Bristol Beacon Reviews Summary

Venue Experience

Pros:

• "It was an amazing experience to visit the Colston hall in Bristol especially as I don't live in a city but a great musical venue for the South West of England & a great experience for me personally full stop !"
• "A modern and tasteful concert venue which hosts a broad range of both well-known and up-and-coming artists."
• "Great venue.Massive space spread over several floors.Bright and airy."
• "Many a great night at this venue, whether for music or comedy performances and now getting a great makeover bringing it up to date."
• "The venue outside the auditorium looks very good and the experience is a good one."
• "The recent renovation now ensures Colston Hall is one of the most recognisable buildings in the centre."
• "This is a great concert venue and I have been visiting here on and off since the 70's."

Cons:

• "It’s still rough around the edges and doesn’t look finished, the ceilings have wires hanging down from them and the general finish when you look around isn’t of high standards."
• "The main hall is a bit too big and soulless."
• "The hall itself has changed little in the last few years and is in need of a bit of TLC."
• "Freezing cold! As much as the band we've come to see is amazing, it's somehow difficult to fully enjoy it while sitting still wearing a winter jacket and a hat."
• "This theatre claims to be accessible, I would describe it more as limited."
• "The actual concert hall could do with a bit of a facelift to match the spectacular foyer."
• "It's OK, not as grand as I expected, bit woody, neutral, boring and underwhelming."

Seating and Comfort

Pros:

• "Balcony seats are well positioned to be able to see from everywhere."
• "Comfortable seating, great acoustics and reasonable access."
• "Comfortable seats with good leg room and an excellent view from the front row of the lower tier."
• "All seats have a great view of the stage."
• "The seats were comfy although there wasn’t a huge amount of space."
• "Seating was suitable, I guess could be a bit more comfortable but are better than most!"
• "The auditorium is splendidly decorated with amazing light fittings and soft seats."

Cons:

• "Once the hall has had a refurb it should help with the accoustics. The seating could do to be more generous, especially for the taller or wider than average."
• "Balcony seats are on quite a steep climb, quite difficult when using crutches."
• "The actual inner venue looks tired and ugly... old seats and just run down."
• "Seats very hard, no arm rests to cram more seats in which obviously can affect your individual space if a larger person is sat beside you and it was sweltering hot."
• "Inside the hall we were seated on cheap uncomfortable plastic chairs."
• "The seats had poor leg room and offered a restricted view of the stage, due to the section of seats not being tiered."
• "Warning not to purchase seats b59 to b67 the leg space is only suitable for a child or an adult of less than 5ft 6inches."

Accessibility

Pros:

• "Is a brilliant venue, easy to get to, lots of parking just across the road."
• "As a disabled wheelchair user, it's not always easy to navigate Bristol streets and venues, however the Colston Hall is fantastic for wheelchair users."
• "Went to a show in the main hall with my disabled partner. Staff were helpful and showed us to lifts and to our reserved wheelchair space."
• "Access- seems to be good with lifts, ramps and next to a parking building."
• "Good disabled access except for balcony seats."
• "Accessing the hall was really easy and smooth."
• "Lovely venue. Easy access by car from Trenchard Street carpark."

Cons:

• "There is nowhere to park apart from the NCP across the road which is not expensive but not cheap either."
• "I found parking for the venue not so well sign posted."
• "Upon exit the single staircase is unable to cope with the amount of people so it's a bit of a wait."
• "Not easy to navigate for disabled either."
• "There are disabled toilets but these have no radar key locks and so any selfish able bodied person can just skip the normal toilet queues."
• "The venue doesn’t properly open for another couple of weeks so there were quite a few snags, not all seats were installed and not all entrances were in use."
• "Could do with an 0117 number for the box office for existing customers. Having to pay for an 0844 call when tickets fail to arrive is annoying."

Facilities and Services

Pros:

• "Bars on most levels mean not to large a queue for getting beverages."
• "The venue had provided lots of free tap water at the bars on each level, due to the temperature inside-and-outside."
• "The bar also sells a wide ranging selection of craft beers and ales, popular wines and spirits."
• "Great cafe area serving food and assortment of alcohol and non alcoholic beverages."
• "The staff were really friendly and polite... I thought I had lost my debit card, but I went to the cloakroom with my ticket and the staff member helped me put my mind at rest."
• "Staff and security were excellent, friendly and receptive at all times."
• "The toilets are clean and spacious."

Cons:

• "The organisation at last night's Annie Mac gig was abysmal."
• "However it would be nice if there was a gluten free option available as my little brother has coeliac's and couldn't have anything to eat there."
• "The bars were overcrowded, with many unable to get a drink in the interval because of the queues."
• "Some of the staff were unhelpful when we asked for the location of our seats."
• "The staff didn't seem to know what was going on and were unwilling to help."
• "The toilets are being blocked up already, not enough hand dryers in the ladies."
• "However, they were having a real problem with food orders on the night I was there. Only one overworked person taking food orders."

Acoustics and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "The acoustics in the fully refurbished Beacon Hall is first-class."
• "Excellent sound."
• "Great sound and views from everywhere."
• "The acoustics are now some of the best in Europe or so I heard!"
• "Iconic music venue, seen performances in few different areas of the venue and all have had good acoustics and views."
• "The building was great, the main hall was stunning; beautiful aesthetics, clean, great acoustics."
• "The newly renovated rooms have amazing acoustics and the whole place looks incredible now."

Cons:

• "Once the hall has had a refurb it should help with the accoustics."
• "Sound terrible. Complete mess."
• "Sound was absolutely disgusting !!! when they spoke it was mostly inaudible, very muffled."
• "Bass seemed mediocre, no sense of surround sound."
• "Great concert completely ruined by the excessive sound level."
• "Evening concert slightly ruined by the accompanying icy blast/ draught the entire evening."
• "Sound is great but staff are just appalling."