson

1960

1957

TALES FROM THE HALL

“I loved The Rolling Stones and literally couldn’t contain my excitement when I heard they were playing at Colston Hall, we went along and had the most amazing time. At the end, Mick Jagger threw flowers into the crowd and I couldn’t quite believe my luck when I caught one! I went home and pressed it straight away and to this day, still have it! I’m not sure why I have kept it after all these years but I am glad I did!”

1968, The Who backstage. ©Bristol Post

Christine Hall, 1971

Christine’s pressed flower from Mick Jagger!

1964

Breaking the dress code The Rolling Stones caused some amusement when coming to Colston Hall in January 1964 for being thrown out of the Grand Hotel when Mick Jagger arrived for dinner wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. They opted for a curry house on Park Street instead. (There are also certain lurid tales concerning Jagger’s romantic adventures in Bristol that night.) When they came back to Colston Hall in 1971 they were so famous that no-one would have dared refuse them service anywhere.

1964, The Rolling Stones backstage. ©Bristol Post

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

1964

Fab Four’s flour power The Beatles first appeared at the Hall in March 1963 at the bottom of a bill headed by American star Chris Montez. By the time they returned in November of the same year, they were huge stars. Their most memorable gig here was probably the one a year later, the final concert of their UK tour. Beatlemania was now at such a peak that the Hall’s security team had to scour the building from top to bottom to find anyone sneaking in. A group of ticketless teenagers was caught and ejected when a member of staff lit a cigarette, causing one of the hiding girls to cough. On the night, fans were screaming so much that it was impossible to hear much of the music. They threw soft toys and Jelly Babies (George Harrison had told an interviewer he liked them) at the stage. As The Beatles were about to finish playing ‘If I Fell’, a bag of flour fell on them from somewhere above the stage. “There was flour in their hair, on their suits, in their eyebrows, in their guitars and all over the drums,” wrote Roger Bennett – officially designated the Post’s ‘Beatles Correspondent’ during their stay. “Ringo turned his tom-tom upside down and banged it in a vain attempt to get rid of the flour. The audience just sat roaring and shrieking with laughter until The Beatles recovered enough to launch into a rocking ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’.” Backstage, Hall staff raced to find the culprit, but all they found was an empty flour bag on a gantry 50ft above the stage. At the end of the show – still covered in flour – The Beatles raced off stage and down to their waiting car. Their tour manager later told the Post: “The boys were knocked out by the flour joke. They thought it was hilarious. It could have been another of the lads on the tour who did it, but, if it was, I have no idea who.” (Below) 1963, Beatles Fans ©Bristol Post (Right) 1963, Post front page ©Bristol Post

TALES FROM THE HALL

1963, The Beatles

1964

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hard to believe, but I was only four and my brother was eight when our mum asked if we would like to see The Beatles. It put me in such an excited way that I can still remember so much, including being carried over the crowd going in, where we sat, and most memorably looking around before they came on, and sensing the atmosphereâ&#x20AC;? Nick Wills

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

1966

Unhappy Dylan, unhappy fans This iconic photo of Bob Dylan was taken on 11 May 1966 at the Aust Ferry, which crossed the Severn between England and Wales. Snapped by American photographer Barry Feinstein, the picture would later be used on the cover of his album ‘No Direction Home’ – the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the singersongwriter. Dylan was grumpy; he had been touring the world for three months and disliked the English weather. The first UK gig of the tour had been at Colston Hall the night before the picture was taken. Halfway through the set he had started using an electric guitar. This was too much for many in the audience who associated electric guitars with downmarket pop music. Until now, he had been the darling of college kids and radical youth as a folk singer, his songs of love and protest accompanied by him playing acoustic guitar. But now he was going electric as well and not everyone liked it. The Bristol gig had been the first date in what would later become known as the “Judas Tour”, so called because some days later an audience member in Manchester yelled “Judas!” at his electric betrayal.

