Bristol Rave Events

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Bristol's Rave Scene

Bristol has long been the South West's rave mecca with bus loads of ravers coming to hardcore nights from lesser endowed cities like Bournemouth and Bath since the nineties. At the heart of Bristol's hardcore and old skool scene has always been Lakota, the only venue (until recently) large enough for huge, multi-room raves. The venue's industrial warehouse feel and non-central location also made it popular with Bristol's free party crews who's multi-rig 'linkups' (most notably the Gener8r parties) have also made Bristol a national attraction for oldskool, mash-up and breakcore nights.

The Black Swan in Easton is Bristol's other key rave venue, attracting promoters like Mongrel (formerly at the Croft), Tiki and Avalaf. Keep an eye on Lab's listings for occasional Wrong Music events and even check Whats on at Bristol's Motion for the odd large rave event like Battlegrounds.

Bristol Rave in the time of Covid
Bristol is easily the rave capital of the west, it’s clear from just the name of Rave on Avon - a multi-day multi-venue rave event where the streets of Bristol open themselves to fans of the whole spectrum of rave: drum n bass, hardcore, trance, techno house. Bristol never descriminates! But the only raves hitting the news recently was an illegal rave - the first of its kind in Bristol to receive a £10,000. Obviously no-one would condone raving in Bristol at this time, no matter how much we want it. The question on everyone’s lips is: what will raves look like after covid? Facemasks on entry? Dwindling crowds checking track and trace apps on their phones. Let’s hope Bristol can get its rave on, in the way remember, as soon as possible.

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Our recent rave recommendations

Sell out warning! AnExperience descends on the Boxing Gym with their own righteous take on amen culture, taking us back to 92-96 with an all-vinyl crew running pure junglist/hardcore/breakbeat euphoria through Scotland Yard’s ‘so loud it’s psychedelic’ soundsystem. 100% deconstructed-rave free zone across 5 arenas, it doesn’t get much bigger than this! AnExperience presents ~ A proper jungle night at The Boxing Gym.

Sell out warning! Somatic meditations and sensual club selections with Shameless Hussies and queer culture icons Wildblood & Queenie, keeping things seductive with their patented mix of dirty disco and decadent house. SOFT BUTCH with Wildblood & Queenie at Lost Horizon.

Sell out warning! Still reeling from his 3 hour devastation of Strange Brew, Cirrina invites a titanic pillar of 21st century junglism to ditch his amen stripes and school us on cutting edge techno / 140 mutations. This is a new kinda Reaper, rocking the shit outta The Island with AM's dubby conquerer i-sha + Casino Flats & Fez the Kid's opening downtempo hypnotics. Cirrina Sessions w/ Tim Reaper , i-sha & residents at The Island.

Perfect All Hallow's dance if you like your club music steeped in dark garage rollers and Livity-grade percussive techno goodness. Bristol’s ever-reliable groove maestros Club Djembe have got Rinse FM's Fold and SWU's Caragh at the helm in this rather large one FFO: Joy Orbison, Peverelist, Ehua, Ikonika. Club Djembe Halloween w/Fold, Caragh & DJ Polo b2b DJ Stolen at The Love Inn.

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What our editors say

“With an image of looking like a crusty chav punk love child lost down a trippy rabbit hole, this unique soundsystem collective crew will continue to further the evolution of rave music and events and cannot be missed.”
From: New age Collective Crusty Raver tour

“Confit Dub is a Bristol-based live act and DJ offering a distinctive take on contemporary dance music. Rooted in Electro, Bruno references ideas regularly from dub, ambient and acid house. Working primarily with hardware, Confit Dub approaches performance as an evolving, process-led practice. His sets and productions blend dub-influenced rhythm, downtempo pulse and textural space, favouring subtle shifts and atmosphere over fixed structures.”
From: Sub_structure w/ Confit Dub , Caruti and Culplex

“The rave music connoisseurs INTERLUDE are joined once more by DJ DOUBT for the tried-and-tested, all-vinyl B2B. The gang will be spinning wax from all chapters of the rave continuum, all night long. Expect pianos, acid, kick drums and amens galore (and everything in between).”
From: Elysium x Way Of The Future

“Formed from a shared passion for broken rhythms and a desire to express feelings of discontent through rave music, Bristol-based duo Disaffected are quickly establishing a formidable reputation for their high-energy, emotionally charged DJ sets.”
From: Disaffected & Friends: 2QUID + MINNIM + DISAFFECTED

“FLY FOX is a Bristol DJ, founder of Femmes on Decks and radio host known for her eclectic, groove-led sets. Drawing on 90s rave, acid house and techno, Detroit grooves, Chicago disco and soul, she blends sounds from around the world into playful, energetic journeys.A regular on local radios such as Noods Radio, SWU.FM and Crate Digs, she’s also played festivals including Glastonbury, We Out Here, Shambala and Shindig.”
From: FEMMES ON DECK ft. Fly Fox & Katie Novo