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Phil Gibby

@philgibby.bsky.social
634 followers 314 following 261 posts

Area Director, South West at Arts Council England, vinyl nerd, Welsh exile and south Bristol resident. Hello.

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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Joe Jackson, Bristol Beacon. As urgent and relevant as ever. “We, so tired of all the darkness in our lives, with no more angry words to say, can come alive…”
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Newport, IOW. The launch of the Isle of Wight’s Can You Hear Us? programme in the magnificent new Ventnor Exchange Arena. Very proud of Arts Council England’s role in supporting both of these transformational projects.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Sunshine over Purbeck, and the annual August Bank Holiday camping expedition is on.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
A perfect summer afternoon’s walk along the River Nene and a close up sighting of a heron. Magical.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Paraorchestra’s dazzling re-animation of Reich’s Music For Eighteen Musicians at Bristol Beacon, courtesy of Charles Hazlewood and Faye Stoeser. The optimal opening to a packed weekend of BBC Proms in the city. Congratulations to everyone involved.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Cheering on the first mass ascent of the Bristol Balloon Fiesta from the rooftops of BS3…
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Adored the Byrne’s Night after party that followed the great man’s set at Latitude last night. Spider Stacy and a cast-of-thousands house band mining the Talking Heads back catalogue. Joyful.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
A long couple of weeks, so a quiet Friday night in, watching Dalia Stasevska and Yunchan Lim absolutely owning the First Night of the Proms. Just glorious. (Although disappointed by the dog’s apparent indifference, it must be said.)
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Glad to spend a couple of days catching up with colleagues in Cornwall. Perfect weather for a couple of very enjoyable evenings of outdoor theatre - first Miracle’s Peer Gynt at Trebah, then Wildworks’ homage to stock car racing, The Kneebone Cadillac at United Downs. Thanks everyone.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Absolutely fantastic news for Plymouth, which has been unswerving in its commitment to positioning culture at the heart of the city’s transformation over the past 10 to 15 years - a role model for other places to follow.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Dublin. Bloomsday. From the Martello tower to Glasnevin Cemetery, James Joyce remembered. “As you are now, so once we were.”
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Cork. One for all you Sultans Of Ping FC fans out there…”I like a manifesto…let’s put it to the test-o…”
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Cork. Glad to see local music history alive and well and celebrated...
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Reposted by Phil Gibby
Arts Council England @artscouncilengland.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Guidance for round 2 of the Creative Foundations Fund is available now, with up to £76.8m to improve cultural buildings and equipment. 🏛️ Read the full guidance, explore eligibility and find out how to apply 👇 bit.ly/4o3yxNA
bit.ly
Creative Foundations Fund (CFF) Round 2
Find out more about the Creative Foundations Fund Round 2.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Sugar, Electric Bristol. Back together after 30 years. Glorious. Also, wall-to-wall with lumberjack shirts, cargo shorts and Timberland boots.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
A lost Thursday at Hauser & Wirth Menorca. Joyful.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Menorca nights. Current soundtrack: Ministry Of Sound Chillout Sessions, volume two (2001). Current mood: ambient.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Wishing everyone a successful Upfest 2026. Excited by Melo as lead artist, looking forward to new work by Audrey Kawasaki, Cheba, Andy Council and many others - and nothing raises the spirits like a new Inkie taking shape on the side of Parsons Bakery.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
A useful day in Barnstaple - a visit to the Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon; a chance to see how Boutport Studios are progressing, and an Area Council meeting expertly hosted by the Queen’s Theatre. Thanks everyone.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
A very useful day in Exeter, hearing from the city’s creative workforce about individual and collective future ambitions. Glad to make a first visit to the impressive Positive Light, to catch up with local NPOs at the Phoenix, and always good to be back at @rammuseum.bsky.social. Thanks everyone.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
From Ex-Easter Island Head at Strange Brew to Phaedra Ensemble at St George’s , hugely enjoyed Bristol New Music 26. Audiences felt strong, venues across the city felt animated. Well done to all involved.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Chalk at the Fleece. Intense, relentless nihilistic euphoria. If you can catch them on this tour, just do it. Sensational.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
A busy, useful day in #Southampton - Philip Hoare’s remarkable So This Is Real Life at John Hansard Gallery just one highlight among many - so evocative in capturing the stories, the spirit and the aesthetics of the punk/post-punk era. A joy to behold.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Proud of today's announcement that we'll invest more than £20 million into the south west's cultural infrastructure on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including flagship multi-million pound investments into Theatre Royal Plymouth, Wiltshire Creative and Bristol Museums. (1/5)
