By Amy Foss-Clark
Community. A word you don’t hear that often any more. Everyone’s too busy on their phones, too anxious to meet new people or just too ‘busy’.
With more than half of Britons feeling socially disconnected from society and roughly 22% of adults suffering general anxiety, it is now more important than ever to highlight the importance of community-building.
I am very proud to say that Bristol is a city that is actively keeping the community spirit alive and I believe that the fighting force behind it is Bristol’s varying ’Open Mic Nights.’
For those not in the know, an open mic night is an evening, usually based in a pub, where performers of all levels and all manner of talents gather, and, you guessed it, perform. A multitude of instruments are brought along and people from all walks of life hop on to the stage to sing, rap, recite poetry or play an instrument. It makes for a night of great entertainment.
I first attended an open mic night at The Gallimaufry on the Gloucester Road. I was there to watch. I had just come out of a break up and my friends were beginning to leave the city so I decided to push myself and go to an evening where I knew no one, no one knew me, and with the hopes of hearing some music and who knew, maybe make some friends.
Upon entering I was nervous so I quickly grabbed a pint and stood by the bar and focused my attention on the man singing on the stage and playing the guitar. My self consciousness quickly ebbed away and I fell into the music’s web. In front of me was a table full of musicians waiting their turn, ukuleles on their laps and guitars strapped to their backs.
A lady on the table noticed me eyeing up the empty seat next to her and smiled at me and patted on the bench, encouraging me to sit down. So I did, and soon enough I was engaged in whispered conversation with everyone at said table, each person asking if I was performing, what sort of music I liked and commending me for coming alone, though I must say, I very quickly did not feel alone. I spoke with about ten other people that night, watched an eclectic array of performances and left with my head held high.
The majority of these people I did not see again, yet they were swapped out for new friendly faces the next week, and so the cycle went on.
A regular performer at The Gallimaufry’s open mic night is singer song writer, Sophie Sutton.
I asked Sophie why she thought that people are so drawn to open mic nights; “They offer people a sense of belonging to a place,” she answered, “ the main focus of the best open mic nights I’ve been to has been inclusivity; all are welcome and I think that’s why they’re so popular!”
I admitted to Sophie that I was sceptical before attending my first open mic night as I knew there would be regulars and I found this intimidating, Sophie said; “Each open mic will have its regulars and newcomers alike, but no matter where you sit on that spectrum, everyone’s presence and artistic offerings contribute to the sense of togetherness for the night.
“You’re all weirdly vulnerable together so it all adds to the fun and camaraderie of the night.”
In a city as small as Bristol, you are never short of different open mic nights to go to: The Canteen offers a similar vibe to the Gallimaufry whereby it has a great open feel to it. You also have The Golden Lion which has a cosier feeling to it, and then you have The Bristol Fringe, which provides an intimate space for their open mic evenings, creating a private concert atmosphere, which is clearly appreciated by the artists and the observers.
These are just to name a few, if you were to try and attend all of Bristol’s open mic nights in one week then I’m afraid you’d be having to watch two at once as there are at least 20 occurring each week!
Each night is full of people of all ages, from all types of backgrounds, coming together in one place to share the same passion. Whether you perform or just watch, it’s nigh on impossible to feel alone in places like these.
So I urge you to have a look and see what open mics might be happening near you, and why not pop your head in.
Who knows what might happen!