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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

Realist Alive dial up the corkscrewing club mania and post-genre XYZ-core nonsense to stratospheric levels. Teaming up with London’s wigged-out dream-tekno krew, they present Slikback’s FIRST EVER solo live show in Bristol – the Planet Mu maverick’s finely tuned club devastation is truly something to behold! Absolutely uuuge! Realist Alive x PETRICHOR - Slikback , Hyph11e, prey coded & more at Exchange.

Two total pros inna dreamy all-night b2b Bank Holiday Sunday session for the heads and movers alike. World-conquering Mix Nights / Soft Raw 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, Amaliah. No need to pull a Monday sicky, cos you’ll be feeling euphoric AF the morning after this. Danielle & Amaliah b2b all night long. Expect bumpin' & groovy tech house and percussive club cuts from all over the world

Free entry! Borai and dontforgettogohome always bring the heat with their journeys through new skool / old skool rave-inspired sounds – expect a turbocharged mix of jungle, hardcore and hard house with JPEG’s fierce AF bruk-out breakbeat stylings. Always an essential destination for fans of Mani Festo, Denham Audio, I. Jordon, and L Major. A clubnight for all things Harder Than House!

Balter lives forever! Essential rave carnage right here for everyone who would usually spend their May bank holiday at the beloved chaotic Chepstow weekender. Keeping its riotous flame burning bright and serving up amen breaks’n’bass a-plenty, catch a motley crew of festival alumni ft. Selector Spinach, Lady Lox and Breezy C shelling jungle, tek and sing-along hard dance classics all night long. The spirit of Balter will never die!

More Photos of Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

Crowd at a drum and bass night in Bristol 2026

What our editors say

“Fantazia returns to Bristol on the 30th August, this time for a bank holiday day rave in the brand new Document Open Air space! We're taking it back to the old school roots that built rave culture - uniting generations of ravers, DJs, MCs and music lovers under one roof for a day driven by pure energy, connection and nostalgia. From the raw warehouse atmosphere to the euphoric sounds that defined an era, this is a tribute to the nights that changed everything. Expect uplifting old school piano anthems, hardcore classics, acid house, jungle, and trance colliding with cutting edge production and sound. Let us be your fantasy.”
From: Fantazia | Document Open Air

“Join us for our August bank holiday event back at our spiritual home of Basement 45 in Btistol. We welcome back multi award winning mc HARRY SHOTTA as our headline act plus a huge supporting lineup. In the the main room we have drum n bass and jungle all night and in room 2 we have 140 and dubstep from colour of sound. DNB JUNGLE 140 DUBSTEP @ BASEMENT 45 FROM £6”
From: Bass in the basement HARRY SHOTTA

“We’re back at Clock Factory Bristol for our FREE RAVE Summer Series. All summer long we’re dedicating Friday nights showcasing some of the finest bass music talent around - completely FREE. Stressing over festival and day-party prices? Don’t fear - we’ve got you covered. Friday 7th August, we bring together a mixed drum & bass curation taking you through the raw sounds of jungle, minimal and dancefloor, featuring Bladerunner + MC Felon, VISLA & Siren.”
From: Rave • Bladerunner + MC Felon, VISLA & Siren

“We’re back at Clock Factory Bristol for our FREE RAVE Summer Series. All summer long we’re dedicating Friday nights showcasing some of the finest bass music talent around - completely FREE. Stressing over festival and day-party prices? Don’t fear - we’ve got you covered. Friday 31st July, we welcome the legendary Congo Natty back to the club for a live show. Renowned for blending Rastafarian culture, reggae vocals, and heavy basslines, he is a foundational figure in ragga-jungle.”
From: Rave

“30 Years of Fatman D comes to Bristol. The first two events have blown up massively and now it’s time for Lakota gardens. We’ve got a full stack of headliners giving you the full range of jump up, Old school and heavy hitters.”
From: Blurred: 30 Yrs Fatman D | Lakota XL Day Rave