Music / Venue of the Month
Venue of the Month: The Mothers’ Ruin
The Mothers’ Ruin describes itself as Bristol’s “world famous dive bar”, where many a music fan has enjoyed many a late night.
Tucked away behind St Nick’s Market, the venue opened in 2007 and held its first gig a year later.
This higgledy-piggledy pub stretches across several floors with a stage on the top level for bands and artists to perform; and another room in the subterranean basement, dubbed ‘the rat house’.
is needed now More than ever
The very first show featured a 100-person sit-down mosh pit. US trio American Color disbanded a couple of years after that performance, but the Mothers’ Ruin has since hosted more than 1000 shows.
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“The most memorable gig we had was the Israeli garage punk band Monotonix,” general manager Marc Griffiths tells Bristol24/7.
“Famed for their wild shows, it was one of the few gigs I have ever been too or put on that there was a true sense of danger; you truly didn’t know what they were going to do next!
“And what they actually did next was really quite graphic.”
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Read more: (Un)commonly creative music
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There have certainly been many memorable performances over the years.
Another unforgettable gig came from Justice Yeldham, the Australian noise musician, who played a sheet of glass connected to a laptop via a contact mic that he then bent across his face until it broke and cut him. Truly one of a kind.
The pub moved live gigs outside throughout summer
The Mothers’ Ruin prides itself on hosting a range of gigs from bands that you might not see anywhere else.
The venue had to hit pause on live music when lockdown happened, but upgraded their outdoor seating so bands could perform outside throughout the summer.
Indoor shows are due to return soon however, with many more late nights ahead.
For more information, visit www.mothersruinbristol.co.uk.
All photos: Marc Griffiths
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- A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Duke of York, St Werburgh’s
- Wristband amnesty for Big Jeff
- Review: Try Me, The Louisiana – ‘Soaked in silliness and non-stop joy’
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