Tag Archives: bristol’s best bits

Bristol’s Best Bits: Bristol Fashion Week SS15

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Bristol Fashion Week SS15772-23.5.15

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of popping up to Cribbs Causeway to meet up with some familiar blogging faces and attend the Bristol Fashion Week SS15 Preview Show.

This was my second Bristol Fashion Week outing, having been to AW14 in September last year, so I was already excited about what to expect. I met up with Lyzi and Emily, and after a short detour to Boots and River Island, we headed on over to the main tent for the show.

Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15-1006-26.3.15

As always, it was a fantastic showcase of all the latest fashions from the stores at the Mall, presented by This Morning’s resident fashion guru Mark Heyes and Made in Chelsea’s Lucy Watson. Amongst all the flamboyant dancing and top strutting, there seemed to be a few key trends for Spring/Summer this year – monochrome, pastels, 1970s and denim. I can certainly get on board with three of these trends, but I’m having a bit of trouble embracing the 70s vibe at the moment. I’ve seen a few pieces which have caught my eye over the last few weeks (more on that later) but for some reason the prints don’t seem to ‘sit right’ with me at all. Maybe by the time the sun rears its head I’ll be head to toe in suede, who knows.

The show was really excellently put together, and Bristol Fashion Week as a whole is definitely a highlight for any fashion lovers in the South West. Spanning a number of days across the mall, it’s always jam-packed with events. As well as 17 fashion shows showcasing the best that Cribbs Causeway has to offer, there are also special shows throughout the few days, including one talk aimed at those hoping for a career in fashion. Watch the highlights in this awesome video:

After the show we trundled along to a wee after party being held at M&S, for cheese, meats, fizzy beverages and another gander at this season’s latest trends.

Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15

LOOK AT ALL THE CHEESE.

Each rail held one of the key styles, and I picked out a 1970s style dress to try on. I started the evening dressed as some kind of Disney princess, but soon swapped the sequins for florals in this beauty from M&S.

Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15

The dress was surprisingly comfortable, and I really did fall in love with its pair-of-curtains patterned chic. I might embrace the floral 70s vibe this summer, who knows! Does it suit me?

Bristol Fashion Week SS15
Bristol Fashion Week SS15

Thanks to Mall Cribbs and Marks and Spencer for inviting me along for such a wonderful evening, see you in September!

Images 1 and 5 are (c) Charlotte Stone for Mall Cribbs, used with permission.

Bristol’s Best Bits: The Old Bookshop

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The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop

It was inevitable that in my quest to showcase the very best spots in Bristol I would soon turn my attention to North St favourite and Bedminster gem, The Old Bookshop. If you’re one of the lovely people who is working their way through my humble little list of my favourite places in Bristol then this really is a must visit – put it at the top of your list!

This little Bemmie boozer has evolved dramatically over the years since it opened in 2011, going from a teeny tiny bar and kitchen and expanding next door into an amazing cocktail bar, while establishing itself as one of Bristol’s top live music venues. Ain’t no mean feat. The list of gigs is impressive, the cocktails are delicious (plus they’ve just started infusing their own spirits), and the food never, EVER disappoints.

Last Sunday, myself and other Blog Club lovelies Hayley, Sophie and Lyzi popped down for one of their now-legendary roasts. We each sampled a different meat offering (I opted for beef) and us greedy gals just about managed to fit it all in, with a little room for pud. They do a pretty tidy offer of two courses for £14.95, and considering the quality of the food and how stuffed I was, I’d say it is an excellent deal.

The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop

With our bellies comfortably full of chocolate mousse we decided to check out their new(ish) space out the back, which is every bit as quirky and amazing as the interior. I really wish I’d got some more pictures of the inside, but that will just have to be a nice surprise for when you visit :)

I did get a little snap happy in the amazing garden, however. Myself and Sophie sat in our amazing boat thrones and warmed ourselves up by the burner, and had a little chat with the owner, Ben. He informed us that everything in the bar had been constructed by him and his dad, which is mighty impressive. Even the old wood burner used to be his when he lived on a boat! I love how every time I pop in here Ben and his mum (hi Kath!) stop to have a chat with me, and the rest of the lovely staff are just as friendly too.

