By Bobbi Carsley, Arts Subeditor.
Gone are the times when art is confined to the restriction of gallery walls. You find it while walking along roadsides, staring at you from neighbouring street walls. But the artistic habitat that has cultivated the growth of a specific, potentially overlooked, art genre is that of raves and clubs. The art I’m referring to? Psychedelic.
Psychedelic art first entered British mainstream consciousness as a movement in the 60s. The time of the kaleidoscope and the hippie was at a peak and every band and gig poster seemed adorned with the luminous colours, curved lines and warped typography that has since become iconographic to the era of flower power.
Psychedelic art has gone through evolutions and transitions and many of them linked to the changing club and music scene. Clubs have always been a focal hub for music, but I think for the art scene as well. Think of the rise of the acid-house scene in the Hacienda in the 1980s, the LGBTQ+ subculture of ballroom in the US. This is because clubs have not singularly been places where music is played, but fashion debuted, and artistic expression and identity played with.
Psychedelic arts connection to the club is partially due to its close association with partying. It is in the name, visualising the experience of being inebriated and intoxicated. What is intriguing is the extent to which modern club and festival culture have made such a spectacle of the artistic makeup of an event such as the lighting, decoration and staging. It is arguably a phenomenon to rival the music played, and undeniably an element that enhances your musical experience. Take for example Boomtown, it is impossible to comment on the festival’s music lineup without thinking about the immense artistic sculptures that make up the stages.
An excellent example within Bristol’s club scene of psychedelic decoration helping to enhance musical club experience are the Tribe of Frog events hosted at Lakota in Stokes Croft. Tribe of Frog has recently celebrated its 24th birthday of being on the club and festival circuit. However, speaking as someone who has been going regularly the past few years, it is showing no signs of getting old.
The music Tribe puts on is as kaleidoscopic as the art showcases at its events. Seamlessly moving between techno, psychtrance, liquid dnb and more through Lakota’s various rooms. Time is beautifully lost as you embrace the immense lineup of djs and artists, with the event not ending until 7am.
Focusing on the aesthetic, the visual display of Tribe never ceases to get any less impressive. It is constantly expanding with suspended inflatable caterpillars, butterfly bunting draped from the ceilings, psychedelic paintings plastered on every inch of wall and rainbow strobe lighting illuminating the crowd. The art showcased at Tribe of Frog events is hands down some of the best art in Bristol.
Your experience at Tribe goes beyond the remit of standard club night and into artistic immersion. Fire breathers and dancers perform on stage in the smoking area and face painting artists chart UV constellations on people’s faces. There is art in every fibre of the night, and in every member of the crowd.
Some of the regular ravers at this event, affectionately called ‘froggers’ by the Tribe of Frog team, are like psychedelic sculptures come to life. A personal favourite of mine is when I once almost walked into a woman carrying a 4-foot, green, papier mâché alien across her shoulders called ‘Bob.’ Recognising the immense artistic talent and fashion of its attracted audience, Tribe of Frog has prizes and competitions for the best dressed raver at each event. Fashion show can then also be added to the jack of all trades lineup that is Tribe of Frog. If you thought some University of Bristol students came to lectures like Vogue shoots, prepare to be out dressed in the most incredible way when you set foot at Tribe.
The complete embrace of psychedelic into a beautiful musical and artistic performative fusion is what makes Tribe of Frog such a brilliant example of how art enhances your club experience. I would recommend anyone who wants to experience Tribe of Frog for themselves to buy tickets for their 26th of October Halloween event on their website. You'll have to be quick because tickets famously sell out fast.
