10 years of Motion

This month Motion celebrates its 10th birthday with a visit from Laurent Garnier. Adam Burrows learns how a Victorian warehouse turned skate park become one of the world’s top 20 clubs.

“We got everyone to meet in the centre of town by the docks,” remembers Rag Satguru, “put them on boats to Temple Meads and had a guy dressed as a gorilla directing people…I’m not sure the parties even had a licence but we were doing them outside on the terrace.” So begins the story of Motion, the warehouse turned skate park that went on to become a world famous nightclub.

That particular party was 10 years ago, when the building was called the Sk8 & Ride, and was known for small punk and metal shows rather than 1200 capacity raves. “Back then Feeder Road was a great spot for free parties,” says Rag, “so migrating to the terrace and warehouse was a natural evolution.” The first party inside the skate park was in 2007: “Just Jack, then a student house night, teamed up with Blowpop, the biggest club night at the time…1,000 people and only one toilet.”

Enter Tom Paine, then working at College Green club The Tube. “Rag introduced me to the owner Tom Kilford because I had experience with running venues and licensing”, he says, “I was supposed to work as a consultant for a couple of months but ended up staying for six years!” In those days the parties took place in the park’s main ramp room. “It had a couple of ramps that were removable before the event,” says Tom, “and we had to put them back together at 7am so the park could open again at lunchtime. It was a total killer!” Gradually, owner Tom Kilford improved the space to make it more event-friendly, “but for the next three years people were still raving in ramps – often slipping over and falling down them.”

Other key contributors to the venue’s evolution included Rob Cracknell and Tom Hoyle (The Blast), Amos Nelson (Waifs & Strays) and a certain Dan Pearce, now better known as Eats Everything. “I think it was the coming together of certain personalities and talents at the right time, the right place and the right venue,” says Tom Paine. “Before then – and absolutely no disrespect to anyone – but promoters in Bristol weren’t working together, and there was a load of rivalry. We threw that out the window, got together and aimed really high.” Financially it was touch and go. “At one point I think I went five months without getting paid, but that’s what we had to do to keep the place afloat…suddenly we had a venue in Bristol where the biggest names in dance music could play, and we hadn’t had that since Lakota in the 1990s.”

Was there a particular moment that made them realise Motion had truly arrived? “In terms of actual game changers for us it was probably being able to put on acts like Fatboy Slim (who is a total legend), Groove Armada, Sven Vath and so on – who hadn’t played the city for years,” says Tom. “Being able to make those bookings really felt like all the hard work had paid off.  The Essential Mix with Calvin Harris and Eats Everything was pretty special too. In terms of an actual fanboy moment meeting Mix Master Mike (Beastie Boys) Chuck D and Flava Flav (Public Enemy) and DJ Shadow made me feel like a small child!”

Those titans of the scene are set to be joined by another giant this month as European techno pioneer Laurent Garnier makes his debut at the club. It’s billed as a joint birthday party for Motion itself and the influential record label Hypercolour. “This will be a very special party for us,” says marketing manager Jack Scales, “we really admire what Jamie Russell has achieved with Hypercolour and it is fitting for the legend Laurent Garnier to headline the show and play Motion for the first time.”

Earlier this year Motion came 19th in DJ Magazine’s poll of the world’s 100 greatest clubs – the only other UK venue to make the Top 20 being Fabric.  How important is it for a medium sized city like Bristol to have such a high profile clubbing space? “Motion has allowed the club scene in Bristol to evolve”, says Rag. “With club giants like Motion constantly pushing the boundaries of production, capacity and talent it lends itself to the city having a more vibrant underground scene.” Tom is in no doubt of the club’s importance, and the Fabric story lends poignancy to his thoughts on the subject. “For a city with the musical kudos of Bristol it’s essential,” he says, “and with all the planned development taking place in that area its future also needs to be ensured.”

Motion & Hypercolour 10th Birthday Day Party is at Marble Factory on Sunday, November 6. www.motionbristol.com

Top photograph by Sarah Koury