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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

The hard dance avengers assemble for Stoopid Events’ second explosion of silly rave catharsis! Going b2b2b2b2b, catch donk fairy goth-mom Alterum and hi-octane partystarter DJ Can’t Say No alongside a host of underground rave champions with plenty of hardcore, trance, tek and acid to keep the demons at bay. Stoopid Events #002: The Ritual at Basement 45.

Big multi-genre gig/club racket, raising much-needed cash for Road To Freedom’s work supporting displaced people. Representing guitarland: Trans-Siberian Express and their patented psychedelic splurge-pop alongside Bunny Boilers’ thrashy riot grrrl action. For the sound system rotters: Soz Lad’s Nymfro in total hard dance tear-out mode with Mizdameaner’s darkside techstep stylings. FXCK BORDERS at Lost Horizon.

A proper community bass and culture session tucked away off Easton Road. Treat yerself to a mixing desk masterclass from Stevo The Bass ft. Lys Darkgyal’s soulful mic chat + a very very special appearance from Alpha Steppa-approved dub poet Ras Tinny. Then it’s pure junglism from Undo Cru’s Porgus Minimus and Boca til 3am turf out. STB Sounds Presents; Ras Tinny meets Stevo The Bass at Pickle Factory.

Free entry! Bass femmes to the front! Saturday night plans sorted as the WINK collective’s enviable platter of resident DJs takeover Canteen for a night of raucous amapiano, booty-shaking baile and sxc riddims, carving out space for the FLINTA qts in the scene. Barely one year young and they’re already shaking the scene up – ones to watch for sure! WINK’s canteen debut! FLINTA DJ collective!

More Photos of Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

Crowd at a drum and bass night in Bristol 2026

What our editors say

“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

“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