Greville Smyth Live organisers promise to treat park ‘with care it deserves’

Headlines of the “loudest ever” open-air music festival in Bristol were not what the organisers of Greville Smyth Live had in mind when wanting to put on a weekend-long event in their local park.

One of the organisers, Tom Hoyle of Platform Live, has now sat down with Bristol24/7 to answer some of the concerns that have been raised about the festival that is taking place in Greville Smyth Park on July 24 and 25.

The festival has been approved by the city council but the volume must be turned down after scores of neighbours objected.

Why Greville Smyth Park?

Tom Hoyle: “As local residents, south Bristol is close to our heart and we wanted to create a music event for the area. The rest of Bristol is well served with great outdoor festivals and we wanted to do something in our local area.

“When we were looking for a site, this park was suggested as an option and delivered loads of our requirements. It’s accessible on foot and bike from the city centre, a really lovely setting and it’s big enough that we can still leave lots of parts of the park open for residents to use while we are there.

“We completely understand the concerns of some residents over this kind of activity for the first time in their park and will be treating it with the care it deserves.”

Greville Smyth Park was originally part of Ashton Court Estate – photo: Martin Booth

How will you reassure residents that this will be a well organised event?

Tom Hoyle: “Platform Live and our team have been organising events in Bristol for many years and we’ve partnered with one of the UK’s best production companies to manage the infrastructure elements of this project.

“They have recruited a great team including a leading UK acoustic consultancy for the live event industry, Joynes-Nash, to create the noise management plan.

“We’re working with a traffic management team who usually manage plans for events ten times larger than ours. We are also recruiting as many of the bar staff, security, site crew and traders from Bristol and the surrounding areas as possible.”

Chase & Status are headlining the Saturday of the first ever Greville Smyth Live event

Have you been surprised by the reaction of local residents?

Tom Hoyle: “We think the reaction is totally justified. Sadly, with the impact of the pandemic on launching a new event, we didn’t consult them properly and explain our plans to allay their fears before we launched the event.

“We very much want to work with the local community moving forward and I’m aware that it was a big oversight from our part that we didn’t do a better job of communicating our plans to the locals over the last few months.”

Why do you think the noise levels have become such an issue?

Tom Hoyle: “Noise control is a critical part of every outdoor event and rightly so. It is always a delicate balancing act between maximum enjoyment for the attendees and the potential for disruption to neighbours.

“The sound needs to be monitored at the nearest houses to the event and we have been given a maximum level of 72 for the headline acts which is a little below what Ashton Gate Stadium have for their concerts.

“We will of course ensure we are not exceeding our licenced levels, and will be gradually staggering the increase in volume through the day to minimise disruption to the neighbours.

“Fortunately, the main stage will be in a big top, which offers some dissipation of sound and we’re working with our noise consultants on all kinds of clever measures to ensure we are able to offer a great experience to ticket holders whilst also being good neighbours.”

What is your background at organising events in Bristol?

Tom Hoyle: “Myself and my business partner Rob have been running events in Bristol since 2003. We have worked with lots of the major venues across the city including Motion, Thekla, Lakota, Trinity Centre, Anson Rooms, Fiddlers, The Exchange, O2 Academy and Bristol Beacon.

“Our main event brand is called The Blast and we have been organising Sequences as a summer variant of this in the spaces outside Motion since 2016. To have Sequences hosting the Saturday at Greville Smyth this year is the perfect evolution for us of what has always been a really successful and well received event.”

What do you want this festival to be and to become?

Tom Hoyle: “Our goal is to create a new annual event for Bristol’s music calendar. If this year goes well then, we will return to our plans to apply for a three-year licence for the park. This is all about celebrating Bristol’s musical heritage, bringing big name acts to play in the city and giving a platform for local talent as well.

“The lineup includes many acts which we have grown with as promoters over the years and who have gone on to huge worldwide success.”

Organisers of the festival have attempted to allay the fears of local residents – photo: Greville Smyth Live

Tom added: “Traffic was brought up as a concern by residents and having lived in Bedminster I do know the challenge of finding somewhere to park when there are lots of cars coming into the area for the football.

“We will be encouraging our ticket holders to walk or cycle to the event, and we have secured an offsite drop off point which brings them in on foot via Festival Way as a way to minimise cars coming into the area.

“Protecting the park is another element which some residents have raised concerns over and we want to reassure them that we will utilise Trackway and a substrate to cover the ground during the festival, to protect it from damage as much as possible. We will be returning to park as it was when we found it.

“We’re confident that our team will provide an amazing weekend of entertainment for everyone who’s missed live music and events so much over the last year or so. We’re really looking forward to getting back to work and playing our part in the cultural recovery of our city.

“Tickets for both days are selling really well so it has been a real boost to know that so many people are excited for these events. If anyone is after a ticket or just wants to find out more about the shows they can check out the website, www.grevillesmyth.live.”

Main photo: Rob Cracknell and Tom Hoyle

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