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Bristol – A Venue Guide
Credit: Crack Magazine
Being a musical sorta city, Bristol has gigs going on most nights. But which venue to pick? And which venues don’t mind if you’re under 18? Sammy Jones provides this handy guide.
What Bristol lacks in an arena it more than makes up for in its many quirky music venues. This guide aims to inform you where to get your ears on the best of Bristol’s music scene.
Credit: Bristol Culture
Look up ‘twee’ in the dictionary and you’ll find vintage-lover’s delight, The Birdcage. These guys are serious about coffee, know how to put a salad plate together and own more bone china than your nan. They also know how to put on a jolly good show on their mini-stage. Particularly partial to acoustic gigs, this is the place to get to know your Earl Grey from your gunpowder while soaking in some vintage vibes. They even have an in-house vintage shop for you to riffle through between sets.
Colston Hall is a whopper of a venue that thankfully doesn’t shy away from an eclectic programme. Rock, pop, jazz and funk has all found a home here, and the new addition of the medium-sized (and medium-priced) Lantern space means even more acts and audiences can get involved in the good times. The bar and kitchen downstairs has also had a recent revamp, meaning you can get a swift pre-show drink down you in style, or, take on some tapas with Gordito, the Barcelona–inspired restaurant out back you swanky bugger you.
Run by the people who brought the much-missed Croft to life, Exchange represents the phoenix from the flames. Set in at the town-end of Old Market, it’s grungey, tough and full of the same energy that inspired so much Croftian love. They’re serious about their line-ups and cater to an audience who are similarly inspired by the noisier side of the coin. The girl’s toilets are pretty rad— any reports on the male ones are welcome. Most shows welcome those aged 14 and above but you might have to drag an adult with you.
Credit: Bristol Culture
The Fleece is way down in Temple Meads so it’s perfect if you’re coming down to Bristol for some short-term kicks. Despite the massive pillars in the way, you can always depend on a show sounding great here (even if you can’t quite see it).Recently the venue has been threatened by housing planners trying to jam in stupid flats within hearing distance of the venue, which is just plain silly. The amount of support behind #savethefleece (including from George Ferguson, our beloved leader) shows how close to Bristol’s knarled bosom this venue really is. Sign here if you haven’t already. Club nights tend to be reserved for eighteen and overs, but shows are for everyone (under 16s must be with an adult for most shows, though).
All manner of DJs flock to this cool as ice bar venue, but be warned: these DJs do not take requests. There’s an all-day menu on offer, but this place really comes alive at night with lots of proper good old fashioned partying to whet your whistle. Careful of the bouncers too—they tend to be picky, especially if you’re a load of blokes out on a single-sex tour of Bristol. They’re also keen on IDs, so make sure you’re 18 before trying out this place.
Peace up, A-town down, or whatever the cool kids are saying these days. STB is part of a very trendy chain of bars that span the UK, but unlike your usual chain, they actually wear their trendiness well. There’s a great variety of very nice (if over-priced) drinks and lots of good Americana-inspired food on the menu. Steps give a good view of one of the best sounding stages in Bristol, and room seems to shrink or expand to fit any sized band. Fairy lights add to the cosy feel whatever the all-embracing programme lines up. Only let-down is location which tends to lend to the the influx of drunk Saturday night alcos who don’t really know why they’re there. This is another one keen on keeping their nighttime clientele 18 and over.
Credit: Guide2Bristol
The Trinity Centre is a re-purposed church-turned-community arts centre. They have really good music things in motion for young people at the moment: checking out their website for more information on free stuff that could get you on the track to a career in the arts is a great idea. As well as playing cool older sibling to the community, they’re also unafraid of having talks, workshops and club nights as part of their wonderful musical agenda. Everything they put on is top drawer and sounds great. Shows are eighteen and over unless otherwise stated on the website, but there’s loads of other stuff going on there that caters for every age.
Up Stoke’s Croft, then up some more, you’ll find Bishopston’s big ol’ lovely pub, The Golden Lion. It’s rough and ready, but what it loses out on smart, it makes up for in charm. Great for a drink and a chance to catch some of Bristol’s smaller bands before they do an Ezra and end up all over the place.
It’s corporate, it’s soulless, it’s full of over-priced drinks and way too many people, but at least we’ve got it. These Academy places are every-flipping-where, and unfortunately Bristol’s is the only place big enough to house larger bands wanting to visit the South-West. Boring and expensive, but just about fit for purpose. Under 14s have to bring an adult to enjoy the wonders of the oh-so-wonderful O2.
This place attracts lots of students as its part of the University of Bristol’s Student Union, and is always roomy enough to have a rave down the front or back. Unfortunately, it has the worst sounding bass ever. You might be forgiven for thinking that you were repeatedly being hit in the face with a wet fish or that the sound system was borrowed from a boy racer’s radio. Shockingly enough this place was refurbished not long ago. What went wrong, guys?
Credit: Bristol Culture
Of course, the main advantage of a pub venue is lots and lots of drinks to choose from—but The Louisiana is even more special than that. Scanning the walls and you can find posters of all the bands that have played in years past—the prestige of the venue becomes immediately apparent. It kind of feels like your aunties lounge (and they do a mean roast on a Sunday that your auntie would probably love), but it manages to attract old and young to the two permanent stages based upstairs and down in the basement. The upper room has been soundproofed so much it sounds marvellous in there. The neighbours must appreciate it too.
What’s your favourite music venue and what’s your favourite gig experience you’ve had in Bristol?
Let us know: @rifemag
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About the author
Sammy Jones
Sammy Jones is the Written Content Editor at Rife. She is also a freelance writer and editor. She previously worked at Rife as a Content Creator. You can get in touch with Sammy by emailing sammy.j@watershed.co.uk.
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