SWX Bristol: Nelson Street club reveals new images ahead of reopening 14 months after devastating arson attack

The nightclub was destroyed by fire in July 2021 and has been closed ever since
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The owners of Bristol club SWX have revealed how the venue will look when it reopens on September 9. The gig next Friday will be its first event since a devastating fire caused the Nelson Street venue to close the doors 14 months ago.

Fire, smoke and water damage required owner/operator Electric Group to undertake a complete refit of the venue, which has been a popular Bristol nightclub since the 1960s when it was Top Rank ballroom.

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Since then, it has been known as a number of clubs including Romeo & Juliets, Papillons, Odyssey, The Works and Syndicate - all of them legendary Bristol nightspots known to generations of revellers.

The Nelson Street venue sustained huge damage after it was set alight just a week before it was due to reopen after Covid restrictions were lifted in July 2021.

It has remained closed ever since as the venue was reconstructed. More than 200 gigs had to be switched to other locations during its enforced closure.

The first act to perform at the new-look SWX Bristol on September 9 is power metal band Gloryhammer, followed by club night FarFetched.

A CGI image of the new-look main room of SWX Bristol looking towards the stageA CGI image of the new-look main room of SWX Bristol looking towards the stage
A CGI image of the new-look main room of SWX Bristol looking towards the stage
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Other big names lined up for the coming months at SWX Bristol include Banks, Rema, The Lathums, Natalie Imbruglia, Sugababes, The Horrors and Working Men’s Club.

The venue’s tech has been upgraded, there’s an L-Acoustics Kara II PA, all new lighting and a Fiend Productions’ LED wall. Behind the scenes, there are luxurious new dressing room suites for the artists appearing at the club.

Mike Weller, head of music at Electric Group, says reaction from promoters and agents to the news that SWX Bristol is on the map again underlines the venue’s value to the city’s booming nightlife industry.

He said: “The response has almost been overwhelming. We are already ahead in Q4 and Q1 (2023) in terms of show counts from pre-pandemic. On almost a daily basis for nearly a year I’ve been asked, ‘Is the diary open? When will you be back?’”

How the upstairs room will look at SWX Bristol How the upstairs room will look at SWX Bristol
How the upstairs room will look at SWX Bristol
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Electric Group bought SWX in 2017, committing to bring more live music to the mix at “the best 1,800 cap venue in Bristol” and the focus of the rebuild has been about restoring the infrastructure rather than radically rethinking it.

This means the much loved sightlines and acoustics, synonymous with the SWX experience, are intact at the new-look venue.

Through the entrance, the most marked change is the double height foyer, a reinstated feature from the Top Rank Suite-era, which will being a new ‘wow’ factor to the space.

In keeping with the SWX design, the bars are stylish and functional to reduce customer wait time. The remodelled venue also features a wheelchair-friendly lift, which opens up access to all three floors for people with a disability.

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Dominic Madden, CEO at Electric Group, says: “The fire, product of an arsonist’s obsessive concern with lockdown and Covid legislation, was started at 4am and raged for 27 hours. Our original sprung dance floor lives to tell the tale but not much else.

“Among the reconstruction we have fitted electric shutters at all entrances to ensure nothing like this can happen again. While our priority was to retain the essence of the venue’s success, updating facilities to ensure that SWX would serve the requirements of artists and audiences for another 50 years, I was really pleased to take this opportunity to make the venue fully disability friendly.”

The new-look SWX Bristol main room view from the stageThe new-look SWX Bristol main room view from the stage
The new-look SWX Bristol main room view from the stage

Firefighters battled for hours to put out the blaze at the much loved Bristol venue in July 2021. Owen Marshall, of Royate Hill, Eastville, was arrested on suspicion of arson in August 2021 and he pleaded guilty to the offence at Bristol Crown Court.

Marshall, also admitted to making threats to damage Lakota nightclub and causing criminal damage to the Barley Mow pub on Barton Road, St Philips. Marshall ignited a towel soaked in petrol and posted it through the letterbox of SWX Bristol.

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Police said Marshall had become “obsessed” with lockdown restrictions and he was caught after officers viewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage.

In December 2021, Marshall, 29, was jailed for six years at Bristol Crown Court.

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