Bristol Life - Issue 225

EDITOR’S LETTER / ISSUE 225 / MARCH 2017

32

CATCH IT WHILE YOU CAN No, not adenovirus per se, just this beautiful glass sculpture of it, and seven other deadly germs, at The Box At-Bristol

Going viral I’m almost sure that this is the first time we’ve featured a germ as a cover star. As a rule, the only infectious thing about Bristol Life is its enthusiasm.

But this isn’t just any old germ.

It’s a germ magnified a million times, and rendered into a brilliantly-jewelled sculpture by Bristol’s most inventive artist, Luke Jerram. You can admire it at his new Glass Microbiology exhibition at The Box in At-Bristol, which runs between now and September; find out a bit more about it on page 32.

For our other main feature, we approached a number of architects and persuaded them to share their favourite corners of the city. As is usually the case with this profession, it’s hard to track them down – they’re elusive creatures – but when you do, their response is pure gold (pages 16-23).

I’m out of space again, so you’ll have to flick through to see what else we have in store for you in this issue.

Happy early-spring (too soon?).

Deri Robins, editor Twitter @BristolLifeMag Instagram:@bristollifemag

REGULARS / ISSUE 225 / MARCH 2017

40

ARCHITECTS 16 God in the Detail Are you ready for your close-up, Bristol?

THE ARTS 26 What’s On That’s for you to ask and for us to know

36 Theatre All we’ve got’s this Sunny Afternoon

38 Film

M EET T H E T EAM Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors: Mal Rogers, Seb Barrett, Josh Eggleton Advertising manager Steve Grigg steve.grigg@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Emma Stroud emma.stroud@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager James Morgan james.morgan@mediaclash.co.uk Commercial director Steve Hawkins steve.hawkins@mediaclash.co.uk Production and distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager Christina West christina.west@mediaclash.co.uk Production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk

March is movie month

40 Music Music for spies and private eyes (and the rest of the Jazz & Blues Festival)

Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk

45 The Verdict Weirdness and wonderfulness

SHOPPING

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46 Editor’s Choice We’ve given you plenty of time to get a decent Mother’s Day gift in this year. Go on, astonish her

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50 Fireplaces We’re not out of the winter woods quite yet

54 Special shops Scents and sensibility

EATING 56 Restaurants Are these the best tapas in town?

58 Food & Drink The foodie news you need to know

61 Josh Eggleton Lessons learned

A MAN’S WORLD

PROPERT Y

63 Seb Barrett

76 Property Showcase

Our favourite sports comms guy is lacing up his running shoes

And here is the mews

BUSINESS

DEPARTMENTS

67 Business Insider

7 65 90

News and views, and a fascinating insight into the business that we call show

Spotlight Snapped Bristol Lives

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On the cover Glass Microbiology

by Luke Jerram; page 32

ARTS VENUES

CHANGE IS GONNA COME The jury is out over whether Colston Hall should change its name, in order to disassociate itself from a man so closely associated with the slave trade; expect plenty of heated opinions in the press and Twitter over that one.

Less contentiously, the Hall is agreed on two things: first, that there’ll be a very special programme to celebrate its 150th anniversary this September; second, that it will press on with the refurbishment plans that will transform the venue.

As you can glimpse from the artist’s impressions here, the aim is to create one of the best arts and learning facilities in the country. It represents the second phase

of Bristol’s biggest ever redevelopment programme in the arts sector; the new £20 million foyer was built in 2009, but the rest of the building has not been refurbished for 60 years, making it the only major concert hall in the UK not to have been redeveloped in recent times.

The transformation programme includes remodelling the Main Hall, making major changes to the stage and equipping it with international standards of acoustics; redeveloping The Lantern into an elegant and versatile performance venue; opening up the historic cellars to create a cabaretstyle performance area, and restoring the foyer and the Colston Street frontage.

This will be the Hall’s last full year in operation before it temporarily closes for the redevelopment works – so make full use of it while you can, why don’t you?

For more: www.colstonhall.org

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SPOTLIGHT Choose just 12 amazing instagrams of the Harbourside? You don’t make it easy, guys; we could have filled this page 10 times over

Lovely tones in this wide-angle shot taken from M Shed by @joemorts

Detail cropped from a typically amazing night shot by @kris.avery

Beautiful, timeless and atmospheric: @carolyn.eaton, obviously . . .

Trust @porthjess to find the optimum colour in this pretty capture

Love these silhouettes and the restricted colours, @bristolpictures!

We had to get a sunset shot of *that boat* @ __normandy__

Here’s that @antimitch, shooting from ground level for a change . . .

Lovely tones and a serene feel in this shot by @sturaison

Jessie using her @daysatbristol account here (she’s also at @sichan.he)

Mark @thehistoryb0yphotography captured the first skeletal framework of the new Brunel Museum

@bristoljj, this leaves us speechless – in a good way . . .

Detail from one of @mrbenadams’ splendid sunsets

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 9

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ARCHITECTURE

GOD in the DETAIL Ready for your close-up, Bristol? We asked a cross-section of architects to zoom in on the details of some of their favourite local landmarks

By DE R I ROBI NS

S

o, you think you know Bristol architecture? Well, yes, you probably do, in the broadest sense of the word – the Bridge, Wills Tower, etc, etc – but it’s a reasonable bet that there are many details that you’ve never fully clocked, or structures that you’ve never properly stopped to marvel at.

Architects tend to notice these small details, which is precisely why we’ve invited some of Bristol’s finest to choose something they love – a particular door, window or roof; the way a building sits in its location; or maybe simply its cheerful colour. From a 12th-century ecclesiastical window to a 1960s brutalist car park, there’s beauty wherever you look; we hope our architects’ enthusiasm encourages you to look at the familiar, beloved city with fresh eyes.

ANJA GROSSMANN

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios The Banana Bridge, aka the Langton Street Bridge (page 19) is one of my favourite landmarks. Its Grade-II iron-and-steel structure is visible from afar when approaching from Temple Meads, as a surprising flash of colour, and provides a popular link between Victoria Park and Totterdown to the city centre.

It might be the poorer cousin of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, but where Brunel’s masterpiece makes you look up in awe, the 16 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Banana Bridge simply puts a smile on your face, with its bright yellow arch over the muddy New Cut. It is quintessentially Bristolian: a clever bit of engineering combined with a cheerful coat of banana-yellow paint. www.fcbstudios.com

STEVE MARDALL

Ascent Architecture The handsome Victorian Carriageworks in Stokes Croft has lain empty for decades, while in recent years a compulsory purchase cat-and-mouse game has ensued between owners Comer Homes and Bristol City Council. I love the understated grandeur and proportions of the building, and the build quality of its stonework, which has endured decades of neglect and vandalism.

A separate developer with options on the site has recently obtained planning approval for a mixed-use development for the wider site including the eyesore Westmoreland House and the Carriageworks. The Carriageworks is proposed as being partially permeable at ground floor, giving access to a public square to the rear, with residential flats above.

Unfortunately, in recent months with approximately 18 months left before the planning approval lapses, it looks like development may once again be in jeopardy, leaving this sleeping giant to remain a canvas for graffiti and tagging, awaiting a new use and lease of life. www.ascentarchitecture.com

w

Millennium Square by Kris Avery; find him on instagram @kris.avery

Millennium Square has been appropriated as the city’s municipal playground – the shallow ponds have become paddling pools, and the elegant sheets of falling water provide romantic reflections for lovers www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 17

ARCHITECTURE

NICK FAIRHAM

BDP Architecture “First life, then spaces, then buildings. The other way round never works.” This quote from Jan Gehl captures the essence of how good architecture should support our needs and be generous with space and light, so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

My example of this is the Glass Arcade in St Nicholas’s Market, which has provided shelter to market traders since 1743, offering spaces full of life with stalls and stands, which feed the senses and showcase Bristol culture at its finest. My favourite details not only support a special sense of place, but must offer a tantalising, ‘but what if . . .’

The Glass Arcade ends on a grand entrance from the High Street, which used to then align with the old street patterns of St Mary Le Port. Now it faces the derelict post-war buildings, which separate it from Castle Park, another fabulous city space. Perhaps by reinstating the ancient street patterns and listening to the words of Jan Gehl, the market could spill out of the Glass Arcade and into the public spaces of the park, linking these two city assets and reinforcing their character, providing a city that is more connected to its history and the river that runs alongside.

Baptist brutalism in Broadmead: a church that’s very much of its time (1969, since you ask)

www.bdp.com

RONNIE RENNOLDSON

Coda Architects I’d like to zero in on a single spot that encapsulates the messy validity and diffidence that I love so much about Bristol.

Bristol doesn’t so much shout about what it is but it slowly ingrains itself into you and there is a spot along the inappropriately-named Broad Street in the old town (in as much as it’s not broad) that achieves this.

Pushing past the tourists coming out of St Nick’s Market, start at Christ Church. Then walk past the overblown architecture of the Grand Hotel, past the wonderful Ironworks Supply Co café, past the alleys leading to lawyers chambers and stop just along from Strawberry Thief, the Belgian beer bar, where you will see two infill buildings quietly asserting themselves virtually opposite each other. They are the Everard Printing Works (designed by Henry Williams in 1900) and the Palestinian Museum and Cultural Exchange .

Both buildings embody a disrespect for convention and a vitality born of self-confidence.

The Everard Building is set back from the pavement and is designed in the sinuous Art Nouveau style, contrasting with the crass and crude 1970s commercial architecture next to it, whereas the infill to the facade of the Palestinian Museum uses glass blocks in a way that they were never intended; curved and bowing out over the street, they seem to push space towards the Everard building.

The use of glass fragments in the mortar joints is also reminiscent of Parc Guell in Barcelona by Gaudi.

Together, these two buildings, each with their own delights that seem to be have been disregarded by Bristol, create a memorable and unique place: one that I always push tourists towards. They remind us that cities work best with a wide variety of elements, not the 18 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BRISTOL DOESN’T SO MUCH SHOUT ABOUT WHAT IT IS, BUT IT SLOWLY INGRAINS ITSELF INTO YOU

ARCHITECTURE

homogeneity preferred by preservationists, and that Bristol needs more mavericks not less.

I love it here. www.coda-architects.co.uk

CORINNE FITZPATRICK

Ferguson Mann Architects It is remarkable enough that the Oculus (meaning ‘eye’ in Latin) window on the west front of St James Priory dates from the 12th century, and is thought to be the earliest surviving example in England. However, I think it is particularly fascinating to imagine all the incredible events in Bristol’s history that this eye has watched over during its 800 years: life as a thriving and no doubt colourful port, the slave trade, the Bristol Riots, The Blitz . . . even older than the Merchant Venturers.

And now, thanks to the recent demolition of adjacent buildings on Lower Maudlin Street, the west front of St James Priory is temporarily, splendidly visible in all its glory and the Oculus now rests its gaze over its neighbour – ironically, the Eye Hospital . . .

The much-loved Art Nouveau facade of tjhe Everard Printing Works

www.fm-architects.co.uk

DR ANNA FARTHING

The Banana Bridge (or Langton Street Bridge, as it calls itself on formal occasions)

Bristol Doors Open Days for The Architecture Centre I love architecture that encourages playfulness and interacts with the human body and all its senses. When Bristol’s Millennium Square was laid out as part of the development of the @Bristol hands-on science centre campus at the turn of the millennium, I am sure that the fountains were considered to be an aesthetic complement to the restoration and redeployment of the area’s former goods sheds and warehouses.

I adore the fact that this area has now been appropriated as the city’s municipal playground – the shallow ponds have become paddling pools for small children and reckless teenagers to splash about in the summer months, and the elegant sheets of falling water provide romantic reflections for lovers on frosty evenings.

This public realm has been fully adopted by the public, and has had to adapt. Rather than ban people from dipping and dunking, the custodians of this space have chlorinated the water and just ask people to beware of glass. I think the architects may have been surprised, but I hope that they are delighted. www.architecturecentre.co.uk

DANIEL LUGSDEN

Carriageworks – a sleeping giant awaiting a new lease of life

Nash Partnership We should take the time to look up now and again, to take more of a view than what is a few metres ahead. As our working lives are becoming quicker and more demanding, those moments between places become blurred and often forgettable – so next time you are power-walking to catch a train, along Clock Tower Yard onto Station Approach, take a second to look up, above the canopies, to the front of Bristol Temple Meads Station.

Each time, you can peek at a layer of detail, pattern, or shadow that you didn’t notice last time. It almost slows your day down . . .

At the other end of the architectural typologies spectrum, I always notice the eaves detail of Severnshed. The honesty in the crinkly tin roof, offering a simple but elegant line for the eye to follow, with its well-placed gutter, the depth of shadow to the face of the building, and dark glazed fascia all work in a simple but effective way.

It just works, it has lightness of touch, and I notice it every time I walk past. www.nashpartnership.com

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ARCHITECTURE

SAMANTHA PEARCE

Samantha Pearce Architects One of my favourite architectural features in Bristol is Pharmacy Arch in Clifton. The building itself is nothing out of the ordinary in the area, however, the arch creates a charming path through the building. On one side of the arch is the formal and grand Victoria Square and gardens, and on the other is Boyce’s Avenue, a narrow, bustling street full of shops and cafés. Walking in either direction, the drastic change in scale and atmosphere feels like you are discovering a hidden world and is full of surprise and delight. www.samanthapearcearchitecture.com

SAM GOSS

Barefoot Architects Bristol is an amazing city to live and work in, no doubt about it – we love practising here. But I suspect most of us would concur that it is too often blighted by the problems of traffic, cars and parking issues. The details we find ourselves zooming into at our office are those that have been developed by communities and designers in response to this ubiquitous problem. The home zones, rain gardens and planting in the streets of Southville and St Werburghs are great community-led examples of this. While we love a fine finial, filigree, or the fenestration of many of our beautiful

historic buildings, the spaces that really excite us are those that have been transformed by people, for people.

Places like these make the city a more humane, joyful place to inhabit. They seem to define the social and environmentally conscious Bristol of the 21st century, in much the same way that many historic details of places reflect the values of its past. www.barefootarchitects.co.uk

SIMON CORBETT

Simon Corbett Architects My favourite architectural detail in Bristol is the repetitive pre-cast concrete sections of the Prince Street car park facades.

