Headfirst Bristol:
What's On in Bristol
Gig guide & event listingsBristol's local and trusted what's on guide.
Events in Bristol
Headfirst is Bristol's leading gig guide with a freshly launched online ticket shop. We work directly with the city's promoters to provide the most up-to-date guide what's on in Bristol you'll find. The events calendar includes all events happening in Bristol tonight and for the forthcoming weekend. If you're a musician, band member or club night organiser be sure to add your event to the Headfirst Bristol calendar.
Made famous by the legendary Lakota, Bristol's warehouse events are the keystone to the city's clubbing culture. These no-frills venues are the place to see Bristol's house and techno at it's best. If you need addmission to forthcoming warehouse parties, you can buy Blue Mountain tickets here.
Made famous by the legendary Lakota, Bristol's warehouse events are the keystone to the city's clubbing culture. These no-frills venues are the place to see Bristol's house and techno at it's best. If you need addmission to forthcoming warehouse parties, you can buy Blue Mountain tickets here.
Gig Tickets
Bristol has always had it's fair share of what's on resources. While paper-based listings magazines like Venue and forums like Hijack Bristol favoured certain musical niches, Headfirst was Bristol's first truely comprehensive what's on resource. Our listings not only go far into the future (click on a date in the calendar) but also provide some great last minute resources. If you're planning a night out at short notice please see our list of live music tonight and events listings for this weekend.
Venues like Colston Hall and Thekla usually get most of the attention when Bristol's gigs are discussed online. Headfirst aims to put the focus on Bristols smaller live music venues. Here, you can buy tickets for concerts at Bristol's Louisiana and Exchange or browse our entire Bristol gig list.
Venues like Colston Hall and Thekla usually get most of the attention when Bristol's gigs are discussed online. Headfirst aims to put the focus on Bristols smaller live music venues. Here, you can buy tickets for concerts at Bristol's Louisiana and Exchange or browse our entire Bristol gig list.
Gig Of The Week
What's On: Featured Bristol Events
Melding deft soul and jazz samples with bluesy hooks and jangling rock n’ roll, Romare’s productions depict a learned passion for America's musical history. Like his namesake, the Afro-American master of collage, Romare’s multi-layered tracks flit between the borderlines of genre, yet his unique, dancefloor-ready sound remains unmistakeably his own.
Like his compositions, Romare’s DJ sets span the breadth of his influence, joining the dots between the many corners of his taste. The Ninja Tune mainstay heads to The Loco Klub on March 20th - courtesy of Hidden Events - and we're already down to our fifth and final ticket release.
🎫 Final Tickets: hdfst.uk/E59796
Next Up is a new dawn for hip-hop in Bristol - recent bookings like JD. Reid and Black Josh Ape stick out from the rent-a-mic verse merchants at your local boozer: this is UK rap, and it's raw.
Just Banco rolls into The Loco Klub for their next missive - baiting UK road police and 'youd do better in America' advice on his latest
LIVE MUSIC NEEDS YOU
- This week is Independent Venue Week, support your local venues and get to these gigs:
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1. Slugabed (live)
Core member of Activia Benz, Slugabed returns to The Old England, this time with a full live band. Joined by Avon Terror Corps’ Walkie Talkestra, expect a suitably eclectic and experimental experience.
🎫 Tickets for Tonight: hdfst.uk/E59882
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2. Captain Süün
The Stolen Body Records signees bring their languid, psychedelic surf rock to Mr. Wolf's Bristol.
🎫 Tickets for Thursday: hdfst.uk/E60276
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3. Spinny Nights w/ 404 Guild
Spinny Nights serve us unrelenting energy and quickfire bars as London’s 404 Guild joins Kinlaw & Franco Franco and Grove for another special Old E outting.
🎫 Tickets for Friday: hdfst.uk/E60235
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4. Cousin Kula: Saturday 1st Feb, The Louisiana
Hosted by Chiverin, catch Cousin Kula’s groove-laden alt-pop with support from Langkamer, Pocket Sun and Herbal Tea.
🎫 Tickets for Saturday: hdfst.uk/E59193
Bristol will soon be graced with the presence of (drag) royalty! Here are the 5 best drag/cabaret/burlesque nights on our radar:
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1. Sum Ting Wong and Cheryl Hole
Prepare to be dazzled as these two RuPaul's Drag Race UK icons bring their charisma and wit to The Lanes courtesy of Wig in a Box Promotions.
🎫 Tickets for Sum Ting Wong: hdfst.uk/E59506
🎫 Tickets for Cheryl Hole: hdfst.uk/E59756
🎫 Combined Tickets: hdfst.uk/E59777
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2. The Self Love Club Cabaret
Lavrak's radical self-love Valentine's special combining circus and burlesque, hosted by the all-singing all-dancing Roisin Crowley Linton
🎫 Tickets for 15th Feb: hdfst.uk/E59357
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3. All Out / All Dayer - A Queer Arts Festival
Punka and Wig In A Box fuse forces for an all-dayer at the Exchange featuring riot grrrl punks The Menstrual Cramps, atmospheric grunge outfit HAVVK, the glamorous Mariana Trench and much more.
