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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

Sell out warning! Guts absolutely wiped the floor at Jam On The Horizon - we wouldn’t miss another education from the boom-bap troubadour! Not with Canton Mambo queen Gia Fu setting the ‘floor alight with Afro-Cuban discs and hip-swirling spins in this massive Sinai-powered session, bolstered by Pangaea hero Kesh + Popola bringing the finest in ass-shaking reggaeton, soca and afrobeats. POW! Sinai Sound ft Guts / Kesh + Popola at The Boxing Gym.

Stroom's low-lit rockstar work his magic down at the Inn; he’s blessed us with some seriously memorable dances over the years, and we’re expecting another one here. Oddball dance revivals, wonky chug, sleazy new beat and trance-induced slo-mo melters incoming. Nosedrip at The Love Inn.

For the initiated, only Willikens will do. The Salon GOAT gets real deep with a rare-opening set, stretching minimal synth slayers and acidic chug to psychedelic breaking point before Saskia fires up the subwise hardware explorations and Anina & Lynne absoultely wipe the floor with junglist domination. Secret Shade, we salute you. The Secret Shade: Lena Willikens, Lynne b2b Anina, Saskia at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Absolute go-hard-or-go-home belter for Zone 1 and Bris-Tek’s big birthday bash! Storming The Boxing Gym: Barcelona tekno firecracker Amygdala, bassline boss Jenny Sparks and donk sommelier DJ Bax touching down in Bris + Grandma Wubplate’s hard-dance swag and jungle euphoria from Betsy Mae. And that’s not even half of it…. ZONE 1 x BRIS-TEK / AMYGDALA, DJ BAX, JENNY SPARKS, VANDAL at The Boxing Gym.

More Photos of Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

Crowd at a drum and bass night in Bristol 2026

What our editors say

“Expect a heavyweight journey through jungle, breaks and bass, powered by Void + Danley sound systems, alongside Clock Factory’s immersive lighting, production and visual setup across both The Light Room & 360 Floors.”
From: Clock Factory NYE | The Future of Jungle

“The style of music they do is a mixture of garage, jungle and drum n bass blended live vocals and live punk rock metal guitar riffs creating a fusion similar to that of the prodigy or pendulum but with its own distinctive taste.”
From: New age Collective Crusty Raver tour

“Fabio & Grooverider return to Clock Factory Bristol this December for their Up Close & Personal Tour. For over 30 years, Fabio & Grooverider have stood at the very core of drum & bass. From the pirate airwaves and illegal raves of the late ’80s to their groundbreaking Rage residency in London, they helped shape jungle and D&B into the global force it is today. Their 14-year, award-winning BBC Radio 1 show gave early exposure to now-household names including Chase & Status, Wilkinson, Sub Focus, Pendulum, High Contrast and Calibre.”
From: Fabio & Grooverider: Up Close & Personal Tour

“Joining him is Culprate, one of the UK’s most distinctive and technically accomplished electronic producers. First establishing himself through releases on Dubsaw and Inspected, his music moves effortlessly between heavy dubstep, drum and bass, intricate sound design and richly experimental electronica.”
From: Clock Factory Presents: Flux Pavilion & Culprate

“MUSIC: Tenalach: Four-piece band fusing modern beats and traditional folk music Beat Cleaver: Beatbox, live looping, freestyle rap & improvisation… fantasy style Folk Jam Merkäta: Psychedelic DnB, jungle and 4x4 - this time with a medieval twist, just for us Lotus Soundsystem Takeover: Our friends at Lotus bringing the bassy tunes Wandering musicians and storytellers from distant lands, including Carnifølk, The Mailman, and Puk Bard Powered by Lotus Soundsystem”
From: Rare Fowl Feast presents: Revelry