I have always been interested in the concrete buildings, structures and associated components of post war architecture. This period resonated with a new energy and optimism that was reflected in the contemporary music, culture, art, design and architecture.

While the majority of the creative outputs of that era are well revered and somewhat back in vogue, especially furniture, the architecture has not fared so well. w

Temple Meads by Ryan Searle (instagram @ryanmsearle)

EACH TIME, YOU CAN PEEK AT A LAYER OF DETAIL, PATTERN, OR SHADOW THAT YOU DIDN’T NOTICE LAST TIME. IT ALMOST SLOWS YOUR DAY DOWN . . .

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ARCHITECTURE

CITIES WORK BEST WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF ELEMENTS, NOT THE HOMOGENEITY

PREFERRED BY PRESERVATIONISTS

Unfortunately, the typical simplistic and somewhat brutal glass and concrete architecture of that period, has not weathered or been maintained well and has a tendency to be cold and poorly insulated. However much you may love the aesthetics of a building, if it does not provide a comfortable trouble-free environment in which to live or work, then the long term affection for it will be tarnished. Music, fashion, art and furniture do not tend to suffer from this phenomenon.

Also, not all buildings of that period were well-designed furthermore affecting the overall public impression of post-war architecture. It would, though, be a tragic shame to lose all of these important historic buildings to the hammer, ultimately erasing this period from our daily consciousness.

The Prince Street car park is, in my opinion, a tour de force of postwar design. It presents an unmistakable and mighty facade to both the riverside and the street scene. Its strong, repetitive positive and negative geometric forms and voids are classic design signatures of that period.

The ‘V’ form concrete piloti supporting the block of repetitive modules above emulate the adjacent tree structures that line the river walk. The tree-filtered view of the building from the river is somewhat magical. The image clearly illustrates the harmonious relationship between the trees and the facade.

Beauty can be found in the most unexpected of places: thanks to Dave, aka @bankseysmodernishlife for this shot taken on St Michael’s Hill

www.simoncorbettarchitect.co.uk

www.gamblesarchitects.co.uk

ALASTAIR GAMBLES

Gambles Architects Broadmead Baptist Church on Union Street is a fine bit of brutalism brought to Bristol by Ronald Sims in 1969. It’s easy to miss; I didn’t notice it for a while. It’s refreshing to see something thoughtful; the composition, the depth given to the facade, the textures. It’s not perfect, the roof looks a little clunky perhaps. It’s very much of its time. I can imagine it on the drawing board, hand-drawn and heavily rendered to bring the features and the depth to life. It makes me smile. Well done, Mr Sims.

Colston Yard, where we have our offices, is best seen from Lewins Mead. Perched on the massive arched retaining wall, the buildings are a mix of scales, forms and textures. You can see how change over time has layered the view. Cities and townscapes need to evolve if they are to survive with any relevance to contemporary life. But new layers must be added with great care if the charm is to stay.

There are lots of settings like this in Bristol. All could benefit from good contemporary, sensitive and contextual design; all could be degraded by anything less. www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 23

24 February – 24 March 2017

J U ST A F EW S U GGES TI ON S FOR YOU R MON TH

Diversity at Clifon Contemporary; God, selfies, glow worms and Sarah Pascoe; unconventional love and state homicide in The Road to Huntsville

Exhibitions UNTIL 5 MARCH

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR The annual photography treat returns to the M Shed; just don’t expect lol cats that look like Hitler; bristolmuseums.org.uk UNTIL 12 MARCH

LIFE OF CLAY A playful collision of ancient material with modern technology; at the Architecture Centre; architecturecentre.co.uk UNTIL 19 MARCH

STRANGE WORLDS Chagall, Rego and Pacheco evoke the magic of Angela Carter in an explosive new exhibition (review page 45). At RWA; rwa.org.uk UNTIL 26 MARCH

LUBAINA HIMID; NAVIGATION CHARTS

The first major survey of British artist Lubaina Himid, a pioneer of the Black Arts Movement in Britain in the 1980s; at Spike Island; spikeisland.org.uk UNTIL 30 MARCH

BEYOND THE FATIGUED EYE An exploration of the Arnolfini as a space of creation as well as for presentation; focuses on live and performance art; arnolfini.org.uk UNTIL 23 APRIL

WARRIOR TREASURES Dazzling collection of gold, silver and semi-precious gems – part of the Staffordshire Hoard. At Bristol Museum & Art Gallery; bristolmuseums.org.uk UNTIL 4 SEPTEMBER

GLASS MICROBIOLOGY Luke Jerram’s extraordinary glass sculptures of eight deadly viruses; science meets art in classic Jerram style; at The Box; at-bristol.org.uk (see p 32)

26 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

21 MARCH-29 APRIL

SPRING QUARTET From Carl Melegari’s oils to Lynn Golden’s acrylic florals, Sarah Brown’s pastels and Christine Feiler’s ceramics: an exhibition that celebrates diversity. cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk

in Bristol’s version of the Underworld (Redcliffe Caves), so staging this intimate new play in the subterranean vaults of the Suspension Bridge doesn’t faze them in the slightest. Note: only 12 audience members in at one time; insaneroot.co.uk UNTIL APRIL

Plays/Shows UNTIL 14 MARCH

INVINCIBLE Kilter theatre’s immersive new theatre production plunges audiences into a moral dilemma examining the role – good and bad – that science can play in our lives. In a secret Clifton location; kiltertheatre.org UNTIL 19 MARCH

ORPHEUS & EURYDICE Insane Root’s take on the classic Greek tale. The troupe have already staged their Macbeth

OTHELLO Richard Twyman of English Touring Theatre takes on The Moor in the first part of this year’s Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory; tobaccofactorytheatres. com 24 FEBRUARY-3 MARCH

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA Sexual confusion, cross-dressing and betrayal – and yes, we know, we know; you can get all that at home. Production from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, at The Redgrave; oldvic.ac.uk

W H AT ’ S O N

24 FEBRUARY-18 MARCH

JUNKYARD Inspired by the true story of The Vench; at Bristol Old Vic; bristololdvic.org.uk 27 FEBRUARY-1 MARCH

THE LONG TRICK Told with narrative poetry, dialogue and song; a play about what happens when ideas go beyond our control; at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com 27-28 FEBRUARY

NOT DEAD ENOUGH B-Lister alert! Shane Richie and Laura Whitmore co-star in the latest Peter James whodunit; at The Hippodrome; atgtickets.com 2-4 MARCH

WE ARE IAN 1989. Manchester. A frenzy of drugs, beats and bucket hats. Illegal raves.

Acid parties. Jumping up and down in a field, and throwing two fingers to Thatcher. Remember it? Ian does . . . from award-winning company In Bed With My Brother; at The Wardrobe; tobaccofactorytheatres. com

14-16 MARCH

THE ROAD TO HUNTSVILLE Why do so many British women fall in love with guys on Death Row? Stephanie Ridings Theatre explores unconventional love, state homicide and cats; at TFT; tobaccofactorytheatres.com 14-18 MARCH

THE WEDDING SINGER When New Jersey’s favourite wedding singer is dumped at the altar he vows to make every wedding as disastrous as his own. . . at The Hippodrome; atgtickets.com 21-25 MARCH

FUNNY GIRL Who could ever hope to replace Babs Streisand as Fanny Brice?

Sheridan Smith, that’s who.

C’mon now: “ People who need peeeople....” At The Hippodrome; atgtickets.com

LETTERS TO WINDSOR HOUSE Sh!t Theatre’s Fringe First award-winning punky mixture of songs, politics, dodgy landlords and detective work: a funny yet poignant show for Generation 4 MARCH Rent; at The Wardrobe; MUMMY MONSTER Liz Hart traces one mother’s gradual tobaccofactorytheatres.com spiralling out of control: an ‘exciting site-specific kitchen show’ at The 22-26 MARCH Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com ESCAPED ALONE Caryl Churchill’s 2016 play comes to Bristol Old Vic (feature in our 5 MARCH next issue); bristololdvic.org.uk EAT THE POOR An epic tale of friendship, inequality and betrayal from the multi award-nominated and very funny Jonny & The Baptists; at TFT; tobaccofactorytheatres.com 24 FEBRUARY DE LA SOUL ALL NIGHT LONG Celebrating 30 years of breaking Not literally, presumably; it’s new ground, the trio – rappers/ twinkle-toed Brendan Cole, producers Posdnuos, Dave nicely filling in the longueurs and Maseo – head to Bristol. between series of Strictly; at The colstonhall.org Hippodrome atgtickets.com

Music

Good clay day at the Architecture Centre; a show for Generation Rent at The Wardrobe 9 MARCH

LAURA MARLING The delicate folk-pop songstress brings her Semper Femina album tracks to Colston Hall; colstonhall.org

28 FEBRUARY 7-11 MARCH

SUNNY AFTERNOON Not one of those ‘fictional plays based on a band’s back catalogue’ but the actual story of The actual Kinks, based on an original story by actual Ray Davies; see page 36. atgtickets.com 8-11 MARCH

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS The rock-horror com gets another revival at The Redgrave; redgravetheatre.com

ARTS

STORNOWAY Not heard of Stornoway? You won’t be too upset to hear it’s the farewell tour then; colstonhall.org 1 MARCH

MIKE AND THE MECHANICS The supergroup have rebranded with a new set of members and are now on the road with their Word of Mouth tour. Colston Hall; colstonhall.org

10 MARCH

HEROES AND LEGENDS Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra gets dramatic with big tunes from the movies; colstonhall.org TRIO MEDIAEVAL & ARVE HENRIKSEN AT ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL One of the world’s leading early music vocal ensembles returns to St George’s; stgeorgesbristol. co.uk

16-19 MARCH

BRISTOL JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL The now well-established annual showcase of jazz and blues returns to Colston Hall; bristoljazzandbluesfest.com (page 40.)

Comedy 26 FEBRUARY

JOSIE LONG: SOMETHING BETTER Josie’s 34. She thought by now that she would have children, and be in love, and have a country that didn’t vote with the far-right parties to march us all off a cliff. A show about w

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optimism and hopefulness. At Comedy Box; thecomedybox. co.uk 24-25 FEBRUARY

WOLFMEAT Wildheart & Lyric bring absurdist humour and compelling storytelling to an irreverent world of dirty deals and mistaken identity; at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com

Funny guys Jonny and the Baptists at TFT: Funny Girl: Sheridan at the Hippodrome

27 FEBRUARY

I’M SORRY I HAVEN’T A CLUE Radio 4’s multi award-winning antidote to panel games returns to the stage: Barry Cryer, Tony Hawks, Tim BrookeTaylor, Jeremy Hardy and host Jack Dee all vie to be the most amusing. Colston Hall; colstonhall.org 6, 20 MARCH

CLOSER EACH DAY The world’s longest improvised soap opera; at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com 12 MARCH

NINCOMPOOP Showcasing the best new ideas in comedy, clowning, fooling, slapstick, mime and audience participation; at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com 19 MARCH

SARAH PASCOE: ANIMAL A show about sexuality, empathy, art, God, selfies and glow worms, among other things. At Comedy Box; thecomedybox.co.uk 24-25 MARCH

BRISTOL IMPROV MARATHON 2017: CHECKOUT TIME AT THE GRAND HOTEL 26 hours non-stop! Over 30 performers! One epic live improvised play! The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com

Other SELECTED DATES FEB-MARCH

WINDOW WANDERLAND The community frontwindow initiative comes to a neighbourhood near you; check the website to see when you’re ‘on’; windowwanderland.com

25-26 FEBRUARY

15 MARCH

4 MARCH

17-19 MARCH

BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE A weekend packed full of inspiring lectures, Q&As and book signings at M Shed; historyextra.com/events

CHEESE AND WINE Wine and cheese tasting evening with Arch House Deli & Averys Wine; at Alno; alnokitchens. co.uk

4 MARCH

BRISTOL CITY FC V BURTON ALBION At Ashton Gate; kick-off at 3pm; bcfc.co.uk 7 MARCH

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY A day of celebrations, workshops and activities at M Shed; bristolwomensvoice.org.uk 6 MARCH

BLAH’S BIG WEEKEND A word-filled bonanza of performances, workshops, stand-up and slam; at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre. com

METROPOLIS The Fritz Lang classic gets a new live score by Andy Sheppard; the 10-piece band will create a wall of brass set against wild guitars and electronica laid over percussion, computers and treated and untreated saxophones. bristoljazzandbluesfest.com

Sport

9-12 MARCH

25 FEBRUARY

BRISTOL FILM FESTIVAL Back for the second year (events run all through the year); see page 38.

BRISTOL CITY FC V NORWICH CITY At Ashton Gate; kick-off at 7.45pm; bristolrugby.co.uk 11 MARCH

BRISTOL ROVERS V SOUTHEND UNITED At The Memorial Stadium; kick-off at 3pm; bristolrovers.co.uk

24 FEBRUARY

BRISTOL RUGBY V BATH At Ashton Gate; kick-off at 7.45pm; bristolrugby. co.uk

18 MARCH

BRISTOL ROVERS V CHESTERFIELD At The Memorial Stadium; kick-off at 7.45pm; bristolrovers.co.uk

BRISTOL ROVERS V SCUNTHORPE UTD At The Memorial Stadium; kick-off at 3pm; bristolrovers.co.uk

BRISTOL CITY FC V HUDDERSFIELD TOWN At Ashton Gate; kick-off at 3pm; bcfc.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 29

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ARTS

EXHIBITION

The smallpox virus – as with all these sculptures, it’s approximately a million times larger than the actual virus

FATAL ATTRACTION

If you thought his avian flu was beautiful, you should see his adenovirus . . . Bristol’s most intriguing artist, Luke Jerram, offers up a perfect synergy of art and science in a new exhibition at The Box

By DE R I ROBI NS 32 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

I

f we asked you to free-associate around the name ‘Luke Jerram’, what would pop into your head? The splash-tastic giant water slide of 2014? The Sky Orchestra that broadcast classical music over Bristol one morning from hot air balloons? The street pianos in the Play Me I’m Yours installation, which led to more than one marriage proposal? The fleet of washed-up boats in Leigh Woods?