As well as their impressive Sunday roasts, The Old Bookshop have got a number of guest chefs taking over the kitchen in the coming months. For more info, take a look at their (and don’t forget to , will ya).

Bristol’s Best Bits: Windmill Hill City Farm

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One of the many reasons why I have so much love for Bristol is for its ability to surprise you, even after years of living here. Since moving to the Bedminster/Totterdown/Windmill Hill area (I am right in the middle of all three) I’ve been trying to get to grips with my new area, and have been seeking out the little hidden gems which lie in plain sight in the BS3 neighbourhood.

The city farm concept seems to sum up the spirit of Bristol as a whole. Sheep and chickens in the middle of a busy city? Sure, why not. These community farms offer a piece of the countryside in the middle of metropolis, which can sometimes prove to be a bit confusing when you’re walking back from the supermarket and you hear a cockerel crow. Or in the case of St Werburghs City Farm, when you’re sitting in the pub and you can hear the baa’s of the sheep next door, and then the familiar rumble of a train passing nearby.

Wanting to explore more of my own slice of countryside on my doorstep, a few weeks ago myself and Tom took a short stroll through Victoria Park to Windmill Hill City Farm, to say hi to some goats.

Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol

It was a bit of a grey Sunday afternoon and it had just begun to drizzle, but despite this there were still a few young families dotted around looking at the animals. Windmill Hill City Farm is a lot bigger than I’d anticipated, and houses pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits. There’s also an established vegetable plot and allotments, a play area for the kiddos, and a cafe open all week. Sadly I think we were a bit late for the cafe, but I’ve made a mental note to pop back, as their food looks AMAZING.

Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
This goat was apparently comfy sleeping like this.
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol

We didn’t stay too long as not shortly after it started to rain, but I’m definitely going to be heading back on a sunnier day. There’s something to be said for taking a short walk from the supermarket and ending up in a farm, with the chickens clucking at your feet! I love how many green spaces there are in this city I’m lucky to call home. Seeing as it’s less than 10 minutes from our house, I think many repeat visits are on the cards, plus if you ask nicely they’ll let you walk the pygmy goats!!

Bristol’s Best Bits: Tobacco Factory Sunday Market

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I’ve been waxing lyrical about Southville recently – today I found out that my ‘You Know You Live in Southville When…‘ post went up on the Time Out Bristol blog, yay!

Believe me when I say that North Street really is a highlight of Bristol. Tucked away in the deep south across the bridge on the other side of the river, Southville and Bedminster might seem like far away when you’re dwelling in the North of the city, but you can find some real gems down here.

One of said gems is the Tobacco Factory Sunday market, which takes place – yup, you guessed it – at the Tobacco Factory car park every single Sunday! We popped down a couple of weeks ago to have a mooch around.

Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol

I love this market for the way that it seamlessly blends the ‘truer’ elements of your standard market – baker, fishmonger, fruit & veg stall, pieman – with some of the most delightful bits that our city has to offer. The lovely Ivory Flowers has a stall there every weekend, as does the awesome , and when we popped along there was fresh homemade chai from relatively-new-guy-on-the-block, . I made a special trip to get a crisp fiver from the cashpoint to sample a cup, but when I got back they had sold out :( . Another time!

Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol

On the first Sunday of the month it’s also home to ‘Retroville’, showcasing some of the city’s best vintage picks in homeware, books, records and clothing. Tom spent a good deal of time flicking through that box of vinyl, whilst I bopped along to Madonna’s ‘Cherish’, which was blaring out of an old speaker stack set up next to the coffee campervan. Such hipsters.

There really is nothing better to do with a Sunday morning when you’re hungover than to pop down to North Street, grab a bite to eat, have a mooch of the market, and pick up a trinket or two to take home. It’s always changing, too, with new things every time I visit. Keep up to date with all the market goings on over on their (and whilst you’re there, , too?).

