Young people from Making Tracks project who came along to chat with Dev from IDLES. Photo Lee Ramsay

Adam Devonshire (AKA Dev), bass player with Bristol based UK album chart topping post punk band IDLES, headed to Trinity to share his professional experience with emerging musicians on Trinity's music making project Making Tracks.

"It gave me some great insight into the industry and made me realise what I need to do next." Jasper, Trinity Making Tracks Participant

Dev spoke in great detail about the Idles ethos, song writing, musical inspiration, touring, branding and approach to digital streaming. His main advice to the young people who to 'hone your craft, write loads of songs - then scrap those songs and write better ones, play tons of gigs and build a strong local fan base'. He advised that once this has been achieved this then you can start thinking about moving outwards and attracting more industry attention.

Dev gave insight to Idles early days - playing tiny local bars to virtually no one to supporting the Foo Fighters, touring the world and playing the Park stage at Glastonbury Festival - something which had been a dream for the band right from the very start.

"I’ve had to sacrifice a lot to get to this point. The band has always come first. Even when no one seemed interested in us. We just kept on working hard, learning our craft and believing we could achieve and do what we love." Dev, IDLES

To finish off Dev took a quick fire round in which we learnt his favourite ice cream is mint choc chip, the first single he bought was, ‘Boom! Shake the Room’, by DJ Jazzy Jeff and that one of his favourite films is Shane Meadows bleak cult classic, ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’.

This exciting opportunity was co-created in direct response to feedback from a cohort of students involved in the Making Tracks Steering group. This group empowers young people within the project to have their voice amplified and opinions heard, providing them with autonomy and agency helping them to shape and design the Making Tracks’ programme.

About Making Tracks

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as support from match funders Youth Sector Support Fund.

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time.

The band's second release, Welcome Break, was self-produced, mixed by Ceasar Edmunds (PJ Harvey, St Vincent, Queens of the Stone Age), and recorded at Ramsgate's Big Jelly Studios. The album, due for release on Oct 08, is a compilation of inspirations soaked up while on the road, adding contemporary chaos to the decisive allure of their debut album, Boat.

Please note, this is a standing show.

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Portico Quartet's next release, Untitled (AITAOA 2) is coming in April.

Please note, this is a standing show.

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time.

Their feverishly anticipated debut album, The Overload, due for release on Jan 07 2022, was recorded at Ali Chant’s (PJ Harvey, Perfume Genius, Aldous Harding) Bristol studio. The Overload is a political record of retro influences; pulsing with post-punk, indie dance energy. It’s a messy, complex, knowingly hypocritical snapshot of our current state of play.

Please note, this is a standing show.

Tickets on sale: Sep 16, 10am

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time.

Hype Dance Group at Trinity. Photo credit: Alex Brenner

"I've never had much luck when it comes to competitions, aside from a school fete circa 1998 when I won a pack of colouring pencils in a raffle (does that even count?) but the failure has never deterred me. Given my lack of success, I didn't have high hopes last year when I filled out Trinity Centre's questionnaire in hope of winning a custom-designed Minirig (while sharing my views on the venue, of course), so the day I found out I had in fact won was a thoroughly joyous one. I've always wanted a Minirig and the speaker has been very well used over the past year, having been taken to various green spaces across Bristol, the few festivals that have taken place for campsite tunes and the back garden on sunny days, not to mention for post-lockdown shindigs. I don't think my neighbours are quite so fond of it, though... After my rare taste of success, I highly recommend you fill out this year's survey. You've got to be in it to win it, after all, and even if you don't get as lucky as I did, you'll be helping shape the future of this fantastic venue."

Robin Murray, Mini Rig Winner 2020

Your voice matters - each year we ask you to share your thoughts about Trinity. Feedback from audiences helps us shape and adapt our programme and helps us raise funds so we can ensure that everyone in Bristol has the opportunity to access and shape arts and culture.

Last year over 500 of you to the time to share what areas we could improve at Trinity and how we could welcome audiences back following the easing of Lockdown restrictions:

You said: You would love to see "a larger outdoor venue" and "as many live music and DJ events in the garden following social distancing practices".

What we did: In Oct 2020 we did just that with the Garden Sessions. Over two months we welcomed live music and DJ sets back audiences to enjoy the likes of Waldo’s Gift and Hodge and Danielle. We brought back the pop-up venue in April and May 2021 – this time programming a wider variety of events including a Desert Island style panel talk with Reggae and Soundsystem legends Lioness and Vibronics.

