Five bands made up of individuals from across Bristol’s legal sector belted out the hits last night as the city’s Legal Battle of the Bands made a welcome return.
Stranger Thrings, Out of Office, The Mighty Rufus, OC/DC and The Narrow Keys took to the stage at The Fleece to entertain a 200-plus strong crowd and raise funds for SARSAS, which provides support for people affected by rape or any kind of sexual assault or abuse.
The event, organised by Bristol Law Society (BLS), regularly took place prior to the pandemic but has not been staged since. SARSAS is BLS charity of the year.
Stranger Thrings – drawn from Thrings – got the evening off to a rocking start – opening, appropriately, with The Clash’s I Fought The Law.
Out of Office, pictured, representing 3PB Barristers, who were next up, played a crowd-pleaser of a set, with masses of energy and strong on audience participation.
The Mighty Rufus, made up of lawyers from several firms, play together regularly in venues across the city and so proved a favourite at the half-way mark.
Osborne Clarke’s OC/DC added extra layers of sound with a sax and trombone in their line-up – and were cheered on by the firm’s Bristol managing partner Lara Burch and senior partner Peter Clough from the front of the crowd.
Last on were The Narrow Keys, representing VWV, and were joined by The Mighty Rufus’s drummer and VWV partner and former BLS president Ben Holt, putting in a double shift.
Their personnel also included another former BLS president, with Gary Lightwood as a ringer on guitar. They finished strongly with a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s disco classic I Will Survive.
The judges, music industry figures Ryan Gleeson and Pete Thistlethwaite, had a tough task in choosing the winner – with the coveted trophy going to Out of Office.
Cheered on by a mass turn-out from 3PB, including CEO Simon Astill and the Bristol Chamber’s director Mark Heath, they played a three-song encore, starting with a reprise of their opening number Proud Mary, followed by Pulp’s Disco 2000 and ending with a mass sing-along to Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger.
The evening was MC’d by BLS vice-president Stuart Henry, a musician himself, and also heard from SARSAS fundraiser Julie Higgins. The final amount raised for the charity on the night will be announced shortly.
Photo by Aaron Sims
