What's On / Bristol Gigs

Bristol Gigs

— All Bristol's Live Music

Buy tickets for Bristol's best gigs and live music.

Live music gig with great Bristol bands.

Bristol’s best gigs

Every week, the Headfirst editors trawl through all of the live music listings on the website and pick the best gigs for you to go to. Our event selections range from classical music concerts at St George’s Hall to smaller, local musician’s gigs at The Canteen or the Exchange.

Check out this week’s Bristol gig selections over on the Headfirst Facebook page and don’t forget to join our weekly email list for ticket alerts and announcements about interesting bands coming to Bristol including our biggest venues like SWX.

All tickets for this concert were sold through Headfirst Ticket Shop.

Tickets for Bristol gigs

In 2016, Headfirst Bristol launched an online ticket shop for live music events. Inspired by local cooperatives and community interest companies like the Bristol Cable and The Island, Headfirst provides an ethical and respectful place to buy tickets for gigs in Bristol. Our booking fees are low (usually 65p per ticket) and we strive to help support independent live music events as much as large concerts at venues like Bristol Beacon or Marble Factory.

Upcoming gigs in Bristol

Fri 25th July
Skinny Living at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Skinny Living in Bristol Tickets

Thu 24th July
BODEGA at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

BODEGA in Bristol Tickets

Thu 15th May
Wych Elm at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Wych Elm in Bristol Tickets

Fri 30th May
Taking over tour at Lost Horizon
Tue 2nd December
Porridge Radio at The Trinity Centre

Live music venues in Bristol

Bristol’s gig venues play an essential and often overlooked role in the city’s music scene. A spectrum of venues provides a ladder for new bands and musical talent to ascend. DIY spaces like Lost Horizon and Strangebrew provide a testbed for the screaming synthesisers and the guitars that will undoubtedly become part of Bristol’s future. Check out Headfirst’s Bristol venues page to discover which kind of performances and concerts you can expect from each gig venue.

First live gig for one of Bristol's best guitarists.

Our editor's top live music recommendation

Sell out warning! The most sensational figure in Scottish smallpipes since they were first forged! Brìghde revitalised a dying sound, moving it beyond the folk tradition and her native Isle of Skye towards the global stage. Now she’s collaborating with sax maestro Colin Stetson on towering, droning masterpieces of experimental mystical minimalism. Totally unmissable for trad and drone fans alike. Brighde Chaimbeul at The Mount Without.

Sell out warning! Like your favourite Madlib cuts come to life, Surprise Chef feel like you're trailing the most epic crate digging session ever. Marrying 70s funkxploitation grooves with instrumental stoner soul and dusky boombap kicks, they’re flooding the global consciousness with classic fills beamed from another era. Highly unmissable FFO: Khruangbin, 30/70, David Axelrod, Dilla, BadBadNotGood. Surprise Chef + Support at The Lantern.

Sell out warning! Folk gig of the year!? Reclusive baroque royalty graces the Cube for an incredibly rare and incredibly intimate airing of cult classic psych-tinged gems of the proto-freak-folk canon. Bridget St John is a bucolic icon and a national treasure FFO: Vashti Bunyan, Nick Drake, Nico, Linda Perhacs, Sandy Denny. Bridget St John + Eva May + Henry Ayling at The Cube.

Looking for Glastonbury-esque feels at only 1,000 capacity + just a 30 minute drive from Bristol? Welcome to Inglefest. Expect an intimate farmhouse location with a firm musical focus on the South West including adorable emo-folk-punk trio Toodles & The Hectic Pity, Pocket Sun’s impossibly dreamy synth-pop, beloved Bristol boom-bap from The Scribes + oh so much more. Inglefest’s just bursting to the seams with Rnb, punk, jazz and folk loveliness. 15th - 17th August at Oxwick Farm.

Recommended Gigs

Thu 11th December
DIVORCE at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

DIVORCE in Bristol Tickets

Mon 6th October
Ellur at The Louisiana
— The Louisiana

Ellur in Bristol Tickets

Mon 8th September
ICHI at The Wardrobe Theatre
— The Wardrobe Theatre

ICHI in Bristol Tickets

Thu 6th November
Big Sleep at Strange Brew
Thu 25th September
The Wants at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol

The Wants in Bristol Tickets

Fri 11th July
SEEKER - Hidden Music Festival at Secret Location Isle Of Purbeck
— Secret Location Isle Of Purbeck

SEEKER - Hidden Music Festival in Bristol Tickets

Fri 5th December
Orions Belte at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol

Orions Belte in Bristol Tickets

Thu 11th September
Flyte at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Flyte in Bristol Tickets

Thu 14th August
Luke Haines & Peter Buck at Strange Brew

Gigs in Bristol today

Most of Headfirst’s visitors come to discover new bands and live music in Bristol. We’re proud to be Bristol’s most complete gig listings resource, complete with a full breakdown of gigs in Bristol today and tour dates for the next six months. A sterling selection of open mic nights (particularly along Gloucester Road), provide ample midweek entertainment for would-be talent scouts.

Sell out warning - buy tickets while you can!

Unmissable all-day misrule and crust/hxc/street punk pit heaven at the metal-working anarchist oasis aka Rockaway Park. 14 bands across 2 stages including Barcelona’s Riot City pogo punks Lux and the righteous return of blistering buzzsaw upstarts the Flex + shuttle bus from BRS, vegan cafe, info stalls, crowd-surfing kiddies. Bliss and leather! UNREST 2025 at Rockaway Park.

Sell out warning! Oh gosh! 90s dancehall legend incoming! Tanya rides ruffneck riddims with a royal sass, penning wicked ladies anthems that shine bright in a macho-posturing scene. She’s a true trailblazer, alongside Lady Saw, paving the road for the ragga queens of the future: Lila Iké, Koffee and more still to come. Trust us, Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet! Tanya Stephens at The Jam Jar.

Rapper announces our new Bristol gig guide on the microphone!
Sell out warning! Harsh joy, opulent noise, beloved punk-spirited pop. Are Deerhoof the most utterly distinctive yet impossible-to-pin-down band of the 21st century? WELL DUH. DEERHOOF at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! It's Melvins ...... what the hell else do you need to know? Melvins at Exchange.


Local bands and musicians

Local musicians are the lifeblood and new energy that constantly rejuvenates Bristol’s venues and performance spaces. Graduates from Bristol University’s Music course and BIMM provide regular injections of talent ranging from electronic music producers to classically trained pianists and orchestral musicians. Some of Bristol’s most successful bands are the first to point out that their inspiration comes from other local bands and gigs they’ve attended; with this in mind Headfirst is careful to include as much local talent as possible in it’s gig guide.

In addition to attending gigs you can also support Bristol’s musicians by buying their records from independent stores like Idle Hands Records, Shall Not Fade and Christmas Steps Records.