Anna Hatfield
Freelance photographer, videographer, and journalist. Specialising in all things music and will most likely be found in a photo pit somewhere muttering about lighting conditions
For the main day of Bristol’s Down Stokes Festival, we head to Stokes Croft for a night of punk across multiple independent venues
As the early evening crept in, the crowds gathered in Stokes Croft for the main day of Down Stokes Festival. After a quick visit to the newly reopened Croft (formerly known as Crofters Rights), I headed to my first venue of the day: Café Kino
Down in the cosy basement, Kibbo Kift started the festival off perfectly. Their stylish shoegaze sound, coupled with their tight performance and unique look, was a great start to the day.
Next up was Butch Kassidy in the Attic Bar. This band has a unique set up with the drummer leading the way with confident vocals and impeccable skill. The band’s volume drew a crowd, and the dark, red-lit stage kept the crowd fully immersed throughout this noisy prog-rock extravaganza.
From one punk band to another, Heavy Lungs were up straight after, and what a treat they were. Danny Nedelko was born to be a frontman, and the rest of the band complemented each other fantastically. Leaping around both the stage and in the crowd, Danny gave everyone an up close and personal, egotistically flamboyant, and mesmerizing performance. This band really gave it their all and were certainly a highlight for a lot of people.
Bringing the energy down a bit (but certainly not the quality), I headed over to The Old England to catch Broadsheets. Their ethereal vocals drew me in, and their unique shoegaze sound held me in a trance, while the band displayed their multi-instrumentalist talents and songwriting abilities. This was a real treat to hear and truly inspired me with their creativity and vast genre-spanning range of sound.
The headline act in The Croft was a pleasant discovery for me. Karkara are a psychedelic noise rock band, reminiscent of early King Gizzard. With just 3 members, the room was transported to a hypnotic melee of sound, with long songs and catchy riffs. The crowd absolutely loved this performance and were dancing and moshing to their heart’s content the whole time.
Not wanting the night to end quite yet, I headed to Café Kino one last time to catch The Rothmans. These are one of Bristol’s most impressive post-punk noise rock bands around today. The whole band were phenomenal, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the drummer. This band showcased amazing stamina and showmanship throughout their set and were a perfect end to a loud and proud, talent-filled festival day.
Photography by Anna Hatfield