You said: You would like "more activities for children & families"

What we did: As part of Trinity Presents, we welcomed family-focused events, including Baby Raves, workshops with Associate Artist Roxana Vilk and performances for young children.

You said: "Be open to what the community needs (community-led) and potentially provide free space where people can start to engage in positive activities in a safe way".

What we did: We employed a new Activities Coordinator whose role is to work with local communities to support new events and activities at Trinity.

We have recruited more community members to be part of our Trinity Presents programming forum - members have helped selected artists commissions as well as a programme of Theatre and Dance.

You said: " I think your loos in the main hall need improvement".

What we did: Installed new cubicles in the toilets in the main halls and are currently developing plans to install new toilets in the grounds.

We would love you to share your voice again this year by filling out our short survey, it takes about 15 mins - and we really do listen.

Last year, Robin Murray filled in our questionnaire and was selected through random selection to receive a custom designed Mini Rig - share you voice this year you can be in for a chance to win a Trinity Mini-Rig, custom-designed by Adam Menzies.

Click here to fill out our audience survey

Survey closes 06 Oct 2021 5pm

From STANLAEY + Robbie & Mona, boundary pushing experimental dance music electronic artist Sunun, underground Techno from Bristol's own Giant Swan and emerging female and non-binary collective Booty Bass, some of the best sounds in the South West have performed as part of Garden Sessions in our magical outdoor venue this year.

“Throughout all craziness of the last few years, Trinity have always been there providing a space for us and many other artists to do what we do best” Pete Cunningham, Ishmael Ensemble

Across 13 shows we welcomed over 1600 people, supporting 51 artists and creating 88 opportunities for paid work for the freelance creative workforce.

We connected with local communities to offer affordable tickets for all our shows, including nationally touring British/Somali singer FaceSoul, whose intimate performance created lasting memories for all who attended.

Due to the success of Garden Sessions we are planning to launch the outdoor venue as a seasonable space in 2022. Click here to find out more.

• Dave Harvey
• Ellie Stokes
• Chez de Milo

alongside NSL's Void Arcline Quad set, for that high-end sound and energy.

A disc jockey who refuses to be restricted by genre, Richards' sets range from dub, reggae, soul, and disco to the finest house and techno.

Please note, this is a standing show

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time.

Joy’s universally appealing neo-soul sound; knack for smart, modern storytelling; and candid, fearless attitude has seen her grow an ever amassing fanbase, waiting avidly for her next move.

Tickets on sale: Sep 05, 9am

Please note, this is a standing show

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time.

Teachings in Dub regular sound system night @Trinity, ©Khali Ackford

Trinity Community Arts Statement re Trinity Road Police Station Redevelopment, Sept 2021

Trinity welcomes the prospect of increased affordable homes in the locality offered through the proposed scheme, but it’s important for everyone to understand what that will actually mean in practice.

People need housing and existing residents also want to see improvements to their area. However, as one local resident has fed back to us regarding the proposed development; “When they say affordable housing there is no mention of social housing - that simply means people on benefits will have no chance to get a house, which is the issue we have in Bristol - there's not enough social housing. Not affordable housing. Social housing.”

As with other developments in the city and country, we have to be mindful about the 1st of 10 principles from the Govt’s National Design Guide, which is ‘context’ and this rapid re-imagining of our city has to include everyone.

Unfortunately, in spite of Agent of Change, the responsibility to protect what exists already falls to individual businesses and citizens like us.

As with recent developments near venues such as Motion, we are keen to see as part of this development that a Deed of Easement is placed onto the application as a condition at planning stage, to protect Trinity as an existing venue with a rich music and cultural heritage and a lively and diverse present-day offering.

We have discussed with developer acoustic considerations and are keen to understand more about how they've been incorporated into the design. So far, there has been a lot of good will expressed.

Now we just need to ensure this translates into conditions and mitigation measures as part of the development to legally safeguard Trinity’s future as a cultural institution for East Bristol.

We recommend anyone with concerns to direct these through the Bristol City Council planning portal (application ref no. 21/04338/F).

Like Mercury residency, Bellatrix and Emma Houston Dance Collective. Photo credit Khali Ackford

We are pleased to announce that we are looking for exciting new work to present as part of our programme of shows in Spring 2022.

We are keen to hear from artists and companies whose work responds to our current theme of Art of Resistance in exciting and innovative ways, work that is timely and relevant for our diverse local audiences and work that will inspire and engage.

