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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

Vibrant global bass hip-shakers melding highlife, afrobeats and the African diaspora with hometown UK club sounds. Busy Twist is at the peak of this particular game, riding the Jamz Supernova approval rating to a fever pitch alongside the sizzling Bristol / Ghana combo of Burland & Zongo Abongo. Busy Twist, Burland + Zongo Abongo at The Jam Jar.

Free party nastiness raising cash for Sultana Foundation’s ongoing work in Gaza. Featuring a live/DJ gauntlet including Hotflab’s winning riot punk, local anarcho-ska saviours Spanner, mutant ragga-bass selections from Grove + Undo Crew unleashing the usual / unusual rave filth. Benefit for Gaza – Sultana Foundation

Mercy! Hardcore junglism’s ultimate brain scrambler lights up the Elysium with a hands-in-the-air, feet-flailing interrogation of the ‘93 - ‘95 golden era. Dedicated ravers go full mentasm at the mere mention of Bizzy B, and so should you, with a whole host of acid / darkcore / tekno treats topping this unmissable slice of nostalgic club cake. A night of Oldschool Rave from legend of the scene Bizzy B and some of it's newest pioneers

The liquid revivalists at Slippin’ dial in a night of smooth rollers with Metalheadz-approved, piano-led dnb euphoria from Villem + MC Bluejay keeping the mic warm all night long. Our next Slippin’ dance on June 7th.

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Crowd at a drum and bass night in Bristol 2025

What our editors say

“'With over a decade of defining drum and bass, Ben Hall and Simon James (better known as Delta Heavy) continue to innovate and inspire. Blending Simon's rich musicality with Ben's technical sound design, the duo has crafted a legacy marked by their signature, boundary-pushing sound.”
From: Delta Heavy • Bristol

“Wall of Bass returns with its most ambitious instalment to date: a head-on collision between raw sound system culture and the blistering energy of 4am Kru’s live jungle warfare. After last year’s sold-out frenzy, the bar has been set — but in 2025, we raise it higher, darker, and louder.”
From: 4am Kru x Mungos x Sinai x Electrikal: Wall of Death • Halloween

“Nubiyan Twist Present NT Soundsystem - a new stripped back dancefloor-ready lineup as they VIP remix the entirety of new album ‘Find Your Flame’ in a soundsystem style with live brass - expect a blend of dub, dancehall, amapiano, jungle, garage, kuduru and more.”
From: Nubiyan Twist Present NT Soundsystem • Bristol

“The grand finale of our FREE RAVE Summer Series - and we’re closing in jungle style. Friday 16th August we round off summer at Clock Factory with a legend of the scene: Aphrodite – a true jungle pioneer who will be performing a 'Journey Through Jungle' set. Joining him is one of the hottest new names in the game Jenks and some of best local talent Bristol has to offer. ☀️”
From: DNB FREE Rave • Aphrodite & Jenks

“Five years deep in the dance — Full Spectrum returns to The Exchange to celebrate half a decade of boundary-blurring basslines and full-power energy. Expect a high-octane journey across the underground soundscape with 4x4, tekno, acid breaks, and drum and bass.”
From: Full Spectrum's 5th Birthday