Various Artists - The Bristol & Bath Blitz Club Meets Art School Sound: 80's Explosion Various Artists

The 1980s literally changed how things looked as well as how they sounded. The influence of London's legendary Blitz Club is now widely recognised as a central factor in shaping the music and style of the era. There was also a strong spirit of artistic exploration, fuelled in part by the art school environment. Long acknowledged as a fertile breeding ground for creative talent from the 1960s onwards, art schools continued to play a significant role throughout the 1980s.

This creative energy was felt beyond London, particularly in cities such as Bristol and Bath. Music curator Dave Massey recognised these influences at work among local musicians, shaping both their creativity and their approach. While compiling the first Bristol and Bath Blitz Club Meets Art School Sound – 80s Explosion albums, these connections became increasingly apparent.

Massey set out to select songs and recordings from the West Country that reflected the sounds, themes, and spirit of what was happening during the decade, both locally and nationally. There was also a conscious effort to capture the eclecticism of a Rusty Egan DJ set on a typical Blitz Club night. Earlier, punk and funk had already begun to merge within local bands, much as they had in the ethos of Birmingham's Duran Duran. The Pop Group and Glaxo Babies had demonstrated this crossover, and their influence would continue to ripple through the years. Later, the emergence of Massive Attack would be firmly rooted in the same club culture.

These recordings showcase both playful and perceptive pop sensibilities in groups such as Vicious Circle, Wadi Vision, Hey Belaba!, Creature Beat, and Big Outdoor Type, alongside electronic dance-driven grooves from Umo Vogue, Either/OR, and the darker, nocturnal sounds of God Bless You. In contrast, the outright hedonism of Nite Watch sits alongside the adventurous lyrical and textural explorations of Glaxo Babies, Essential Bop, and the multimedia artistry of Startled Insects. Elsewhere, the European-inspired aspirations of The Escape, Distant Cousins, and Europeans are complemented by the irresistible film noir atmosphere of Great Naked.