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Drone, Noise & Experimental

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Bristol's Drone/noise Scene

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.

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Our recent drone/noise recommendations

Top-shelf first-wave anarcho legends in the flesh! The crust’s crust will tell you Virus were the absolute bollocks; still running on fresh vitriol, they’ve saved their most vital polemics for the cursed 21st century. Disciples of The Mob, Flux and even Subdued should unpick some room on their patch jacket, and stick around for the Hermeticus projection archive + after-hours lessons from DJ Dub Punk. Virus, Hermeticus, DJ Dub Punk, DJ Inigo at Cafe Kino.

Sell out warning! Harmonium-driven fantasy drone folk of the highest order, loaded with the longing and whimsy and underlying bloody horrorshow of good ol’ Blighty. Greet’s uncanny wheezing and ecstatic crescondos pair with Ancient Hostility’s rousing anarcho ballads in a pitch perfect eve FFO: Lankum, Daisy Rickman, Hawthonn, Shovel Dance. Greet, Ancient Hostility, Molly Samson, and Say, God at Strange Brew.

Another edition of IGH x Kino’s experimental odysseys, studded with stars of the UK avant-garde. Birmingham academic and free improv/no wave powerhouse Si Paton brings cerebral bass permutations alongside Paling’s mysterious post-rock meltdowns, ex-Shipping Forecast space-noise from The Czochralski Process, and ofc, the ever shape-shifting house band. Si Patton / paling / The Czochralski Process + IGH Band at Cafe Kino.

Sell out warning! Local downtuned doomgazers come of age with a monolithic debut LP almost as epic as Deftones jamming with Boris to the monkey scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Help them launch it into the outer limits with hometown post-sludge heroes Row of Ashes on a cosmic billing FFO: Kowloon Walled City, Jesu, LLNN, Conjurer. Epimetheus at Exchange.

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What our editors say

“Dawn Terry From the days of Bong to a host of collaborations; cranky lo fi Dungeon Synth to one of the most arresting and enveloping improvised solo drone projects around, Dawn Terry is a mainstay of the UK underground. She plays slow, melancholic, optimistic music for sad people. Based in Newcastle, she is a veteran drone artist, producing work that is heavy, dreamlike, open and hypnotic. In her recent music Dawn has turned towards acoustic resonances provided by accordion, hurdy-gurdy, and voice.”
From: SHFTD & SB pres. Jarboe feat. Thor Harris & Joy Von Spain + Dawn Terry

“S A R R A M,solo project of Valerio Marras,heads to Bristol,on tour ,and all the way from Sardinia, Italy.' A dark ceremony ' , promises ambient electronic noise , with a new album.FFO Coil,Sunn ((((0))))) ,The Body ,Nadja.”
From: S AR R A M + Colossloth + Prior+ DJ JG

“Merope explore a contemporary vision of ancient Baltic music. Their roots lie deep in the soil of Lithuania's folk songs, but elements gleaned from jazz, traditional, ambient music, 20th century minimalism and kosmische are interwoven into celestial and often moving compositions..”
From: Hatis Noit + Merope + Yas Clarke

“1615 - 1915 St Georges hosts performances by LA-based artist claire rousay with a scratch ensemble of players from Bristol’s music scene; a rare South West performance from cellist and composer Lucy Railton; and a UK premiere of Scottish composer Harry Górski-Brown and Polish audiovisual artist/instrument designer Wojciech Rusin’s balloon and bagpipe drone symphony ‘Drift’, with Phaedra Ensemble.”
From: Bristol New Music - Saturday pass

“Drift is a collaboration between Scottish composer and bagpiper Harry Górski-Brown and Polish audiovisual artist and instrument designer Wojciech Rusin, born of a shared interest in speculative relationships between traditional and contemporary drone music. They’ll be joined on stage by the Phaedra Ensemble.”
From: claire rousay + Lucy Railton + Harry Górski-Brown & Wojciech Rusin