Music / Live Music Venue
Campaign launched to bring back much loved music venue
A music venue in south Bristol that has hosted the likes of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Dinosaur Jnr and Robert Plant is listed for auction in June.
Fears the space could be redeveloped into housing, where advertising states “scope for residential conversion” with the property “suitable for both flats or townhouses”, have prompted community organisations to launch an urgent campaign to protect and revive the venue.
Fiddlers, located five minutes from Bedminster train station, was a much loved cornerstone of Bristol’s independent music scene for over 30 years, hosting some of the city’s bigger visiting names while also supporting the thriving grassroots scene.
At a 450 audience capacity, the former prison was one of the best spots in the city to see touring world music artists and local promoters admired its quality sound system – photo: Hollis Morgan
But it failed to bounce back after Covid lockdowns and the family owners originally put the venue up for sale for £2m at the beginning of 2025.
With its most recent listing for sale, at online auction with a guide price of £900,000, community arts charity Artspace Lifespace and south Bristol organisation Bedminster Works are calling for pledges and community support to revive its use as a cultural hub.
Their plans include a live music and performance space, affordable music studios and a focus on community use “available to local organisations, young people, grassroots groups and residents who have seen so many other spaces disappear.”
View this post on Instagram
As well as the loss of community and cultural spaces in the area, some of which sits within the top 10-15 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in England, they flag a lack of local nightclubs and medium-sized venues.
The organisations have set out a four phase plan that begins with pre-auction acquisition of the building via an ‘agreement to purchase’ with the owner which requires philanthropic pledges, social and community investment plans and community support ahead of the auction on June 17.
They will then go on to raise funds to buy the building with events, crowdfunding and donations, and will secure grants to develop it.
Fiddlers hosted the notorious immersive Worm Disco parties for over five years – photo: Worm Disco
They are asking for major donor pledges, loan investment, gifts in kind and help sharing the campaign ahead of the auction in three weeks time.
They are also inviting people to share their stories and memories of Fiddlers under the banner #SaveFiddlers.
To find out more visit artspace.uk/news/save-fiddlers
Main image: Hollis Morgan
Read next:
- Longstanding music venue up for sale
- Worming their way up
- Review: Dot to Dot 2026 – ‘Bristol itself became the headliner’
- Review: Love Saves the Day 2026, day 2 – ‘Suncream and serotonin’
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