Bristol’s Best Bits: Mathilda’s Chilli Bar

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More food! I’m spoiling ya.

Can you believe that it’s been almost a whole year since I wrote this post about the awesome Mathilda’s Chilli Bar? No, neither can I. My writing style has definitely improved!

On the weekend the fantastic Mathilda’s celebrated their first birthday in style, with a fully booked birthday party, a free bar, and more fried pickles than you can shake a stick at. Not wanting to miss out on any of the action, myself and Thomas popped along to wish them a hearty congratulations on turning another year wiser.

Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol

Tucked away in the deepest corner of the newly revamped Bear Pit, Mathilda’s is just how I remembered it. The school style table and chairs were arranged in a canteen fashion in the sleek monochrome tiled interior, with the open kitchen kicking out all sorts of delicious smells. The balloons were out in full force and the party was in full swing as we stepped in from the rain, and so we joined in with the festivities by ordering a delicious brew from New Bristol Brewery and perused the menu.

Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol

I opted for half and half last time, so to shake things up a bit, this time I went all out and plumped for their straight up meaty treat, the Texan brisket chilli, served with spicy guacamole and sour cream. Our choice of side was another easy decision – these deep fried pickles are quite honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten, even if I can taste a heart attack with every delicious mouthful.

So, was it as good a year on? The answer is a resounding YES. Just as before, the chilli was incredible – nicely spicy, a generous portion (maybe even a little too much), with the fluffiest rice on the side. I should really order a different side dish next time I go, but these pickles are just too good to pass up. I did quiz our lovely waitress as to what mysterious ingredient they put in their blue cheese dip to make it taste quite so heavenly, but she wasn’t giving the secret away so easily.

I’m so glad that Mathilda’s has lasted a whole year, usually small businesses find the first year the hardest, but luckily the food scene in Bristol seems to be going from strength to strength. Thank you to the lovely people at Mathilda’s for inviting me along, and here’s to many more successful years!

Bristol’s Best Bits: Wicked at the Bristol Hippodrome

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I’ve lived in Bristol for nearly 6 years now, and I’ll confess something… up until last week, I had never been to Bristol Hippodrome! This legendary Bristol insitution is prominently positioned slap bang in the middle of the city centre, opposite the fountains on St Augustine’s Parade.
Tom is sadly not a massive fan of musical theatre, or theatre in general, which is probably the reason that neither of us have been since the duration of our living in the city, although visiting has always been high on my to-do list. I just didn’t fancy going by myself!

Just as I was planning a trip for my birthday, I was lucky enough to receive an email asking if I would like to go and see the UK tour of the smash hit West End musical, Wicked. Of course I jumped at the chance, and after some much needed sister time, I took along my little sister and BFF, Nelly. This leg of the tour is only on in Bristol for four weeks, and ends on the 21st March, so if you want to see it then you better hurry!

Wicked Musical at Bristol Hippodrome
Wicked Musical at Bristol Hippodrome
Wicked Musical at Bristol Hippodrome

Bit of a history lesson – the Bristol Hippodrome opened in December 1912, and is one of the largest stages outside of London (according to Wikipedia), hence why it regularly hosts such top productions of West End shows. It’s pretty amazing to think that because of the size of it, Bristol is regularly host to larger productions and top comedians – who says we need an arena?! Its spot on St Augustine’s parade next to Boots is easily walked past on the way to Park St or Cabot Circus, but there’s certainly no mistaking its grand facade. It’s just as fancy inside, too.

The Hippodrome looked absolutely amazing, decked out in green glory, complete with a green carpet for the event. Even though I had tickets for a Thursday (and despite the weather!) it was absolutely packed – apparently the best times to catch this tour are midweek, Monday to Wednesday, and there are matinee showings as well. This is the UK & Ireland tour following a massively successful showing on both Broadway and on the West End, and having never seen the musical before I had no idea what to expect.

