Mr Underbite’s appearances are few and far between these days, so it was great to find this one in one of his favourite spots recently. I’ll not make reference to the brown background.
The Hapless character is painted in vibrant green, has his customary underslung jawline and is wearing a baseball cap for good measure. Signed MUB (Mr Underbite) and dated 2025, this is a piece without pretension or complication – what you see is what you get.
Every time I write about Mr Underbite’s character pieces, the word that always springs immediately to mind is ‘hapless’. Just looking at the face, the Underbite character looks like he is down on his luck, or simply unfortunate. It is clever that the name and the portrayal create this image.
I haven’t seen any new pieces by Mr Underbite for a long while, so it was great to find this one at the Southern end of thee Brunel Way spot. This is the standard version of the character, in mono colour and without any ‘extras’. As ever, it is always great to find these distinctive pieces.
Now, this is what I like. Mr Underbite is a bit of a favourite of mine, and to find his melancholic character dotted about the place is always a real pleasure. The fact that he has switched things up with this small piece in Cumberland Basin makes it all the more pleasurable.
Mr Underbite has used this small section of wall really well, presenting his character in three separate sections, each containing a part of the face, a deconstruction if you like. Anyone familiar with Mr Underbite’s work would immediately recognise this piece and attempt to reassemble it in their heads. To anybody else, this might look a little abstract and unfathomable. What a great way to play with a character. For reference, a typical Mr Underbite piece is shown below.
This is a rather nice tribute piece to the late Lazo, who will be much missed in Bristol, by Mr Underbite (MUB) and Herman Creates. Both halves of the collaborative wall hang together really well, and definitely stand out on the pathway alongside the River.
On the left is a beautiful rendition of Mr Underbite in blue against an orange background. The joy of this piece is its simplicity. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, just Mr Underbite doing what Mr Underbite does, and does very well.
To the right is a debut piece from Herman Creates on Natural Adventures, and she has painted some more-than-decent block letters with rather nicely done fills. Herman Creates doesn’t do an awful lot of street pieces, but I do have one or two examples of her work in my archive which I will try to unearth, if ever I get a chance. A lovely tribute. And below some work by Lazo:
It is always great fun to come across the hapless Mr Underbite, looking as confused and ever so slightly miserable as usual. This is not the first time Mr Underbiter has appeared on this particular wall, which seems so very well suited to the proportions of the face.
The letters MUB refer to the artist and the character’s name. I suspect that this was a quick one, as the underlying piece (by Ryder, from recollection) is still partially visible, and it is a simple two-tone affair. I very much hope that we het to see plenty more of this fine character work as things warm up in 2024.
Just in case you miss the piece, a nearby slap (sticker) reminds us that Mr Underbite comes in many sizes and forms on our streets.
A gallery of wonderful and expressive faces by Bristol’s Mr Underbite.
Instagram: @mr-underbite1
Facebook: Jay D Artworks
All photographs by Scooj
Absolutely brilliant! It feels like a long time since Mr Underbite last hit the streets and here he is on a wall that he has occupied at least twice before now. Looking splendid on a lavender background, this black and white version of our hero looks very fine.
There are a number of similarities between the look and feel of Mr Underbite, and Asre’s character portraits from a year or two back, but I think I have come to the conclusion that they are not the same artist. In this piece our hapless friend is wearing a flat beanie, the best kind, which we used to call a Bennie hat, after the character in Crossroads. Indeed, the rather unflattering name that the squaddies in the Falkland Islands bestowed upon the Falklanders was ‘Bennies’ a term that had become naturalised by the time I arrived there in 1987.
I would definitely like to see more from Mr Underbite on the streets. His versatile, if rather unfortunate, character definitely adds a touch of butter sweet humour to the streets of Bristol. Although this is a small piece, probably a little old and slightly out of the way, I thought I would post it, because it has a charm about it and is very much a part of the everyday street art experience in the city.
Technically, this piece is more Daveside than Brunel Way, but I use the latter as a generic area description, in much the same way that I use Cumberland Basin to describe the large area just north of the river. Nicely painted, the hapless character, with his comb-over hair, makes me smile, just as all of Mr Underbite’s pieces do. I only found this by mistake, reminding me always to walk the few extra yards and to be inquisitive… the rewards are out there.
One of the pure joys over the last year has been the emergence of Mr Underbite and his charismatic character, Mr Underbite. This rather glum fellow is endearing to say the least, and despite his miserable disposition, cheers me up every time I see him.
Mr Underbite tends to use a basic template which he goes on to ‘pimp’ with different features and themes. This recent piece under Brunel Way is the basic form, although this is the first time I have seen the character with a neck. Looking forward to seeing a whole load more this year.
It has been a little while since I last saw a piece from Mr Underbite, so it was a pleasure to encounter this new piece, tucked away in Cumberland Basin. I love the way that Mr Underbite uses his basic character template and then ‘pimps it up’ to tell a different story.
The story in this piece is the Bristol story, and, as it the custom here, features the Clifton Suspension bridge designed and built by I. K. Brunel (although I believe he died before its completion). The suspension wires on the bridge have given Mr Underbite a smile, which isn’t something we are accustomed to with this character. Keep up the great work. (Note to self – do a gallery of Clifton Suspension bridge pieces).
Natural adventures 