By Benji Chapman, Music Editor
Following a slew of collaborations with War Child that saw the Friendly Records team host charity gigs, record pressings, and instore signings, one of Bristol's most cherished record shops and musical institutions will be hosting celebrations for their money-raising efforts with a festival of all things friendly.
With the announcement on the 10th of February that the Bedminster-based record shop and record label would be hosting a live music festival, fans and local crate diggers based South of the river were quick to speculate which artists would be gracing the lineup given their closeness to a number of standout local musical projects.
Having officially revealed the lineup to include Sleatford Mods, Katy J Pearson, The 45s, and Zazlio, acts on offer are expectedly Bristolian while containing a spread of genres only as varied as the experience of rifling through the record store's very own extensive collections.
Following the recent release of her album Someday, Now, Pearson is one such local artist who will be returning to play the festival after her show at SWX in December 2024. The festival takes a more aggressive-sounding turn towards post-punk with the presence of Nottingham's dystopian dance-punk duo Sleatford Mods.
War Child is a charity with one goal: 'ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war'. In a world presently rife with conflicts, their work stands as a reassuring, if bleak, reminder of humanitarian efforts against the horrors of war and its devestating effects on the innocent.
Having worked extensively in the areas affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict, their focus has recently been on sourcing emergency aid, education, and mental health support for children in the region.
The first collaboration between the charity and Bedminster's very own Friendly Records came with the release of the first of their 'secret 7-inch' pressings that have so far featured local artists like IDLES, Portishead, and Beak>.
Two of the singles from the series have also featured artists from further afield with PJ Harvey, Sleatford Mods, Hot Chip, and even Detroit's very own dearly missed hip-hop champion J Dilla getting a rerelease of their greatest hits.
The first charity concert with IDLES raised over £50,000, with pressings like these and more live performances helping Friendly Record's efforts considerably in furthering their charity work against atrocities across borders.
With the records themselves being created by the independent pressing plant Vinyl Press, and sleeve designs from the Cardiff-based artist Pete Fowler, they have additionally continued to be a grassroots and largely local endeavour.
Officially opened in 2016, Friendly Records states that it's sought to remain a '"proper" record shop' and 'more than just a place to buy records.' Its founder Tom Friend even admits that the store began from a somewhat out-of-control record collection, which was in dire need of being shared.
With the first Friendly Festival being planned for September 2020 before lockdown restrictions came into place, Tom said in conversation with Epigram that, 'we're really pleased to be announcing the lineup this year' and gave thanks to the Lost and Grounded taproom for hosting the festival.
He also added that 'War Child are an amazing charity to be working with', and that they had been entirely supportive of the project from its inception to announcement.
Tom stated also that there will be 'more announcements to come' and to keep an eye on their Instagram for further updates. It seems that more excitement is on the horizon then for the South of Bristol's musical landmark, and indeed for the independent music in Bristol that continues to transcend borders.
Featured Image: Benji ChapmanTickets for Friendly Festival go on sale tomorrow at 10 AM
