Bristol's Blues Events

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Bristol's Blues Scene

Is blues music under-represented in Bristol?

While other American-originated music like funk and soul enjoy a huge number of acts and dedicated venues, where is the home of blues in Bristol? With its roots in the oppression of the black peoples of America, blues was transplanted over to the UK via white rock acts like the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. A quick browse of blues played on the BBC recently and tyhe Guardian’s list of the best blues festivals show some support for nearby Bath, but nothing for blues in Bristol. This begs the question: who will lead the new blues revival in Bristol?

Blues gigs in Bristol are found in pretty consistent venues with places like The Prom and the Thunderbolt popular live blues spots. Generally blues-rock seems more prominent in Bristol than traditional rhythm and blues bands or delta blues singers, although there is some really interesting stuff out there. Other venues to check for blues include the Cori Tap in Clifton and the Blue Lagoon on Gloucester Rd.

It's always worth looking at what's on at the Canteen in Bristol whose listings vary in style but are usually consistently high in quality - some potential blues gems there...

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Our recent blues recommendations

Sell out warning! The majestic trad/not-trad fiddle of Mikey Kenney is a real treat: giddy strings steeped in 1,000 years of rich UK ballads, peppered with Mikey’s own urban Merseyside compositions and influences from bluegrass to Italian folk and beyond. Plaintive delights FFO: Tommy Peoples, Aidan O'Rourke, Aaron Catlow, Band of Burns." Mikey Kenney + Âellin at The Jam Jar.

Sell out warning! Outsider artist sans pareil, the world is a lot less magical for the loss of legendary freak folk troubadour Michael Hurley. A year on, a loving gathering of Cube kinfolk honours his life with Rozi Plain, Rachael Dadd, Herbal Tea + more performing their interpretations of Hurley treasures, alongside a selection of rare films and cartoon curiosities from the archives. Rest in power beautiful Snock! UNDER THE PROPOSAL TREE at The Cube.

Local virtuosic experimentalist Nik Rawlings lends their sublime operatic vocals to a new series exploring DIY spatial sonics! They're joined by Duncan Speakman’s visceral fog of guitar-processed musique concréte and spectral dronewave from Natalia Mamcarczyk – immersive minimal soundscapes await at this essential one FFO: Éliane Radigue, Kali Malone, claire rousay, Blank Forms. PUNK/T SPATIAL #1 Nik Rawlings, Duncan Speakman, Natalia Mamcarczyk at Arnolfini.

Step into the world of Les Disques Omnison, a Parisian imprint exploring wandering cosmic pop and DIY experimental dub for the freax. Outsider music collapsing inwards through uncharted lo-fi psychedelia, post-rock motifs and haunting electronics – this'll be big FFO: On-U Sound, Sheriff Lindo, Giulio Erasmus, HLM38. Orion Music Workshop, Shelter, Jeanne Gorisse, & Oda Fiasco Bravo

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What our editors say

“One of blues rock’s most exciting breakout bands of recent years, Hutchinson’s power trio have been praised for ‘turning a club show into a primal scream’. Packed with hard hitting riffs and gritty guitar solos, his songs bring audiences together with choruses that soar.”
From: Jack J Hutchinson

“Having played bluegrass festivals in England, the Netherlands, France and the USA the band have honed their own take on American music from the 1950s to the present day. With various combinations of the four voices, expect to hear interesting harmony and subtle instrumentation as they play their way around festivals, pubs, Arts Centres music venues and local markets.”
From: The Hogranch

“Those whispers became Where the South Winds Wail. The record doesn’t unfold like a traditional collection of songs so much as a séance with an unknown past. Surf twang draped in shadows, blues exotica wandering into humid night, psychedelic cumbia tangled with echoes like an Afro-Amazon juke joint — each track a ghostly transmission, pulled from the air and reanimated in the present.”
From: Gitkin

“Growing up in between the deserts and refugee camps of Algeria, Ibrahim was regarded as a wanderer and a loner – he was nicknamed ‘Abaraybone’, meaning ‘ragamuffin child’. One day, he remembers, he was watching a western at a makeshift desert cinema and was struck by a scene in which a cowboy plays a song on a guitar. Inspired, he built his first guitar using an oil can, a stick and a bicycle brake wire. He started to learn to play, practising old Tuareg melodies, modern Arabic pop tunes and the Malian blues music of Ali Farka Touré.”
From: Tinariwen

“With a shared passion for modern bluegrass, The Charlotte Carrivick Band brings together four of the most exciting musicians in the UK today. Charlotte Carrivick is a flatpicking guitarist of international renown, sought for her inventive lead playing and regarded as an expert fiddle tune interpreter on the guitar.”
From: The Charlotte Carrivick Band + Erika Olson