If you’re familiar with all or any of the above, but are thinking, ‘Yeah, but is it art?’, then come along to Luke’s new exhibition Glass Microbiology at The Box. The jewel-like sculptures of enormously magnified fatal germs offer the perfect example of the multi-disciplinary, working method Luke likes best – and the only infectious thing about it all is his enthusiasm.

So what’s the big idea?

The pieces were created as alternative representations of viruses to the artificiallycoloured imagery received through the media. In newspapers they seem to be brightly coloured; there’s an emotional content when you add colour

the only infectious

thing

about these

viruses

is luke’s enthusiasm

to them. I made them three-dimensional versions of glass as a response to that. In fact, viruses have no colour, as they are smaller than the wavelength of light. By extracting colour from the imagery and creating jewel-like sculptures in glass, a complex tension has arisen between the artworks’ beauty and what they represent.

How does Glass Microbiology fit in with your previous Bristol installations?

All my projects and artworks are conceptdriven, and I’m open to using different materials and objects to illustrate these ideas. For Sky Orchestra, this involved fusing music and hot air balloons; for Withdrawn it was fishing boats and woodland, and for Glass Microbiology I’m making virus sculptures in glass.

How has this exhibition at The Box come about?

The Box is a new space in At-Bristol, which features exhibitions and artists that occupy the exciting space where art and science meet. As a Bristol-based artist who is interested in the intersection of art and science it’s wonderful to be invited to show here.  www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 33

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EXHIBITION

ARTS

Who would have guessed that E. coli was so damn pretty?

The pieces have been in existence since 2004; what’s the best thing that anyone has written about them?

In 2009 I received this letter about the HIV artwork, which is actually included in the exhibition: Dear Luke, I just saw a photo of your glass sculpture of HIV. I can’t stop looking at it. Knowing that millions of those guys are in me, and will be a part of me for the rest of my life. Your sculpture, even as a photo, has made HIV much more real for me than any photo or illustration I’ve ever seen. It’s a very odd feeling seeing my enemy, and the eventual likely cause of my death, and finding it so beautiful.

Thank you.

Can you tell us how they were created?

The sculptures were originally designed in consultation with virologists from the University of Bristol, using a combination of different scientific photographs and models. I’ve since worked with other scientists from around the world to develop these artworks. They are made in collaboration with glassblowers Brian Jones and Norman Veitch.

Many of your art projects involve other disciplines – science, engineering, music: what’s the appeal?

I’ve always been interested in how things work, and, in fact, I originally had a place at college to study engineering before I decided to be an artist. Many of the breakthroughs in society are occurring in science, so it’s only natural that artists should be interested in this too.

How big are the pieces?

They range from 10cm to 1.5 metres long.

MANY OF

THE BREAKTHROUGHS IN

SOCIETY

ARE OCCURRING IN SCIENCE, SO IT’S ONLY NATURAL THAT

ARTISTS

SHOULD BE INTERESTED

TOO

They’re obviously incredibly beautiful – but what’s their scientific value?

Photographs of these artworks are now used widely in medical journals, text books and media stories and are seen as useful representations of virology within the scientific community. They’ve appeared in The Lancet, The British Medical Journal and on the front cover of Nature magazine.

We saw that one of your Malaria sculptures sold for £6,200 on the Dragons Den-like TV show Four Rooms. How many of the pieces have been sold?

Each work is made in a limited edition of five and nearly 200 pieces have been sold so far.

What’s next up on Planet Jerram?

I’ve always got several projects running concurrently. The main one, which is touring the UK and Europe at the moment is Museum of the Moon, a seven-metre diameter inflated, internally-lit Moon balloon, which features detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. The next presentation will be at a festival in Rotterdam where it is being suspended between buildings above a street while lunar-inspired musical events will take place underneath. I’m also in conversation with an organisation in Bristol about bringing her back to our city. Watch this space.

Glass Microbiology is at The Box at @at-Bristol until 4 September. For more www.lukejerram.com, www.at-bristol.org.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 35

T H E AT R E

ONE TO ONE

AFTERNOON DELIGHT Days he’ll remember all his life: as Sunny Afternoon comes to Bristol Hippodrome, the mighty Ray Davies tells us why he felt the need to tell the story of The Kinks

36 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ONE TO ONE

T H E AT R E

at a certain time in history. We were leading the world with music, arts and fashion. The classes were merging and it seemed as if we were all as one. As one of the characters says it was “a very special time”.

Left, Ryan O’Donnell as Ray, and (above) with Mark Newnham as brother Dave

SOMEONE

ONCE TOLD ME THAT THE KINKS WERE ONE

OF THE BANDS THAT

PUNK BANDS LOOKED

UP TO

T

his isn’t one of those ‘let’s contrive a soppy story around the backcatalogue of an iconic group’ numbers. We hate those. Sunny Afternoon is the actual story of the rise to fame of the actual Kinks, written by actual frontman and founder Ray Davies – expect a fascinating slice of Brit music history, along with some of the best pop songs ever written. So let’s see what Ray has to say . . .

Why did you decide to make the band’s story into a musical?

I found myself thinking about the significant times in my life that took place around the time we released Sunny Afternoon. So many things were happening: I was overworked, there was in-fighting among band members, lawsuits with managers and publishers, all of which nearly gave me a breakdown.

Also at this time, British music was starting to conquer the world, and England were on the verge of winning the World Cup. I put all these elements together and wrote a short script.

Since it was a British show I felt it needed a British producer, and Sonia Friedman was that person. Then Joe Penhall came on board to do the book, we did a few workshops and after that Ed Hall came on board to direct. After another workshop the production started its life with a trial run at Hampstead Theatre, before it transferred to the West End, and now it’s on tour.

You have been described as ‘the Samuel Pepys of the Sixties’, so I am guessing you love stories and characterisation.

What did you get out of re-living the stories and songs creatively?

Well, I think once I had got the initial treatment and outline done, I had to detach myself from it and treat it as a piece of theatre for the stage.

Detachment is good. It allows you to look more at the character development and the issues involved and I could concentrate on the story.

Was that hard, though, as Sunny Afternoon is so much about you?

It seems more to me a like a portrayal of Britain

Can you tell us a bit about the writing process?

I think the hardest thing was trying to remain objective. It needs to be a great story for Kinks fans, but also for those who maybe don’t know much about the band, its origins or the music of that time, for that matter. It brings a new generation to the story who may have connected with the songs, but not necessarily with the band per se. I hope the audience will enjoy it on a number of levels.

The show itself is very much warts and all.

Why was it important to you to make it authentic?

The Kinks were arguably one of the most dysfunctional and hard-edged bands around before punk. Someone once said to me that The Kinks were one of the bands that punk bands looked up to. It’s a coming-of-age story, it’s about sibling rivalry, a changing society, the pitfalls of the music industry, about loss of self, and it’s about being on tour with my brother. It’s compelling on several levels and, of course, it has got the songs as well.

There is also a sense of the importance of London as a place, and of how community and friendship were key, too . . .

Well, London is very present in my life; I always wrote about what happened within a square mile of where I lived. So yes, there is an element of London in Sunny Afternoon – but it is more about England, and for that matter Britain, at the time, and going to America, and the confrontations over there. It sounds strange now, but then, we were seen to be invading America. People in the USA thought the British invasion was taking their music away from them, and possibly corrupting a young American generation.

It’s also about how different classes band together. There’s a touching moment in the show where our upper-class manager bonded with us.

I think that was a very key thing in the Sixties, because we all had a common quest and it was more about social bonding.

Finally, the killer question: will The Kinks ever re-form?

I often hear rumours of Kinks reunions but we can’t do that, of course, because we lost Pete Quaife, one of the originals, a few years ago. I miss Pete, and I miss that team effort a lot; I’m not sure it’s something we could do without him.

But never say never, and one never knows.

Sunny Afternoon plays Bristol Hippodrome 7-11 March www.atgtickets.com/shows/sunny-afternoon

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 37

ARTS

FILM FEST

PERFECT TENSE Redcliffe Caves becomes a Cold War bunker. Master & Commander screened on the ss Great Britain. A collaboration with the Jazz & Blues Festival: Bristol’s Film Fest is back with a bang, and a generous side order of tension . . .

By L I SA WA R R E N

O

wen Franklin and his team launched the Bristol Film Festival last year. It was an eclectic and wittily site-specific offering, that set it apart from the half-a-dozen-or-so specialist film fests already running in the city, from Encounters to Slapstick to Afrikan Eye. For 2017, they’ve introduced the theme ‘Tension’ as a starting point for much of the programming.

“We have further events planned throughout the year, though, so March is really the grand launch of our 2017-18 programme,” says Owen. “Working with great local venues to put on experiential cinema events is a huge part of what we do, but it’s been great to see local filmmakers submitting their work, too, proving our insistence that Bristol is a world-class city of film.”

We know that festival organisers hate being made to choose just 10 favourite events. It’s cruel to ask. So, Owen, what are your top 10?

5

BRISTOL ON FILM

It’s great to receive film submissions – shorts and feature films – from local talent, and you can catch one for less than the cost of a pint of craft beer (or drop into the free short-film showcases all weekend). Turning the lens on Bristol, we’ll also be screening some amazing historic footage of Bristol and its industry through the ages.

6

GET BETTER

This documentary follows cult folk-rock hero Frank Turner during his relentless touring schedule; it was only in cinemas for one night in December and we’re thrilled to welcome director Ben Morse for a special Q&A before the movie. As a big fan of Frank’s music, I feel qualified to state: fellow Frankophiles, it’s not one to miss.

7

WOMEN IN FILM

After a brilliant film criticism panel last year, this event will be focusing on women’s evolving role in film production today. It’s in partnership with Knowle West Media Centre, and we’ll be working with them later this year to screen some original content from their women’s mentorship scheme. A fascinating topic with local input.

THE

1

UNDERGROUND CINEMA

After scaring audiences silly on two occasions last year with horror movie screenings, this time round we’ll be transforming the Redcliffe Caves into a Cold War-era bunker for screenings of cult, controversial and previously censored movies, from Dr Strangelove to Fight Club.

2

ON LOCATION

Jurassic Park in Bristol Museum after hours, Master & Commander on board the ss Great Britain – and we’re delighted to be working with Arnos Vale Cemetery for the first time, screening family-friendly macabre classics such as Coraline and The Addams Family.

3

FESTIVAL PROVES OUR INSISTENCE THAT 8 BRISTOL IS A WORLD-CLASS CITY OF FILM 9

ACADEMY SCREENINGS AT THE RWA

Mr Turner will be shown in the RWA’s main gallery space, making a truly immersive screening for art-lovers. And to tie in with the current Strange Worlds exhibition, Bristol’s own Angela Carter expert Charlotte Crofts will be introducing a screening of The Company Of Wolves.

4

VINTAGE SCREENINGS/BEYOND POPCORN

Our popular Vintage Screenings series is back – we pair great wines with great films and audiences drink along to Sideways (back by popular demand) or the early 007 classic From Russia With Love, in Averys’ historic cellars. We’re also launching our Beyond Popcorn series at Hotel Du Vin, where you can enjoy their afternoon tea menu alongside a showing of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

[Err, that’s two choices, Owen . . .]

38 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

HITCHCOCK MINI-SERIES

Psycho in the Redcliffe Caves. Blackmail – Hitch’s first ‘talkie’ – in Bristol Museum. Vertigo at Everyman Bristol. We’ve included this mini-series-within-a-festival as a tribute to the Master of Tension – and for the diehard fans, these screenings don’t clash.

BRISTOL CATHEDRAL

It’s always a pleasure to host events in this breathtaking space, and this time we’re showing the 1923 version of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, accompanied by a live improvised organ recital. We’ll also be premièring a specially-commissioned short film about the history of Bristol Cathedral’s bells, and the bellringing community.

10

METROPOLIS

Fritz Lang’s masterpiece was only fully restored five years ago, and we’re excited to say that in partnership with Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival we will be screening a new cut, created by us for this event, with a new live score composed and performed by acclaimed jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard. It’ll round off our weekend – and launch the Jazz & Blues Fest – with a mighty bang.

The Bristol Film Festival’s main programme runs 9-12 March 2017 www.bristolfilmfestival.com

Clockwise: ‘family-friendly-macabre’ (click click) The Addams Family; Mr Spall as Mr Turner at the RWA; don’t look down: Vertigo at The Everyman; Hunchback at The Cathedral; you know the first rule of Fight Club, right? Just checking . . .

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 39

ARTS

F E S T I VA L

BRINGING SEXY BACK Charles Hazlewood tells us why his latest gig for the Jazz & Blues Fest is going to be as sexy as . . .

By DE R I ROBI NS

WE’RE

PLAYING SOME RAMPANTLY GREAT MUSIC – IT’LL BE DARK,

SMOKY, NOIRISH . . .

40 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

F E S T I VA L

Y

ou don’t get many Charles Hazlewoods to the pound.

After winning the European Broadcasting Union conducting competition when he was still in his twenties, Charles went on to conduct some of the world’s top orchestras, direct numerous musical theatre productions and pioneer groundbreaking projects in various genres; in Bristol recently we’ve seen him collaborating with the Unthanks, and conducting both a concert based on music from Gerry Anderson’s TV shows, and the Philip Glass/David Bowie Heroes symphony. His taste in music is wildly eclectic, as you might expect from a classical musician who used to play drums in the school punk band. He’s been called ‘an evangelist for every age and tradition of music’, and next month he’s conducting his Army of Generals orchestra in a concert based on classic TV and movie spy themes.

MUSIC

“It’s a dead sexy programme,” he promises, seductively. “We’re playing some rampantly great music from TV and film, with some masters of the genre – John Barry, Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini and many more. Music we’re featuring includes Mission Impossible, James Bond etc – it’ll be dark, smoky, sultry, noirish . . .

Can you tell us a bit about Army of Generals string orchestra, and the 21-piece jazz orchestra and how they’ll work together?

