What's On / Bristol Nightlife / drum and bass

Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

upcoming clubnight

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.

Buy tickets for drum and bass events in Bristol

Our recent drum and bass recommendations

Sell out warning! Oi oi yes we bloody are!!! But we must prove it in the dance before the Ecosystem stacks, dodging lasers to the sounds of Mousai’s hefty jungletek, Krunx’s dizzying live hardware hardtek, Distant Planet hardcore historians, Frisbee Aerobic’s peerless piano-heavy rave ecstasy and Devonian deviant of Balter breakbeat Time To Rush. Hands in the air, smileys all up in the place! Ecosystem Soundsystem: Are You ‘Ardcore Enuff at The Trinity Centre.

Is this their biggest party yet? The Wrong ‘Un Crew orchestrates a fever dream rave fairground: over a hundred artists descending upon this four-stage playground of donk-fuelled debauchery, bassline junglism, breakcore clown carnage and unhinged cabaret beyond your wildest fantasies. You really are gonna have to see it to believe it ;) The Carnival of Chaos at The Boxing Gym.

Sell out warning! Tokio Station take jazz junglism to the next level! Pairing Deselecta’s uncompromising ruffneck riddims with a five-piece live band plucked from the Bristol underground, featuring sax supremo Dave Colebourn and Rhi the Curious clutching the mic. We're back! Bringing the Jungle Jazz vibes to the Jam Jar

Sell out warning! Still reeling from Sully devastation, the Brew hosts another titanic pillar of 21st century junglism for a 3-hour tearout of fearless amen styles. Tim Reaper and Future Retro (RIP) are torchbearers for forward-facing rhythmical ingenuity, pushing the genre into a brave new soundworlds, and dancers into new demented feats of arm/leg flailing. One of the best to do it takes us off the beaten track.

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