Chris Sharp finds it hard to hide his excitement when he gives me a tour of the new fleece.
He’s been the owner of the legendary Bristol Music Club for 11 years. He’s like a kid showing off his Christmas presents while he shows me around the building.
“People were amazed at the changes we made during the first major renovation,” says Chris, who is also bassist for Bristol-based band The Blue Airplanes.
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“We started with the roof because there were a lot of leaks in the changing rooms, then we did the cloakrooms and remodeled the toilets.”
Ah, the fleece toilets. Anyone who’s been to a sold-out gig in Fleece over the years will know that the less-scented toilets used to be as legendary as the venue’s sticky, beer-soaked tile floor.
When I arrive in the fleece, the sheets are washed weekly after the weekend. The punk legends Sham 69 played a sold out gig there the night before and a lot of beer was spilled.
But Chris is more interested in showing me the converted toilets with their pristine new floors.
There is also a new, larger disabled toilet with enough space to turn the wheelchair.
“People have already said that this is the best access to the disabled toilet they have seen in a music venue,” beams Chris proudly before pointing to the new special gender-neutral toilet.
“We had a couple of gigs where the artists insisted we have gender-neutral toilets, so we realized that this is the right thing in the current climate and people are really happy.”
They not only enlarge the previously cramped band cloakrooms, but also have their own washing machines and dryers so that artists can do their laundry.
“We get a lot of bands that show up with garbage bags full of socks and T-shirts,” laughs Chris. “I think the word got around that we have great facilities, so bands save everything when they play the fleece!”
Chris Sharp, owner of The Fleece
(Image: Bristol Live)
The main changes, however, affect the bar and stage – a stage that has been graced by thousands of bands over the past 39 years, most notably Oasis and Radiohead.
This Grade I listed building with 450 seats was converted into a pub in 1982 when it was still called The Fleece and Firkin.
The recent renovation introduced a new bar and improved storage space around the stage, raised seven inches for better visibility, and including a drum riser for the first time in the venue’s history.
Says Chris, “It really needed a freshening up because a lot of the bar fixtures were from the ’80s, not to mention all of the old, redundant cables from the old checkout systems.
“People say it feels like a new venue but still feels like the fleece we wanted.
The Fleece is one of the most prestigious music clubs in Bristol
(Image: Adam Bastin)
“Of course, as a Grade II listed building held up by poles that we can’t touch, we still had a lot of high-level dead space that we took advantage of by installing mezzanines for storage of band equipment and new storage space under the stage.
“We used to have four bands on a metal package tour and they had to unpack their gear before the next band could bring theirs in, so it was noisy for the local residents. Now all four bands can stow their equipment in it. “
The renovation was made possible by the forced closure during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new artist area in The Fleece
(Image: Adam Bastin)
The venue was closed for 16 months and Chris says he will never forget the first few weeks of uncertainty.
“Music venues like us were the first to close and the last to open, so it was a very worrying time, I remember feeling panic.
“People forget what March 2020 was like. The word vacation had never been heard and there was three or four weeks after the forced closure where no one knew what was happening, we didn’t know how we were going to pay our staff.
(Image: Adam Bastin)
“We gradually learned about vacation and the fact that the government was paying employees’ wages, so the panic gradually subsided and we then had to figure out how to get through it all.
“We have all been on leave. We’re an independent venue, not a corporate location, and it’s a family atmosphere so I made sure everyone on the payroll was covered. “
Before the pandemic, the fleece had received a scholarship from the Kulturstiftung, which was used for the improvements as well as funds from the venue’s coffers.
The new and improved sound desk in The Fleece
(Image: Adam Bastin)
“I’ve run the business pretty well for the past decade, so we had a combat fund, and when the pandemic started, I thought we had to use it to survive.
“After we received the grant and government aid, we knew our running costs were covered so we didn’t have to use the combat fund to stay open.
“I always had the money allocated to renovating the venue, but the problem was always that we were open seven days a week and it would cost too much money in lost cash to close for long periods of time.
“Most venues close for a couple of weeks on New Years Day and are in a rush to get things done, which we did in 2012 when he moved the entrance and changed toilets.
“When I realized we had the grants and an extended shutdown because of the lockdowns, we just did it.”
The bar at The Fleece
(Image: The fleece)
With a full program of gigs and club nights until spring 2022, the fleece is back in business.
Many of the gigs are sold out, although Chris says there have been a few no shows too.
“Some of those postponed gigs were put on sale two years ago and then postponed three or four times, so I think some ticket holders forgot about the gigs
“But there is also a lot of goodwill. Some people think it’s only £ 15 or whatever and instead of asking for a refund they just leave it because they want to help us as an independent music venue which is very nice. “
And what about the plans for the 40th anniversary of the venue?
“Thanks for reminding me,” says Chris, looking slightly embarrassed. “I haven’t really organized anything yet, but then last year I didn’t celebrate my tenth anniversary of my takeover!”
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And as for the highlights since taking over the fleece, there were plenty for the music-loving owner.
“There were the bands that I have loved for years and that I could book, and new bands that no one had heard of and then suddenly broke up.
“I remember seeing Terrorvision here and they were amazing – I had never really paid attention to them before.
“Also, Dub Pistols were brilliant – the whole room bounced up and down.
“But my best moment was booking The Psychedelic Furs because I’m a huge fan. I was in the old office at the back of the stage when they were doing their sound check, so I went up to the front and watched them perform my personal take on Love My Way. That was something I will never forget! “
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