Art Is Hard 5th Birthday

It’s not always easy to put your trust in a label these days. Art Is Hard, however, is an exception.

Their output is pretty much consistently awesome and that’s probably a huge part of the reason they’ve coasted through five years of staunch independence. When we arrive we’re greeted by label owner David West’s girlfriend who is on wristband duties and find David himself milling about the crowd minutes later. He looks considerably calm given the sheer number of people who’ve turned up to his gig – a day long celebration of all things Art Is Hard.

Set across two neighbouring venues and relatively rammed from the get-go the Art Is Hard all dayer saw bands carted from all corners of the UK to Bristol. Aside from being a great gathering of like-minded folk it was also one of the best live line-ups Bristol will see all year.

An opening set from Skeleton Frames gave the day an early kickstart. Their shimmering, goth-tinted, shoegaze blasting a hole through any reservations anyone might’ve had about the day being non-stop awesome.

Next we caught a glimpse of the colourful, garage inspired Fruit Bomb who were followed by Fake Laugh a heady mix of Mac DeMarco via The Smiths who proved to be one of the day’s many highlights.

After a brief regroup in a nearby park we stumbled back to The Stag and Hounds to see the inimitable Birdskulls who reprised their stone cold slacker anthem Mispresume just for the occasion. Meanwhile Bloody Knees tore up The Exchange next door with their laddish, bratty pop punk. We left half way through to catch one of the day’s main attractions, Nai Harvest, play a sweaty, singalong set in The Stag.

Male Bonding took to the stage in the main room for their first show in what seems like ages. The band ripped through a set of material from their most recent album, 2011’s Endless Now as well as a few older jams. Whilst it felt like a great opportunity to glimpse a rare creature in the wild the band failed to win us over. After catching the end of an energetic Doe we found ourselves awaiting the triumphant homecoming of a Bristol legend.

It seemed like everyone wanted to see Trust Fund. There’d been a buzz building all day and rightly so, Ellis Jones’ indie-pop vehicle is one of the most exciting things to come out of the city’s often dusty rock scene. Their set was sprinkled with new songs like the obvious standout Football as well as plenty of classic sing along moments like Forevre and Cut Me Out. Trust Fund rounded off the day with an experience that felt both inclusive and intimate.

A perfect way to end a celebration of a label that has strived to be both those things for five years. Here’s to five more.