Playlouder - Music is the Network

A BRAND NEW PUB AND MUSIC VENUE OPENS IN BRISTOL

7 – 9 Baldwin Street, Bristol, BS1 1 RU (Entrance on Clare Street)

DOORS OPEN: FRIDAY 8 FEBRUARY, 2008

Featuring: Quality Home Cooked Food * 3am Licence Thurs – Sat 

Bristol's town centre sees the welcome arrival and a unique new prospect on the social map this February, in the form of pub-with-great-music, START THE BUS, which will open its doors to the public at midday on Friday, 8 February, 2008.

Featuring a wide, irregular array of live music events, DJ nights, and everything either side – from pub quizzes and weekend record fairs, to a tasty, homemade, great value menu and a huge range of beers and bevies - plus resident DJs the Armchair Disco, Esme's Fantastic Jumble, a spot of cabaret, and the odd sighting of face painting and model making, if you're lucky… Topped off with a delectable musical feast, which will include large helpings of Electro, Folk, Pop, Jazz, Hip Hop, Indie, Funk, Pop, Rock and Electronica, not to mention a 3am licence every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, START THE BUS offers an original eclectic ride, and once you get on, you might not want to get off! Oh, and did we mention the most amazing ladies' loos in the world, ever?

Working with a diverse collective of the best new, alternative and established Bristol music promoters and creatives – including BEEF, Jumeau, Juke 2000, Cool Struttin, Monkey Knife Fight, Yellow Revolution, Squeaky Hill, What a Drag, and Future Boogie - as well as some of the most exciting labels, club nights, promoters and bands currently working the wider UK music scene, START THE BUS promises an original social space, combining exciting new live music talent and other eccentric activities, alongside a the constant offer of a good pint, great coffee, tasty food (including Sunday Roasts with home made Yorkshire puds), a stash of newspapers and magazines, and a lively, unusual environment to while away the time in.

The first month's sonic adventures include an impressive roster of names and new acts, including a special launch weekend featuring Sean Rowley (Guilty Pleasures), Bristol's own Ed Banger-signed Mr Oizo, Hatcham Social Club and Rosie Oddie and The Odd Squad, not to mention the eclectic and much loved Adventures in the Beetroot Field, who's acclaimed nights across the UK tend to include everything from new bands, to coconut shies and portable wheelie soundsystems. Other February highlights include a fine slice of local talent from hip hop ladies Dutty Girl, rising stars Munch Munch, and home-grown jazz man James Morton, plus a host of out-of-towners, including Duke Dumont, Tapedeck, Jac the Disco, and The Boy Lucas, with much more to come.

With the interior created especially for the venue by acclaimed designer Brigitte D'Angelo, the space (currently 'Edwards') will receive a complete make-over, mixing a raw industrial aesthetic with flashes of colour, comfort and unexpected textures and materials adorning the walls, alongside a number of focus points, where local, up-and-coming visual artists illustrators can showcase their work, the walls acting as an informal, rotating gallery of temporary exhibitions.