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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

Dreamy all-night b2b for the heads and movers alike. World-conquering Mix Nights L.E.G.E.N.D. Danielle’s wiggling electro/UK bass fusion meets the playful sunshine-filled grooves and heavy UKF selections of Balamii’s in-house house queen DJ Amaliah. Two total pros in the session! Two selectors with a solid base in groovy and bumpin' tech-house, techno and electro go toe to toe all night long

Afro-Caribbean-Latinx diasporic hermanas blowout with the best to ever do it - Popola! Serving red hot dembow and searing neo-perreo with residents Cheza Lucina and DJ Ivicore plus added d’floor feeling/healing from Dunya. An inclusive night of Latinx & Afro Caribbean music

Sell out warning! Vroom vroom bitches; Dalston Superstore’s bisexual rave is coming to Crofters for Pride. An essential afterparty if you’re looking for 160+ BPMs and hard, freaky, fast techno, bass, jungle and breaks Your fave bisexual rave crew is bowling back down the M25 for Bristol Pride

If you’re looking for a combo of heady, playful techno and drag Go-Go dancers serving grotesque chic for your Pride evening plans, then Slaughterhaus and Dolce Vita have you covered. The two Bristol crews join forces once again to bring a ‘wet n wild’ afterparty to Strange Brew until the early hours. Bristol Pride queer afterparty featuring playful techno & house + drag go-go dancers from Slaughterhaus!

What our editors say

“The Clock Factory is a new venue to the Bristol scene, with its state-of-the-art sound system and intimate atmosphere. Expect a night of non-stop dancing, as our special guests take us on a journey through the best of drum and bass!”
From: UWE Bristol Freshers | Dazed Muzic DNB Rave

“Omari is back in the UK for the first time since 2017, coming directly from performing and promoting his up coming album in the US, and after the release of his latest single, the jungle remix of Reggae Summertime.”
From: Omari Banks UK Tour 2024 Hosted by Run Da Riddim

“Nicky started DJing in the 1980s when he was 14 and is regarded as one of the pivotal figures in the early jungle/drum and bass scene. He also founded independent dance music record store Blackmarket Records (now known as BM-Soho).”
From: Sober Club Night: Nicky Blackmarket | Dazee

“A.Skillz - One of our Bambalan favourites, we're SO excited to welcome back the legend that is A.Skillz, mixing a wide range of genres, blending together hip hop, soul, funk and rock with dubstep, drum and bass and electro.”
From: Stanton Warriors & A.Skillz -

“'Bladerunner is a respected name in jungle and drum 'n' bass, known for his finely-honed production skills, monumental DJ sets, and humble personality. His authenticity, rooted in a lifelong connection to the music, shines through in every tune and blend.”
From: Bladerunner DNB