People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol Favourites: Laura Kidd aka She Makes War
Laura Kidd, also known as She Makes War, is a solo artist, music producer and multi-instrumentalist. Her latest album, Brace For Impact, charted at number 15 in the Official Independent Chart and is available on all formats from shemakeswar.com. Catch her playing live at The Exchange on Friday, January 11 in support to Lonely The Brave.
Here are Laura’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Green spaces
is needed now More than ever
Close to the river in Shirehampton, between the allotments and the open land heading towards Lamplighters Marsh and Avonmouth
“The city offers so many great opportunities for spending time outside, and as an owner of two dogs I’m always looking for pretty new places to explore. Moving to north west Bristol last summer introduced me to Penpole Woods and the grounds of Kings Weston House, walks along the river between Sea Mills and Shirehampton, plus my new favourite Badock’s Wood nature reserve in Southmead. In south Bristol, check out The Northern Slopes, Crox Bottom and Manor Wood Valley; and further east try Snuff Mills and Oldbury Court Estate. It’s fun to find a chunk of green on the map and drive over to see what it is. You never know!”
Harbourside
Sitting outside the Arnolfini convinced Laura that Bristol was the city for her
“In 2012 I visited Bristol and fell in love with the city after spending time sitting out by the water near the Arnolfini. I’d never understood what the fuss was about before that trip, but I still get a buzz cycling along the harbourside, stopping to sit and read near the boat yards and mooching along to Wapping Wharf for a fun dinner out.”
Clifton Suspension Bridge
“I celebrated this iconic landmark in the video for my song Stargazing, and since moving I get to see it a few times a week travelling to and from home. It’s a truly awe inspiring and dramatic view to start and end the day with.”
Coffee
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoJHnMNh5Pu/
“I love coffee, and whether it’s purely functional or enjoyed with time to spare, with the amount of coffee shops we have in Bristol there’s no excuse for it not to be great! My favourites are Small Street Espresso in the centre, Tincan in Bedminster, East Village in Clifton (their superfood lattes are incredible) and Ruby Jeans in Shirehampton.”
Community
“Moving from the anonymity of London six years ago, I was bowled over by the warmth I was immediately shown here. I’d been the only weirdo saying thanks to bus drivers for years, and suddenly I was no longer alone!
“I feel very proud to reside in a place with such a strong sense of community – we even have our own currency, the Bristol Pound; how cool is that? – so I included a few of my favourite analogue meeting spaces in my latest music video (above) including the Lamplighters pub and the Post Office in Shirehampton, St Nick’s Market, and the Tockington Tardis, an old red phone box repurposed into a book swap and food bank collection point.”
Main photo by Ania Shrimpton
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