Dylan at Aust, 1966 Photo: Barry Feinstein

TALES FROM THE HALL

1967

“The Jimi Hendrix Experience closed with a forty-five minute show, the like of which we had never seen before. I remember to this day being totally mesmerised by Hendrix’s extraordinary talent on the guitar. I was lucky enough to see Hendrix on two other occasions before his untimely death.”

1967

Ed Newsom

1971

Tuesday May 18th 1971. I’m about to set off to Colston Hall to see my first ever live band. It’s true to say that I had never experienced anything like it. It was loud, it was visual, it was exciting and it really was King Crimson before my very eyes. When it was over, with the silence still ringing in my ears, I was totally hooked on the live experience. Fast forward to today and I’m just about to enter my 38th year of working at the Hall. There have been numerous highlights. Chuck Berry reciting poetry whilst his amp was being fixed behind him. Nina Simone appearing regal, wonderful and ever so slightly scary. Brian Wilson recreating Pet Sounds and providing one of the most joyous gigs I’ve ever experienced. That young whippersnapper Bono unnerving everyone by walking around the balcony rail and waving a large white flag over the heads of the audience. Not to mention the energy and delight in the room as generations of school children experienced what it was like to appear on the Colston Hall stage.

1967, Constantin Silvestri

1967

Colston Hall’s Centenary Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra have been the orchestra at Colston Hall for well over 50 years. Under the direction of Constantin Silvestri they gave a special birthday concert on 20 September 1967 to celebrate the Hall’s centenary, including pieces by Britten, Wagner and Liszt. Since then the orchestra has formed the backbone of the Hall’s classical season, presenting numerous concerts each year.

Andy Collins, Technical Services Manager

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

1973

1974

“I went to my first concert in 1973 to watch Roxy Music, they were brilliant and started with “do the strand” with Bryan Ferry in a white suit.”

We’ve only just begun The Carpenters played a sellout gig in February 1974, which had all of Bristol excited. The Post even cleared the front page of that day’s main edition for a welcoming picture. Critic Chris Newton wrote the following day: “Anyone who had thought of them as a shy boy and girl with a couple of guitars and simple three-part harmony soon had their eyes opened. Karen, out in front on her own most of the time, launched powerfully into one after another of their many hits, while Richard, blending in with tuneful keyboard backing and vocals, stepped forward for one solo song. “Besides a formidable stack of sound equipment, they also had with them a highly vocal five-man backing group who also helped out with strings, brass, woodwind and percussion. Karen spent several numbers behind her drum kit efficiently and very happily bashing out rhythms. There was no doubt about their reception in Bristol – and the fans made much noise persuading them to an encore.”

Martyn Lovell c.1974

“My most memorable gig was Deep Purple in about 1974. Nobody was left sitting and occasionally people would dart from their seats into the aisle and race down to the throng at the front dodging stewards as they ran.” Geoff Sharman 1977

“I watched Marc Bolan from front row seats on his come-back tour, it was totally electric. The Damned were supporting and Captain Sensible fell off the stage and landed on my lap.” Antony Birkett

1973

“A boozy, clowning and deafening show” Rod Stewart and the Faces played a packed house in December 1973. The Post’s reviewer wrote: “This was a boozy, clowning and deafening show in which the Faces played all the numbers that you’d expect them to – ‘Maggie May’, an impressive ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ and, of course, the classic ‘You Wear It Well’. “Rod Stewart raced around the stage like a lunatic, tossing his microphone stand into the air. He fell on his knees and even, at one stage, collapsed in a heap. His strongest ally was guitarist Ron Wood who did a non-stop double act with the singer, sometimes fighting for space at the mic during a chorus.”

TALES FROM THE HALL

1981

“I came to see Ozzy Osbourne on his “Diary of a Madman” tour on Sunday, 29 November 1981. The atmosphere was absolutely electric, and when Ozzy came on to a dry-iced stage to the sound of Orff’s Carmina Burana, brandishing a four-foot mirrored crucifix, the crowd went absolutely insane. At the end of the show the crowd was so firedup that they wouldn’t leave and the band ended up coming back to the stage for another encore, in their underwear!”

