Music / blue mountain
Paul Jocelyn: A Sound Life
Mention Paul Jocelyn to almost anyone involved in the Bristol music scene and you’ll be greeted with an affectionate smile. The seemingly omnipresent sound engineer worked over tens of Bristol venues over his long career and inspired countless bands along the way. Paul passed away on May 23, 2017 after a long battle with illness – but his influence lives on.
Matt Otridge is co-owner of the Exchange and former owner of the Croft, just two places where Paul brought out the best in Bristol’s music. Matt met Paul over 15 years ago and employed him at both venues. And, when Paul first fell ill and was in financial trouble, it was Matt that stepped in. “I set up a charity giving page and organised a benefit gig for him,” he remembers. “The music community raised thousands of pounds to help him. The generosity of all his friends from the music industry was testament to his impact.”
is needed now More than ever
And Paul’s legacy continues to be heard through bands you can catch all over Bristol today. Arthur Jayness is the lead singer and guitarist of Jesuits, an indie outfit born and based in the city. “The first time I met Paul was at my first band’s first ever gig,” he says. “I remember we were all impressed and slightly intimidated by his professionalism, but any nerves were quickly soothed as he was really supportive to a bunch of rookie 18-year-olds making an unholy racket. On many occasions he really made me believe that what I was doing was worthwhile. If I hadn’t had Paul as a friend and soundman at those formative shows, who knows where I’d be now?”
https://soundcloud.com/jesuits/sets/cloudhead
Bristol musician Adam Burrows only has good memories about Paul’s tireless work, too. “I once organised a slightly over-ambitious event at Blue Mountain – there were about 30 live sets in a day, which was ridiculous,” he recalls. “There was way too much gear, the venue wasn’t properly set up, and the security were arseholes. I was way out of my comfort zone. Paul just turned up, raised his eyebrows, rolled a ciggie and got on with it. All the bands sounded ace. He saved my life that day.”
And, over many years of gigging, Adam was able to observe what made Paul so special. “Paul knew everybody in the Bristol music scene. It didn’t matter whether you were a drummer in a metal band or someone putting on a drum & bass night – he’d remember your name and what you were about. On Facebook the other day, Venue‘s former music editor Cris Warren described him as “an unsung hero of Bristol music” – and I stand by that 100 per cent.”
Find all of this month’s gigs at b247.staging.proword.press/whats-on/music
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