Tag: Music

3324. Dighton Street (4)

Sepr owns these two little walls at the end of Dighton Street. For several years now he has had a couple of musicians keeping us all smiling in these spaces and what pleasure they have brought. Each time they get tagged or a bit tatty he repainted them looking slightly different each time. This is the third incarnation that I am aware of, but there may have been more.

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020

The first character is a gentleman with a trumpet, painted in the customary grey scale with a vibrant red tabard and ribbon round his hat. An extra special and contemporary element is the addition of a face mask in the PPE blue we have all become so familiar with.

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020

The other piece features a lady musician playing a violin also masked. I love these pieces to bits and particularly like this recent makeover. Sepr has a great gift and we are privileged to benefit from it.

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020

Below are some of the older versions for comparison:

  • Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
    Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
  • Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017
    Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017
  • Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015
    Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015
  • Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
    Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
  • Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017
    Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017
  • Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015
    Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015

2788. St Werburghs tunnel (152)

This unusual piece by Tom Miller is an advert for a band called Mama Jerk and the Lady Fingers. At this point I should like to thank Tom for introducing me to something wonderful and new. I am not very good at keeping up with the contemporary music scene in Bristol, I don’t go out much and when I do it is usually to visit friends or to eat out. Live or loud music I find great fun but a bit isolating, because my hearing is getting worse and I can’t hear anything people say to me and I have not yet learned the fine art of lip reading. Back to the point. In researching this piece, I checked out Mama Jerk on the interweb, and guess what… I loved their quirky fusion music. Furthermore I fully recommend that you take a look at or listen to their track ‘mountain’ you won’t regret it. This piece celebrates their second EP.

Tom Miller, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020
Tom Miller, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

If I am brutally honest, this is not the best piece by this brilliant artist, but I forgive him wholeheartedly for introducing me to something I think I might enjoy for some time to come. The writing is ok, but the creatures are a little bit more what we would expect from Tom Miller and have an added element of mystery or menace about them with the white crosses over their eyes. A great outcome from following my passion for street art.

2277. M32 roundabout J3 (149)

As a teenager I was fairly obsessed with 2-Tone Records, in particular The Specials, so much so that a plaster cast I had on my broken leg as a sixteen-year-old was decorated from top to bottom in black and white squares. So imagine my unbridled delight at finding this 2-Tonetastick collaboration between Rezwonk and Decay douwn at the M32 roundabout.

Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Rezwonk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

I wonder if this piece was inspired in any way by the recent release of a new album from the Specials. On the left Rezwonk has written his name split into six sections in reversed black and white boxes. Some additional accent decorations in red just add a little extra interest.

Decay, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Decay, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

On the right Decay has written his name in a continuation of the reversed black and white boxes and he too has incorporated some red in the form of his little ‘e’ character Chuck. The dancing rude boy, the filling in the sandwich, could be by either of them, but I’m putting my money on Decay. A joyful collaboration.

2232. Moon Street (71)

For the last 11 years there has been a rather mad festival centered around the Stokes Croft area called RaveOnAvon. It is frankly a bit of a booze, drugs and music party that is focussed on three or four live music venues but spills out onto the streets from dusk until dawn. You simply would not believe the mess the following morning. The links between graffiti art and the Bristol music scene are close, and this rather funky piece by Jaksta rather emphasises the point.

Jaksta, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019
Jaksta, Moon Street, Bristol, May 2019

You know you are getting old when one of your children actually goes to an event such as this one. I didn’t ask too many questions. Jaksta, a member of the RAW crew, is a brilliant character artist and creates these wonderful exaggerated bodies ina cartoon style that never disappoints. It is also great to see something decent appear on this particular bit of hoarding, because recently it has been a bit trashy.

This was the last RaveOnAvon ever, because most of the music venues’ days are numbered. They are due to be demolished soon to make way for… da da daah… student accommodations. Gentrification will rob us of a major strand of Bristol culture and provide housing, not for those that really need it, but for the ever-growing student population in Bristol. Of course, students need to live somewhere, but I fear this particular growth bubble will burst, and maybe then affordable housing will become available.