Bristol Dubstep

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Bristol's Dubstep Scene

You can’t spell Dubstep without Bristol

While the first word in Dubstep’s history might be DMZ, the second is surely Bristol. London is the birthplace but the Bristol dubstep sound must be its most iconic regional variant. Bristol acts like Pinch and Vex’d were instrumental in the early days as well as RSD // Rob Smith from Smith & Mighty who straddle Bristol’s trip-hop lineage and its dubstep future. Although this is cruelly left out of the Wiki page on dubstep - Bristol continued to play a huge part, defining an iconic sound sometimes known as ‘purple wow’ or wonky that included Joker, Gemmy, Jakes, Guido and Julio Bashmore through nights like Subloaded. While many of these artists are making house or other club music, their place in Bristol dubstep (and electronic music) history is secured.

What we said in 2015...
Presently dubstep in Bristol enjoys such stellar success that the only thorn in the genre's side is it's quantity. With such a saturated market it only becomes harder to find genuine talent amongst the endless bandwagon of tag alongs. Fortunately for Bristol, the boundaries are being pushed rather than retrodden and Bristol's own dubstep has gained international recognition.

Local talent has been the springboard for Bristol to become second only to London in the depth and range of the offerings of the sound. Joker, Gemmy, Pinch, RSD, Peverelist, Hyetal, Appleblim and Guido are but a few of Bristol's most prevalent exports, while arguably the city's most successful dubstep nights (Dubloaded and Applepips) are products of Bristol's own talent (Pinch and Appleblim) respectively.

The accessibility of dubstep's sound has seen it eclipse drum and bass in its hold over nightclubs and dubstep luminaries such as Skream, Benga and Plastician are regulars in the Bristol. Like drum and bass, the big acts are found at the huge, multi genre raves in Lakota and Motion (aka In:motion) while Bristol houses a mix of dedicated dubstep nights that operate in the mid-sized venues such as Thekla, Dojos, Basement 45 and The Croft.

Promoters such as Crazylegs have sought to expose the UK Funky side of dubstep, bringing artists like Joy Orbison, Deadboy and Roska to the masses. Subloaded at The Croft is another reliable source for forward-thinking dubstep.

Buy tickets for dubstep events in Bristol

Our recent dubstep recommendations

The crew behind Glasto’s Shangri-la Luna Stage mastermind a heavy triple threat of dubstep OGs! Purple sound progenitor Joker meets fellow grime mainstay Sir Spyro for a 3-hour odyssey topped off with hard-hitter Killa P on MC duties. Essential one for the 140 heads. From the team behind the magic that is Luna Joker b2b Sir Spyro ft. Killa P land at Lost Horizon for an extended 3-hour set, with support from Bristol’s own Sir Hiss and more. 31st Jan | 22:00–03:00. Pure grime and bass energy from start to finish.

The grand b2b2b reformation of UK bass heavyweights Breaka, Dubrunner and Yushh, fusing collective forces for all the wiggy‘n’dubby techno, garage and 140 your wildest club dreams can muster (and then some). Essential one for the heads – don’t call it a supergroup, yet... Brushhrunner (Breaka, Yushh & Dubrunner) [All Night Long] - dubstep, electro, uk garage, breakbeat, techno

Bass femmes to the front! Drill MC, hard-bass + grime provocateur, DJ-extraordinaire and irreverent icon… it can only be Princess Xixi, helming another DOLLSTEP outing of c*nty 140 and dubstep deviance. Dubstep is back, and she's had a sex change. Sexy bass mutations & low-end frequencies from the likes of Princess XiXi, Jess Hands, Ifeoluwa & DOLLSTEP resident Lilian Lyzander.

Dust yourself off and start 2026 all over again with this Basement 45 two-room gauntlet of sub-heavy club action. Featuring Meg Am’s wicked and deadly 140 selects, Hajicore’s BPM busting footwork flavours, Goosey’s hard dance pandemonium + loads more seeping in from the baile / jungle / tekno / trance continuum. Multi-genre dance to start 2026 with a bang

More Photos of Bristol Dubstep

Crowd at a dubstep night in Bristol 2026

What our editors say

“Our collective spans a broad spectrum of bass driven genres, weaving between styles to create dynamic stories in our sets. Whether rolling through Footwork, dubstep, breaks, jungle, or global club sounds, we focus on crafting journeys that honour the roots of bass culture while pushing its boundaries forward.”
From: Wink Collective w/ Phia500

“Bassline and Dubstep powerhouse Zero is back on Friday 28th February with his Bangers Only UK Tour. Expect High‑energy 140bpm riddems from one of the UK’s most exciting names in Bass music. Joining him on the night are Chimpo (140-170 set), Jaz Imsky, White Pony and Bristol favourites Sufi & Rez, all bringing the full force of UKG energy. TICKETS ON SALE NOW!”
From: Zero: Bangers Only • UK Tour

“Nu:Motive and Dazed continue their 10-year celebrations with the return of Neffa-T to Bristol, delivering an extended 140–170 BPM, four-deck set aboard Thekla. Special guest MCs and support to be announced very soon.”
From: Neffa-T & Special Guests

“With Future Retro on hiatus after hitting 50 era-defining releases, he has been releasing his own music at breakneck speed with two self-released 20 trackers dropping at the end of 2025, exploring a range soundsystem music including dubstep, grime and UK techno sounds. With nods towards the experimental dub sounds of 5 GATE TEMPLE world sitting alongside deconstructed trap… if you haven’t been paying attention you might not have seen it coming.”
From: Seasoning ✼ Tim Reaper , Severine

“The internet has gone too far. we return to thekla following two sold out events to revive the dance floor and remove the judgement. restore clubbing to its former glory. october twenty-fourth at thekla, leave ur smartphones at home. bring ur mates. edm. dubstep. pop. strictly 2010-2015. on-brand outfits encouraged.”
From: Internet friends