Photos by Amy Shore |
As someone who used to be a motoring journalist , I am no stranger to the standard-issue appearance of an automotive event . Oh sure , if miles per gallon and the new GL editions are your thing , you ’ ll gladly walk the aisles collecting brochures about Ford Mondeos and enjoying the cars . But , and it ’ s true , many automotive events look the same . Cars on rotating platforms , neon badges attached to trussing , and grey walls . From Tokyo to Geneva , you can rarely tell one from the other . But does it need to be this way ? Dutch and Vikki van Someren have been running Bikeshed since 2012 , and while this is not a show for corporate brands to unveil their latest models , there is no less a festival of polished alloys and metallic paint . It is aimed solely and squarely at motorcycle enthusiasts , but not strictly bike owners . It doesn ’ t matter whether you |
own a Vincent Black Shadow or simply own a Harley Davidson t-shirt : this show is a celebration of bike culture . It stands to reason , then , that Dutch and Vikki would want a venue with character , and in London that leaves you with precious little option . Enter : Tobacco Dock . The working , industrial vibe is the perfect fit for such a show . “ There ’ s always been a motorcycle community out there that isn ’ t your traditional motorcycle event community ,” says Dutch . “ Motorcycle events generally are led by the industry , they ’ re tradefairs . We already had a community of storystelling bike enthusiasts back in 2011 and soon realised that
Ride on Martin Fullard meets the organisers of Bikeshed to learn how their show has evolved with London ’ s Tobacco Dock
they needed a destination event . We wanted to create this antithesis of a tradefair , something that centred around hospitality and experience .” In essence , Dutch and Vikki say they wanted to create a giant members ’ pop-up club , and build a show that wasn ’ t exclusively for motorcycle riders . “ You don ’ t need to own a Formula 1 car to watch and enjoy Formula 1 ,” says Dutch . “ We want to give everyone the chance to experience the culture of it all .”
One and the same Tobacco Dock is the perfect setting for pushing the boat – or bike – out , and Bikeshed
|
absorbs the venue ’ s character in the simplest ways as the walls are adorned with bike art and photography , in a way marrying the event with the venue . And it ’ s the experience that matters , as Dutch says : “ It ’ s really important that we have really good food , great coffee , great bars , places to sit with comfy sofas so you can read a magazine in peace . “ We also have pop-up barbers , pop-up tattoo studios , live art , live music , and film screenings . We have tried to wrap up everything we thought was cool about motorcycle culture and it ’ s become an international success .” Vikki says that the concept was conceived after it was clear there was nowhere for likeminded people to meet . “ We used to take our bikes and meet at a pub , we didn ’ t drink of course , but we ’ d eat , have coffee and chat . Consensus was that we were bored with the annual tradeshow , where you spent most of your time giving your data to women in lycra . We asked : ‘ what if we put on a show ’? And next week Dutch turned up and said he ’ d booked a venue !” The first show took place in 2012 in Shoreditch , not far from the current home at Tobacco Dock . That first event saw 3,000 turn up , so they ran another one later that year in which 5,000 people turned up . Vikki says they needed a bigger venue . “ If you ’ re going to have beautiful bikes , put them in a beautiful box ,” says Dutch , referring to the bricks and mortar of Tobacco Dock . |
20 — September |