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
A peaceful Saturday morning running errands in Wells: local produce from the market for lunch; a slim, well-loved volume of Seamus Heaney from the second hand bookstall, an old Pere Ubu single in a charity shop, the prospect of currant buns for tea.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Bruce Foxton in fine form at Trinity tonight. Sheerwater Mods forever. “And what you give is what you get”.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Current reading stack, hovering somewhere between enticing and intimidating.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Plymouth in glorious spring sunshine, and the chance to catch up with the team at Karst, and admire the very fine Discord And Harmony exhibition - essential viewing alongside the Beryl Cook retrospective at The Box.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
A day off, a train to London and a very satisfying afternoon at the Design Museum, invoking the spirit of the Blitz Club and immersion in the Wes Anderson archives. Both enthusiastically recommended.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Dydd gŵyl Dewi hapus, pawb / Happy St David’s Day everyone.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
For the first time in about thirty years, I’ve been left home alone with the Brit Awards. Anything might happen.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Facts.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Can't wait to get down to Southampton for this. Looks fantastic.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Thanks @uniwinchester.bsky.social for inviting me to participate in last night’s arts, creativity and education question time - a lively discussion with both the panel and audience and plenty of new thoughts to take away. Time very well spent.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
A quiet Sunday morning in the kitchen with tea and newspapers, and Radcliffe and Maconie extolling the virtues of Talk Talk’s Colour of Spring on 6 Music. Optimal conditions.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
…and glad to round off the day with a visit to the Palace Theatre, Paignton. Thanks for sharing the journey of the last ten years, Maureen McAllister - really encouraging.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
A thoroughly useful day in Torquay and Paignton with colleagues from Heritage Fund, Homes England and Historic England. Thanks Torquay Museum for hosting, and Torbay Council for being so generous with your time and insights.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
First gig of 2026 - Annie and the Caldwells at The Fleece, supported by Rozie Gia. Joy unconfined. The first of 12 gigs in independent Bristol music venues in 2026…one of my more sensible New Year’s resolutions of recent years.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Nice thread. Happy birthday, Once In A Lifetime. What a song.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Good luck to @rammuseum.bsky.social for today’s opening of the new Grayson Perry exhibition. Lucky enough to get a quick preview yesterday - it’s an absolute winner.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
So glad to make it over to Bovey Tracey last night for the opening of the Kinetic exhibition at MAKE South West. A fascinating fusion of crafts and engineering - will keep you thinking for ages afterwards. Warmly recommended.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
The major Beryl Cook retrospective at The Box, Plymouth - all the warmth and joy you could imagine, perfect for navigating the relentlessly bleak midwinter weather, and the uncertain world in which we live. Five stars in The Guardian and rightly so. Rush to see it.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
1947-2016. “Though nothing, nothing can keep us together, we can beat them forever and ever…”
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
The first road trip of the new year - very grateful to Rachel Gilmour MP for such a useful day with cultural leaders in the Tiverton and Minehead constituency. Time very well spent and plenty to build on.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Looking forward to listening to this >
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Seeing out the old year in deepest rural Dorset, with old friends, glorious early morning walking and a stack of good books.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
I’m regretful that Bluesky hasn’t become busier over the year in terms of the south west’s cultural voices, but I do very much value the engagement that is to be found. A few cultural highlights of 2025 in a thread. (1/10)
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Thanks to the cultural & heritage leaders in Portsmouth who joined @henleydarren.bsky.social @helenbirchenough.bsky.social, Ginny Graham and I at Central Library today to explore the city’s future plans. As with last week’s Hampshire & Solent devo discussion, a real sense of optimism/ambition.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
A couple of very useful days in Gosport, for an Area Council meeting at the museum; a Criterion Theatre site visit, and a chance to admire Portsmouth Historic Quarter’s transformed artists’ workspace at Carpenters’ Yard. Thanks to everyone who gave their time so generously.
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Phil Gibby @philgibby.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Forty five years ago today. We all shine on.
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