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Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

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Bristol's Drum And Bass Scene

Is Stokes Croft a drum and bass Mecca?

Drum and bass in Bristol needs no bigger homes than Lakota and Blue Mountain. Both on the same street in Stokes Croft - they’ve continued Bristol’s drum n bass lineage from DJ Krust and Roni Size through to Intrigue Music and the more experimental UVB76 crew. Bristol’s place in the history of drum n bass is assured. Figureheads like DJ Die draw the line between the jungle and drum n bass scenes, jungle is key in Bristol - a city with so much Caribbean heritage, roots reggae’s influence on drum n bass comes through the language of jungle. But with both Lakota and Blue Mountain closing their doors soon to developers, is Bristol in a drum n bass crisis?

Drum and bass in Bristol encapsulates the genre in the wider world. Big venues play host to big acts with nights such as Bedlam, One Nation and Shit the Bed offering International stars including Pendulum, Chase and Status, Andy C and Noisia on a regular basis. In addition to this, alternative venues like the Dojo Lounge, Basement 45 and the Black Swan foster the rarefied sounds of dnb's many sub genres offering the city a unique depth to its plethora of drum and bass music. New years eve in Bristol clubs sees the city's venues rammed to the brim with all of the drum and bass's big players djing somewhere in Bristol.

Agro, Dissident and Mongrel offer dnb of a techy, dark variety while the bastion of the deeper sound, Intrigue, continues to push artists such as Marcus Intalex, Calibre and Fabio. Torque, straddling the line between dark and deep is a drum and bass monthly of significant recognition, hosting label nights and affiliated artists from Club Autonomic to Critical and Shogun Audio.

With drum and bass such a popular genre in Bristol, most clubs present dnb of some description at least once per month. Basement 45 has emerged as a consistent venue, with Torque, Abstraction and Nine Tree all on regular rotation at the club. Dojos plays host to the aforementioned Intrigue while Lab is home to Signal which runs as a bi-monthly event.

Of the larger venues Motion has a throng of events that are less frequent but larger in scale. Although many of these nights are multi-genre affairs, Run and Shit The Bed routinely promote dnb artists as their headline acts.

Lakota is another important dnb venue, housing Concrete Beat, Agro and since September 2010, Bedlam. Hospitality's residency at the Thekla ensures dnb is consistent fixture on the ship, while the rave-ready Black Swan is the spearhead for the harder jungle-tek sounds of the dnb genre.

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Our recent drum and bass recommendations

Unmissable UK debut from the Malian vocalist and balafon star! PCHA takes traditional West African instrumentation and blends it with melodic afrobeats, rap and pop; performing alongside virtuosic percussionist Seydou Kienou + plenty of amapiano, percussive club, baile funk and bass heat from Inda Flo. Africa musicans x underground club DJs, live percussion, and the uk debut of Mali’s rising Afrobeats & balafon star Pcha

The Elysium rave haven returns once again to cloak you in lasers, light projections and the euphoric embrace of unbridled ‘ardkore! In the house: Krunx unleashing dizzying live amens and bleeping hardtek from a tabletop of rave-ready hardware weaponry + DJ Doubt’s winning jungle techno selects. An all out knees up!

Pessimist’s musical output has been monumental over the years, from his ominous industrial breakbeat on Ilian Tape, to his relentless dark‑side pressure on Blackest Ever Black, to the bone-rattling pressure on Osiris. For this one, he’s bringing his full jungle arsenal – brace yourselves. Debut for Kazza' party outfit Rekonize

Finally! Top billing for the top ranking darkside prince of dnb – his most deserving Bristol outing in a decade. Source Direct elevated amen programming to new heights that’re still rarely touched. Menacing, brooding, complex, like a snake in Blade shades, slithering through the Loco tunnels with Rupture’s Double O inna unmissable tearout junglist mode. Source Direct, Double O, Duality, Kazza and more….

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Crowd at a drum and bass night in Bristol 2025

What our editors say

“Spice Ranger brings a variety of harder styles from 160-200bpm. Expect tek, drum and bass, hardstyle and donk remixes of 2000's pop tune bangers. Make sure you're ready to stomp your feet and sing along!”
From: Stoopid Events #001: For the Love of Donk

“Nu:Motive celebrate 10 years of amplifying underground music forward by welcoming IMANU back to Bristol after two previous sell-out shows. This time, he’s joined by Nala Brown, MAZE, and Stellar Audio (PAARSEC B2B AKSEL A/V Show) at the Clock Factory for a night of cutting-edge drum and bass.”
From: Nu:Motive • IMANU, Nala Brown, Maze & more

“For over 30 years, Fabio & Grooverider have stood at the very core of drum & bass. From the pirate airwaves and illegal raves of the late ’80s to their groundbreaking Rage residency in London, they helped shape jungle and D&B into the global force it is today. Their 14-year award-winning BBC Radio 1 show gave early exposure to now-household names like Chase & Status, Wilkinson, Sub Focus, Pendulum, High Contrast, Calibre and many more.”
From: Fabio & Grooverider

“Sound system culture stands as one of the most influential movements in UK music history, a tradition that transformed how we listen, dance, and connect. Rooted in Caribbean heritage and community resilience, it’s a culture built on bass, craftsmanship, and unity, shaping generations of sound from dub and reggae through to jungle, grime, and modern UK bass.”
From: Stack Culture 002 | Rave | Sound System Meet

“Expect more silliness than you know what to do with. A full spectrum of bass music, from disco to drum and bass, from UKG to dubstep. It's time to bring Father Funk back home, back to where it all began.”
From: Church of Love vs Thick Boy: FATHER FUNK: Office Christmas Party