The Winchester Bass

The Winchester pub stands interlaced into a row of terraced venues in Bournemouth’s triangle. Hosting numerous alternative events where promising artists can exhibit their work, this month it hosts the live arts event ‘Moon Street 10’. The pub encapsulates the cosy Christmas atmosphere and an alternative quirkiness. The lights are dimmed and the ceiling is laced with Black and Red drapes with a further silhouette of white material clinging to the walls. The room has been transformed into a piece of art ready for viewing. Red fairy lights illuminate the bar and a number of inviting leather sofas guard the dance floor. An 8ft white canvas, which stands in the middle of the stage, however is drawing the most attention along with the DJ decks lit my flashing disco lights.

Four promising DJ’s collaborate to create a funky mix of house, electro, garage, drum ‘n’ bass and dubstep, as Steve Jurado the featured artist draws live art on stage. The audience stand intrigued about what the artist will reveal as he begins to squiggle lines onto the huge canvas. If you look closely however you can see he has already stencilled the outline of the artwork in pencil. There’s no questioning whether his artwork makes a statement. The black and white contrast would stand out on any wall. Although I'm not sure how anyone would fit it through their front door. The finished product is interpretive and postmodern, looking like a mixture of a French Shakespeare with an explosion of black imagery surrounding a robin. The signatures were scribbled underneath in a more grungy graffiti style, reminding you of something ‘Banksy’ would do.

The laid back rhythm with a heavy bass makes it almost impossible not to nod your head or tap your feet. Every mix smoothly entwines into another, you become entranced by the flashing lights and mask of smoke.  You would feel like an outsider of a secret society if you weren’t wearing a trademark brightly coloured new era hat and drainpipe trousers. This event definitely attracts a certain crowd. As the night progresses the tunes become more upbeat with a deeper bass. The DJ’s are completely in the zone holding their headphones as they spin the decks. Josh Topshelf aka ‘Topshelf’ even waves his arms in the air in triumph of a good switchover whilst Adam Withers aka ‘Aphix’ is unfazed as the camera flashes around him.

As the music turns to dubstep the audience make their way to the dance floor. Standing in a crowd your whole body feels the bass. With the party only just beginning at midnight you can tell this is an event that lasts all through the night.