Wicked UK & Ireland Tour_Credit Matt Crockett_5046_Kickline
Wicked UK Tour_Ashleigh Gray (Elphaba)_Photo Matt Crockett_0880_sm_RT
Wicked UK Tour_Emily Tierney and Ashleigh Gray_Photo Matt Crockett_0766_RT

It follows the untold story of the witches of Oz, and as a bit of a fan of the Wizard of Oz anyway (I played the lion in my drama group production when I was 9, wow, such fame) I was looking forward to seeing how their characters were portrayed. I was definitely not disappointed! The story blends seamlessly into the original plot of the film, and even threw in a few cheeky references for good measure. It’s a pretty powerful tale in its own right, however, detailing how Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West, obvs) and Glinda the Good Witch first met as students, and following their friendship through highs and inevitable lows.

I was pleasantly surprised how I knew some of the songs already. I’m not entirely sure how, possibly through some kind of pop-cultural osmosis of sorts, but I found myself bopping along when the cast burst into ‘Defying Gravity’ and ‘Popular’. The production value of the whole thing was quite simply breathtaking – they never let the energy up for one moment, and the costumes, sets, props, giant dragons, pointiest hats… everything made the whole thing one of the most magical things I have ever seen.

It’s suitable for an audience of 7+, and if you haven’t seen it before, then I thoroughly recommend taking the kids along and watching. The Hippodrome is the perfect backdrop too, and it excited the history nerd in me to think of of all those theatrical productions over the last hundred years. I’m glad to have ticked that one off my Bristol bucket list!

[A huge thanks to Wicked UK for inviting me along – I was invited to review this production but all words and opinions are my own]

Bristol’s Best Bits: At Bristol After Hours – Love & Luck

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At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

I think we’re all secretly still children at heart. I certainly do not consider myself an adult.
So imagine my excitement when I got an invitation to At Bristol’s After Hours event – the chance to mess around in a science museum, at night, after hours, have a drink and play on all the exhibits. Even as a grown up. AWESOME!

At Bristol, for the non-Bristol folk, is a ginormous science museum just off Millennium Square, home to absolutely loads of amazing science exhibits, educational bits and pieces and fun things to do. It’s a fantastic day out to have with the kids, but not having any of my own, it was one of those places I had never visited before.

After Hours takes place every few months, with the idea of opening up one of Bristol’s best attractions to a wider audience. I took my good friend Jude along because like me, she is a nerdy science child at heart, and I knew she’d love it.

At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

We set off from Bedminster and went to cross over Pero’s bridge and encountered the first excitement of the evening – the whole thing has been turned into an art exhibition, and was bathed in a mysterious fog. It’s part of an interactive art installation ‘Fog Bridge‘ by artist Fujiko Nakaya, celebrating Bristol as European Green Capital 2015. If you want to go along and check it out, it’s running til the 22nd Feb!

At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

Each event is centered around a different theme, with different events taking place throughout the night. With it being Valentine’s Day and all this month, this event’s theme was ‘Love and Luck’, with events such as heart dissection (which I was really sad I missed out on) and neanderthal speed dating, which I wasn’t brave enough to try out!

Safely inside the venue, we were given our wristbands and ushered into the main area. The lights were low and there was a DJ belting out some choons, making a proper Friday night atmosphere (well, as much as you get with a science museum!). It was really nice to see people of my own age acting like little kids on some of the interactive exhibits. Wanting to get stuck in ourselves, we made our way up to the Animate It bit upstairs and did some Aardman-style drawings, and even got to have a go at animating our own little film!

At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
Heart dissection!
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

There was so much stuff going on that to tell you about it all, I would be here all night! Amongst all the fun happenings and events throughout the evening my highlights were making giant bubbles big enough to go over your head, taste-testing my way through chillies right the way up to 500,000 scovilles, playing ‘Fancy’ on some giant wind pipe type things that you hit with paddles, a mysterious floating ball, playing with different coloured lights and shadows, and one of my favourite things to do, dressing like a bee!! I walked around in that bee outfit for a good 15 minutes until I could no longer bear people’s sideway glances at me. If anyone at AtBristol is reading this, please can I buy one from you?! It made me the happiest person ever.

