St Pauls Carnival - 6th July

[Mister_Pi]

amen to that - its like Mardi Gras, entire area becomes a big freeparty Lots of systems, some good, some diabolical - JTS were tuff as ever

 

[Libertad]

Reports from friends yesterday saying "It was menkle" A good time had by all.

 

[ska invita]

I had a great day...
Got into Bristol at 3pm, took a while to find an off license, but once stocked up i headed over to Negus Melody first... nice selection and the crowd already fired up. In fact by around 5 - 6pm there were quite a lot casualties around, and i did get a bit worried how things were going to be at night time. But in fact when night fell that was the biggest surprise - instead of feeling edgier and messier it seemed to me to get mellower. It was so nice to be out in the streets, just a t-shirt all night, music playing and peace reigning.

A highlight of the day was Jah Tubby's unofficial string up on Argyle Road - I think it was the best sounding system ive ever heard - sounding so clear and detailed. It didnt look like much, but trust me, sounded amazing. A lot if must be the preamps and whatnot - expertly separated and controlled across the frequencies.

Playing in the afternoon was King Simeon - faultless selection - who got joined by Mark Iration who for an hour fed him the latest Iration Steppas dubplates - killed it. (the Tubbys crew came on later)

*not my pics but they are from the day

Their spot on Argyle Rd is a nice one but its a bit of a through-road so lots of people walk through the dance area, but if you find a spot its fine.

Managed to meet up with BlackArab, <who made me feel right at home, thank you . We hung out a bit around asitistv (that is one wall of sound!) and the main stage, the family and community atmosphere at which just doesnt happen at Notting Hill. Also nice to have live music at Carnival - Laid Blak did a great job of it alongside Tippa Irie. Asitistv reminded me of a US block party, not that ive ever been to one.

Weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, people were very friendly, and long may it reign - and keep its 2am close down time.

 

[Thimble Queen]

That shat all over notting hill

 

[kalidarkone]

Best Carnival I have ever had-but I was pretty mashed Great atmosphere.

 

[ska invita]

Notting Hill does have problems and St Pauls shows some of them up. Not having carnival floats driving around through the bussiest parts of the day helps a lot - I think at NH they should have family day with carnival procession on Saturday (no sounds) and then 2 two days of soundsystems with no floats. Or even jsut one day of sounds if that was too expensive. Would an 8pm finish be so bad? 8.30pm?

I wasnt there early enough to see the parade part of the day - how does that work at St Pauls? Is it a motorcade?

Having a family area stage with live music is great. Running till 2am just cant be matched. But to defend NH a little, the scenes you get at sounds like Good Times and Aba Shanti are hard to beat anywhere in the world - when it goes off there it really goes off. Still well worth making all the effort to get there to year after year.

 

[JTG]

The St Pauls parade is fairly unspectacular in some ways - no floats these days, they downgraded to buggies with soundsystems on a few years back and yesterday they went even greener with soundsystems on bikes (some of them being given a push on the uphill bits!). All the local primary schools take part, there were three samba bands, couple of cultural societies... the emphasis is on the local community these days rather than spectacular costume displays. It's nice to see all the local kids getting their big day in the sun

Yesterday felt quite different to many previous carnivals, the atmosphere after dark was quite nice and it wasn't too crowded either in contrast to some years when the City Road junctions are impassable. Lovely selection of impromptu/unofficial rigs in people's front gardens playing all sorts and tried to do a tour of the rigs before being constantly diverted back to DMT's rig at Lakota, where all the local free party messheads were hanging out as usual. Fantastic set of jump up dnb being played in the late afternoon sunshine there, classic after classic being given a very welcome airing

Only heard Chris Liberator/DDR's set from afar having miscalculated when Lakota were going to shut the gates but caught some of DJ Die's set at Turbulence by the Star & Garter late on when toing and froing. Good stuff. As usual the whole day was filled with possibilities that never quite materialised - would have loved to spend some time at Jah Tubby's for example - but the sun shone, I met loads of good mates (planned and unplanned) and St Pauls did itself proud once again. We know how to throw a party

ETA: really pleased it made such a good impression ska invita

 

[ska invita]

The St Pauls parade is fairly unspectacular in some ways - no floats these days, they downgraded to buggies with soundsystems on a few years back and yesterday they went even greener with soundsystems on bikes (some of them being given a push on the uphill bits!). All the local primary schools take part, there were three samba bands, couple of cultural societies... the emphasis is on the local community these days rather than spectacular costume displays. It's nice to see all the local kids getting their big day in the sun

BlackArab was directly involved in an aspect of that - if there are any pics please post them . Sounds like a good policy.

Yeah the crowd level was just perfect. I guess its out-of-towners who make the numbers too big.

Yes some lovely "home" rigs - one occasion id have liked to have taken some photos. There was a beautiful rig just down from asitis on st nicholas road - immaculate boxes (i didnt hear it play). Also like the "hell no we wont glow" couple of boxes which sounded great considering how humble a little thing it was.

