IN these stringent times when there is talk of cutting back the NHS and so many people are having to make painful financial sacrifices, it is sometimes difficult to justify public expenditure on the arts – but I strongly believe it is more important than ever.

If it is food that feeds our bodies, then it is the arts that lift our spirits, particularly in depressing times. To me it is important that the arts are part of all our lives and that they are truly accessible to all.

The new Colston Hall foyer building is the latest beacon for the arts in Bristol. Architecturally it strikes just the right note, its "bling" exterior being an exuberant celebration of the performing arts.

The Colston Hall has a surprisingly long and varied architectural history. The first Colston Hall, which opened as a concert venue in 1867 was equally exuberant for its time, being built in the Bristol Byzantine style that is still evident in its frontage to Colston Street.

Just 30 years later the auditorium was destroyed by fire and remodelled and reopened in 1901, to be acquired from the Colston Hall Company by the City of Bristol at the end of World War I.

The city remodelled the building again just before World War II, during which it survived the horrendous Bristol blitz in tact, only to be burnt again at the end of the war by a discarded cigarette! It is an undisputed benefit of the smoking ban that the risk of fire in public buildings has been reduced.

This led to the fourth major rebuilding of the Colston Hall, the hall we know today, which opened to great acclaim for its exceptional acoustics in 1951, to mark the Festival of Britain, at the same time as the Royal Festival Hall.

The new shiny "bling" building is the fifth major transformation, designed by Bristol- born Axel Burrough, whose father taught me history of architecture at Bristol University in the late Sixties. The next big leap is the much-needed transformation of the Colston Hall itself.

There has been occasional discussion about the naming of the Colston Hall, because of its association with Bristol merchant and benefactor Edward Colston, who is said to owe his fortune to slave trading.

It is a similar discussion as that held over the naming of the extension to Broadmead shopping centre as "Merchants' Quarter", now named Cabot Circus (or Carboot Circus as I heard it wickedly referred to recently!).

The debate came to particular prominence when Massive Attack refused to perform in the Colston Hall unless the name was changed. I am someone who feels desperately strongly about such issues as slavery, racism, or exploitation of any sort; however, I do sometimes wonder whether this name obsession matters.

Of course in Bristol we have several strange references to our murky history, the most curious being Whiteladies Road and Blackboy Hill? Should we change them? I think not.

I am a great fan of Massive Attack. They are an extraordinary Bristol institution, as big as Banksy, and have been instrumental in making the "Bristol Sound" an international phenomenon. However, I suggest that the Colston Hall should respond by saying they cannot play until they change their name to one less associated with violence!

So 3D and Daddy G – how about Gentle Retreat? Massive Hug? Doesn't quite cut the mustard does it? Let's hope that the Colston Hall keeps its name of 150 years and that Massive Attack continues to create great music under its edgy name.