My Bristol favourites: Stu Mcloughlin

Stu McLoughlin is, in his own words, a “plucker of ukuleles, twanger of guitars, basher of drums, warbler of tunes and treader of boards”. You can next catch Stu treading the boards in Swallows and Amazons at Bristol Old Vic where he is reprising his role as John from November 27 to January 17.

Here are Stu’s top-five Bristol favourites:

The Bristol music scene
“As one-quarter of local Bristol band The Zu Zu Men I’m a little biased in saying this, but Bristol has one of the best live music scenes around. There are so many fantastic venues around the city and plenty of amazing acts play here. And from the band’s perspective, it’s very easy (if you are any good) to forge strong relationships with venues and start organising regular gig nights. Cheap Plug Alert! We currently host a regular Thursday ‘Bandaoke’ night at the Royal Navy Volunteer on King Street, where anyone can get up and sing with us, and the crowds are always fantastic – even if their singing isn’t!”

Tobacco Factory Theatres
“The Tobacco Factory Theatre and the Brewery Theatre just down the road are two of Bristol’s most fantastic performance venues. Hosting a huge range of acts from stand-up comedy and new writing to Shakespeare and musical theatre, there’s always something worth seeing there. Cheap Plug Alert 2! I am one-third of local comedy/theatre company Living Spit and we very recently had a sell-out three-week run of our latest show Elizabeth I: Virgin on the Ridiculous in the Brewery Theatre which was, frankly, a very joyful experience.”

Home
“Okay, maybe I’m getting a bit soppy in my old age, so please excuse me in advance if I get a little misty-eyed here, but Bristol is my home. I was born here and have lived here or very close by for most of my life. It’s always a joy to work here, as I am near my family, friends and the familiar sights and sounds that I have grown up with. I started my interest in acting  through the Bristol Old Vic Young Company, so to return to working professionally in this theatre is an experience that will always excite and delight me.”

St Nicholas Market
“A stone’s-throw away from the Bristol Old Vic is the wonderful, labyrinthine St Nick’s Market, the perfect place to find some tasty treats or browse a rainy afternoon away. In my younger days I used to save up my school dinner money and use it to buy Jethro Tull records and 1970s Spider Man comics from its hallowed stalls before returning home, starving, secreting my newly purchased stash from my mum. These days I prefer to frequent the bit that sells big hats and Grillstock with their massive pulled pork rolls.”

The drive from Clevedon
“So technically not a thing about Bristol, in and of itself, but I love the journey I make each morning and evening from home. As a resident of Clevedon I live about 30 minutes from the centre of Bristol. At 8.30am each morning, I climb into the car, stick some music on (currently Midlake’s Antiphon, more often than not) and make the straight run to Bristol for rehearsals. Through the picturesque, horse-populated fields of Tickenham and on towards Failand, where I always open the window to smell the wild garlic that grows in the woods, onwards into Hotwells, where the majestic sight of the Clifton Suspension Bridge heralds my arrival. Then I sit in traffic for 20 minutes or so, hurriedly park the car and neck a scalding hot, hastily bought coffee. Then I am ready for the day ahead.”

Photo by Simon Annand