Getdown Services + More Perform At Premiere Of ‘Bristol Beats’ Documentary

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Getdown Services, Ok Ewan, The Freakshow And Zoe Carr-Smith perform at the premiere of ‘Bristol Beats,’ an archiving of Bristol’s music scene

The chasm-like halls of Strange Brew are lit with a glowing light, entrancing an audience of spectators, sat hooked row on row, gazing at a glowing rectangular screen. Warm smiles and soft voices, punctuated by the titular laughter of a happy intrigued crowd cuts through the stillness of the room.

The music blares forth and after what feels like seconds (but is in fact much longer) the film is over and the revery we have been put in for the last few hours comes to an end.

Zoe Carr-Smith, Ok Ewan, The Freakshow, Nat Oaks and Getdown Services – all proud Bristolian voices, are highlighted in the pronounced documentary. ‘Bristol Beats,’ Cerys Gadsden’s documentary on the Bristol music scene, is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Proud and powerful, the film draws you in with its 2000s style ambience; the intimacy and rawness of conversation suggest a palpable community spirit that seems to seep from the screen. I’ve never been prouder to live in Bristol.

A certain amount of sorrow seems to sit in the wings of the film, a little bit of bleak truth – that the industry is starting to buckle – buckle under the weight of economic constraints, buckle under the lack of funding and the economic pressures huge, commercialized venues are placing on grassroots.

The stillness in these moments seems to hold weight in the room and create space for conversation. As the clamor of applause dies and the audience sit back in our seats, the thought that slides gently back into the mind is: “what can we do?” Cerys Gadsden is thought-provoking and unforgettable.

Following the film is a smattering of performances from Ok Ewan, Getdown Services, Zoe Carr-Smith and The Freakshow. Ok Ewan, a singular entity, fills the stage with his lyrics on mental health and the lows of life. The celebratory joy in the room emanates around and from him, and whilst woeful lyrically, the powerful beats echo the sense of celebration and wonder in the space.

Getdown Services arrive on stage and the room is swept away, caught up in the lyrical banter. An entire room chants ‘f*ck off Jamie’, and whilst Jamie Oliver might not actually deserve the disdain of an entire generation for trying to make us healthier, the glee on the face of the twelve year old boy stood next to me warms my heart.

Gadsden’s film was a triumph, the night a blaring success and hopefully the start of a beautiful documentarian career.

Watch ‘Bristol Beats’ here:

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