The Birdcage is a café, music venue and vintage clothing shop combined. Boasting the mantra ‘yesterday’s clothing, today’s coffee and tomorrow’s music’, it describes itself as a boutique or ‘innovative new venue’ without placing emphasis on any particular aspect of the business, however physically the café element is the dominant space. The room is quite large, particularly for a coffee shop. Large leather sofas, wing-back chairs and low commandeering coffee tables fill the area whilst leaving plenty of standing room and walkways, and retaining quite a spread out spacious feel. It can accommodate around 36 people seated if they are sharing two people per sofa. However for performances it would hold much more standing and there’s definitely the option of more seated once the place gets busy by sharing sofas- which is a good job considering its popularity. I have previously visited the establishment on a Tuesday morning and a Sunday afternoon, both times were busy with most or all tables and seats occupied, and whenever I pass it is always consistently busy.
The lighting is alluring; by day it is bright- white walls and lots of large windows project sunlight into the room (even when there isn't much outside) and there is lots of interesting lighting. By night it looks softer, more comforting and relaxed but is still bright, it always looks very inviting from outside.
The café sells hot and cold drinks including a baffling selection of teas, 100% Arabica bean coffee, smoothies, detox drinks, wine, spirits, home made cakes (which are truly delicious), sandwiches and nibbles. All at very reasonable prices, a large pot of tea for two costs £2.50 and bottles of wine vary from between £10 and £16, all of which is ordered at the till and served at the table.
The stage sits at in the café area and is visible from the doorway and all windows to attract passers by whilst being visible from most seats in the house. Even the sofas gathered around each table are either facing the stage or positioned side on, proving the entertainment to be popular and a big consideration in the design of the floor. The Birdcage hosts a multitude of events, bands and musicians, vintage movie nights, film screenings and festivals, open mic nights, quizzes, pop-up art exhibitions, and more. Most of which is free entry, only some of the band night have a cover charge, but this is usually no more than £2.
The vintage clothing shop is a room in the back corner of the space, but being open plan with no door and visible throughout the venue it is more of a nook than a separate room, however there is a separate till. Prices are comparatively a little more expensive, but quite average for a vintage boutique. Leather shorts and Levi’s were £30, chunky knit jumpers £25, shirts £20 and jewellery ranging from £10 to £30.
The Birdcage sits on the corner of Clare Street and St. Stephen Street and the centre of town. Slightly out of the bustle of Cabot Circus it is located just along from St. Nicholas Market which coincides with the arty, home grown feel of the kitsch venue. Similarly a few doors along is Start the Bus, a bar with a very similar aesthetic and their Start Gallery next door showcasing artwork and selling EP’s from local unsigned bands and musicians. Directly opposite is Photographique, a photography shop housing its own mini gallery and a studio on the first floor, specialising in analogue products and services and selling lots of cameras and accessories from Lomography- Which again chimes with the vintage arts feel of The Birdcage, there were plenty of leaflets on the tables, many showcasing galleries and photography classes.
The location seems aimed at an audience of people in their 20’s and 30’s in the creative industries, musicians, artists and illustrators etc. or those interested in art, fashion and music. It looks like quite a young hang out, and the heavy styling of the place could verge on being pretentious, however the relaxed comfortable atmosphere produces a more understated vibe than the eccentric decor suggests possible, it is wonderfully homey cafe whilst still being a fun place to be, and this attracts an older audience than would be expected.
Similarly the staff mirrored my expectations of their target audience, they all look to be in their early to mid 20’s, dressed smartly with a vintage twist and all had a very nice demeanour. The service there is excellent- friendly and efficient.
In terms of the artwork (excluding pop up art exhibitions) the main bulk of it is present for decorative purposes rather than to showcase the art or artist. There is a feeling of being surrounded by artwork but in actuality it’s more of a creative arty aesthetic than individual pieces. There is no artwork for sale, no information about its creator and nothing is specifically lit. There are murals on the wall designed by illustrator Alex Lucas whose work is also featured on the flyers, posters and billboards. There is even a Birdcage sweatshirt featuring an Alex Lucas illustration but she is not noticeably accredited anywhere. There are a few other paintings dotted around too, such as a painting of a rabbit wearing boxing gloves on a canvas propped against a dressing table.
But image is clearly something those behind The Birdcage prioritise. Old lampshades are bundled together to form quirky, covetable chandeliers cascading from the high bright ceiling. The building it occupies is stunning in architecture. Details in the coving by the ceilings and the exquisite wooden doorway contribute to its beauty. You can see the eye for design in details like lovely fonts used on the chalkboards behind the counter, clear mannequin heads filled with sweets and adorned in adhesive facial hair and vintage headwear, and the till desk in the vintage area propped onto piles of old leather suitcases. There are cameras in frames, old typewriters on display and bicycles attached to the wall and embellished with flowers.
There is some photography in the vintage boutique area. There are six photographs, unframed in a poster format, glossy and varying between around A1 to A4 in size. Most are hung above the rails so they’re quite high up. Like the rest of the artwork, the viewer is not encouraged to look at the work as an art piece, but rather it is hoped they will absorb it as part of the general aesthetic. Although the photography is slightly different in that it serves a more promotional purpose than the murals, they are adverts and are there to accompany and showcase the clothes. Some of the clothing worn for the shoots is hung next to the posters and marked as a promotional piece not for sale.
Five of the six photographs feature the same model, and they are all shot in a very similar way so I assume they are all from the same photographer and as they are again not credited would also assume not an established photographer.
They look to be digital images, (or at least a digital print of a scanned negative if shot using analogue) but it is always difficult to be certain. They are quite traditional in appearance, no unusual effects. They are clear crisp and sharp, with fairly bright saturation and quite strong contrast with one black and white exception. They are typically attractive fashion images, showing bright glowing skin tones, rich colours and a beautiful model donned in vintage clothes.
Overall it is a lovely space to be in, exciting but comfortable and welcoming, somewhere lots of people can (and do) enjoy. From curling up on the sofa and reading a book or getting on with some work in a different environment, to a night out of live music, it is an inspiring creative local space.
Their website is http://www.birdcagebristol.com/ which is quite extensive and features a blog and gallery as well as gig listings and a sample menu.
Here are a few photographs from my visit focusing on the photographic element.
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