Review: Three Acres and a Cow, All Hallows Hall – ‘Bristol seems a fitting place to host a show like this’

Equipped with a ukulele and a book of protest songs, Three Acres and a Cow took to the stage on Saturday evening to perform a sold-out show at All Hallows Hall in Easton.

As the rain outside torrented, inside the performance began with an announcement that audience participation and singing were warmly encouraged throughout.

For the next two hours, the duo paved their way through a history of England, starting in 1066 and finishing at the present day.

From the Norman Conquest to the Peasants’ Revolt, through the English Civil War and right up to the current government, they weaved a narrative through themes of land enclosure, privatisation and resistance.

Part TED Talk, part poetry slam, part folk club sing-along, the night unfolded as a series of historical lectures, interspersed with poetry and group singing.

By the end of the evening a thousand years of English history had elapsed as the performance concluded with a fitting reminder of how hard-won our collective rights are and the importance of standing up for them.

Three Acres and a Cow is part TED Talk, part poetry slam, part folk club sing-along – photo: Max Roche

Created by a group of historians, musicians and performers, Three Acres and a Cow was only ever intended as a one-off. A decade and nearly 200 shows later and it is obvious that the show is touching on something important.

As Robin Grey, one of the show’s curators says, the way history is taught to people is so “hodgepodge and disengaged”, and far too concerned with dates and monarchs.

Broadening our understanding of English history beyond rhymes about Henry VIII’s love life and how we defeated the Germans, is fundamental, according to Robin, in explaining the modern crises facing our society.

“There are quite obvious historic reasons why we have these modern crises”, says Robin. “And once you understand this, it gives you a good idea of how we might change and challenge them.”

Weaving this narrative of how land has been enclosed and privatised, how communities have been historically displaced, but also how movements have sprung up to resist these processes, Three Acres and a Cow looks not only to entertain and educate, but to empower.

Three Acres and a Cow will return to Bristol in October – photo: Max Roche

Bristol seems a fitting place to host a show like this. In recent years the growth of ‘pseudo-public spaces’, those that are open to the public but owned and controlled by private companies, has continued.

Reporting on this phenomenon began in London after The Guardian mapped what they called the ‘insidious creep’ of pseudo-public space across the UK.

Within these areas, the public may be removed by private security for breaking rules determined by private organisations including anything from taking photos, to handing out leaflets, to napping on a park bench.

A number of spots across Bristol including Cabot Circus, Finzels Reach, Wapping Wharf, Temple Quay and Millennium Square are already controlled by private companies. With £95m of government Levelling Up funds recently awarded as part of the Temple Quarter Regeneration project, the emergence of pseudo-public spaces could well continue.

Holding the show in Easton seems equally fitting. Over the last decade, house prices in the area have risen by 120 percent (the largest increase across the UK), caused, in part, by a steady tide of gentrification which is already pushing a community outwards in search of cheaper rent.

Bristol more broadly is in the midst of a housing crisis with spiralling waiting lists and inflated rent prices making it increasingly difficult to find affordable accommodation across the city.

As these trends continue, the question of who owns the city and who has access to space in Bristol will only grow in importance.

Three Acres and a Cow has clearly found an audience hungry to engage with these sorts of questions. A sold-out show and waiting list nearly as large as the venue itself means they will return to Bristol in October to meet this popular demand.

Be sure to follow them on Twitter for updates and a chance to come and enjoy this eccentric and important production.

All photos: Three Acres and a Cow

Read More: The rise of pseudo public spaces in Bristol

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