Bristol’s drone and noise rock scenes are some of the most awesome musical niches found in this city. Small packed-out gigs, captivated crowds and performers pushing the boundaries between music, white noise and sound art. While international names like Tim Hecker and the Haxan Cloak have made appearances in Bristol, it’s local label Howling Owl Records and promoters Cacophonous Sarcophagus who are leading the way here. Keep your eyes peeled for gigs at the Arnolfini gallery, The Cube cinema, The Exchange and small events spaces like the Scout Hut and Centre Space.
Intimate Drone/noise music in Bristol
The Bristol drone/noise scene, it’s not just the Bristol Hum like you’d think! Bristol drone and noise gigs can be some of the most intimate around, the crowd all huddled in silence in one of Bristol prestigious venues (like the newly rebranded Bristol Beacon). Although lacking big local names to rival international drone artists like William Basinski or Tim Hecker, there’s been a recent increase in ambient gigs, nights like Dark Alchemy and Lust Pattern have taken the beat out of music but still made it droney and noisey, and just very Bristol.
Our recent drone/noise recommendations
Southern Lord-signed spacious guitar brutalism. Droney and torturous sonics with Tasy Hudson’s vocals adding sweet barbs that set them apart from the crop of sludge metal machismo acts.
FFO: Divide and Dissolve, The Body, Earth.
BIG | BRAVE + FÅGELLE at Crofters Rights.
Experimental alchemist Hiro Kone sculpts spectral electronics and cerebral techno incantations. Whether dealing in eerie shape-shifting drone, celestial modular synthesis or warped metallic beats, her music always speaks to a hypnotic sublime.
Hiro Kone / Loula Yorke / F*CK Authority [LIVE] at Strange Brew.
Elegant and crushingly heavy chamber drone played on doomy electric strings that wash over you like 100 folk-horror credit sequences. An underground Bristol gem! FFO: Dead Space Chamber Music, Godspeed, Taj Mahal Travellers.
Echoic Memory Presents: Kuro at The Cube.
Helm’s nail-biting, industrialized dronescapes meets Prangers’ DIY percussion collages. One for the weirdos as always: another classic Schwet in the making.
Schwet with Helm, Prangers, Ni Maîtres & Ekstasis at Strange Brew.