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'They all get a say in the shape of the night': Behind Lost Track of Time events

Following a sold-out booking at Lakota for their Enchanted Forest event, the company reflect on the journey its founding has taken them on.

By Benji Chapman, Music Editor

Lost Track of Time is a Bristol-based events company specialising in hosting club nights that spotlight up-and-coming talent within student circles. Co-founded by University of Bristol graduates Tommy Pollock and Toby Ingham Thomas, the two began their business throwing house parties in Hiatt Baker during their first year before booking DJs of their own for nights out on Park Street.

With the duo graduating in 2025, contrary to the name's suggestion, no time was wasted for either half of the company's senior management team when they were presented with the opportunity to go full-time early that year. Following shows that boasted lineups with the likes of Ross From Friends, Maribous State, and Kilimanjaro on the headline, the company had already made a sizable impact on the local nightlife scene even before they had a chance to put more energy into the project with two first-class diplomas under its belt.

Speaking to Epigram, Tommy opened by saying, 'What I love about Lost Track of Time is that we've stayed with a university community. It's all about the student creatives.' While both founders shared the surreal feeling of booking such impressive lineups at massive venues, they equally made clear that the focus is still on promoting student talent.

Employing student DJs, graphic designers, marketing strategists, and dancers, the group have made it their primary purpose to offer an immersive nightlife experience that intersects various popular genres without excluding one type of listener or party-goer. 'Our mission statement is students and up-and-coming creatives, giving them our first step into the industry', said Toby.

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'You see a lot of brands that start with a niche sound, and then you see them stop after uni', Toby continued, before Tommy added that 'it started in the heart of the student community.' Sharing recollections of decks and hi-fis placed on kitchen tables, the duo described how they began by almost exclusively playing drum and bass during its peak of popularity.

While drum and bass were the starting point, both founders pivoted to different and more diverse genres like house and disco when they were invited to hold a residency DJ'ing at Rum Bar on Park Street. Within four weeks, and with events consistently selling out, the managers of the venue began to allow them to book their own events.

Following the creation of a logo that came together over only two days, their first shows were a rotating basis of genres from drum and bass, garage, and lastly house and disco, which are now the company's staple two genres.

Lost Track of Time @ Lakota | Benji Chapman

Disco and house were spotted as favourites because they were the genres which turned away the fewest faces. In an effort to find a style of dance music that was as 'least pretentious as possible', they chose house and disco as the 'more fun' side of genres associated with the local nightlife scene, offering new free events that were soon filled by 20:00 every night.

'We try and cater to an unserved segment of students', said Toby, who emphasised the need for a renewed focus on the gender imbalance in the nightlife industry by saying, 'We try and create as safe a space for possible for women, and on average 75% of our entrees are women.'

By frequently collaborating with the prestigious women and non-binary lead DJ collective Bad Bitch Dubz, the company offers a take on a classic student night out with more diversity, safety, and student-friendly prices than their competitors. Observing trends in student spending post-COVID, Tommy observed that 'people are going to fewer events, but when they go out, they want to get more bang for their buck.'

Lost Track of Time @ Lakota | Benji Chapman

It seems there's an ever-increasing pressure placed on the nightlife industry post-COVID: less cashflow from consumers while venues themselves are struggling to finance their leases and alcohol licenses amid increased costs. As well as this, both founders commented that in tandem with market influences, 'Students are also working a lot harder on their degrees' amid a more competitive graduate job market, which means fewer students are willing to go out as much.

Despite pressures in the industry though, the group persevered and began to be booked at larger venues. With the addition of two innovation awards allowing the increased funding, the group progressed to Four Quarters before they were offered a monthly slot on Wednesday at Thekla, where they began to target new student societies from previous promoters in an effort to pursue a new niche market on a night dominated by sports-societies.

Within four months of the group's first staple 'Lost Jungle' event, laden with signature jungle foliage, the group took on a new behemoth with Motion. Hosting an event that hosted stellar national notoriety alongside a room full of beanbags and arcade machines, the scene was typical of an events company that had found success but maintained its friendly, welcoming, and student-focused atmosphere.

Lost Track of Time @ Lakota | Benji Chapman

Reflecting on their progress so far, following a sold-out Lakota and expansion into Bath and London, the two joked, 'We do have to pinch ourselves every now and then. When we hit sell-out, we were absolutely blown away.' Despite their growth, however, all events continue to be crucially booked, run, advertised, and sold as nights for students and emerging creatives.

With a business model that aims to empower its customers, Lost Track of Time opts for a style of night out that aims to 'co-create' with its consumers. In this sense, Toby shared how 'they [students] get a say in the shape of the night'. What results is a charming, entertaining, and flourishing local brand that continues to charm the students of Bristol en-masse.

Featured Image: Benji Chapman

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