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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

Damn fine amen junglism right here! AKO Beatz / Future Retro badman Ricky Force leads the nu skool charge alongside Reinforced-approved drumfunk wizard Optimistic and techstep dominator Asha Binx. Beat Alliance is the new basement go-to FFO: Tim Reaper, Krust, Rupture, Sully, Kid Lib. Beat Alliance at Cosies.

Popola’s parties are all about creating liberatory queer spaces to get down and dirty in celebration of Latine and Afro-Caribbean culture. For their Pride outing, expect the finest reggaeton, dembow, soca, dancehall, afrobeats and more to keep you perreando all night long. Popola: Extra Special Pride Edition at The Jam Jar.

Another proper amen education in the Cosies dungeon with local Upraw / Future Retro raggamuffin Eminence leading the dance + euphoric intelligent junglism from Icon Roller. Old skool / new skool vinyl-only delights inside FFO: Top Cat, Tim Reaper, Bizzy B, Source Direct, Rupture. Education Sessions with Eminence at Cosies.

Seriously, f*ck Glastonbury, come to Basement 45: it never rains and you’ll save yourself £300 in small change with this three room blowout of underground club sounds. Featuring Soz Lad’s not-so-secret hardcore weapon cutmesum.flac, percussive slammers from Harmonia’s Slaggamuffin and pounding hardtek from Rigpig. No tents allowed. Anti-Glasto club night for all those that fancy a dance!

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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 Rave • Aphrodite & Jenks

“Proelium Audio and Full Spectrum are coming together to bring you a night exploring the dark, techy and neurotic aspects of drum and bass. With support from grassroots labels including Phase Records DNB - the London-based pioneers of skatimal - and Stellar Audio, who are pushing limits with future DNB sounds.”
From: Rave Arcanum: Miyamoro, Nautika, Phase Records Takeover