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

Tomorrow
Totorro at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol

Totorro in Bristol Tickets

Fri 1st August
Mannequin Death Squad at The Louisiana
Tue 7th October
Red Rum Club at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Red Rum Club in Bristol Tickets

Sat 28th February
Together Tour 2026 at Bristol Beacon
Fri 19th September
Poor Creature at Strange Brew

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! You can’t talk about the last decade of rap without saying ‘Billy Woods’ or ‘Backwoodz’. And if you’re not shouting those names by the end of it, Lord help you. By our counts this’ll be the second time he’s ever taken the stage in Bristol (hands up the Armand Hammer 2019 crowd). Do whatever you need to do to be there. Untouchable FFO: Quelle Chris, Def Jux, Ka, Mike, JPEGMAFIA, Pink Siifu. Billy Woods at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! ‘Folktronica’ is a dirty word, so Stick In the Wheel prefer ‘Medieval Kraftwerk’ (and we can’t put it better). Auto-tuned Cockney poetry and glitched out field recordings via 17th century MIDI files. Unclassifiably gorgeous. Stick In The Wheel at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Attitude Fest gives you a frantic 9 hours to shovel as much three cord nutrients deep inside your ears. For starters: gobby Glaswegian turbo punx Soapbox, local queercore doom-grunge darlings GorZ, Belfast’s mad promising riot grrrl garage outfit Jock + all your new fav bands you haven’t heard of yet…. Attitude Festival 2025 at Exchange.

Genre-bending nu-jazz wonderment, melding conscious poetry with neo-soul stylings and astral funk-pop into a thrilling cocktail FFO: Georgia Anne Muldrow, Sons of Kemet, Moses Yoofee, Hiatus Kaiyote, Thundercat. Sera Kalo's eX.II at The Jam Jar.

Recommended Gigs

Sat 21st June
Jazz in the Loft - Liane Carroll at The Tobacco Factory
Wed 11th February
Ash at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Ash in Bristol Tickets

Thu 9th October
Deaf Havana at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre

Deaf Havana in Bristol Tickets

Sat 22nd November
Home Counties at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol

Home Counties in Bristol Tickets

Mon 8th December
Thea Gilmore at Strange Brew
Sat 1st November
Graham Bonnet at Lost Horizon
Sun 7th December
Thea Gilmore at Strange Brew
Sun 20th July
Analogue Lounge X Trinity at The Trinity Centre
Sat 25th October
Maruja at Electric Bristol
— Electric Bristol

Maruja 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!

Trans-Atlantic collab where American roots meets British folk at its finest. With every virtuoso pluck of the guitar and bow of the fiddle, Brooks Williams and Aaron Catlow (Sheelanagig) pay loving homage to the 20th century songbook of bluegrass, blues, ragtime, folk, jazz manouche and music hall. Essential FFO: Dave Swarbrick, Martin Carthy, Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli. Brooks Williams & Aaron Catlow at Bristol Folk House.

Sell out warning! Come get schooled by THE dance music innovator who’s been floating above acid house, hardcore, dnb and jungle weaving a magical influence on all…..You only get one Gerald in this life, and this is it. A Guy Called Gerald + The Jungle Drummer at Strange Brew.

Rapper announces our new Bristol gig guide on the microphone!
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 + Loula Yorke 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.


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.