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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

Baile do Futuro and Breach unite in the dance to kickstart the Talk to Strangers series in full power party mode. Stepping up to the plate: Elicit Records’ Kessler throwing down a masterclass across the full bass weight spectrum, No Nation’s next-gen ruffneck junglism and uplifting amen nostalgia + resident baile funk futurist Gus. Talk to Strangers w Kessler, no nation, Gus & DJ Powersuit at Strange Brew.

The liquid revivalists at Slippin’ roll in the big guns once again with Rage originator and Grooverider’s right hand man Fabio, serving up 30 years of dnb smarts alongside Deselecta’s impeccable next-gen ruffage + MC Rhi’n’b keeping the mic warm all night long. Slippin’ - FABIO - 90min set + Deselecta, Rhi’N’B & Chamba B2B Nathan Worm at The Jam Jar.

Three gigantic rigs linking into a Power Rangers-esque megamorph, hellbent on freeing tekno from its Boiler Room-branded corporate shackles. Expect BS4 free party vibes for the rave rotters with pummelling hardtek / tribal / acid / junglism from the best crews in the West. No nonsense vibes inside – go hard or go the fuck home! MASSIVE WALL OF RIG ! PROJECTION MAPPING ! CRAZY LIGHTING! VINYL SETS ! CHEAP TICKETS !

The Trans Pride Afterparty runs on into the wee hours with this top-tier assemblage of local selectors! Come through for J.Rains’s wiggy prog, Nymfro’s jungle, breakcore and dub rave blasters, Queerky’s Jaseek Del on the trippy trance and acid techno rollers + plenty more dubstep and club bass bangers to keep your pride overflowing til next year. Celebrate Trans Pride Bristol 2026 into the night!

More Photos of Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

Crowd at a drum and bass night in Bristol 2026

What our editors say

“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

“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 3rd July, we welcome pioneers Ray Keith & Nicky Blackmarket for a 90 minute B2B with Trafic MC, a deep dive into jungle foundations. Expect break-led pressure, heavy basslines, and that timeless energy that keeps the dance moving from start to finish.”
From: Rave • Ray Keith B2B Nicky Blackmarket + Traffic

“The latest edition of 2 Bad Mice & Friends lands in Bristol and this time they invite some of the the scenes finest beat technicians for the ride!!! A multi genre night exploring Everything Rave - from acid house to old skool to jungle, DnB, and more!!!!!”
From: 2 Bad Mice & Friends

“His early musical influences growing up were around UK pirate radio and jungle/DnB scenes, before moving into house music and there are hints of this in some of his raw rhythmic tracks that create a deep, spiritual connection that resonates emotionally with listeners.”
From: Dèep Bristol pres ROB REDFORD/X-TRAX