1984, Elvis Costello Photo: Paul Norris

1987

Dylan’s unhappy return

1986

“Wrestling was a huge part of the venue’s history, it attracted crowds fortnightly for decades. The bigger names of the business appeared, the likes of Marty Jones, Fit Finlay, Rollerball Rocco, Robby Brookside, Big Daddy and Kendo Nagasaki, drawing big crowds. For me, and many others, these shows meant a huge amount and I still reminisce on the matches that I was lucky enough to attend between 1983 and 2004.” Chad Mayne

The Hall had a fleeting moment of Hollywood fame when it was used for filming concert scenes for ‘Hearts of Fire’, a drama starring Bob Dylan. The film was a critical and commercial failure, but several Bristolians of a certain age vied for the chance to appear as extras in the 1,000-strong “audience” and get close to their idol.

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

1995

1987

“During a Morrissey concert I saw my chance to mount the stage, enthusiastically assisted by like-minded strangers in the crowd. I crept up behind the singer and, removing a necklace of beads that I wore, placed them over his head as a token of gratitude for a great night. He, in turn, placed an arm around my neck and continued to sing as I was wrestled from the stage by security staff and led away.”

Lifetime ban for local thrash metal heroes “If ever a group was appropriately named, this is it,” wrote the Post’s review of the notorious Ashton Court Festival benefit gig played by Onslaught at Colston Hall in 1987. “With scant regard for safety, sanity or the senses and eardrums, Onslaught were relentless in their sonic assault. You won’t find overblown choruses, any hint of subtleties or, heaven forbid, songs. Blast first, recover later is the motto.” Onslaught were originally formed in 1983 to play a brand of thrash metal that owed a great deal to punk. They were arguably Bristol’s most successful metal band, breaking up in the early 1990s and reforming about 10 years ago. The chaotic 1987 gig saw audience members “hurling themselves like lemmings into the mass at the front of the stage” and resulted in at least one person being hospitalised. The gig earned the band a lifetime ban from Colston Hall.

Matthew Browning

2002

1990s

“The best three hours of your life”

“I have worked at Colston Hall since February 1990. I have many happy memories, not only the opportunity to see such an eclectic array of performers but also feel very lucky to have worked with such lovely people over the years. I once received a kiss from Adam Faith, which made my mum very jealous.”

The Beach Boys played Colston Hall in December 1968, but Brian Wilson has appeared here since then. Probably the most memorable occasion was in 2002, which had audiences dancing in the aisles. Marc Crewe, writing in Venue magazine, noted that Wilson received a thunderous ovation before playing a note. “Even the large band Brian’s assembled for the occasion look overjoyed and privileged to be in his company … We’re treated to some of the most achingly beautiful ballads and perfect pop songs ever recorded … Brian Wilson is alive and as good as ever, and you’ve just spent the best three hours of your life in his company.”

Christine Swain, Head of Customer Service 2017, Kraftwer

TALES FROM THE HALL

2016, BBC 6 Music Festival

2004, Blondie

2005, Joan Armatrading

2015, Goldie at the Harbourside

2014

2013, Emeli Sandé

“Sigur Rós was the most emotional I have ever been at a live gig, it was like a religious experience, people all around me were crying, there was so much love in the room that night.” 2003, Wynton Marsalis

2014, Kirill Karabits

Jim Ling 2017

“Paramore this year was my first gig at Colston Hall and it was absolutely unforgettable, an incredible venue and incredible experience!” Abby Matthews

2017, Paramore

Photos: Martin Thompson, ShotAway, Dominika Scheibinger

150 YEARS OF COLSTON HALL

Photo: Dominika Scheibinger

Our 150 celebrations

The Outlook Orchestra + Roots Manuva (Live Set) Fri 21 Jul

Colston Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 150th Birthday Bash Wed 20 Sep

In a celebratory party of orchestral proportions the 20-piece Outlook Orchestra performed a live mix celebrating some of the biggest tracks heard across dance floors on sound systems worldwide, coupled with a full live set by UK rapper and producer Roots Manuva and a string of special guests at the Lloyds Amphitheatre on Bristol Harbourside.