Basically, this is an amalgamation of a fantastic horn and rhythm section, including some of my favourite local musicians: Adrian Utley (Portishead), Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) and Bristol Jazz Fest’s own Denny Ilett, spliced with some great string players from Army of Generals. The name comes from an 18th-century musicologist Charles Burney, who went on an expedition to find the greatest orchestra of the day. On discovering it, in Mannheim, he realised that the incredible thing about it was that every single player behaved like a soloist, and no-one was ‘hiding’. He exclaimed, “they are like an army of generals”. w Army of Generals has collaborated with Will’s

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 41

MUSIC

F E S T I VA L

Moog Ensemble before and also with Adrian Utley; there is great synergy between these incredible musicians.

Is there any genre of music that you wouldn’t touch with a barge baton?

I’m not into Chick Corea, and if I met Pat Metheny, I might have to kill him.

Which of your own recent concerts have given you the most satisfaction?

One real highlight of last year was headlining the Park Stage at Glastonbury, playing Philip Glass’s Heroes Symphony in front of 20,000 rapt and mud-encrusted people. And, more recently, in February the British Paraorchestra (another fantastic Bristol asset) played an ecstatic concert in partnership with the CBSO in Birmingham: true integration in action, a stage packed with virtuosos, over half of whom happen to be disabled. It’s really taking off, and settling in Bristol was the best thing we ever did; the future is looking really exciting.

We hear you’re just back from Denmark – so you’re still jet-setting, then . . .

Travelling is of life-giving importance to me.

Different cultures! A lot of the orchestras I work with are in Scandinavia, where they have a fantastic attitude to culture. If you asked the average Scandinavian what ingredients make for a healthy society, they’d almost certainly say a good education system, good healthcare and strong culture. As Mandela once said, “if the cultural life of a country is strong, then its soul is strong”.

Which countries have you found to be the most musical, if that’s not a silly question?

Not silly at all. Without a doubt the most musical country is South Africa. In township life, everybody sings about everything all the time.

I mean, there are songs about stuff as mundane as the washing up; anything and everything is turned into song. Back in 2000, I set up an opera company out of the South African townships.

It went on to tour the world, and the movie we made of Carmen won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival. South African musicians taught me EVERYTHING. You’ve said that classical music is like a rarefied club that many people feel they don’t have access too. What should concert venues and musical directors do to improve this image?

It’s all about intention. If every musician in an orchestra walks on stage with the ambition to share with the audience, then it will speak to everyone, no matter how uninitiated they might be. So often, classical music is a showing rather than a sharing, but music is an act of love, and specifically of communication. There’s also a problem where some audiences feel it’s their own private club and actually don’t want to let newcomers in; humans can be quite tribal. I just 42 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

want to allow everybody to enjoy that club as much as I do.

Is it hard, when you have a crusading zeal for introducing classical music to the nonconverted, to find the right balance between being accessible and dumbing down?

You never need to dumb down! For instance, I have a project with electronic artist Squarepusher – an orchestral version of his music for club spaces. In the first half we play only contemporary classical music – Messiaen and Ligeti – to an audience who have never heard such music before, but I find they go nuts for it.

This is not easy music but if you present it with the right attitude, people listen.

Any other exciting new initiatives you’d like to shout about?

I’m working with Kneehigh Theatre on a new piece based on Günter Grass’s The Tin Drum. It’s all about the rise of fascism, and feels horribly prescient right now. The production, which will be touring through Bristol Old Vic later this year, is part opera, part psychedelic white-out, and will be extremely intense. I’ve just finished making a film for Sky called The Beatles Lost Album, the record they might have made had they not split

SOME

CLASSICAL AUDIENCES FEEL IT’S THEIR OWN

PRIVATE CLUB; HUMANS

CAN BE QUITE TRIBAL

F E S T I VA L

up so fast and so acrimoniously. They all had loads of songs ready to record, which instead became solo projects. Beatles fans call this imaginary record The Black Album.

What pieces would you choose if you were on Desert Island Discs? Go on, we bet you’ve thought about this; give us six . . .

Mozart – Ach ich fühl’s from Die Zauberflöte Anything by Parliament-Funkadelic Bach – Fantasia in C minor Ligeti – Ramifications Messiaen – L’Ascension Nina Simone – Sinnerman.

Are there any musical pieces that you’ve had a long-standing ambition to tackle?

Momente by Stockhausen; Harold Budd – Pavilion of Dreams.

Sounds for Spies & Private Eyes, part of the Jazz & Blues Festival, is at Colston Hall on 18 March www.bristoljazzandbluesfest.co

Right from top: Denny Illet; Kirk Fletcher; Sari Schorr Below: Songs for Spies and Private Eyes (and also for London gangsters, judging by the poster)

MUSIC

DENNY’S TOP 5 Jazz & Blues Festival organiser Denny Ilet – himself a mean guitarist and singer – chooses his picks from this year’s fest My Friend Dizzy – Bobby Shew Big Band celebrates Dizzy Gillespie’s 100th birthday Bobby Shew may not be a household name but you’ll know his work from countless TV/film soundtracks including Grease, Hawaii Five-O and Rocky. At Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival he’s paying tribute to his friend and mentor, jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie. A musical spectacular!

Sounds for Spies and Private Eyes Who doesn’t love the themes for Pink Panther, Mission: Impossible and the James Bond movies? I often come across people who say they don’t like jazz yet, when I point out that these soundtracks are authentic jazz, they realise they actually do…

Andy Sheppard performs Metropolis A classic silent movie from the 1920s, more relevant today than ever, gets the Andy Sheppard treatment. Andy has written a brand new live score to be performed on stage while the film plays. This is a must for fans of experimental jazz and classic movies alike. Andy’s group features his ECM recording partners Michele Rabbia and Michel Benita alongside an eight-piece brass ensemble and live electronics. It’s also a world première! Can’t wait for this one.

Mud Morganfield and Kirk Fletcher A must-see for blues fans. Mud Morganfield is the son of blues legend Muddy Waters, while Kirk Fletcher is one of the best young blues musicians to come out of the US in a generation.

Sari Schorr and the Engine Room and Northsyde More blues, this time it’s two amazing groups in a double bill led by, in my opinion, the most dynamic female singers on the scene today. Sari Schorr is from New York and is taking the blues world by storm with her band The Engine Room, which features our very own Innes Sibun on guitar. Northsyde are fronted by Lorna Fothergill, who has a voice somewhere between Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. The only problem is whether the Colston Hall will have a roof left on it after these two have finished . . . www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 43

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is the most effective therapy for achieving change. The brain is by far the most complex system yet known to science - it has trillions more electrochemical configurations possible than there are (estimated) atoms in the known universe (J. Ratey). It’s our INNER SPACE and everyone’s is different - I have learned about navigating inner space and discovered that hypnotherapy / trance is by far the most effective way to access those inner resources which all of us possess to restore balance and change the way we think, react, feel and behave.

SOME OF THE ISSUES DEALT WITH: ADDICTIONS: DRINKING, DRUGS, GAMBLING, FOOD - DEBT, DEPRESSION, INSOMNIA, ANXIETY, EXAM NERVES, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, IBS, OCD, FEARS, PHOBIAS, PAIN MANAGEMENT BEREAVEMENT, SERIOUS & TERMINAL ILLNESS, PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT (sport, music, public speaking etc) LOW SELF ESTEEM, CONFIDENCE BUILDING, BEREAVEMENT

REVIEWS

The VERDICT Expect the unusual: MORGAN MATTHEWS casts her eye over a pair of highly-distinctive cultural offerings THE DEPRAVED APPETITE OF TARRARE THE FREAK Tobacco Factory Theatres 25-28 January www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com

Spotlights pick out twisted forms encased in glass. Medical instruments glint. A grey-faced doctor executes a career-defining autopsy.

And so begins Wattle and Daub’s tale of Tarrare, an 18th-century sideshow freak whose compulsion to devour anything and everything led to his recruitment as a spy in the French Revolution and, ultimately, his death. The company has adapted his extraordinary true story into a chamber opera for puppets. It’s a decision that makes a lot of sense: the high drama and emotional outpourings of opera are well suited to the fantastical events of Tarrare’s life.

The distinctive-looking puppets are deliberately freakish but the combination of the music and puppeteering made for sympathetic characters and moments of black humour. The six-strong team of performers (two musicians, two singers and two puppeteers) worked in harmony to transport the audience from medical lecture theatre to behind enemy lines, creating some memorable characters along the way.

Puppeteer (and co-creator) Tobi Poster was particularly effective in using his focus and intensity to fully render Tarrare’s Strange Worlds indeed: Castle at RWA

Tarrare for now – the Freak is back in the West Country next month

woe. Other highlights include the bullying Prussian captors (appearing as diminutive hand puppets) and conjoined twins Marie and Celeste’s touching duet, which summed up the play’s balance of the heartfelt with the grotesque.

Wattle and Daub have used an original score and ghoulish style to present a compelling and highly-entertaining rendering of a man who finds he cannot escape his hunger or his misery.

The Depraved Appetite of Tarrare the Freak returns to the West Country in March, coming to Bath’s Michael Tippett centre.

STRANGE WORLDS: THE VISION OF ANGELA CARTER At RWA until 19 March 2017 www.rwa.org.uk

It’s been 25 years since the death of author and journalist Angela Carter. To celebrate her life and work the RWA has mounted an extensive exhibition of painting, sculpture and installation, which includes major contemporary artists and historically significant works.

There are illustrations from Carter’s books on display, such as Corinna Sargood’s primitive, monochrome lino-cuts and James Marsh’s original Penguin covers, featuring

lusciously rendered flora with a definite threatening edge.

However, most of the exhibition is not directly linked to Carter; rather, the pieces are inspired by the same themes that fascinated the writer herself: sensuality, savagery and the subversion of traditional roles. These are explored in a wide array of styles, from wall-mounted paintings to small-scale sculptures that demand close examination, creating an experience (like Carter’s writing), that is childlike, sinister and full of strange details.

Sarah Woodfine harnesses traditional storybook imagery in Castle, an outsize snow globe in which a castle magically appears.

Elsewhere, Wendy Mayer’s meticulously rendered The Parting Gift is an eerily lifelike sculpture and Davy and Kristin McGuire employ holographic projection to great effect, suspending their drowning Ophelia in a bottle full of liquid.

Particularly arresting was The Banquet; Ana Maria Pacheco’s disturbing installation marries exaggerated features with realistic details to create a grotesque, unsettling and surreal artwork.

Strange Worlds: The Vision of Angela Carter is an eclectic, sometimes challenging, collection that mirrors the breadth and drama of one of the great literary imaginations of the last 100 years. www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 45

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MOTHER SUPERIOR WE CAN’T GUARANTEE THAT SHE’LL LOVE THESE MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS. BUT IF SHE DOESN’T, WE’LL HAVE ’EM

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1. MUM’S BEST FRIEND

2. PRETTY IN PINK

3. MAIASAURA

4. LADY IN RED

5. NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD

Alessi Anna G corkscrew, £32 A mum’s your best friend; here’s hers. Trust us on this one From Bristol Guild 68-70 Park Street www.bristolguildgallery. co.uk

Gold-dipped necklace, £18 (was £52) Make the most of Howkapow, they’re selling up, very sadly. Cat How tells us that her own mum loves this pretty pastel ceramic necklace From www.howkapow.com

Dino light, £30 OK, so it’s a Triceratops; we know our dinos.

But since Maiasaura means ‘good mother reptile’, that’s what we’re (inaccurately) naming ours From Mon Pote 177 North Street www.monpote.co.uk

Dents leather gloves, £70 These buttoned red leather gloves will add a sophisticated, vintagey air to any outfit. We’re thinking ‘Kim Novak’ here From Harvey Nichols Cabot Circus, 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com

AS SKINNER FEELS

46 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Bill Skinner raspberry pendant, £45 . . . as Kate Moss almost said. Vibrant crimson red glass beads enrobed in 18ct gold plating From Amulet Boutique 39A Cotham Hill www.amuletboutique.co.uk

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ED’S CHOICE

SHOPPING

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6. DOUBLE BUBBLE

7. INITIAL REACTION

8.MOTHER’S RUIN

9. HOME FRONT

10. MAKING SCENTS

Winter rescue pack, £7.96 A practical duo for the outdoorsy mum; the lemony lip balm and protective barrier cream keep skin nourished From Amphora Aromatics 36 Cotham Hill www.amphora-retail.com

Silver letter charms, £53 Available in silver, oxidised silver, gold or platinum; choose her initial – or maybe those of each of her children?

From Diana Porter 33 Park Street www.dianaporter.co.uk

Tatty Devine ‘Gilbert & George’ gin necklace, £40 Some mothers have photos of their children in lockets round their necks.

Others prefer gin From Soma Gallery 4 Boyce’s Avenue www.soma.gallery

Louise Lockhart ‘Home Life’ bone china plate, £21 (was £30) ’Cos there’s no place like it, and that’s largely down to her, are we right?

From Soma Gallery 4 Boyce’s Avenue www.soma.gallery

Sarah Miller diffuser, £30 Choose from seven different scents, including this Grapefruit, Tonca and Yuzu (and yes, we had to Google ‘yuzu’, too) From Pod Company 24 The Mall, Clifton www.thepodcompany. co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk II CLIFTON BRISTOL LIFE LIFE II 47 www.mediaclash.co.uk 69

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Burning love Cold enough for you at the moment?

Installing a woodburner can turn your home into a cosy (yet cool-looking) retreat overnight

By L I SA WA R R E N

50 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

FIREPLACES

WOODBURNERS COMBINE THE FEELGOOD FACTOR OF AN OPEN FIRE WITH EXTREME EFFICIENCY

O

pen fires are romantic – and messy and hard work, and not remotely ergonomic.

In fact, about 70% of that roaring heat goes straight up the chimney, so barely reduces the gas bill at all.

Woodburners, on the other hand, combine the same feelgood factor and lovely glow with far more efficiency – 80% more, to be precise. This means you use less fuel and spend less time loading the fire, so more time to sit back and enjoy it.

OK, we’re interested. We asked Clare Collins of Kindle Stoves to fill in the details.

So, Clare – can a woodburner save money?

Yes – if you use it regularly, you can turn off the radiators around the stove, saving money on your gas bill. If you can buy seasoned wood in bulk then this will ensure the cost of your fuel is kept low. w

From the Morso range; please don’t make us say the hygge-word . . .