If you fancy getting a piece of the late-night science action, then there is another After Hours event happening on the 6th May, with the theme of Food. Yes, FOOD! You can betcha I’ll be there. Will you?
Find out more about At Bristol and After Hours here.

Bristol’s Best Bits: Ashton Gate Flea Market

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You’ve got to love a good flea market. I admit I’m somewhat of a hoarder – since I was little I’ve had the inherent desire to collect things; first it was thimbles, Spice Girls photographs, and cinema tickets from the £1 cinema club on a Saturday, but this slowly evolved into an obsession with hoarding anything remotely shiny and cute, or more recently, just old and plain ugly. I LOVE ugly old stuff.

Luckily in Bristol we are spoilt for places stuffed to the brim with old treasures, ugly or otherwise, so on Sunday me and the boy took our for a trip to Ashton Gate for their ever excellent flea market. We’d been a couple of years ago to get some furniture for our new house and ended up staying for a good few hours just mooching about.

There’s loads to choose from – as well as the vintage businesses with their curated collections there’s also traders with a more pic n mix variety of retro treasures, as well as those with handmade bits and pieces, including a guy who’d crafted copper pipe into bespoke iPad stands. They’ve moved the stalls to a different bit of the stadium (while they’re knocking the old bit down) so it’s a bit of a higgeldy-piggeldy layout across a few rooms, but there’s still a good selection.

Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol
Ashton Gate flea market, Bristol

I was VERY restrained. If I had all the money in the world I would have bought it all and stuffed my house with 1970s mustard coloured treasures and baby nuns. I enquired after that badger too – but sadly couldn’t afford the £150 price tag. Wahhh.
In the end I got a porcelain labrador figurine for £1 and a massive pink wool blanket for a tidy £8. He’s sitting on my mantelpiece and the blanket I plan to cover the sofa with. Pics soon!

You can catch the flea market at the Bristol City ground on the first Sunday of the month, or at St Nicks on the second. The next one at Ashton Gate is on Sunday 8th March, you can find more info here.

Bristol’s Best Bits: Workhouse Cafe

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MOAR CAKE!

Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol

A few months ago, hot off the heels of our trip for cake fun-times at Tart, me and Thomas finally got to try out a place that I’d been dying to go to for months, if not years. Workhouse Cafe sits at the bottom of St Michael’s Hill on Perry Rd, just up from the BRI and almost directly opposite the big sign that says ‘to the Christmas Steps’. You’ve probably driven past it a few times – it’s the beautiful big building on the corner, once home to a butchers, but now home to some of the tastiest home grown food money can buy.

Produce sold at the Workhouse cafe is mainly sourced from their own allotment, and their cakes are baked daily. They also have a fantastic selection of teas (over 20!) and their coffee is some of the best I’ve tasted (and I should know).

Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol

We went at lunchtime on a Friday, as I’d attempted to go at the weekend once and like most places around the town centre, it was packed! We got there just before 12 which is when they start serving lunch, so we perused the menu and glanced over their excellent cake selection whilst making our choice.

In the end we both went for a panini – I had goat’s cheese, butternut, rocket and almonds, and Tom had an ox cheek Rueben. They were both MASSIVE, and absolutely bloody delicious. Mine contained some of my favourite foods of all time, yet despite this, I think I preferred Tom’s. Ox cheek is something I don’t frequently dine on, but it was absolutely incredible – paired with tangy coleslaw and between super crunchy sourdough style bread it was absolute heaven.

Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol
Workhouse Cafe Bristol

The next tricky part was deciding which cake to follow our amazing sandwiches, from a selection of many delicious looking treats. After much umm-ing and ahh-ing, and eyeballing the bread and butter pudding for far too long, we I went for a chocolate stout cake with cream cheese icing. The piece we were given was absolutely humongous, and needless to say, we did not finish it in one sitting. It was the richest, moistest, deliciously bitter and ridiculously chocolately cake I have ever eaten, and was even more excellent paired with a damn fine cup of coffee.

Even if you’re just in the mood for tea and cake Workhouse Cafe definitely won’t let you down. If you’re in and around the town centre or near the Christmas Steps then take a walk off the beaten path and up the hill, or if you unfortunately find yourself at the BRI during their opening hours then pop in pick up a sandwich and a bit of flapjack, you most certainly won’t be disappointed.

Bristol’s Best Bits: Slapstick Festival 2015

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Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

You all know I adore Bristol. You may or may not know that I’m also a bit of a token film geek. So imagine my delight when I was told I would be contributing in a small part to the now somewhat legendary Slapstick festival, which brings joy and delight to Bristol every dreary January.

A celebration of the best of silent and visual comedy, Slapstick champions early pioneering comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy, through to ‘vintage’ comedy from the likes of The Goodies and Vivian Stanshall, right up to the present day surrealists (and Visual Comedy award-winners) Reeves & Mortimer. Plus, it gives me a chance to truly indulge in my love of Buster Keaton for at least one whole weekend a year.

Buster Keaton

I was one of the lucky ones to attend the festival’s grand opening on Friday night – the Slapstick Gala, hosted by Chris Addison, with screenings of Chaplin’s ‘The Immigrant’, Laurel & Hardy’s ‘Big Business’ (with Rick Wakeman improvising on piano!), and Buster Keaton’s ‘Seven Chances’, with live score provided by the European Silent Screen Virtuosi.
As soon as we stepped into the Colston Hall, everyone was in full Slapstick mode – there was a live band providing jazz music, with swing dancers performing in the foyer! There was even a lonely chap in the corner getting into the swing of things, take a peek below:

Needless to say, the show was absolutely brilliant, with a surprise segment in the middle from Lucky Dog Theatre Productions providing a tribute to Stan & Ollie. The highlight for me was definitely Keaton’s Seven Chances, with the live music making all the difference. There’s something charming and weirdly rewarding hearing a crowd of 1800 people chortling with laughter at a film without dialogue, and a strange comforting feeling of being somehow connected with those early audiences, viewing cinema in the same way that they might have.

Eric Mortimer and Ernie Wise
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

Other highlights for me included The Goodies taking a look at their favourite Laurel & Hardy clips, including the infamous scene where for some reason they are hauling a piano across the alps on a rickety bridge and encounter a gorilla (of course), which was met with howls of laughter from the audience.

I also have a new found appreciation for Morcambe & Wise, having attended a show at the Bristol Old Vic with another comedy legend Barry Cryer discussing what it was like working with the pair throughout their career, and sharing some of his favourite moments along the way. It’s funny how many clips I recognised, but I suppose it just goes to show the staying power and timeless humour in visual comedy.

vic&bob-2
vic&bob

On Sunday, me and Tom closed the festival by watching an interview with one of our favourite double acts, Reeves and Mortimer, who accepted their award for Outstanding Contribution to Visual Comedy. The pair were interviewed by Marcus Brigstocke, who I felt really sorry for, but I reckon he managed to do a pretty good job steering the conversation the right way when it went off on a surreal tangent. They were hilarious, of course, and seemed proper chuffed with their awards, which were fashioned like another comedy duo, Morph and Chas!

Looking back at it, I can’t quite believe it’s all over. I’ve been working on Slapstick stuff since October (I sometimes do the socials), and way back then it seemed like ages away. The whole weekend was absolutely amazing, with a really wonderful atmosphere at all the venues and shows I went to. A massive thank you to Slapstick for letting me attend so many brilliant shows, I can’t wait til next year!

All B&W comedian images (C) Slapstick Festival.
Vic & Bob images (C) The Bristol Post.
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