A fabulous free party filling the halls and foyers with a host of artists tipping their hat to the glorious sounds that have graced the Hall over the years, including The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, The Bruce/Ilett Big Band, Bristol Ensemble, Bristol Choral Society and Wanted Recordsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DJ John Stapleton.

With thanks to:

Creative Producer: Ben Spencer Designer: Natasha Mortimer Limbic Cinema: Thomas Buttery, Tom Newall, Alex Wright Compere: Tanya Lacey Bristol Choral Society Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Bruce/Ilett Big Band John Stapleton Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Bristol Ensemble Bristol Reggae Orchestra

Noah and Outlook Festival team Sam Gill and Diplomats of Sound team Mike and Marie and the team at REM Events

OUR 150 CELEBRATIONS

Photo: Dominika Scheibinger

Share your memories and photos with us #colstonhall150 #hallofmemories

Hall of Memories Sun 20 Aug – Sun 3 Sep The famous faces and ordinary people who have made up Colston Hall’s 150year history came to life in a special series of interactive theatrical tours given by Bakehouse Factory exploring backstage corridors, star dressing rooms and the historic underbelly of the Hall.

With thanks to: Bakehouse Factory: Hetty Burton, Katie Dane, Dan McGavin, Hannah McGavin, Kate Statham Research: Judith Furse, Daniel Wood

The Big Anniversary Sing with BBC Radio Bristol Sat 23 Sep A massed choir of hundreds of voices sing the songs of the iconic musicians who have performed on the Hall’s illustrious stage, such as Duke Ellington, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Shirley Bassey, The Beach Boys and Status Quo. The concert will be recorded for BBC broadcast and the evening will be interspersed with fascinating BBC archive footage of the Hall.

With thanks to: BBC: Stephanie Marshall, Matthew Pick, Richard Purvis Conductor: David Ogden Band leader/MD: Charlie Groves

Bristol Takeover Sat 7 Oct A mass of Bristol’s bands, DJs, musicians, labels and party makers – along with some good friends from further afield – are set for an ‘all-Hall’ takeover in a one-day mini-festival to raise the roof. Featuring This Is The Kit, Fantasy Orchestra, Beth Rowley, No Go Stop, urban radio pioneers SWU FM and many more.

With thanks to: All the acts on the bill SWU FM Qu Junktions Jesse Vernon of the Fantasy Orchestra PRS Foundation

Our future For 150 years Colston Hall has been a cultural hub for Bristol. A place where everyone can be moved and inspired by music. We bring the most vibrant artists from across the globe to our stage. We help thousands of young people to make music every week. Our vision is confident, our plans are ambitious and our aim is simple – to connect a city through music. The transformative work of our education arm, Bristol Plays Music, is central to our operation. By supporting young people’s music-making we are creating the musicians and audiences of the future. Our thriving schools concerts are a testament to the power of music to change lives. Next year marks the end of an era and the beginning of an exciting new future for the Hall. Our historic foyer and main hall areas, which haven’t been upgraded since 1951, will close in summer 2018 and reopen in 2020 to allow for an ambitious transformation to create a world-class concert hall in which to entertain the people of Bristol for another 150 years. Colston Hall wouldn’t exist without you, our audiences and friends. You have played a huge part in our history and it is my privilege to work here alongside a remarkable team, dedicated to making Colston Hall a welcoming, lively music centre for the city. I hope you will consider supporting us in our ambition to transform the hall. Thank you. Here’s to the next 150 years. Louise Mitchell Chief Executive, Bristol Music Trust (Top) Artist’s impression of the transformed main hall (Middle) Artist’s impression of the transformed Lantern (Bottom) Artist’s impression of the transformed cellars

Find out more about our transformation and supporting us at: www.colstonhall.org/ transformthehall

Supporters We would like to thank our current sponsors and funders for their support principal sponsors

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