Skip to content

Art exhibition celebrates city's music scene

Clara Bullock
BBC News, Bristol
Keown Photo Bristol artist Sickboy is photographed in his studio in front of a wall of paintings he has done. He is wearing a yellow jumper and holding up a goldfish bowl to cover his face.Keown Photo
Street artist Sickboy has put together an exhibition about the Bristol music scene

Street artist Sickboy and the band Idles have come together to celebrate Bristol's music scene with an art exhibition.

Sound Check is honouring 30 years of Bristol music with gig posters, music photography and music performances at the PIT gallery in Totterdown.

It was curated by Bristol street artist Sickboy and Adam Devonshire from the Bristol band Idles, to "tell the story" of the Bristol sound.

Sickboy told BBC Bristol: "I wanted to elevate Bristol as a music city. We have Portishead, Massive Attack - so many names coming from here."

Adam Devonshire is holding a bass and standing in front of a microphone. He is wearing a red shirt and headphones. He has a ginger beard.
Mr Devonshire said live music is a "life source" to him

He added: "I'm from Manchester but I moved to Bristol in 1999 for the graffiti. People are drawn to a creative city, it's all interlinked.

"It's an activists city, the music here has a sound. It all tells a story.

"It's like a spider-gram, everything is connected. It's connected to art, like Inky doing posters for Massive Attack."

Giulia Spadafora The photo shows a performance from above. A crowd is gathered around a woman who is dancing on the floor. Someone is shining a phone torch on her.Giulia Spadafora
The exhibition includes photos of Bristol gigs from local photographers

The exhibition will feature re-imagined gig posters of "eight pivotal events" that took place in Bristol over the last few decades. There will be photos of those events as well, taken by Bristol photographers.

Idles will also create a soundtrack for the event and perform at the opening.

Colin Moody A man is dancing on stage. His foot is held up towards the camera. His eyes are closed. In the background a crowd is dancing and laughing.Colin Moody
Colin Moody's photography will be exhibited at the PIT

Mr Devonshire said: "Live music is a life source. It's a way of life for countless people and this exhibition is a celebration of those who capture those unique moments.

"The relationship between artist, audience and photographer is paramount to the beauty and mayhem of the live music experience and this exhibition is a love letter and a warm hug to those who bask in live music's ample glories."

"I want to celebrate the history of Bristol. It's ongoing, of course, but I put a book mark in it," Sickboy added.

Ciara Hillyer A woman is dancing. Her hair is flying up in the air. She is wearing a leopard print top.Ciara Hillyer
Ciara Hillyer is among the music photographers exhibited at the show

The exhibition will also support Gig Buddies, a charity working to make live music more accessible for people with learning disabilities.

The charity will be at the event to match adults with learning disabilities or autism with a volunteer to attend music events in Bristol.

The exhibition will be open at the PIT in Bristol from 9-11 May.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story
Related Internet Links