With a feverish hubbub of anticipation surrounding its opening, Bristol’s newest uber-cool bar (it’s definitely “not a club!”) Start The Bus is finally open to the intrigued public, but will it live up to the hype?

Replacing the Edwards bar on Baldwin Street, Start The Bus aims high indeed and offers a very scintillating programme of nights and days out for the fair people of Bristol. On offer we have pub bingo, general off-centre music to match the general off-centre decorations, quality home cooked food (definitely try the hippy burger!), mad club mash-ups, hungover Sunday DJs, film quizzes, wifi, live music and wait for it…jumble sales!!! Ace.

Excellent regular evening entertainment includes the divine Wriggle (party starting beats, trash-pop mayhem, the tastefully tacky and everything eighties), What A Drag (the best in upcoming indie/electro DJs and live acts), Juke 2000 (showcasing up and coming acts from Bristol and beyond), Stutter (indie-disco but not as you know it) and Armchair Disco (retro sounds for the discerning listener).

As brilliant as this all seems on paper, there seems to be a bit of confusion as to what Start The Bus actually is and who it’s really appealing to. It’s a fantastic idea trying to attract the coffee and newspaper crowd during the day and the art ravers during the night but a certain popular phrase involving the words “broth” and “cooks” springs to mind. Locating the venue on Baldwin Street and Corn Street seems to add to the confusion. This is right in the heart of ‘9-5 office working, mind-numbed, living for the weekend twats’ territory, highlighted by the reputation of the bar which preceded it. At Start The Bus’ opening night a confused bunch of punters with their white shirts open and hair greased up loudly declared “Edwards has turned fucking weird”. These typical Edwards fans mixing with cool, scenesters kids is an unlikely mix that won’t last, something will have to give.

However, the bar is still finding its feet and the events I have seen have been great. Highlights being the Jumble Sale and The ‘Not So’ Super Market where you can just come along and pitch your own stall or simply browse all there is on offer during the day, as well as getting you involved in art projects, fun and games, including interactive collages and ‘colour the Hoff!’

I would really love to see Start The Bus do well, the idea is amazing and there are enough like minded people in Bristol to make it work but I guess only time will tell. It could either transform the Baldwin Street scene or get absorbed in its hideous “sat night, drink till I fall over and puke” underbelly. I can’t help but feel Start The Bus would work so much better somewhere like near the Arnolfini, or on Gloucester Road, but we’ll see. Fingers crossed!

www.startthebus.tv

Rachel Butcher
Photos: Romilly Winter