🎫 Tickets for 15th Feb: hdfst.uk/E59313
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4. The Cure Cabaret!
After leading us through the Nick Cave songbook, Dis Charge hosts a goth-inspired cabaret celebrating back-combed hair, really bad eye-makeup and the songs of The Cure.
🎫 Tickets for 6th March: hdfst.uk/E58971
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5. Category is...Dystopia!
Category is Bristol gets post-apocalyptic - bringing their ongoing cabaret extravaganza to The Old Market Assembly with a topical theme of dystopia.....
🎫 Tickets for 21st March: hdfst.uk/E59315
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Sign up to our irregular LGBTQ++ mailer for drag, performance, queer techno and more: eepurl.com/gg8n4z
By gifting the murderous thud of techno with it's own junglist swing, Ilian Tape put themselves at the head of recent broken techno revolutions (alongside Bristol's own Timedance). Where would we be without Skee Mask and Stenny?
Soon those Ilian brainchilds the Zenker Brothers will land in a secret Bristol location with far-reaching NTS Radio selector (and label owner) Elena Colombi. 100% essential for anyone who tires of the constant 4/4 drudgery, this is techno with vision (and another huge collab from Musu and Colours).
🎫 Tickets for 6th March: hdfst.uk/E60084
Legendary ambient pioneer, composer and percussionist Midori Takada joins the fourth edition of Bristol New Music alongside a wealth of contemporary artists. Taking place across several venues in April, the four days of concerts, exhibitions and workshops offer the chance to explore the city through sound, rarely used spaces and newly commissioned works from an eclectic array of avant-garde innovators.
Our highlights from the eye-watering lineup include Klein’s sparse, experimental club sounds; the ethereal, audiovisual improvisations of Viridian Ensemble; live computer music visionary Carl Stone and organist Áine O'Dwyer. The programme also rightly includes local luminaries Sunun, Copper Sounds, Jabu and Tara Clerkin Trio.
🎫 Full Festival Passes: hdfst.uk/E59456
🎫 Opening Concert: hdfst.uk/E61235
🎫 Friday Day Passes: hdfst.uk/E61236
🎫 Saturday Day Passes: hdfst.uk/E61237
🎫 Sunday Day Passes: hdfst.uk/E61238
From seminal 1920s silent films to cult classics, go to these cinematic happenings:
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1. Der Golem
Heralded as an early horror masterpiece from the 1920s, witness the poignant and powerful Der Golem restored and shown with a live score at Arnolfini (thanks to South West Silents).
🎫 Tickets for Friday< hdfst.uk/E59799
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2. Frida
Salma Hayak stars as iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in the biopic of her life. Hosted at PRSC by The Wandering Cinema for an International Women's Day special.
🎫 Tickets for Thurs 5th March: hdfst.uk/E61209
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3. Martha: A Picture Story
SAFEHOUSE presents a screening of the documentary film following martha cooper, an unexpected icon of the street art movement in 1970s New York.
🎫 Tickets for Thurs 12th March: hdfst.uk/E60777
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4. The Buster Keaton Picture Show
Cult instrumental trio Haiku Salut provide a live soundtrack for ‘20s landmark silent comedy ‘The General’ within the atmospheric St George's Bristol.
🎫 Tickets for Thurs 2nd April: hdfst.uk/E60307
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5. Labyrinth
A cult film that needs little explanation; catch the starman in all his goblin king glory (if you still don't know: we're talking about David Bowie).
🎫 Tickets for Sat 11th April: hdfst.uk/E61156
Red laser beams and techno hypnosis are the only way to celebrate International Women's Day for Der Liebe. With the 4th instalment of their rugged-edged Dark Side series (previously Regis and Anetha) they'll gift The Island with the kinetic sounds of Anastasia Kristensen for a night traversing techno, breaks, electro and '90s rave obscura with renewed 2020 vision.
Techno feels fresh again with Anastasia's life-giving no-rules approach, honed as a resident of Copenhagen's LGBTQ scene and alumni of labels like Houndstooth. She heads a 5 strong lineup of Bristol's toughest in techno (and beyond): Luce - DJ b2b Helena Markos, Dani Whylie and Der Liebe founder IRENE.
🎫 Tickets for Friday: hdfst.uk/E59318
Buy Bristol Gig Tickets
Headfirst is the most objective Bristol gig guide on the internet. With no editorial to write, bands to interview or advertisers to please, we can focus on creating the best music listings & ticket shop this side of the Avon. From Bristol University’s music graduates playing a concert at St Georges Hall to an intimate gig at The Louisiana - we believe these events are what make Bristol special.
Bristol Nightlife & Nightclubs
Electronic music produced in Bristol has a knack of rewriting the rules and penetrating the international club scene. From Tectonic to Apple Pips to Eats Everything & Arkist - Headfirst has seen Bristol’s music scene grow and evolve since our humble beginnings in 2008.
