Avon Racket | Photographique x Rough Trade

It doesn’t always make sense does it? A mid sized city in the West Country punching above its weight in the arena of international music. We all know the high points, when the likes of Massive Attack, Tricky and Reprazent put it on the map. If you chatted to any of them they’d tell you about the history of blues dances, St Pauls carnival, punk, post punk, anarcho punk, Sarah records, the free parties out in the fields, the record shops, the distributors, Smith & Mighty, Flying Saucer Attack, the Wild Bunch, the Wurzels…. Countless other crews and reminiscences… They all add up to paint a picture of a city obsessed with music and inter connected in many ways. United at times and frustratingly divided at others. Born, bred and transplants. Red and Blue. Weed and cider.  Have we all just talked it up too much? Do we all just believe the hype? I don’t know, all I know is when I visit other places not many have the level of musical activity we have right here in Bristol.

- Chris Farrell

Publication of images collected by Photographique & Rough Trade in 2023 of the Bristol Music scene.

Featuring photographs by:

Femke Campbell, Amia Watling, Morgan Griffin, Mark Simmons, Alex Wolfe-Warman, Kieran Jarvis, Nic Kane, Martyna Bannister, Sam Hobs-Lakin, Simon Doling, Ben Clarke, Mia Hill, Alex Gunn, Thomas Porter, Megan Ip, Simon Holiday , George Jones , Matthew Norman, Justin Quinnell, Philippa Williams, Jean Fourie, David Ruiz, Lydia Cashmore, Kwojo Ackah, Fenton Flemming, Seb Peters, VogonLaundromat & Rosie Harding.