Mild West Heroes is a Bristol-based, ethical t-shirt company that promotes the artwork of West Country illustrators. Started in 2007, the company is run by Jude and Mark Lawson who, after moving from London, fell in love with Bristol and felt inspired by its creative vibe. Whilst embracing the DIY attitude of the city, they also became more aware of its strong ethical and environmental views: “We wanted to create something that was fair for all, whilst also being as low impact and sustainable as possible. We thought promoting local artists and sharing any money made was a good place to start.”

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In each issue of Suit Yourself, Creative File goes behind-the-scenes to talk with Bristol creatives in their own working space. Zuleika Gregory is a seriously multi-talented woman working here in Bristol involved in aerial, theatre, performance and design. We caught up with her at her home workspace in Montpelier.

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Friday 11th February 2011 @ Crash Mansion, Bristol

Mothboy, the innovative London producer, is releasing his latest and perhaps final EP entitled Yeild this week. To celebrate, Drawn Recordings are throwing one almighty launch party at Crash Mansion on Friday 11th February; Deep, Dark And Destined For The Dancefloor. Mothboy’s most famous works have been released through German electronic imprint, Ad Noiseam, where he has unleashed three stunning albums and two 12” singles that have enabled him to carve out a unique place for himself in the world of bass heavy electronic music. Expect a heady night of DJs, live bands, visual projections, a live illustrations showcase and, of course, a performance by Mothboy himself.

www.myspace.com/simonmothboy

www.drawnrecordings.com

It’s been really nice, a privilege, to watch and document this band from their inception to their current point in their journey. Although I’ve known lead guitarist, Luke Horne, for years, my first contact with the rest of the band was when I went to photograph them rehearsing at the Rooftop Studios on Feeder Road. They only had a few original songs and were supplementing their set with Arctic Monkeys covers. There first gig was in a Battle of the Bands competition. They came second and won a set on stage at the Keynsham Festival in 2009. From there on they honed their act with more rehearsals and playing at friends’ parties.
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Set up in 2008 and run by illustrators Lisa Hassell and Michelle Turton, Inkygoodness aim to provide a platform for new and emerging talent to showcase their work alongside more established artists, offering a unique opportunity to develop professional careers through self-promotion and networking. Although the group have a presence around the country, their roots firmly lie in Bristol and they are heavily involved in the art scene here.

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Tuesday 11th until Saturday 29th January 2011 @ The Brewery, Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol

Written, well just about, in 1953 by the late and great Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood was first conceived as a play for voices. Since its rather eloquent first words on the BBC it has walked miles, crossing TV and theatre stages on its way and still remains an ambitious text to adapt. Splice Productions rise to the challenge and present their audience with an interpretation which stays true to Dylan’s original play while also showing just how original and imaginative they are.

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In each issue of Suit Yourself, Creative File goes behind-the-scenes to talk with Bristol creatives in their own working space. This issue, we’re chatting with local graffiti, illustration and design duo Richt and 45rpm at Richt’s home studio in the centre of Bristol.

So what do you do exactly?
If you’re creative you want to try everything, so we do. One week it can be editing and the next designing. It’s good to jump about and keep things fresh.

How did all of this start?
The crew started in 2002. We met through a mate, realised we were into the same style of work so collaborated from then on. Working as a crew means you can bounce ideas off each other and push your work further.
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Wednesday 8th December 2010 until Sunday 16th January 2011 @ Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol

We are all too familiar with the sweet tale of the puppet boy, Pinocchio. With the famous Disney version dominating the original heritage of the fairytale, we forget about the origin of such a now commercial tale. Originally a creation of Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio has transformed into a rather grand topic in popular culture, maybe because of his ever growing nose or his foolish reformations, all the same, the wooden hip hopper has now found himself stringed to the walls of the Tobacco Factory for their annual Christmas show.

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UPFEST have opened a gallery at 198 North Street, Bedminster, displaying work from the arsenal of artists that are associated with them.

Otherwise known as the Urban Paint Festival, Upfest has experienced resounding success and growth since its inception in 2008. Starting off as a whimsical notion to host a free festival of urban art, the first event took place in October 2008 showcasing 50 artists and had around 1500 visitors. This year’s event on the first weekend in June saw nearly 200 artists performing live painting, drawing, stencilling and anything else you can imagine at the Tobacco Factory in Southville, accompanied by sound systems, DJs and other cool stuff. It has become a massive fixture in the cultural calendar of Bristol and the rest of the UK. It draws in artists from around the globe too, so I imagine world domination is only a few years away.
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Scarlet Rascal And The Trainwreck have been making noise in Bristol since early 2009 and if you’ve ever had the pleasure, you’d think it was 1969.  This is how a rock n’ roll band should be:  Rough, raw and ragged at the edges. Having just made slight line-up adjustments, the now four-piece are back and better than ever. SY Magazine caught up with them at their favorite haunt, The Lanes, to discuss their raw, bluesy sounds.

Starting off in college, guitarist/vocalist Luke Brooks and drummer Maya Indelicato got together, sharing the frustration of previous band experiences. Casting off any complications, they went at it as a duo. “We kind of, like, stuck together,” explains Maya. Luke adds; “it was always me and Maya at the heart of it, we kind of just got rid of people until it was just us left.” When left alone in the rehearsal studio they clicked, fueled by their love of The Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. Very soon they were getting out and giving people shows of un-reserved rhythms, electric shrills and wild vocals.
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