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 51

FIREPLACES

for money we insist upon. We have everything you can think of, from tiny stoves for canal boats to white enamel stoves to free-standing stoves that can turn 360 degrees.

How do we choose between a log burner and a multi-fuel burner?

Many stoves are multi-fuel, meaning that you can burn coal or wood. Generally, the more traditional stoves are multi-fuel and the more contemporary are log burners only. As fewer people are using coal these days, many multi-fuel stove owners will still only burn wood and this will make no difference at all.

Above: Contura woodburner (barefoot dude not included); top right, a super-contemporary Rais burner; below, Scandi hunting-lodge chic, with a bit of help from this Morso burner

Do I need to have an existing fireplace?

No; but if you don’t, you’ll need a twin wall flue system built. This will go up from the stove – either on an outside wall or internally to the apex of the roof.

Do you offer free home visits and estimates?

Yes, our HETAS engineer will visit and provide a detailed quotation for the installation and supply of a woodburner. We can also provide hearths, stone surrounds and solid oak beams.

How many styles of stoves do you stock?

We are the approved stockist in the Bristol and Bath area of 11 brands of stove, each offering something unique as well as the quality and value

What style is the most popular with your customers?

Traditional fireplace stoves are the most popular but more and more customers are putting contemporary designs such as the Rais Qtee into period fireplaces.

Can you give us a price range?

Our stoves start from £525 for the little Salamander Hobbit, and the average stove price is around £1,000. Our best-selling Clearview Pioneer is £1,295. Free standing stoves start from £1,495 for the Contura 810 from Sweden.

Can I have a wood-burning stove if I live in a smoke-control area?

Yes. The most clean-burning and efficient stoves have been approved by DEFRA for use in smoke control areas. Brands such as Clearview, Woodwarm, Rais and Contura have a wide range of stoves suitable for smoke-control areas.

Where can I buy fuel for my stove?

We are very lucky in the South West that we have a lot of local log suppliers to choose from, who can deliver either loose logs or logs in nets. I always recommend that you shop around for the best price, but it is important to remember that the quality of your wood can make or break your stove experience.

Where do you source your stoves?

Our most popular traditional stoves are Clearview, made in the UK and Rais from Denmark for the more contemporary and Scandinavian look.

What kind of costs are involved in installation?

To line an existing chimney flue with a flexible stainless-steel liner and provide all necessary HETAS, the cost is around £1,200. For a twin wall flue system, the price starts from £1,800. This includes VAT and labour.

THEY SAID….

Mrs Cleary, BS3: “Our Contura stove has been the best purchase we have made for our house. We use it almost all year round and our gas bill has reduced more than I expected.”

Mr Dodson, BS5: “My flat was so cold and draughty, my stove has transformed the place and now we watch the fire instead of the TV!”

What kind of aftercare is required?

Once installed, stoves require minimum maintenance. You will only need to empty the ash around once per week and have your chimney swept once per year.

Finally, why should we come to Kindle for our stove?

With stoves in our own homes and our experienced in-house HETAS installers, we can ensure we create exactly the finish our customers are looking for. Even though our showroom has grown so much, we are still a small, family-run business open seven days a week, so we can give our customers a personal, tailored service.

Kindle Stoves, Glenavon Farm, 331 Bath Road, Saltford www.kindlestoves.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 53

shy mimosa Maria Kabakova-Upfold came to the UK from Bulgaria as a lawyer; today, she owns and runs Shy Mimosa, a boutique perfumery. Prepare to enter the most beautifully fragranced shop in Clifton . . .

W

e’re always intrigued by people who’ve changed careers mid-stream. By trade, Maria Kabakova-Upfold is a lawyer, having worked as a corporate legal consultant in Bristol firms for over 12 years.

“It was difficult to go back to the corporate world after my daughter was born, though I did it for a short while,” she says. “I admire women so much who do it, because it’s tough.

“I always had an interest and passion for scent, and a few years ago I discovered the world of niche and rare perfumes. It blew me away and completely change my perspective of perfumery.

“I explored specialist perfumeries in London and across Europe when travelling, and I thought that in Bristol – being an open-minded, culturally diverse and artistic mecca – having a specialist perfumery would complement the city. So, I researched, contacted people and with the support of my husband, I took on the best and biggest career-changing decision, and the business was established.”

54 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

So where does the intriguing, feminine name Shy Mimosa come from?

“In Bulgaria we love using diminutives, and back home everyone calls me Mimi or Mimosa.

When I was very little, I was impossibly timid, and close family and friends called me ‘Shy Mimosa’. When creating the branding and company name, I decided on something that I would connect with and has meaning to me.

“The aim,” she continues, “is to make people feel comfortable and unintimidated by the products. I will engage in a conversation, not necessarily perfume-related, to enable me to understand their lifestyle or personality.

“Then they will be guided through the collection, and encouraged to explore something different, something that they wouldn’t usually go for. And by the process of elimination, the choices will be narrowed down, and finally tested on the skin. I always welcome it when people say that they hate a particular scent, which is a great way to understand their taste.”

So, do you think that a perfume should match someone’s personality?

“I believe that you must choose something you love, something that makes you happy. That way, it will become part of your personality. “

Maria is: “happily married to a wonderful Brit” who supported the launch of Shy Mimosa. Her range of scents, created by artisan perfumers, is a world away from the big brands sold in department stores.

“My relationship with the perfumers is very important; I need to understand their story,” she says

SPECIAL SHOPS

SHOPPING

LATELY, I’VE BEEN OBSESSING ABOUT ROSES, IRISES, AND LEATHER-BASED PERFUMES . . .

Perhaps surprisingly, Maria herself does not have a signature perfume: “there are far too many amazing scents to choose from, so why pick just one? Besides, I am led by my mood, and the seasons, which makes it tricky to have a signature scent. I am usually drawn towards dark, opulent and powdery scents; lately, I have been obsessing about roses, irises, and leatherbased perfumes.”

If you’ve only ever browsed the perfume counters in a department shop or duty-free, will the names of the exotic, mysterious scents stocked by Shy Mimosa be unfamiliar?

“Yes, unless you’re interested in the artisan and rare perfume world, the brands may be unfamiliar. The lines are created by a perfumer and a very small production team. These are privately-owned companies. This is one of my business concepts and I had to turn down a lot of lines, which I found out have been sold to big, commercial conglomerates.

“The perfumes are made in small quantities, so we have something truly unique. Small quantities mean that the perfumers can use quality raw material, and not artificially produced copies in a lab, which big companies do to supply the demand.

“My relationship with the perfumers is very important. I need to understand their story, what made them create the collection, and why.

I have to be passionate about the products I am offering. This is a very emotional business. The perfumes are created with a lot of passion, and time is invested in the process.

Scents and sensibility: Maria offers a bespoke service, tailoring perfume to her clients’ lifestyle and personality

Maria positively encourages her customers to try before they buy. “I strongly believe that perfume should be tried on the skin, and lived with for a few hours or overnight, because once applied on the skin, perfume can change a lot.

Choosing a perfume is a slow and emotional process, and it shouldn’t be rushed. This is the last thing that we put on our skin when we go out, and it should uplift us.”

The range isn’t just for women, either: “Usually, the perfumers wouldn’t want to attach a gender label to their creations, and people are encouraged to try and explore all ranges and push their perspectives – that’s what makes it different and unique. I have witnessed men being drawn towards sweet and light compositions, and women, totally the opposite.

But we do have more masculine or feminine lines for people to explore.”

The scents range from £75 to £185; Maria reports that some popular lines include Les Cocottes de Paris (“a feminine but very unusual and quirky line”); Le Galion “timeless and classic – Marilyn Monroe adored wearing one of their scents”); Baruti (“innovative, extremely unusual and not for the faint hearted) and Menditorrosa (“earthy, spicy and aquatic”).

We’re already starting to rethink what we laughably thought of as our ‘perfume collection’.

Frankly, that three-year-old bottle of Beyoncé Heat really isn’t going to cut it any more.

Shy Mimosa, 42B The Mall, Clifton www.shymimosa.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 55

56 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

R E S TA U R A N T

FOOD

Paco’s Tapas There was only one way that the Sanchez Brothers were ever going to do a tapas bar – with verve, authenticity and class

By DE R I ROBI NS

Y

our Man and I are very fond of a good tapas bar. We’re reasonably fond of a bad one, and we’ve been to a few of those in our time, from Cadiz to Salamanca to Madrid and back again.

Naturally, the prospect of getting stuck into the menu at Paco’s Tapas – the latest opening for the Sanchez Brothers – had us reaching for our coats. Long have we worshipped at the foodie shrine of their Michelin-starred Casamia; many a perfect pizza have we polished off at their immaculate Pi Shop. We could have practically written this review before leaving home, but where would have been the fun in that?

The new tapas bar is named for Paco, the patriarch of the family. It’s the final piece in a three-part jigsaw that began when the team relocated Casamia to its new waterside home at The General just over a year ago, with Pi Shop opening last summer. It’s both the realisation of the vision of Jonray Sanchez Iglesias, who died in 2015; and an ongoing tribute that drives younger brother Peter to excellence.

In our experience, your corner Andalucian tapas bar is more formica and football than Gypsy Kings and swinging jamons; what Paco’s does, very successfully, is to ape the more upmarket, urban bar, with chrome counters and tables and state-of-the-art machines for finely slicing Ibérico ham, salchichón and the like. Oh, and barrels of sherry, naturally – some things are timeless.

One thing we’ve really enjoyed about seeing this miniempire grow is the way that Casamia’s innovation pops up at its more informal sister- (brother-?) restaurants. So at Pi Shop, we had freeze-dried strawbs with our sundae; at Paco’s there’s the option of a tasting menu, refracted through the expertise of Peter and his chef Dave Hazell.

Tapas are, when you think about it, the original tasting menu. Everyone seems to enjoy the informality of

FRESH, EGGY ALIOLI CRISSCROSSED THE DISH – BUT NOT FOR LONG, AS WE DUG INTO THIS PIEZA DE RESISTENCIA

snacking and sharing small plates of food — conviviality and cuisine combined in perfect harmony.

We started with sourdough bread drenched in the highest-quality olive oil, the perfect accompaniment to chorizo sliced thin enough to read your love letters through, and Galician beef cecina. ‘Cecina’ means ‘meat that has been dried by means of air, sun or smoke’; it comes from the Spanish ‘cierzo’ or northern wind. It’s a poetic language, that Spanish.

Boquerones were plump, full of flavour and not overly vinegary. Vast garlicky prawns had me sucking the heads once I’d demolished the flesh, while Your Man shuddered delicately. A tomato salad made a refreshing break from the meatiness and fishiness, while a simple potato tortilla was as fluffy as a soufflé.

The light, crunchy crumb of the croquetas yielded to an indulgently creamy filling of jamon-flecked béchamel sauce; a tangle of Cornish squid tentacles had barely been shown the grill, and were as tender and fresh as you like.

Duroc pork ribs, all succulent fat and juicy flesh, didn’t technically come with a side order of patatas bravas, but order them anyway, as you’ll never have better; the potatoes crispily fried, the bravas sauce chilli-sweet and spicy. Fresh, eggy aioli criss-crossed the dish – but not for long, as we dug into this pieza de resistencia.

The final savoury of stuffed quail came stuffed with a rich mix of dates and sobrassada — ground chorizo, paprika and garlic. An outstanding tapa.

Pudding was a traditional crema Catalana, with fennel adding an aniseedy hit that stayed with us long after we’d staggered back out into the Redcliffe night.

Having allegedly started out as a humble method of keeping flies off your sherry, tapas (the word tapa just means ‘lid’) has emerged as a favourite of many top chefs.

Paco’s does it the only way that the Sanchez Brothers were ever going to do it: with expertise, verve and class. The only part that doesn’t feel authentically Spanish, perhaps, is the price; our tasting menu costs £50 (though to be fair, it’s possible to pop in for a couple of tapas and a glass of wine and emerge less than £20 lighter).

Speaking of wine, if you really want to go for broke, a top-range bottle of Unico Reserva Especial Viga-Sicilia from the Duero Valley will set you back £350. You can probably buy a whole tapas bar for that in Extremadura.

Particularly one very ropey one, if I remember.

DINING DETAILS Paco, 3A, The General, Lower Guinea Street, Bristol BS1 6SY; 0117 925 7021; www.pacotapas.co.uk Opening times Wednesday-Thursday 5pm-late; Friday-Saturday 12-2pm, 5pm-late; Sunday 5pm-late We visited Tuesday evening Prices tasting menu £50; à la carte dishes range from nibbles at £2 to the likes of Carabineros prawns £22 each Vegetarian choice as with all Spanish restaurants and bars, you’d probably be better off being a committed carnivore Disabled access fully accessible Drinks wines and sherries are all Spanish; from £29 upwards Atmosphere buzzy, happy, Mediterranean (even in February) Service friendly, professional

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 57

FOOD & DRINK W H AT ’ S M A K I N G T H E G O U R M E T N E W S I N B R I S T O L

TAKE FIVE

Cotham Hill’s foodie offering gets tastier every month. The newest kids on the culinary block are Alex and Emily Miller, who opened Muiño at the end of last year Hi Alex! What does Muiño mean, and why did you choose the name?

Muiño means mill in Gallego, the dialect of Galicia – our favourite part of Spain (and also our surname is Miller). Galicia is renowned for its relaxed culture, fantastic food and wine; Muiño is the name of my favourite bar there as well.

What was your previous experience of the food world?

Before Muiño I was running some of Bristol’s best bars, restaurants and cafés, from The Mall pub in Clifton Village, to All Bar One and the Lounge; before that I was bar manager at Browns.

Sum up the philosophy of Muiño in under 10 words Good food and drink in a relaxed setting.

58 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Give us an idea of what’s on the menu Brunch, small plates and burgers using the best produce from the South West of England with little nods to Galicia here and there.

(six whites, five reds, two rosés and a lovely prosecco) as well as good British and Bristolian beers. We also do a nice range of classic cocktails (two for £10 weekdays between 5-7pm).

What’s the most popular dish among diners at the moment?

Somerset pork belly with local black pudding and apple purée, our riojabraised ox cheek and our burgers are flying out at the moment.

