7657. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (3)

Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

The organisers of Upfest have been keeping busy since the last Upfest in 2024, and incorporated a host of new walls to show off local, national and international talent for this year’s festival. This wall is tucked away just south of the east end of East Street, and is in an area I’m not sure that I have ever been to before. The wall is on the side of a light industrial unit called Willway Yard, with plenty of space for multiple artists. One of the first to complete his allocated space is Bristol artist Sean Sepr.

Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Sepr has an extraordinary talent for telling elaborate stories in his cartoon-style pieces. Everything is laid out with clarity and humour, and then it is up to the viewer to piece it all together into some kind of narrative. My reading of the situation is that a cyclist has had a bit of an accident, running into some wet concrete perhaps and rather than helping him, a collection of animals are taking advantage of the unfortunate protagonist and generally being unhelpful. I love the way the fox is stealing his shoes and socks. Creative and imaginative.

2425. Lucky Lane

It is impossible for me not to be utterly enchanted by Pelmo’s work. These unusual cartoon scenes have a touching element to them and the stories that unfold are witty and caring. In this piece a cyclist (with enormous thighs) in a pedalo swan is towing an unfeasibly large waterskier whose lifejacket is clinging on for dear life.

Pelmo, Lucky Lane, Bristol, August 2019
Pelmo, Lucky Lane, Bristol, August 2019

The piece is in a little back lane in Bedminster that I never even knew existed and suits this wall perfectly. I am guessing that Pelmo must use brushes as well as spray paint, because the fine detail of the piece would simply not be possible using cans alone. An absolute winner.

1706. Upfest 2018 (31)

There is something comical and warm about Pelmo’s work and I have to say that it really ticks pretty much all of my boxes. His ideas are witty, for example here we have a Deliveroo rider struggling to stay on the back of an enormous cyclist. I’m not entirely sure what the story here is, but it is a visual treat.

Pelmo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Pelmo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

It is such a pity that the piece was squeezed into a corner of the Spotted Cow garden where the light conditions made it almost impossible to photograph. I know that Pelmo has had a wall in the previous two years, but I think deservedly so and it would have been nice to seen this on a ‘permanent’ wall – I suppose they have to take turns. I love this.