Slave Trader's Name Removed From Bristol Venue Colston Hall

Having recently confirmed that they will be revealing a new venue name by autumn 2020, Bristol's Colston Hall took down the letters on the outside of their music hall yesterday (June 15).

In a new timelapse video shared by BBC Radio Bristol, you can see the huge words 'Colston Hall' being removed by builders, just over a week on from the pulling-down of the nearby statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston by protestors.

Read this: Neck Deep: “Racism doesn’t belong in alternative music”

A spokesperson for Bristol Music Trust (which runs Colston Hall) called it a "symbolic moment", adding that yesterday's work on the outside of the venue was "just one step on our road to announcing a new name".

"The name Colston has been divisive for many years and we have experienced strong views from both sides since our declaration in 2017 that we would be changing," they continued.

Discussing Britain's chequered past with Kerrang!, IDLES frontman – and Bristol native – Joe Talbot admitted last week, "We’re applauding the toppling of Colston’s statue, but as a band, we’ve played at Colston Hall, without making a statement on whether the name should be changed. Maybe that was to do with our ignorance, or our privilege. If bands like us said to venues like Colston Hall need to change their name otherwise we won’t play there, they’ll make that change."

Fellow Bristolian, Svalbard's Serena Cherry, told Kerrang! in a separate interview, "Beyond Bristol, the removal of Colston’s statue is rightfully forcing the UK to take a long hard look at it’s involvement with slavery; with a petition calling upon the British government to remove all slave trader statues gaining a whopping 30,000 signatures so far. Hopefully, thanks to the brave Bristolian [Black Lives Matter] protesters, we will live in a future where racists no longer get immortalised on plinths."

Watch the timelapse video of Colston Hall removing its name below:

Read this: FEVER 333's Jason Aalon Butler shares his views on the recent protests and action following the death of George Floyd