 

[ska invita]

ETA: really pleased it made such a good impression ska invita

Whats not to love! I cant get enough of the culture of it - so much work goes into it - sound guys still striking down in the early hours having been there since morning, having played for hours...and the fact it isnt corporate - genuinely grassroots. The unofficial rig element adds a lot too. There was a weird moment when about 8 cops stood at either side of Tubbys and I was wondering if they were goign to make a pincer movement to take the rig down, but it must have been about something else.

...its all such a fragile thing in this age of fences, total policing, etc. I guess councils (and the police) see this as necessary to keep community relations good, and I was reading the other day about fayres and festivals of old, and the genuine carnage that they unleashed, and how the powers-that-be likely tolerated them as it acted as a bit of a pressure valve. Maybe it was my imagination but i get the feeling theres a fair bit of that in Bristol. I dont know what you think but the atmosphere in Bristol does permanently feel quite bubbling as if it would only take turning the temperature up a little to get it boil over. Ive only been there twice now, but both times i got that feeling.

 

[JTG]

Take a look at Bristol's solid track record of civil disturbances over the centuries for confirmation of that

St Pauls on any BH weekend in summer is replete with the sound of heavy bass from a rig set up in the street somewhere. It's pretty standard fare, just that Carnival weekend is when the rest of the world is invited to play too

 

[ska invita]

Oh and the toilet provisions were excellent i thought - they really did shit all over Notting HIll in that respect

 

[William of Walworth]

I really want to get to this some year, after reading the above!

 

[ska invita]

I really want to get to this some year, after reading the above!

was it the toilets that swung it?

 

[BlackArab]

Good to meet you SI, wasn't just the soundbwoys that were up early I started at 8.30 that day. Re the procession, here's what you missed https://www.facebook.com/full.circl...0201491677118175.1073741828.1363599340&type=3

My lot are in the pics starting after the ladies in orange t-shirts. I've still not recovered, took a couple of walks round the area Sunday lunchtime and yes there were still a few casualties toasting nicely in the sun and getting loads of vitamin D to match the previous nights K by the look of things. I didn't realise NH had no live bands anymore, sad really as my first ever gig was Aswad there (Live & Direct). Also I don't think you're the only one who felt that it could bubble over easily but then as JTG accurately points out it often does although thankfully not at carnival. The non-confrontational policing on the day helps, the large groups of Met always made me more nervous at NH than any other group did.

 

[BlackArab]

BlackArab was directly involved in an aspect of that - if there are any pics please post them . Sounds like a good policy.

Yeah the crowd level was just perfect. I guess its out-of-towners who make the numbers too big.

Yes some lovely "home" rigs - one occasion id have liked to have taken some photos. There was a beautiful rig just down from asitis on st nicholas road - immaculate boxes (i didnt hear it play). Also like the "hell no we wont glow" couple of boxes which sounded great considering how humble a little thing it was.

I was going to post a pic of Harry Styles but I'm still trying erase that from memory.

 

[ska invita]

I didn't realise NH had no live bands anymore, sad really as my first ever gig was Aswad there (Live & Direct)

Dont take my word on that, there might be some somewhere. In fact I saw a live band playing Gazs Rocking Blues just the other year and Im sure there are others - but its a different set up to the way it was at St Pauls - the family stage feels at the heart of it. I remember you telling the story of catching Aswad - losing your mum in the process IIRC

Thanks for the pics, looking great, and good luck with the recovery

 

[ska invita]

Negus Melody nightime action

 

[ska invita]

Just bumped into someone who was reminiscing about NH carnvial in 82, and was saying that little park under the westway was a livestage very much acting at the heart of carnival - he remembers Musical Youth on the bill!
...that sense of a (live or otherwise) centre has definitely gone IMO. I think the photo Ive seen of the Aswad gig we were talking about has them playing in the street, somehow raised of the ground, but it wasnt a stage...

 

[BlackArab]

Just bumped into someone who was reminiscing about NH carnvial in 82, and was saying that little park under the westway was a livestage very much acting at the heart of carnival - he remembers Musical Youth on the bill!
...that sense of a (live or otherwise) centre has definitely gone IMO. I think the photo Ive seen of the Aswad gig we were talking about has them playing in the street, somehow raised of the ground, but it wasnt a stage...

I remember that stage from the first time went around the same time, probably wouldn't be safe these days with the size of the crowd.

 

[ska invita]

Footage of Bristol local Dubkasm on the Lion Unit Sound

Anyone know where this is? Id like to visit next year - I didnt see them.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Footage of Bristol local Dubkasm on the Lion Unit Sound

Anyone know where this is? Id like to visit next year - I didnt see them.

That's 'Peckham Town Hall' AKA the old Coroner's Court on Backfields, adjacent to Lakota's yard (Upper York Street).