The Exchange in Bristol has seen a whole host of names in the world of music take to its stage over the years. And one even used to manage the bar here.
From the likes of soon to be Glastonbury headliners The 1975, to more massive names like Haim, George Ezra, Idles, and more, while it may seem small on the inside, this place is a giant among Bristol’s live music scene and a proper community-spirited venue in more ways than one. The team behind it previously ran The Croft before taking on this venture, and before that had experience with running everything from gigs, to record labels, record stores, and club nights. It opened its doors as a live music and club venue in August 2012.
Then, in October 2018, The Exchange launched a Community Share campaign in which 389 people invested to become part owners of the venue, helping to secure its future for years to come. Now described as being a ‘Community Benefit Society focused on supporting a wide range of musical projects and creative endeavours’, The Exchange is home to various musical and creative residents, including a record shop, recording studio, and even offices for local promoters and record labels.
Speaking with BristolLive, The Exchange’s Luke Cobham – one of the team at the venue – said: “Having our pals Specialist Subject Records having a record shop open during daytime hours is a big plus and helps with the eco-system of the space as a whole. We like to have diverse events and promoters use the space however they see fit so it’s helpful that a high number of our staff both past and present are active members of the Bristol music scene.
“Funnily enough, Dev [Adam Devonshire] from Idles used to be our bar manager until the band took off! I’m also confident that the musical talent we have at ours would easily win a venue vs. venue battle of the bands, but the other venues may disagree! We also arrange shows that cater for neurodivergence and other groups to try and make the venue as accessible as possible.”
When it comes to what makes independent venues like The Exchange so important for Bristol as a city, and also for the music and hospitality industry as a whole, Luke adds: “The money made is re-invested into the scene where it comes from and not funnelled into the hands of corporations or who don’t even a passing interest in the arts.
“We’re also part of a community of artists, social groups where people are put before profit which is unfortunately becoming increasingly rare. The venues within the city are really great at supporting each other and see each other as part of the same network rather than competition to be stamped out.”
Luke admits that grassroots venues are still under threat and facing struggles when it comes to finances and other factors. He goes on to say: “It always sucks having to raise prices as everyone is feeling the impact of costs going up whilst people’s wages aren’t.
“We managed to pivot during Covid by doing livestreamed events which you can still watch on our YouTube. If you’re interested in learning about the threat grassroots venues are under I highly recommend looking into the incredible organisation ‘Music Venues Trust’ who work tirelessly to help venues like ours across the country and have in-depth research and analysis on the subject.”
Despite such struggles, however, The Exchange shows no signs of stopping. It’s currently in the process of making plans to expand its basement stage to be “bigger and better”, hopefully boasting a larger capacity for gigs and also a chill-out space for club nights. Luke says: “It will take a bit of work but it’s exciting to know there’s changes in the pipeline that could help the business as well as provide a better night out for everyone attending.”
You can find The Exchange at 72-73 Old Market, BS2 0EJ.