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

Thu 19th February
BEACH BØNES at The Louisiana
— The Louisiana

BEACH BØNES in Bristol Tickets

Tue 17th March
ARMAND HAMMER at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

ARMAND HAMMER in Bristol Tickets

Tue 12th May
Larry Fleet at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Larry Fleet in Bristol Tickets

Mon 16th November
The Sheepdogs at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

The Sheepdogs in Bristol Tickets

Thu 2nd April
Searows at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Searows in Bristol Tickets

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

Angeline Morrison crafts hauntingly beautiful folk injected with a captivating blend of melancholy and darkness, accompanied by the poignant strings of the autoharp. Her latest works are visionary re-writings of Black people’s experiences into a tradition that largely ignored them. History in the making FFO: Buffy Sainte Marie, Shirley Collins, Shovel Dance Collective. Angeline Morrison at The Wardrobe Theatre.

Sell out warning! Dean Blunt-championed darlings Bar Italia continue their steady ascent to slacker indie superstardom, gifting Trinity a fifth album haul of seasick alt-rock polished with moody romanticism and nostalgic 90s hooks. Move over post-punk, the hour of wonky pop-grunge is upon us FFO: Sonic Youth, Elastica, The Velvet Underground, Wet Leg. Bar Italia at The Trinity Centre.

Sell out warning! Beloved Ohio indie-emo quartet Remember Sports bring their ripping alt-pop and sunroof-dropping riffs to town. Big scrappy rave-ups with both goofy earnestness and subtle emotional insight – these are loud anthems for quiet people. Unmissable FFO: Ratboys, Joyce Manor, Alvvays. Remember Sports at Exchange.

Jason Dungan’s Blue Lake quartet creates gorgeous pastoral minimalism with zither drones, woodwind sketches and sun-bleached rhythms drifting in quietly ecstatic loops. On support: cerebral one-man chamber jazz ensemble Memotone and Eva May’s choir-haunted lullabies. Soft-focus spiritualism FFO: William Tyler, Astrid Sonne, Laraaji. Blue Lake , Memotone + Eva May at Strange Brew.

Recommended Gigs

Tue 17th February
Ben Ottewell & Ian Ball at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Ben Ottewell & Ian Ball in Bristol Tickets

Fri 1st May
Mesh at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Mesh in Bristol Tickets

Wed 3rd December
Saffron Emerging Artist Showcase at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol

Saffron Emerging Artist Showcase in Bristol Tickets

Tue 31st March
Angeline Morrison at The Wardrobe Theatre
— The Wardrobe Theatre

Angeline Morrison in Bristol Tickets

Fri 9th October
The Lemonheads at Electric Bristol
— Electric Bristol

The Lemonheads in Bristol Tickets

Mon 16th March
Lime Garden at The Louisiana
— The Louisiana

Lime Garden in Bristol Tickets

Tue 3rd March
The Wave Pictures at Strange Brew
— Strange Brew

The Wave Pictures in Bristol Tickets

Fri 27th March
Joan Shelley at Strange Brew
— Strange Brew

Joan Shelley in Bristol Tickets

Sun 14th December
Jazz in the Loft - Dennis Rollins at The Tobacco Factory
— The Tobacco Factory

Jazz in the Loft - Dennis Rollins in Bristol Tickets

Sat 6th December
Porij, My First Time, Bloodworm & More at Thekla
— Thekla

Porij, My First Time, Bloodworm & More in Bristol Tickets

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!

Sell out warning! DFA-flavoured Yorkshire post-punks DEADLETTER take on Trinity with twitch-wired rhythms and acid-etched wit. One of the most deliriously danceable live acts around – their jittery percussive swells fist-bump with sharp-edged guitars, sassy basslines, and that signature siren sax that dares you not to move. Irresistible FFO: LCD Soundsystem, Magazine, Gang of Four, Viagra Boys. DEADLETTER at The Trinity Centre.

Sell out warning! Brazil-born, LA-based guitar master Fabiano do Nascimento builds whole worlds armed with just a 7-string and a loop pedal. His unique Rio groove is alive with the spirit of traditional Afro-samba, choro and folk – one of the most transportive live jazz experiences you’ll find this side of the Atlantic. Fabiano do Nascimento at The Jam Jar.

Rapper announces our new Bristol gig guide on the microphone!
Sell out warning! Fog rolls into Strange Brew for the return of Maria Somerville... her full-band set promises the spectral braid of folk, dream-gaze, and star-smeared pop she’s refined into a kind of sonic weather. These tickets will move fast; unmissable future icon FFO: Cocteau Twins, Broadcast, Mazzy Star, Julianna Barwick. Maria Somerville + special guests at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Kaleidoscopic, folkloric, synthpop siren songs: Mermaid Chunky’s whimsical world is a gleefully eccentric and precious pearl to behold. The duo – whose previous gig resumé includes soundtracking the wedding of 2 porcelain pooches – return to the Brew with a fresh batch of absurdist fever-dream magic. Mermaid Chunky at Strange Brew.

Gigs at Lost Horizon Gigs at Exchange Louisiana Tickets Bristol Beacon Tickets View All Gig Venues

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.