Club 395 Bristol: The Grassroots Venue at Risk of Closure
The story of Bristol’s Club 395 and Ray Kabir
For nearly three years, Club 395 has operated quietly but powerfully in Bristol — a grassroots multi-arts venue, performance and film space, creative café, and hub for collectives and community groups, young and old.
Founded by Ridwanul Kabir Shakib — known to everyone as Ray — the space was once a failing film studio. Today, it stands as a colourful, calm, and community-driven third space shaped by care, intention, and necessity. Ray arrived in the UK from Bangladesh in 2020 to study at the University of the West of England. What followed was not simply education, but a search for belonging.
“Belonging was never a nice-to-have. It was a need,” Ray told Conduct.
That need became Club 395.
Ray. Club 365, Bristol
Beyond heritage, into the future
Ray’s vision for the South Asian diaspora deliberately resists traditional “heritage” framing. Instead, Club 395 pushes culture forward — into bass, techno, performance, visual art, film, and collective experimentation. It is not nostalgia-led. It is future-facing.
Running the venue has required sacrifice. Ray supports themselves through part-time work while committing the bulk of their time and energy to the space. Club 395 has faced ongoing pressure: funding instability, Temporary Event Notices, and complaints from nearby venues including The Jam Jar. But Ray’s ambitions have always been rooted in people, culture, and access.
Community
Culture as survival
Ray is queer, non-binary, neurodivergent, self-taught — and deeply shaped by Bangla language, values, and community. Integrating into life in the UK has not been easy, but nothing has been wasted. From reclaimed building materials to overlooked creative talent, Club 395 is built on reuse, redistribution, and care.
On the night of their graduation, Ray decided to take a leap — placing their savings, labour, and trust into the Bristol community they had grown to love. What followed was a long battle with landlords, police, neighbours, and the council to make the space viable.
“The space became a basecamp for creativity,” Ray said.
The impact is visible in the weekly rhythm of the venue. Tuesdays host free art sessions led by Bristol resident Harry Betts, who joined Club 395 in 2024. Materials are sourced from local charity shops, and the sessions are open to anyone — including young people referred through foster care charities.
“It ended up on the council’s radar,” Harry said. “We’re trying to push the space toward legitimacy without losing what makes it special.”
Wednesdays are for open decks and DJ lessons — always free.
“The DJ decks are always here,” Ray said, “and always free.”
The aim is simple: remove fear, remove cost, and let people try.
“I tell them: you can perform here. I’ll help you. All you have to do is come and perform.”
From grassroots to global stages
That ethos has paid off. Artists nurtured at Club 395 now perform at major venues and festivals, including Glastonbury Festival. Among them is Kwazi — rapper, musician, and Co-founder of Club 395 — alongside artists such as Sambee, Ssadcharlie, Nadī, and others.
Ray has also curated landmark events at the venue, including an all-Bangladeshi DJ lineup flown in from Bangladesh, creating a rare and electric moment for Bristol. A three-day workshop led by renowned producer Rachel K Collier brought eighty participants from across the UK and beyond into the city.
A space at risk
Despite its impact, Club 395 now faces closure. Ray’s UK visa is set to expire following the rejection of a Global Talent visa application, reportedly due to the venue being classified as ‘grassroots.’
“I have to leave my home,” Ray shared on Instagram. “I’m terrified.”
For those involved, the loss would be profound.
“We’re grieving already,” Harry said. “It’s an important space.”
Ray is now appealing to the arts and music community for support — to help secure their right to stay in the UK and preserve Club 395’s legacy. Smaller venues, Ray insists, are where culture begins.
“This city is my home. It saved me.”
How to support
Support from the wider arts and music community could be decisive.
You can follow Ray and learn more about their story via Instagram, contribute to their Emergency UK Visa Support Fund, or help by sharing their situation with organisations and individuals who can influence change.
Club 395 is also seeking sponsors and a new operator.
Contact: connect@club395.uk