You have some stiff competition on Cotham Hill – tell us why we should come and give Muino a shot?

We do indeed have some stiff competition on the road. Bravas, Pasta Loco and Bellita are all doing a phenomenal job. We offer a more British take on the small plate concept, and once you try our breakfast you will certainly want to come back again . . . and again . . .

How often do you change the menu?

We’ve only been open a couple of months and have tweaked the menu almost weekly so far.

What’s on the drinks list?

A good, concise wine selection

Muino, 32 Cotham Hill; 0117 907 7112

FOOD & DRINK

IT’S PIE WEEK! Yes, you heard us. It takes place 6-12 March this year, and Pieminister are naturally rising to the challenge. The guys are bringing back two of Bristol’s favourite pies: the Big Cheese and the Guru – and selling pie-and-mash feasts for a fiver all week. They’re also launching a limited-edition special that might surprise you: the main ingredient is an insect. The Hopper is a Mexican-inspired cricket- andblack-bean pie cooked in a rich tomato, chipotle chilli and sour cream sauce with fresh lime and coriander. www.pieminister.co.uk

TASTY BITES BIG UP to our great Bristol restaurants as the city is described as ‘arguably the best food scene in the UK’ by the Financial Times. Cargo, Bellita, Casamia, Paco’s and many other nowestablished favourites all get a mention, along with new offering, Shop 3 Bistro in Clifton Village, We’re so lucky.

THE FOODIE FESTIVAL returns to the Downs between 12-14 May this year; expect the usual mix of street food, chefs’ theatre, produce stalls and live music; this year Candice Brown, Winner of Great British Bake Off 2016 and Bristol born Dean Edwards from ITV’s Lorraine and MasterChef join the line-up. www.foodiesfestival.com

MORE TITBITS . . . following the opening of its well-reviewed Jetty restaurant, the new Harbour Hotel on Corn Street has now launched its Gold Bar;

expect the same kind of opulent décor as the rest of the hotel, with a tasty cocktail offering. www.bristol-harbour-hotel.co.uk

. . . Bristol Cider Shop has a packed tasting diary for you: on 3 March, there’s Welsh Cider Tasting, while 29 April – 1 May, the Bristol Harbour Cider Festival sees the return of the Cider and Sausage Festival and a host of other fun stuff. www.bristolcidershop.co.uk

. . . keep an eye on the Foozie website for plenty of edible quirks. The first Bristol on the Rocks event launches in March, offering a month-long celebration of cocktails. We’re also a bit excited about their Brit Pop in a Chip Shop – Blur-ing the boundaries of music and food, as it were – at Soul Fish on 16 March. www.foozie.co.uk Clockwise from top: Pieminister’s new pie!; Paco’s tapas – everything that’s great about the local food scene; mad for it at Soul Fish; lushness at the Yurt

PRESENT TENTS Thumbs-up all round at Yurt Lush’s press preview of their new menu. The assembled foodie great and good instagrammed the hell out of the Shropshire and celery samosas and slow-cooked beef shin, and practically went into a swoon over head chef Oscar Davies’s brown bread butter and pecan ice-cream. With two courses for £15, three £18, this menu is amazingly great quality and value. www.eatdrinkbristolfashion.co.uk/yurtlush

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 59

CACI facials available now at Simon Lee’s Aesthetic Medical Clinic.

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BRISTOL | CLEVEDON | WEDMORE | WESTON-SUPER-MARE | YATTON

FOOD

GETTING IT RIGHT HAS BEEN REALLY HARD, AND THE FIRST TIME ROUND WE GOT IT WRONG

JOSH EGGLETON, Chef pat ron

WINNER, WINNER… … chicken dinner. With the Financial Times declaring that Bristol has “the most exciting food scene in the UK”, Josh tells us what’s cooking at Cargo

C

argo is shaping up to be one of the big food success stories of Bristol. I’ve loved watching all the young food entrepreneurs produce such amazing concepts; Elliot at Box-E has created a brilliantly intimate dining experience, so has Larkin at Woky Ko. Then there’s Pigsty, Lovett, Bristol Cider Shop and Corks – come summertime, this place is going to be really alive. Almost 15 years ago my first job in Bristol was at the Olive Shed, so this part of the harbour has always been special to me and it’s great to see how it’s developed.

When we opened Chicken Shed at Cargo, it was with the desire to have a chicken restaurant and do it really well. I’ve always enjoyed fried chicken, and it’s something I’ve thought a lot about putting my own

spin on. I’ve got to hold my hands up though, and say that to get it right has been really hard and the first time round we got it wrong.

We wanted to do fried chicken, but using 100% organic and free-range chicken. We were going to be one of the only outlets in the country where the focus was mainly on using high-welfare chicken. The trouble was, getting the southern spice rub to fuse consistently with the thick organic chicken skin was proving very difficult and the fryers were too busy to keep up with the demand.

This was something we didn’t expect at all. Organic birds simply don’t make the best fried chicken. It’s a great idea in theory, but in practice it wasn’t working. Now we’ve changed things round a bit, and we’re using birds that are 100% free range from a locally sourced chicken farm in Radstock.

The chicken-in-a-bun, the roast crown, the offal and everything else has been great.

These dishes have been doing well, and

Josh’s fried chicken #2 – now we’re cooking . . .

have been really popular with diners since day one, but the fried chicken just wasn’t at the same level. We thought we could put a cheffy spin on it by brining and then steaming and using a complex maize crumb, but we were wrong.

The best way to do it is with a pressure fryer and a simple crumbing recipe.

Hopefully, we’ve fixed this now by installing a new state-of-the-art pressure fryer system, the kind that all the best fried chicken places use. We’ve also simplified the southern fried crumb so that it has a better flavour and texture.

We also faced some criticism that our hot sauce wasn’t good enough. This led us to look to our good friend and local experts, Upton Cheyney Chilli Farm near Bath.

These guys really know their stuff, growing chillis right there in the polytunnels with a huge range of chilli sauces that we hope to work our way through. At the moment we’ve added three of their handmade chilli sauce options to our menu; the seriously tasty Oak Smoked Chipotle, the fruity, carrot-based Hot Habanero and blow-yourhead-off Red Mosquito.

We’ve also been playing around with our fries, and now they’re pretty special. We’ve started using paprika salt to give them a whole new level of flavour that perfectly complements the fried chicken.

Chicken Shed has been a challenge I won’t deny that. Restaurants have the odd teething trouble in the starting months, that’s just a fact. But it’s been a great learning experience; we’re all fried chicken fans and we’re really proud of where we’re at now and we’re looking forward to seeing you all there to try our new set up. www.eatdrinkbristolfashion.co.uk/chickenshed

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 61

A cut above...

AWA R D S 2 0 1 4

AWA R D S 2 0 1 6

Bristol’s Best Butcher 250 North Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1JD Tel: 0117 966 3593

Try our delicious £10 lunch menu.

12-16 Clifton Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1AF Tel: 01173 291300 Longmead Gospel Hall, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3EB Tel: 01225 446656 Email: info@themintroom.co.uk www.themintroom.co.uk

fa

A MAN’S WORLD

SEB BARRETT

RUNNING MAN From Dublin to the Downs to dockside, Baz is in training….

T

he certainty of my participation in this year’s London Marathon is becoming clearer with each passing day. That initial wave of smugness has crashed onto the rocks of reality, especially since my training requires an incremental increase in intensity every week.

One of the perks of my job is that I occasionally get to travel and, with the BSE crisis firmly behind us, this means making room in my holdall for a pair of muddy trainers. Usually upon arrival I’ll pop my head into the hotel room to see what’s what (the novelty of having a coffee machine still hasn’t worn off ), before hitting the streets.

This year, I ran my first half marathon distance in Leopardstown, on the outskirts of Dublin. It was purely by chance that I achieved this, since I’d only intended to

go for a light jog, but ended up getting somewhat lost – first among the sprawling industrial estates and business parks, and then in the oh-so-Irish countryside. But I didn’t mind, since it was a voyage of discovery in an unfamiliar place, taking in memorable place names such as Stepaside and Ballyedmonduff.

I then spent a week night in Chelsea, and reasoned that it would be good to get a feel for running in the Big Smoke ahead of the marathon itself. Me, being a silly sausage of Cumberland proportions, I assumed the Thames Pathway was just a straight track along the river. As it transpired, I ended up running through a pitch-black Wandsworth Common (a scandal waiting to happen), and then through the busy high streets of inner London trying to get back on the path. All good, if slightly nervous, fun.

Milan promised much. That was until I realised the hotel was in one of those grim

THE FOUR STARS ON THE SIGN OUTSIDE WERE PROBABLY ASTERISKS CONCEALING AN APPROPRIATELY DESCRIPTIVE FOURLETTER WORD satellite towns, and not that central at all. The four stars on the sign outside were most likely asterisks concealing an appropriately descriptive four-letter word. Visions of jogging along picturesque cobbled streets and medieval fortresses gave way to timidly plodding on a 1980s treadmill in a fag-smelling hotel in Italy’s answer to Luton.

After being on the road so often, there’s nothing better than coming home and breathing in that fine Bristol air. Except that the hardest run I’ve done so far was on home soil just the other day; one of those runs where you feel bad from minute one and it just gets worse from there. The route went something like this: setting out across the Downs; over to Blaise Castle (where I got chased by a snarling Jack Russell); dropping down through Shirehampton Village; a dispiritingly long trudge along the Portway; a vertiginous climb up Hotwells; across the bridge and into Ashton Court; then back over to the Downs. I set out wanting to reach two hours, but the nearer I got to that time, the more the weakness in me told me to stop.

The only thing that kept me going was the thought that if I didn’t reach my time goal now, I’d only have to do it all again, and that was a scarier prospect than losing all bodily functions but a stone’s throw from my front door. The fear of failure and the ecstasy of accomplishment are, in fact, what’s keeping me going.

Running is a great leveller: a person who’s just run 10k could be experiencing the same agony as the snackoholic making his first attempt at a jog down to the corner shop.

If you fall into the latter category, then I applaud you. You’ve taken your first step towards a new addiction.

Seb Barrett works in sports communications.

Follow him on Twitter @bazzbarrett

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 63

Nutmeg Nights: 4 Course Punjabi Tasting Menu & Gin Cocktails - 16th March

10 The Mall | Clifton | BS8 4DR | 0117 360 0288 info@nutmegbristol.com | www.nutmegbristol.com

Adventures in party-going

SNAPPED! AC ROS S B R IS TO L , O N E S H I N D I G AT A T I M E

TAKE TWO The second Bristol Life Business Club lunch took place at Hotel du Vin on 15 February. Emma Stenning, Executive Director of Bristol Old Vic was our guest speaker – and by an amazing bit of planning you can read what she had to say on page 74

Charlotte Raynes, Amarelle

Nicholas Wylde of Nicholas Wylde Jewellers, and Steve Grigg of MediaClash

Photos by Jon Craig

Alison Bracey of Bracey Interiors and Guy Armitage-Norton of Milsted Langdon

Finola Ingham, Burston Cook

Danielle Woods of Veale Wasbrough Vizards

Emma Stenning, Bristol Old Vic; Roger Isaacs, Milsted Langdon; Greg Ingham, MediaClash

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 65

Shake-ups/launches/intel/promotions

B R IS TO L G E T S S ER I O US Schlanke, moderne Küchens

QUOTE OF THE ISSUE

INTERIORS

KITCHEN SYNC A new month, a new showroom for Bristol. So what’s cooking at Kütchenhaus?

Even if your German is sub-GCSE (guilty as charged) you’ll have no problem at all working out that the name of sleek new kitchen emporium Kütchenhaus, which opened in Clifton Down Shopping Centre this month, means ‘kitchen house’.

As all estate agents brochures will readily tell you, the kitchen is the heart of the home, so that name makes total sense to us.

Bristol’s not short of kitchen suppliers and showrooms, though – so what does Kütchenhaus have to offer that the others don’t?

Well, for a start, says director of Kütchenhaus Bristol, Rob Cash: “German engineered products are world-renowned for their quality, and Kütchenhaus German kitchens are no different. Their fitted kitchens are built to the highest standards and feature all the latest technologies you would expect (and you would demand) from your kitchen – softclose drawers, clever corner units, progressive door hinges, and so on.

Secondly, the designs are bang-on-trend. “Our new products for 2017 include the introduction

of our copper and concrete door finishes. We are expanding our matt finished doors after seeing a higher demand in recent years, and we’re also expanding our handless ranges as they contribute to nearly 50% of last year’s sales.

“There’s even a new hob, which includes an extractor fan in the middle – brilliant for island or open-plan living spaces . . .”

Finally, Rob offers his top tips for planning a new kitchen.

1. Choose the right layout: consider the requirements of everyone who’ll be using it.

2. Plan ahead: think about appliances, accessories, lighting, flooring, tiles, paint, etc. You also need to make sure it all arrives together.

3. Choose the right installer: a bad installer can make a quality product look cheap.

His final tip? Come along and see the range in the new showroom. He thinks you’ll be impressed.

For more www.kutchenhaus.co.uk/

“IT’S NOT JUST LUVVIE TUBTHUMPING” Who tempers a passion for theatre with a cool business head? Turn to page 74

£12.5m THE BIG NUMBER

The amount Bristol Old Vic needs to complete its redevelopment (thought it’s halfway to that target already).

For more: www.bristololdvic 250.org.uk/the-future

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 67

BUSINESS INSIDER

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

S

Simon Lee Clinic on Redland Hill specialises in facial plastic surgery, cosmetic breast surgery and body sculpting – but let Simon himself tell you more . . .

imon sums up his job title as “a reconstructive plastic surgeon treating patients with both functional and cosmetic problems, from paediatric birth deformity and trauma to purely cosmetic treatments in adults”.

He opened his eponymous clinic with its staff of five in November 2011. “For me, it is an additional thing I do,” he explains. “I remain, before opening and now, a consultant plastic surgeon with both a large NHS and private practice.”

OK, first things first: let’s get the nomenclature right . . .

Is an ‘aesthetic medical surgeon’ different from ‘cosmetic surgeon’?

Very different. I do cosmetic surgery at the Spire Hospital Bristol.

