Murkage Dave made an appearance in town last week and we went down to take a look for Freestyle Bristol.
Words & Photos: Mitchell Williams
On the first date of the tour, I watched Murkage Dave fill a room with positive energy. I spent a few minutes actually finding the venue, Strange Brew – I wouldn’t say it’s well hidden, but it’s not a place I visit often – Fairfax Street, located right next to the front entrance of SWX. Record shop and cafe by day, by night, this place just radiated fun. Lit with colourful LEDs, disco balls, neon and stage lights, Strange Brew kept a classy atmosphere with an inviting decor.
Murkage Dave, Strange Brew
Image: Mitchell Williams, @mitchellsvisuals
I was amazed to see actually how much movement Murkage Dave could provoke, his music boasted some fairly hard beats, coupled with his soulful singing, the crowd were literally jumping back at him, shouting every word.
Bristol had each other up on their shoulders, bashing disco balls, even passing refreshments through the crowd to the DJ – it’s impossible to deny the impact Murkage Dave’s energy had on his crowd.
Cheers rose when Dave announced he would perform some songs from his new album, The City Needs A Hero. I don’t know about you, but I think the city of Bristol had found its hero for the night – they were shown our hospitality, and in return, we received plenty of mental vigour and merriment back. The atmosphere was so infectious, even the DJ couldn’t resist dancing. Dave performed Please Don’t Move To London, It’s a Trap before throwing it back to his previous record, Murkage Dave Saved My Life.
Having listened to Dave on occasion before this show, I solidified as a new fan – the songs are still stuck in my head as I’m writing this. I would recommend any modern music fan looking for a refreshing, warming sound to check out his latest album and catch him on the remainder of his tour.