Now Headfirst is working with Bristol’s best dance music promoters and providing a secure place to buy tickets for Bristol club nights. While Motion may catch most of the attention, Headfirst is the place to buy tickets for all Bristol's clubnights and maybe even the next Alfresco Disco party. Over the coming months we'll be adding buy tickets buttons to many of our what's on listings.
From Headfirst's Ticket Shop
Bristol Gig Venues
Nightclubs & Warehouses
Upcoming Events
Now in it's second revamped year - Bristol Poetry Festival 2020 returns with renewed energy and already-sold out events. Kicking off this week, here are our picks for poetry lovers, literary novices and families of book lovers. View the full programme here: https://www.lyrafest.com/
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1. Simon Armitage Live
An illustrious opening: the UK's poet laureate comes to Will's Memorial Building for a reading and discussion of his acclaimed works.
🎫 Tickets for Friday 13th March: hdfst.uk/E60857
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2. Bristol Poetry Fest Final w/ Danez Smith
Some of the most vital and morally urgent spoken-word you'll ever witness: Danez Smith supposedly brought Harry Headfirst to tears 2 years ago at Arnolfini!
🎫 Tickets for Sat 14th March: hdfst.uk/E60940
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3. Poetry and Music for Climate Action
Zena Edwards leads a poetical call for our planet curated by local performance poetry stables Raise the Bar and The Hip Yak Poetry Shack.
🎫 Tickets for Mon 16th March: hdfst.uk/E61105
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4. Stephen Sexton + Bad Betty Press
An evening of readings from the radical UK voices of Bad Betty Press including Gboyega Odunbanjo, Charlotte Geater and Jake Wild Hall - Poet.
🎫 Tickets for Friday 30th March hdfst.uk/E61057
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5. Stage to Page Writing Workshop (w/ Amy Acre)
Already a spoken word or performance artist? Award-winning writer Amy Acre will help mould your ideas into publishable works.
🎫 Tickets for Sat 21st March: hdfst.uk/E61113
Birthed out of the OG punk explosion, this year sees The Ex celebrate 40 years of perpetual innovation and progression. Beacons of Dutch creative curiosity, their career has led them through unexpected collaborations with the likes of Shellac, Han Bennink, Belgian comedian Kamagurka Art, as well as establishing a rich musical Exchange in Ethiopia.
Join their ever growing legacy at Exchange on Saturday with local noisemakers Iceman Furniss Quartet and Slagheap - a fine sonic tribute put together by Gravy Train.
🎫 Tickets: hdfst.uk/E54674
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Jangling kosmische and discordant acid wobblers are cornerstones of the Ivan Smagghe sound. Like Andrew Weatherall and Vladimir Ivkovic, Smagghe DJs with a post-punk aesthetic - where melding sleazy German new-wave with the Arabic instrumentation of Muslimgauze might just be a regular occurrence.
Also Known As and Nebula invite him to Lakota - Bristol for a cosmic crossover with Mix Nights' em williams and RUF DUG's oddball selections of wiggly jungle and deep balearic. .
🎫 Tickets for Wednesday 25th: hdfst.uk/E56752
![Morse: Leif [Whities] tickets](https://static.headfirstbristol.co.uk/images/events/565/e56587_i68630_s3.jpg)
Name me another DJ who can play slammers b2b with Ben UFO and drop 2019's dreamiest LP of ambient polyrhythms and cavernous textures on Whities? That's Leif for you though - busy building a cultish following with the heads every year at Freero; and being the deep Welsh house hero we desperately need in between Mood Hut releases.
Morse Audio reel him in to The Crofters Rights for their second party alongside residents Butterfly Effect and Milad.
🎫 Tickets for Tuesday: hdfst.uk/E56587
For our money, this is the best pianist to emerge this century (sorry Nils Frahm). Lubomyr Melnyk's wildfire introduction to a new audiences via neo-classical saviours Erased Tapes is only testament the staggering beauty of his playing. Somehow breathing in the stark minimalism of Philip Glass and Terry Riley but with a maximalist virtuoso approach - he has an immediate and universal appeal that (like Satie) transcends any kind of academic trappings of classical music.
'The Prophet of Piano' plays at our best and most relaxed concert hall St George's Bristol.
🎫 Tickets for Thursday: hdfst.uk/E57830
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What does the future of Bristol's cultural spaces look like? With FUTUR VILLE Summit, Artspace Lifespace host a weekend of discussion, performance and workshops to mobilize and self-organise against insensitive urban development and negative cultural policies.
Ashton Court Estate (now part 'repurposed' as Arts Mansion) is a fitting setting to shape these alternative horizons with speakers from Trinity Centre, UWE Bristol Urban Planning, Visual Arts South West, Kiki Bristol as well as friendly developers and members of the local cabinet. Shake off any excessive thinking at the immersive theatrical afterparty hosted by Alfresco Disco and Minirigs.
🎫 Tickets (talks): hdfst.uk/E56936
🎫 Tickets (afterparty): hdfst.uk/E56935
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