The Clinic specialises in the non-surgical minimally invasive cosmetic treatments that have minimal downtime. I opened it because patients often receive poor advice on non-surgical treatments and are very confused on where to go and who to believe.

To give us an idea of the range, what’s the most radical procedure you perform, and which the least invasive?

Obviously the most invasive is surgery but this is not performed at the clinic. Ablative laser skin resurfacing looks quite radical, but results are very impressive treating wrinkles lines and acne scars. Personally I think having the technology to freeze off fat deposits is unbelievably ‘radical’. Our simplest treatments would include microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, and CACI radiofrequency skin rejuvenation.

still gives me a warm fuzzy. “You have changed my life”. Restoring self-esteem is a fantastic gift to give anyone.

What misapprehensions about aesthetic medical treatments do you face, and what is your response?

‘Only vain people seek cosmetic treatments’. Nothing could be further from the truth. Vain people are narcissistic, self-loving and egotistical.

99% of patients I meet have one or two aspects about the way they look that undermines their self-confidence. They want to feel better about themselves.

Are there any new cutting edge-treatments that you’ve introduced recently?

Yes, radiofrequency ablation of sweat glands. It takes an hour and stops or reduces sweating for life. Life changing for those who sweat copiously. No antiperspirant required – probably forever.

What single thing could people do at home to improve the quality of their skin and generally look better?

Stop smoking! Whether you do or don’t smoke, you should exfoliate.

THE ETHOS OF THE CLINIC IS TO LISTEN, BE HONEST AND EDUCATE

Which treatments are the most popular with patients?

That’s easy, the ones that work! Especially those where we have been the first to bring them to the UK or are the only providers outside of London.

With so many different treatments, from fraxel repair to micropeels, how do I know which one to choose?

A lot of people struggle with this. The nurses and aestheticians who work at my clinic are experts in their field. They are there to advise.

The ethos of the clinic is to listen, be honest and educate. We only offer the best treatments, but even so sometimes the advice is not to spend your money. People respect this and recommend us to others.

We imagine the greatest job satisfaction comes from patients who are thrilled with their improved appearance. Can you quote us a testimonial that you’re especially pleased with?

It’s a cliché. However the frequency and honesty with which it is said

Can you give us an idea of the kind of investment involved in obtaining the latest equipment?

I have invested many hundreds of thousands of pounds on the latest and the best technologies.

I could have bought cheap Chinese copies for a fraction of the cost (5-10%!) but they do not work and they often have a poor safety record. This is a problem because they give the industry a bad name, and leads to patients being taken advantage of.

When you meet people or watch TV, do you always know when someone has ‘had work done’?

Often yes, but only if it has been done in an unnatural way.

Are you someone who is able to switch off the emails at weekends and the evening?

Evenings no, but at weekends yes if I have no patients in the hospital and I am not on call.

How important is social media to your business and which do you find to be the most effective platform?

That’s a tricky one. It is a valuable tool for patients to communicate with each other, sharing experience. We are experimenting with direct engagement with various platforms.

For more www.simonleeplasticsurgeon.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 69

BUSINESS INSIDER

BRISTOL LIFE AWARDS

THERE’S STILL TIME (JUST . . .)

Momentum continues to build behind the Bristol Life Awards ahead of the big night on 27 April with a successful seminar, nominations piling up, earlybird sales close to finishing and new associates and partners on board.

The seminar on How to Win a Bristol Life Award was held at Veale Wasbrough Vizards. Attendees heard top tips on what our judges are looking for in a winning nomination. All the information from the seminar is on the Awards website.

Nominations close on 3 March, so there is just about time for companies and organisations to enter these inaugural Awards, which are headlinesponsored by Bristol Airport.

Finalists are announced at midday on 7 March – on the site, by email and on Twitter, with all details in the next issue of Bristol Life.

The Bristol Life Awards are held in Bristol’s biggest-ever marquee, outside Lloyds Amphitheatre. They are independently judged by a stellar panel of Bristol luminaries: Alison Bracey (Bracey Interiors), Dominic Davis (Burges Salmon), Emma Stenning (Bristol Old Vic), George Cardale (Savills), Graham Brown (Plaster), Josh Eggleton (Pony & Trap, Eat Drink Bristol Fashion), Monika Radclyffe BRISTOL LIFE AWARDS AT A GLANCE

What: Highly distinctive, glamorous celebration of the best of Bristol’s businesses and organisations.

When, where: 27 April 2017 in a massive, purpose-built marquee at Lloyds Amphitheatre Which sectors: Arts, Business Services, Café/Coffee Shop, Cocktail/Bar, Charity, Creative, Education, Event, Food/Drink producer, Gastropub, Hair & Beauty, Health, Interiors, Legal and Financial, Leisure & Tourism, New Business, Property, Restaurant, Retailer and Technology & Innovation. Plus Platinum award for best individual winner.

Who can win? Anyone – Awards are open to all How do I enter? Nominations via the site; winners chosen by independent judges Latest: www.bristollife awards. co.uk, @BristolLifeAwds

70 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

(The Bristol SETsquared Centre), Sarah Mead (Yeo Valley), Sarah Robertson (Colston Hall) and Tim Greene (Clifton College).

“With the support of dozens of Bristol businesses, we’re creating a very glamorous celebration of the best of Bristol’s businesses and organisations,” said Steph Dodd, event manager at MediaClash, Bristol Life’s publisher.

“The energy, confidence and scale of success in the city is underpinning these Awards. We cannot wait to go live on April 27!”

In addition to Bristol Airport, sponsors include: The Alternative Board, Veale Wasbrough Vizards, SDS, Burston Cook, SAM FM, Park Furnishers, Guy Salmon Jaguar/Land Rover, Enlightened Lighting, Clifton Marquee Company, Clear River, Juice Recruitment, Fleurets and Triangle Network. Associates are HGEM, RBS and Quarter, while Fine Wines Direct, CityFibre and Bonomini are Event Partners.

For sponsorship enquiries, contact steve. grigg@mediaclash.co.uk Or to be involved on the night, it’s stephanie.dodd@ mediaclash.co.uk. Full details at www.bristollifeawards.co.uk with updates on Twitter @BristolLifeAwds

The mega-marquee will look startlingly like this

WANT MORE? Sign up now for the Bristol Life newsletter Our aim at Bristol Life is to highlight all that’s best about the city – its events, places and people.

To keep readers even more up-to-date about what’s happening in Bristol, we’ve launched a new, free, Friday email newsletter with news, tips and special offers.

(Note: we’ll never share your data with any third parties).

So, if you’d like a friendly weekly hello from us in your inbox as the weekend beckons, sign up today: www.mediaclash.co.uk/magazines/localmagazines/bristol-life

BUSINESS INSIDER

LAW

SOLICITING OPINION Choosing the right lawyer can be difficult – there are so many top firms out there. Let Nicola Walker, head of family law at Irwin Mitchell, offer a little guidance . . .

N

icola Walker is head of the family law team at the Bristol office of Irwin Mitchell, dealing with all legal issues arising out of relationship breakdown, as well as with pre-nuptial and postnuptial agreements.

What areas of law does Irwin Mitchell cover altogether?

We are a full service legal firm dealing with both personal and business law.

For people who have had no experience of instructing a lawyer, why should they choose Irwin Mitchell?

We have all the advantages of a national firm in terms of expertise and back-up services but the local and personal approach of a smaller firm. We are acknowledged experts in our field.

What common misapprehensions do you come across about your job?

People often assume that the lawyers make a situation worse, when in fact we work alongside our clients to resolve matters in a way that they feel suits them and works towards the best outcome. Relationship breakdowns are challenging and come with a whole host of issues – financial, emotional, business and children-related. People often assume it’s all about going to court, when

actually most of our work is done outside the courtroom.

work and staff members are inspired by and inspiring because of this work.

What’s the best bit of business advice you’ve ever been given?

Always try and put yourself in your opponent’s shoes.

Tell us a bit about the office location – what’s it like to work on Tower Hill?

We have a great central location – sometimes a little too handy for the shopping! The redevelopment by the river, in particular the new bridge, shows we are in exciting times.

RELATIONSHIP BREAKDOWNS ARE CHALLENGING AND COME WITH A HOST OF EMOTIONS, FINANCIAL AND CHILD-RELATED ISSUES What (if any) are the advantages of working in a branch of a legal chain?

Being able to call on the expertise of other offices and other areas of work.

Is the charity work you do important to the firm, and are charities chosen to complement the work you do?

The charities are chosen to complement our

Are you someone that’s able to switch off the emails in the evening and at weekends?

Yes, I have a family and they are my priority out of the office.

Is social media an important part of the job, and if so which platform is most effective for a solicitor?

Twitter is a good professional tool and enables you to keep in contact with likeminded professionals.

Finally, what would you like to be doing in five years’ time?

Heading up an even larger and more successful team here in Bristol.

For more www.irwinmitchell.com

AMD are an award winning firm Visit our website for details at www.amdsolicitors.com

f i n a n c e ad v e rtisi n g f e atur e

family affair PHILIP BARRY of chartered accountants Hollingdale Pooley takes a look at succession planning in family businesses.

T

here are more than three million family businesses in the UK, which between them employ more than nine million people and contribute 15% to GDP. Despite these successes, family businesses often experience difficulties when it comes to passing their businesses to younger generations.

Research has found that only a third of family businesses are successfully transferred to the second generation of a family.

While the reasons behind this are unclear, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has identified that only a third of family businesses have a formal succession plan in place. It seems that failing to plan adequately could be stopping family business from successfully passing their business from one generation to the next.

Planning for succession

The aim of succession planning is to pass on a business to new owners in the smoothest way possible. The broad principles are the same for all businesses; however the process might be a little more emotional or complicated for family businesses.

There are four main options for people who want to leave their family business:

l T ransfer it to someone else (often a family member); l Merge with another company; l Sell l Wind up the business’ operations.

If you are keen to keep the business in the family there are two areas to think about: l Management transition l Ownership transition

Management transition

This will involve the identification of a successor and you will need to consider the following questions: l Is there already someone within the business who can take over when you leave? l Do they want to take over? l Is the timing right? l Are they capable of making the business a success?

Ownership transition

Your options for changing ownership and the resulting tax implications will depend on: l How your business is structured l What you decide to do with it

l How much money you want the business to provide you with personally.

Good succession planning will take all of these elements into account and also give you enough time to make any changes.

Tax relief

A key step in the succession planning process is minimising the capital gains tax (CGT) bill when you sell or ‘dispose’ of your business or business assets.

Entrepreneurs’ relief

The relief allows you to pay CGT at a rate of 10% rather than the usual 20% (2016/17) on gains on qualifying assets subject to certain qualifying conditions.

Gift holdover relief

You could be eligible for gift holdover relief if you give your business to a family member.

Instead of paying CGT when you pass on the assets, the person you give them to pays CGT on any gains when they sell or ‘dispose’ of them.

Get in touch

Succession planning is a complicated area of business and tax planning. Starting these conversations early can make sure that you and your family are in the best possible position. Get in touch to discuss succession planning. BL

Full details of our services can be found on our website www.hollingdalepooley.co.uk Hollingdale Pooley, Bramford House, 23 Westfield Park, Bristol BS6 6LT. Telephone 0117 9733377;

72 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BUSINESS INSIDER

BRISTOL LIFE BUSINESS CLUB

THE NEXT STAGE Emma Stenning, ED of Bristol Old Vic, offered a fascinating insight into the business we call ‘show’ at the second Bristol Life Business Lunch

By M A L RO GE R S Photo by Jon C ra ig

A

long with artistic director Tom Morris, Emma Stenning has overseen the rebirth of the Bristol Old Vic – which is currently celebrating 251 years in show business.

The word ‘business’ is not misplaced. Emma, who believes passionately in theatre, has a job that requires her to regard the Bristol Old Vic in those financial terms.

“Certainly, we are an arts organisation, but we are also meaningful contributors to the city’s economy as well as being an integral part of its cultural life,” she says.

“We have 70 employees, we bring a lot of visitors into the city, and we even act internationally as cultural ambassadors for Bristol.”

But like any major artistic endeavour, the BOV requires a continual balancing act between creativity and marketability. Emma took the helm at the Bristol Old Vic in 2009 when things looked pretty bleak. Audiences had been staying away in droves, and the future of one of the oldest theatres in the world looked very shaky. Hardheaded business skills were required alongside creative brio.

“Productions need to be many things,” says Emma. “You need quality. Also entertainment, enjoyment, and you need to provoke. Audiences want to be challenged.”

But Mammon is always lurking in the stage wings. “We have to be able to assess the innovative against the commercial.”

And when it’s a question of seeking support, be it from Marvin Rees or the Arts Council, a reassuringly cool-headed business plan is foremost on the agenda, reassuring the powers that be that “it’s not all luvvie tub-thumping”.

Emma has worked with Tom Morris for 14 years. “Tom brings in creative people and creative ideas; he has extraordinary ideas himself. It’s up to me to blend these into a coherent business design. But we always want to bring in vision and inspiring productions. We don’t want to be the theatre that says ‘no’. But occasionally we have to be the theatre that says ‘not yet’.”

Emma sees the BOV at the centre of an artistic hub. “Bristol is a creative city. It’s a city that 74 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

understands culture in its broadest sense. When you run a theatre in Bristol you’re trying to think how you can be a meaningful part of the city.”

This is partly done through the theatre space itself, and the way that it can be used by the community. But the first priority is, naturally, what happens on the boards.

Programming and forward planning can be difficult because theatre is a notoriously unpredictable, not to say precarious, enterprise.

But along with its volatility, its full-on demands, its egos and its continual balancing act of creativity and commercial viability, it is also uniquely, magnificently satisfying.

For Emma, one part of the job that brings huge job fulfilment is when the production is almost ready go live. “It’s called the technical rehearsal — when all the creative teams are together on stage, all the various sectors that make the show work, and everything is brought into focus.”

Bristol Old Vic has had huge success since its reopening. The balancing act that Emma and Tom have performed has resulted in the likes of Timothy West’s King Lear and new musical The Grinning Man being created here in Bristol.

But the most commercially-successful shows have been the Christmas favourites Swallows and Amazons, and Peter Pan – innovatively directed by Sally Cookson.