What we’re looking for:

• Performance ready Theatre, Dance, Spoken Word and Cross-art form, work that responds to the themes of arts and resistance and social activism.
• Work that can be presented across two seasons: 1) between January and 31st March 2022, 2) between 1 April and 31st June 2022.
• Small-medium scale work to be programmed as single shows (on occasion we may programme more than 1 day of a performance).
• Work that can be presented outside of a traditional raked seating format. Work that is relatable and exciting to our community whether that be our local residents in inner-city Bristol, service users who regularly meet at the centre or a community that we might not have met yet but who will benefit from experiencing live performance at Trinity.
• Work that has not been previously presented in Bristol in its current state.
• Work that involves wrap-around activity that can engage our community (Q&A, workshops etc)
• At least 2 of the performances we select will be created by Bristol based artists who are based within 15 miles of Trinity Centre.

We will provide:

Between £750 and £1500 in fees to include performance fees, travel, accommodation and expenses. (Please note that you must have a bank account in your organisation’s name or be registered as self-employed) Technical support for get-in, show and get-out. Advice and guidance from relevant members of staff at Trinity and relevant partners on developing your audiences.

Pay What You Can tickets for audience members and free tickets for community participants

How to submit:

We’ll ask you to submit a tour pack of no longer than 4 pages that includes show information, engagement/wraparound activity plans, a tech specification and marketing strategy.

We’ll ask you to answer a question about how you’ll work with us to engage with our community and to tell us which season (1 or 2) your work is available for.

We’ll ask you to complete an equal opportunities form, so we can make sure these opportunities are reaching the right people, but this won’t be used in the decision to programme your show.

How we decide who to programme:

At Trinity we believe that the most important decision makers are our community. Therefore we programme our Trinity Presents Arts Programme using a Programming Forum made up of local artist and community members and people who use our building on a regular basis.

Deadline: The deadline for submissions is 9am 04 Oct

Click here to submit your tour pack and information

We are pleased to be part of Fun Palaces, a three year project that aims to give power to communities so they can re-think, re-claim or re-purpose civic and community spaces.

Fun Palaces are creating opportunities for everyone to have a say about what counts as culture, where it happens and who experiences it.

At Trinity, a Fun Palace Ambassador will be in place for the duration of the project to support volunteers, grassroots communities and organisations to programme events or create projects that celebrates community and everyday creativity. Alongside this they will support people with free advice and guidance on developing ideas into realities, support with funding applications and event management.

©Khali Ackford

Trinity is a member of Bristol's DIY Arts Network; an independent gathering of arts organisations and arts practitioners, large and small, who deliver cultural programmes within the city of Bristol.

We meet regularly to advocate for the sector and to discuss and inform policy, as well as forming working groups in response to specific issues and to develop shared activity. This thinking feeds directly into the wider cultural conversations happening at a high level in the city through the One City Culture Board.

We also have social activities and network meetings - online and in person - so that people working in the arts can share ideas and support one another and to navigate the challenges of the arts sector, together.

The group’s members work across different scales and different artforms; some specialise in participatory opportunities, others seek out an audience; some charge, some don’t; and some provide complex programmes that sit across a number of strands.

Together, we are committed to the successful future of our city, and the creativity of both Bristol and Bristolians. We have developed a set of saraed DIY Arts Culture Standards which aims to make Bristol’s arts sector fair, open and inclusive. Read more about how we're delivering on that commitment, here.

Network members include Bristol Old Vic, Watershed, Bristol Beacon, Knowle West Media Centre, Artspace Lifespace, St Paul's Carnival, MAYK, Bristol Paraorchestra, Zion and many others including independent artists and freelance creative practitioners.

If you are an independent artist, practitioner or smaller organisation unable to attend a meeting, you can share ideas, views and concerns with Trinity. Contact us if you have an idea/issue you would like to raise.

We're what you make us so get involved! #MaketheSpace.

There may also be some small bursaries available for individual artists and practitioners to attend committee meetings. Please contact Theatre Bristol who help to administer the group for more information.

An integral part of Ross From Friends’ music has always been the 3-man live show – comprising of Felix, Jed Hampson, and John Dunk - that delivers a killer blend of live musicians (guitar, keys, and sax) and electronics.

Please note, this is a standing show

In their debut album How Beautiful Life Can Be, dropping Sep 24, The Lathums channel the rebellious nature of 80's indie. Recorded in energetic sessions at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool, the album has all the nostalgia of the walkman era, updated for the summer of 2021.

Please note, this is a standing show.

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time.