All Change on Bristol's Scene

23rd January 2008
by Darryl W Bullock

I don't know what it is with Bristol's gay scene, but you can't bat an eyelash without some pub closing, a club night launching or a venue manager having leaving party.

In the summer of 2006 the Elephant, Bristol's longest-serving gay pub, closed its doors for what we all thought was the last time. Long-standing licensee Miguel, or Lady Imelda as he was affectionately known, had already moved on to pastures new, a new management team had struggled and failed to keep the place afloat and it looked as though the city had lost yet another gay venue for good when, in February of 2007, its place was taken by upmarket bar 'The Ivory' and Italian restaurant Tavola.

It was a great surprise to many then when, in the week before Christmas, flyers started appearing around town announcing the Elephant's return. Now run by the management team of Alan and Stuart, the pub reopened its doors on December 22. At the time of writing the boys had yet to agree on any entertainments programme but one thing is for sure, city centre drinkers in search of an afternoon haunt will no doubt welcome the return of this scene stalwart. The upstairs restaurant is currently closed, and the interior of the pub will need some remodelling if they're to bring back the much-missed Elephant cabaret and lose the wine bar atmosphere, but no doubt there will be major changes ahead over the next few weeks.

There have been big changes happening in other venues too, with the Pineapple changing management for the third time in 18 months. Ryan and Michael, who had been at the helm there for the last eight months or so, have gone and Paul Homer, formerly behind the bar of a pub in Frome, has taken over. He says that the pub will be undergoing a bit of a refit soon, and that despite some of the rumours that have been circulating on the scene to the contrary, the Pineapple will most definitely be staying gay.

Paul will be keeping the regular Sunday night cabaret, Amber Dextrous remains each Thursday bringing her own brand of mayhem to games night, and favourites such as the Monday night karaoke and weekend DJ sets will remain for now, but once the refit has happened he's planning a bit of a shake up to the weekly entertainment package.

The Elephant Public House. 20 St. Nicholas St, Bristol BS1 1UB. Tel: 0117 922 1224. Open midday-midnight Mon-Sun.

The Pineapple. 37 St George's Road, Bristol BS1 5UU. Tel: 0117 954 4794. Open 5pm-midnight (Sun-Thurs), 5pm-1am (Fri-Sat).

(c) Darryl W. Bullock. Darryl is a freelance writer and L&G editor of Venue, Bristol and Bath's weekly what's on magazine. This article previously appeared in Venue, and appears here by kind permission.

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