Then there was Pink Mist, which both brought an incomparable piece of theatre to the boards of Bristol Old Vic and demonstrated how judicious budgeting and time-juggling can strike gold; if a play transfers (Pink Mist is currently on tour, Peter Plan played The National last Christmas), it’s a healthy pay day for Bristol Old Vic. If Emma and Tom continue to pull productions such as these out of the bag, Bristol Old Vic is easily set for another 250 years, provoking, entertaining and challenging the people of Bristol and beyond.

EAT, THINK, BRISTOL FASHION

Sponsored by Chartered Accountants Milsted Langdon The Bristol Life Business Club is a select group of senior business people. It features a leading speaker and a damn fine lunch. If you’d like to join, please contact Stephanie Dodd (Stephanie.

Dodd@mediaclash.co.uk). These events sell out quickly, so look out for the emails...

EMMA STENNING CV

Born: Surrey (1975)

Educated: Cambridge Current position: Executive Director at Bristol Old Vic CV includes: Emma previously worked alongside Tom Morris at Battersea Arts Centre; “we’ve worked together for 14 years” Did you know?: When a part of Cambridge Footlights, Emma’s illustrious contemporaries included David Mitchell and Robert Webb

EMMA STENNING IN QUOTES

On Bristol: “I was on the verge of taking a job in London. But Tom Morris said, ‘Come to Bristol for the day. You’ll love it. It’s got boats in the middle’.

And he was right. I do love Bristol.”

On working with directors and actors: “It comes down to directors trusting the Bristol Old Vic with their ideas; us having faith in them. We want to let their talent shine through; talent has to be given freedom. Of course, that approach can get you into trouble from time to time. But that’s just how it is in the theatre.”

On programming: “We are led creatively by directors. We talk to directors, sometimes actors, and ask them what they want to do. For our part we have a look at productions we think would work in Bristol Old Vic. A good example is Richard Eyre. We were taking to him for seven years before we eventually staged Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”

On Bristol Old Vic resources: “Our theatre archive goes back to 1764, and is widely-regarded as one of the most significant collections of theatre material in the world. It has everything from Peter O’Toole’s rehearsal notes to a report of a curious incident in 1810 when ‘prosthetic limbs fell off and landed in the front row of the audience’.

“The archive is important because it’s also a reflection of 18th-century Bristol businesses. Bristol Old Vic was set up by 50 or so Bristol businesses.

Currently it’s being catalogued in a joint project by the BOV, Bristol University and the City Record Office.

Eventually the catalogue will be accessible to the public.”

On what inspired her: “My family would go to see a West End musical on my birthday each year and I remember seeing Starlight Express on my ninth birthday. From that point onwards I was determined I wanted to work in theatre.”

brIStol is a city that understands culture in its broadest sense

Emma: a passion for theatre and a head for business. Below: how Bristol Old Vic will look after its final stage of redevelopment, which will see it become not merely a theatre but a heritage centre

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 75

PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

MEWS REPORT

76 112I I BRISTOL CLIFTONLIFE LIFEI Iwww.mediaclash.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk

SHOWCASE

PROPERTY

Just off Portland Street lies a charming, secluded little mews.

It’s Clifton, Captain; but not as you know it . . .

By L I SA WA R R E N www.mediaclash.co.ukI ICLIFTON BRISTOLLIFE LIFE I I 113 77 www.mediaclash.co.uk

PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

W

ho doesn’t love a mews? There’s something so secret and secluded about them, tucked away as they tend to be down little lanes off the main drags. In the case of Carter’s Buildings, there’s the further intrigue of the mellow brown brick used in the construction; if you didn’t know that this little road was just off Portland Street, right in the middle of grand, elegant, stuccoed Clifton Village, you’d never have guessed.

Furthermore, as they tend to be conversions from coach houses and similarly utilitarian buildings (is that ‘Carters’ a bit of a clue?) they tend to be comparatively bijou, which translates as affordable. And our final case for the defence, m’lord, is that only the most affluent of 19th-century home owners would have maintained these kind of annexes – so by the very nature of their purpose, you can guarantee that the address will be in a highly salubrious area. Pillared and porticoed it might not be, but Carters Buildings is still Grade-II listed, In less talented developers’ hands, ‘bijou’ could easily have translated to ‘a bit cramped’, but in the case of number 13, shown here, the redevelopment has resulted in the most charming of homes – and coming under the £600k price mark, one that suddenly makes Clifton a feasible choice to those who’d feared that they’d need at least a mill to bag a town house here.

And while this home may not come with a leafy oasis out back, by nature of its quiet cul-de-sac setting, there’s a ready-made flagged courtyard out front, which the current owners have enhanced with a border of raised planters.

Small it may be, but the front door opens to a selfrespecting little hallway; a sitting room at the front has 78 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The restrained, simple elegance of the décor helps to create a calm and spacious feel inside; outside, the quiet courtyard makes a charming al fresco spot

HOUSE NUMBERS

II

Grade-II listed

2

receptions

£565K price

3

bedrooms

1

bathroom

sash windows and a fireplace, while the dining room at the back has an open arch into a sleek black-and-white kitchen where a skylight provides plenty of natural light.

The sleeping accommodation is neatly divided between the master suite on the first floor – a good-sized bedroom and a bathroom – and two further rooms upstairs.

It is, altogether, a cool and collected little home, in immaculate condition, in an idyllic location that many people might assume to be out of their price bracket; its price, for example, compares favourably with a large apartment in one of Bristol’s swankier new developments.

You may need to factor in a bit extra into the budget, though; Clifton’s shops, restaurants and cafés offer a daily, tantalising temptation that only those with a heart of stone could resist.

Savills Clifton, 20 The Mall, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4DR; 0117 933 5800; www.savills.co.uk

la re st m TH ai R ni EE ng

These 3 bedroom penthouses benefit from secure private parking and have been restored to the highest specification.

Book your viewing today with dedicated parking available.

3 bedroom penthouse apartments available from ÂŁ599,950

Call now to arrange your appointment to view

01179 102351

MANAG E ME NT • SALE S • LE TTI N G • CONS U LTA NCY

CLIFTON £1,275,000 A picturesque Georgian Grade II listed townhouse in this most enchanting terrace tucked away in a quiet & sought after Clifton location, with a very pretty, private communal garden to the front. The flexible accommodation is currently arranged as a reception room, kitchen, and bathroom on the lower ground floor, with access to the rear garden and the private garage in North Green Street.

The kitchen & dining room are situated on the ground floor, which has access to the front garden through the main front door of the house. The most charming reception room which spans the width of the house and with floor to ceiling sash windows and a balcony is situated on the first floor together with a study room. The second floor has a large bedroom, again spanning the width of the house and a smaller second bedroom, with two further bedrooms and a bathroom on the top floor. There is also the added benefit of an extension to the lower ground, ground and first floor, which house utility rooms & a bathroom consecutively. There are an abundance of period features throughout, together with the most stunning and far reaching views which only get better the higher you climb. This wonderful family home is ideally situated between Clifton village with its plethora of independent shops, cafes and restaurants, and the vibrant harbourside with pleasure boats and ferries to the city and Temple Meads train station. This property is coming to the market for the first time in 38 years and viewing is highly recommended.

21 Princess Victoria Street

Tel 0117 970 6119

enquiries@propertyconcept.co.uk

Clifton, Bristol BS8 4BX

Fax 0117 970 6109

www.propertyconcept.co.uk

Bristol & Clifton's premier Commercial Property Agents Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk

(0117) 934 9977

QUEENS ROAD, CLIFTON

PROMINENT RETAIL UNIT

❖ Prime Clifton shop

❖ Large prominent shop

xcellent trading position ❖E close to the University

usy neighbourhood area ❖B of BS6

❖ 586 sq ft sales

❖ 1,841 sq ft (inc store)

❖ New lease

❖ Rent on application

BERKELEY SQ, CLIFTON

FANTASTIC STUDIO OFFICES

❖ Stunning period property

❖ College Green vicinity

❖ 3,266 sq ft + 7 car spaces

❖ 2,200 sq ft + 4 car spaces

❖ D1 use

❖O pen plan and ideal for trendy office space

❖T o let – terms on application

ew lease – rent on ❖N application

PRIME CLIFTON OFFICE

CLIFTON VILLAGE

❖ Open plan suite

❖ Shop to rent

❖ C 1,000 sq ft

❖ Fitted as a hair salon

❖ 3 car spaces

❖ New lease

❖ New lease

❖ Only £9,000 pax

PORTLAND VIEW, DEAN STREET, BRISTOL, BS2

QUEEN SQUARE – BS1 pen plan office suite ❖O + 1 car space

New contemporary office ❖2 units

❖ 1,568 sq ft

❖ 368 sq ft & 560 sq ft

❖ New refurbishment

❖ New flexible leases

❖ New lease

❖ Great space…

BOOTH ROAD – BEDMINSTER

THE OLD JAIL, BEDMINSTER

❖ Workshop / industrial unit

❖ Industrial workshop unit

❖B 2 use (general industrial) - may also suit other commercial or employment uses

❖ 5,611 sq ft ❖ Flexible lease ❖ Rent on application

❖G ross internal area 3,061 sq ft (284.49 sq m)

Julian Cook FRICS

Jayne Rixon MRICS

Charlie Kershaw MRICS

Finola Ingham MRICS

Tom Coyte BA Hons

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COUNTRY PROPERTIES

We’re holding a week long exhibition from 27th - 31st March of Country Properties in our Clifton Office. This will culminate with a drinks party on Friday 31st March at 6pm.

COME TO TOWN

All potential buyers and sellers are invited.

If you’d life to attend or your property to be featured please contact our Clifton Office on 01179 734464.

BRISTOL LIVES

Q&A

W

hether you derive your knowledge of upperclass transatlantic 19th-century marriage pacts from Henry James, Edith Wharton or Downton Abbey, you’re probably aware that hitching rich American heiresses to impecunious English aristos was quite a thing. He gave her class, she gave him cash, and if they were really lucky they didn’t start wishing each other dead as soon as the last notes of Mendelssohn’s wedding march had died away. It’s a subject that fascinates freelance journalist Julie who has just had a book published on transatlantic marriages.

How and why did you first get interested in this subject?

I was researching another influential woman from the Victorian era as a possible biography subject when I came across Minnie Paget. As soon as I heard about her role as an unofficial marriage broker for transatlantic matches between impoverished aristocrats and rich American heiresses, I was hooked.

So brokering American heiresses in this way was a recognised as a kind of unofficial business?

Minnie Paget was one of the first American heiresses to marry into the aristocracy. She then used her position and influence with Bertie, the Prince of Wales, to help her compatriots find an eligible duke or lord. It was a simple transaction really; the heiresses’ new money for the social respectability that an upper-class title offered.

For her trouble Minnie would receive ‘gifts’ of jewellery or antiques.

Were there ‘rules’ for catching an aristo?

Minnie’s role was to advise the heiresses on the complex etiquette that dominated English society. She would ensure they were invited to the most prestigious events and tone down their nouveaux-riches sensibilities – for example, letting them know that wearing diamonds during the daytime was not de rigeur.

Were these marriages happy on the whole, à-la Downton Abbey. or was there a wide range of success?

Life in England rarely brought happiness and love for the heiresses. Most of the matches weren’t

JULIE FERRY Did you know that in Victorian times, the wearing of diamonds during the day was a nouveau-riche faux pas? There’s plenty more where that came from in this local author’s new book, The Transatlantic Marriage Bureau very successful; Consuelo Vanderbilt’s to the Duke of Marlborough was famously miserable and eventually ended in divorce. The rakish Duke of Manchester quickly spent his Cuban-American bride’s dowry and then set up house with a music hall singer. However, some of the women did find contentment, using their money to fund their husband’s political ambitions, as in the case of Mary and George Curzon, who became Viceroy of India.

Tell us about your Bristol life. What’s your manor, and what’s great about it?

I live in Westbury Park with my husband and two children. I love the sense of community here; it’s a really sociable place to live.

If you had a friend visiting, and just one day to show off the city, where would you take them?

I like walking around a city, so I’d start off with a coffee at Bordeaux Quay and then walk along the waterfront before getting the little boat over the river opposite the ss Great Britain. I would then walk back along the other side before stopping at the Arnolfini. Next, it would be up Park Street, a stop for lunch at Pinkman’s, perhaps a wander around the RWA before a movie at the Everyman.

Anything that’s not so great, or any other area of Bristol you’d like to live in?

I always think I’d like to live in the countryside, but I’m a city girl at heart. Maybe Leigh Woods is a good compromise?

90 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Favourite restaurant, café and bar?

I love Poco in Stokes Croft for tapas, the Lido on a sunny day for coffee and Manna in Westbury Park, because the people are laid-back and lovely.

And the Bristol shop that most endangers your wallet?

I can’t pass a bookshop without buying a book, so overall that’s my biggest indulgence. I’d love to see more good, independent bookshops in Bristol, though.

Who is your own favourite author?

Unsurprisingly, I read a lot of non-fiction books, mainly biographies, but the author whose writing I most admire is Jeanette Winterson.

What’s your most regrettable habit?

Reading soap magazines – it’s my guilty pleasure ,even though I don’t watch soaps!

Finally, tell us something surprising I regularly used to drive four hours for a burger when I lived on a remote island in Japan!

The Transatlantic Marriage Bureau is published by Aurum Press, £20 hardback www.julieferry.co.uk

SALE - UP TO 50% OFF

We make bespoke sofas and upholstery and curtains in our own factory in Bristol and design and make painted or solid pine or oak cabinet furniture from standard ranges or made to measure and to you own or our designs.

25% off wardrobes, sofas and cabinet furniture made to order. 50% off ex-display.

Curtains and Blinds
 Sofas and Fabrics
 Bespoke Cabinet Furniture and Wardrobes Sofas, Curtains and Cabinet Furniture Made to order in 2-4 weeks Terms and conditions apply

We are just past Clifton Down Shopping Centre 56/60, Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2PY Mon-Sat 9.30 - 5.30/Sun 12 - 5

TEL: 01173 292746

All types of reupholstery Traditional to contemporary styles Antique and Vintage pieces