A group of Bristol entrepreneurs will next week achieve their dream of converting a long-disused former warehouse-turned-club into a vibrant creative hub celebrating the city’s music, nightlife and arts scenes.
The Den, Dockside, in a former stone-arched Grade II listed building on Prince Street, will offer a sophisticated alternative to many other city centre venues, its owners say. 
The three founders believe there is as gap in the market for a London-style jazz café venue but very much with a laid back, unpretentious Bristol vibe.
Having been in and around Bristol’s world-class music scene for the past few decades, they want to bring back the excitement of some of the original venues and in true Bristol style creating a fusion of live performances across reggae, dub, jazz-soul-funk, hip hop and world music.
It will combine a cocktail bar and restaurant with a live music area with a capacity of around 180 people plus a mezzanine area for private parties along with daytime organic juice bar and café, a hair studio and music studio.
Meanwhile, its walls are already being used as a canvas for the big names of Bristol’s street art scene including work by Inkie, below, and Luke Gray.
The team behind the concept are Rebecca Du Plessis, the award-winning owner of organic plant-based eatery owner Beets ‘N’ Roots, Matthew Haile of Bristol’s long-established Level Cuts hair salon, who open a cool classic hair studio on the first floor, and video producer Javier Urbanos Martinez, who is installing a basement studio as a multidisciplinary film editing and music post-production facility.
Its 7am-3am licence means The Den, Dockside will be open seven days a week as day-to-night venue catering to city centre workers with morning coffees, organic smoothies and grab-and-go organic snacks, as a lunch-to-supper restaurant and then as a late-night live music venue and after-hours with DJs.
The original idea to re-use the building – which was at one time the Warehouse Club – came from Matt, who thought of making it an art hub with a gallery for local artists with a hair salon and café. 
But after bringing Rebecca and Javier on board it changed to more of a live music venue.
Rebecca said: “The Den will fill a gap in Bristol’s current music scene – we want to create something a little different from the broad mix of venues currently in the city by bringing that much-needed down-to-earth eclecticism back to Bristol’s heartbeat.
“The opportunity to combine energising life-affirming recipes with roll-on after-hours live entertainment is a combination I believe the city has long been waiting for.
“As a native Bristolian I have watched decades of the music scene grow from strength to strength so it’s very exciting for us to be able to develop a new, soulful, laid back space that will support so many facets of both the established and emerging talent base –alongside a new vegetarian food spot to the centre.”
The Den, Dockside launches next Thursday with a set from Bristol urban reggae heavyweights Laid Blak while on Friday Bristol sax player James Morton will be joined by the incredible original James Brown Revue saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis. The opening weekend continues on Saturday with reggae star Troy Ellis and the Hail Jamaica Band. For more information visit https://www.thedendockside.com/
