What's On / Bristol Gigs / experimental music

Bristol's Experimental Music Listings

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Bristol's Experimental Music Scene

It’s Bristol’s dance music that has earnt Bristol’s music scene international recognition, but the city’s playful experimentation between musicianship, electronics and sound art that is starting to gain the most traction. It's with a sigh of relief that we bid farewell to loop-pedal-powered hippies of the past and embrace the patch bays, compressors and modular synths of the future. All Bristol’s experimental music events are listed on this page.

Buy tickets for experimental music events in Bristol

What our editors say

“Even as its five members have been pulled by tides of their own, Ulrika Spacek has always been a symbol of collective art. Despite a range of day jobs (experimental physicists, graphic designers, music producers) the collective pursuit is there in the shared dream logic of the music: the off-kilter melodies, jagged guitars and cirrus cloud atmospherics. It’s there, in all the things that are said and unsaid between them; there in the writing, producing and mixing processes they share in. And even as each of their parts moves toward a unified vision, it’s never more keenly felt than in the bigger picture to which Ulrika Spacek belong.”
From: ULRIKA SPACEK

“DEAD SPACE CHAMBER MUSIC Gothic experimental doom Bristol’s DEAD SPACE CHAMBER MUSIC reinterpret centuries old historical forms and melodies and shape-shift them into new and varied contemporary works. Incorporating improv, 'found sounds' and vocals spanning Middle English, Latin and Welsh, they draw on dark ambient, post-industrial, avant-classical, sacred chant and dark-folk to deliver atmospheric and emotionally resonant shows, often performing in historic sacred spaces like crypts and churches.”
From: Urzah

“JOY. & Strange Brew presents JK FLESH + SPECIAL GUESTS From the industrial heartland of Birmingham, England, JK Flesh, the alter ego of Justin Broadrick, has been crafting his unique blend of heavy electronica and techno for years. Best known for his work in the bands Godflesh and Jesu, Broadrick's JK Flesh project spans back to his work in the 1990s with Kevin Martin (aka the Bug) in Techno Animal. He first released a solo studio album as JK Flesh in 2012. This solo work takes its cues from a diverse range of influences, including industrial music, dub, power electronics, and ‘other extreme musics,’ resulting in a sound that is as complex as it is compelling.”
From: JK Flesh + special guests

“Shone worked as a mechanical engineer in Boston before moving to San Diego, California to study art and sculpture. Here, he began constructing his custom-built instruments and controllers (including Drone Machines and Dub Machines) using raw materials and open source electronic circuitry. His initial self-released albums, 2005's The Painted Army and 2007's Warcry, seemed to contain more guitars and more of a resemblance to radio-ready alternative metal than his subsequent work, yet were still quite experimental. Following the release of the more Godflesh-esque Drone Machines in 2010, Author & Punisher began receiving more attention from the noise, industrial, and metal scenes.”
From: Author & Punisher + special guests

“STRANGE FUTURES Bristol's Strange Futures invite you to join their underground electro-punk dance party and ethereal goth séance, bringing dark beats, arresting basslines and ethereal melodies together with disarming lyrics. Having supported artists such as Drab Majesty, S Y Z Y G Y X, Male Tears, Traitrs, Ductape, and Dancing Plague, they are quickly gaining a reputation for an energetic and intense live show. Bring your own bleakness.”
From: Creux Lies + Strange Futures + tbc