Nightclub appeals for support as sound complaints increase

One of Bristol’s most famous nightclubs has written an open letter to the city asking for its support.

It comes after an increase in sound complaints over the summer aimed at Motion, following buildings in the near vicinity being developed and sound travelling in new directions.

The open letter from the St Philip’s club also calls out the Green Party, claiming that they have helped to “make us the target”.

Motion hosted a number of outdoor events during the summer – photo: Motion

Here is the open letter in full:

Dear Bristol⁣

We love you dearly as a City and are proud to call you our home for the last 18 years.⁣

In recent years we have campaigned for measures that protect our venue and that of thousands of businesses across the UK.⁣

Over the last few months it would now seem we have forgotten why we live in a City and Bristol’s creative cultural importance in the UK being a side thought. ⁣

We have received some complaints regarding sound disturbance over the Summer period. ⁣

Covid has crippled us, many buildings in the area have been taken down in readiness for new developments, making the sound travel in directions unknown to us. ⁣

City centres are both noisy and vibrant, sound complaints will hinder our culture, we hope we can live together as have done for nearly 20 years.⁣

@bristolgreenparty rather than make us the target, help protect hundreds of jobs, help support Culture and please spread the Bristol vibe⁣.

Team Motion x

During the outdoor shows at Motion over the summer, Totterdown residents often took to social media to complain about the music from the club being able to be clearly heard in their homes.

The problem with noise is not just confined to the immediate vicinity, with people in Bedminster also being able to hear the club and the sound travelling as far as Hanham.

Writing on Instagram, Bristol DJ Eats Everything said: “If you decide to live in a city centre area and you buy a dwelling near a night time venue & then have the audacity to complain about noise you seriously are a fucking salad and you need to fuck off rapidly. Cities are noisy places, there is gonna be noise etc. These lame cunts are gonna be the death of us.”

Streetwear brand Concrete Junglists added: “They are the people that buy the watered down version of culture that comes out concentrated at places like this. Motion should have living cultural heritage status not have to worry about noise complaints or being shut down. They are enjoying the leaves whilst killing the roots.”