“I used to stage-manage a theatre, now, in a way I stage-manage the city of Bristol,” says Annie McGann.
She’s the founder of the Save Bristol Nightlife campaign, and a tireless advocate for our city’s after-dark economy – which against the odds, is bucking some of the grim national trends that have seen many venues closing.
In the second of People Just Do Something’s live editions from the Cube Microplex just off Jamaica Street, Isaac and Priyanka sit down with Annie to discuss her long journey through the small hours, all the way back to catching reggae icon Dillinger at London’s 100 Club in the 1970s.
That formative experience still fuels her passion – and here in Bristol, her particular interest in helping to keep the flame of the city’s sound system culture burning.
But despite the bleary allure of late-night culture, where as Annie points out, many of us find “our tribe”, her work also demands a far sharper and less glamorous focus. Shockingly for our sometimes chaotic hosts, this episode also advances the theory that there is activism to be found not only in combing through the council’s planning portal but in working with the local authority and with developers to safeguard venues.
Asked what people should be doing to keep Bristol’s famous nightlife alive though, Annie McGann remains admirably blunt – and in tune with Isaac and Priy’s own leanings.
“Go, just go out,” she advises. “Come on, get a life.”
And if you’re not able to follow that recommendation right off the bat, we can only suggest the next best thing – diving into a rich, vicarious dose of the night courtesy of this week’s episode.
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The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?
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