Leicester’s streets were transformed this year for the 2024 Bring the Paint Festival. Returning for its fourth edition it has become known for it’s celebration of street art and graffiti culture.
Izzy Peacock is one of the festival directors. She hoped that the festival would give “more underground writers a platform.” A recurring theme is the festival’s focus on bridging the divide between graffiti and street art. Two disciplines being allowed to “meet in the middle”.
Diverse Line Up
Asked to pick a choice of ten ‘must see’ murals was never going to be easy. But that’s what we asked Izzy to do. Sitting in the LCB Depot we took a little virtual tour of some of the key murals created this year. Not necessarily the best (because this is so subjective). But certainly a choice of murals that tell a key part of the story for this years event.
Must See Murals from Bring the Paint 2024
1. UGLOE on Wilton Street
Kicking off our list we head to Gower Street to admire UGLOE’s first large-scale festival mural. As Izzy Peacock explains, “UGLOE’s piece blends illustrative elements with her signature letter-based approach, creating a dynamic and captivating work.” Known for her raw, underground graffiti style. UGLOE’s mural showcases her unique vision and the festival’s commitment to providing a platform for diverse artistic voices.
2. Nuno Viegas on Gower Street
Just around the corner from UGLOE’s mural, we find work from Nuno Viegas’. Blending realism with character-filled graffiti elements. Izzy notes “It’s that fusion of street art and graffiti elements which create an interesting dialogue with UGLOE’s work”. Nuno’s mural features a hollow, balaclava-wearing character holding a paper plane. Set against a vibrant yellow background that serves as the artist’s tag in bubble letters. Peacock explains the significance of Nuno’s work, “It’s almost the opposite of UGLOE. Where you’ve got a graffiti writer coming into street art. Then you’ve got a street artist, who’s documenting graffiti writing”.
3. Church of Best Ever at Haymarket Stairs
Ascending the Haymarket stairs, we’re greeted by a mural from the duo known as Church of Best Ever. It depicts a stylized interpretation of the death of Romeo and Juliet. Their work showcasing a fusion of realism and graphic design. “It’s nice to have a large-scale public work in the city centre” reflects Izzy. Noting that it marks a shift from earlier festivals that focused on locations at the entrances to the city.
4. Mr. Cenz at the Bus Station Entrance
Nearby and still in the city centre, we head to the bus station entrance. Here we find Mr. Cenz’s vibrant, psychedelic-inspired mural. This piece has bold colors. Dynamic and fluid, it’s likely to leave a lasting impression on those arriving and departing the city. Izzy emphasizes the importance of this location. Explaining that, “It’s nice that as people arrive and leave the city. They’re confronted with something that just might inspire, just make them feel good.”
5. Flying Fortress on Vaughan Way
Continuing our journey, we arrive at Vaughan Way and a mural on the the back of an old Matalan. Here we can discover a piece from Flying Fortress. It shows a group of Sea Elephants lounging on the roadside. Initially planned to be two airplanes it changed when he started to see Sea Elephants in the original shape. The result is a combination of the two. The markings of the elephants are what he would have used for the plane. A series of other pieces created for the festival can also be round around the walls of the building.
6. Lucy Danielle on the High Street
Heading onto the High Street. Lucy Danielle’s piece blends “realism and abstraction in a visually striking manner”. It sits amidst works from other artists nearby and features her friend the tattoo artist Jay Yorke. It also subtly references elements of graffiti culture within the piece. The series of works on the High Street provided some of the most publicly accessible work. Painted in such a busy thoroughfare. It gave the public a unique chance to interact and see the creative process up close.
7. Sofles on Northgate
Towards Northgate and we have an epic work from Australian legend Sofles. A renowned graffiti writer his mural showcases technical excellence, attention to detail and incredible style. His work has also had a major influence on the way that graffiti is documented and presented through video. As Izzy explains, “Sofles did the limitless video about 10 years ago, and Selena Miles filmed it. So it was one of her first graffiti videos that was out there”. Before this most graffiti videos had focused on train based pieces. Yet here the same sense of action and excitement was being captured on a static wall.
8. Taps and Moses on Belgrave Gate
On Belgrave Gate, we discover a mural from the elusive Taps and Moses. Their style having generated significant buzz among festival attendees. Izzy highlights the excitement around their inclusion, saying, “It’s kind of nice to have these really underground artists”. She continues, “Taps and Moses are known for their blue and yellow throw-up style and their train graffiti. Seeing what they’re doing is like a chop-up of those throw-ups. It’s cool and it’s different, and it’s really nice to have that kind of elusive presence at the festival.”
9. Ertjwe on Yeoman Street
On Yeoman Street, we find Ertjwe’s train writing inspired mural. Izzy explains, “It’s like he’s captured that photography of train graffiti, but in a caricature kind of way”. His approach is one that sets Ertjwe’s work apart and adds a fresh perspective to the festival’s lineup. Izzy notes, “He’s not using a single can of spray paint. But he is using emulsion on his building, it’s all emulsion, that he’s painting. It’s really cool.”
10. Underground Talent at Leicester Bowls Club
At the back of the Leicester Bowls Club, we’re treated to a veritable feast. Here, you can find a collection of murals by artists. People like Super A & Kost, Tripl, Straid, Oh Boy, and Diner. There is also a giant wall from the SMT crew nearby. It’s a concentration of exceptional underground talent. One that showcases Bring the Paints commitment to really celebrating graffiti art and artists.
Bring the Paint took place in Leicester between 20-26 May 2024. It was the fourth edition of the festival which started in 2017. Izzy Peacock is the Director of Bring the Paint and spoke to Inspiring City at the event itself. She was asked to consider ’10 Must See Murals’ during that conversation and that list is shared in this post.
For more Inspiring City articles you would like, take a look at…
- Discover the Murals of Bring the Paint ins 2024
- The Murals of the Leicester Bring the Paint Festival 2019
- Interview with Izzy, Director of Bring the Paint
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