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Folk Nights & Acoustic Music in Bristol
— 124 upcoming gigsBristol's Folk & Acoustic Scene
Like jazz, folk is an extremely broad genre. From Joan Baez and Joanna Newsom to Bon Iver and the Fleet Foxes to Sheelanegig and Beirut, the folk field is vast. Fortunately when it comes to catering for such a broad spectrum of live music, Bristol excels.
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Folk venues in Bristol
For off-centre Twee and Anti-Folk, be sure to check out what's on at the Louisiana and check the Start The Bus listings. Cafe Kino and The Arts House both on Stokes Croft also host occasional anti-folk bands and solo musicians.
For less lo-fi and more straight up folk, key venues include: The Leftbank, The Lansdown in Clifton, The South Bank Centre and The Folk House.
For more feisty folk bands keep an eye on gigs at The Attic and check out our gypsy jazz listings.
The folk big-guns and pop-crossover 'stars' like Noah and The Whale, Seth Lakeman and Mumford and Sons will be found at the biggest Bristol Venues (Colston Hall, o2 Academy and St George's Hall). For these gigs, arrive early as big folk events (at St Georges Hall in particular) can come packaged with some great (and potentially better) support artists.
For off-centre Twee and Anti-Folk, be sure to check out what's on at the Louisiana and check the Start The Bus listings. Cafe Kino and The Arts House both on Stokes Croft also host occasional anti-folk bands and solo musicians.
For less lo-fi and more straight up folk, key venues include: The Leftbank, The Lansdown in Clifton, The South Bank Centre and The Folk House.
For more feisty folk bands keep an eye on gigs at The Attic and check out our gypsy jazz listings.
The folk big-guns and pop-crossover 'stars' like Noah and The Whale, Seth Lakeman and Mumford and Sons will be found at the biggest Bristol Venues (Colston Hall, o2 Academy and St George's Hall). For these gigs, arrive early as big folk events (at St Georges Hall in particular) can come packaged with some great (and potentially better) support artists.
Buy tickets for folk & acoustic events in Bristol
The rest of our folk & acoustic listings are in the column to the left.
More Photos of Folk Nights & Acoustic Music in Bristol
Bristol's Trending Live Music Venues
Exchange The Louisiana Start The Bus The Trinity Centre The Marble Factory
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Crofters Rights
Nuala Honan Single Launch Party
Nuala Honan + Rosehip Teahouse + Simon Panrucker
Frenchay Village Hall
Odette Michell + Ant Miles
Nick Hart headlines Downend Folk Club's January concert at Frenchay Village Hall
United Reformed Church, Redland
London Bulgarian Choir, workshop and concert
A workshop and concert from London Bulgarian Choir, led by Dessislava Stefanova
1532 Performing Arts Centre
Martyn Joseph 'Days of Decision' Album Launch Tour
Martyn Joseph launches new album and UK Tour ..coming to Bristol 1532 Performing Arts Centre
Mr Wolfs
SongSmith Sunday @Mr Wolf's
SongSmith Sunday @Mr Wolf's ft Jake Morgan / Hidden Tide / Lieu Yonder
St Anne's Church Hall
Sacred Harp singing
Shape note singing for all
Bristol Folk House
The East Pointers
Three-piece contemporary folk
Exchange
'Cider Sunday Special' with Skimmity Hitchers
An afternoon of live music and real cider with Skimmity Hitchers + The Mighty Shinkickers
The Gallimaufry
Open Mic w/ Mike Dennis
The stage is yours
Benjamin Perry Scout Hut
Sacred Harp singing
Traditional shape note singing - loud, fun, free
The Gallimaufry
Seedling Sessions
Laimu + support from Sam Trusson
The Bristol Fringe
Jaz Delorean [Tankus the Henge] Solo
Jaz Delorean, front man with Tankus the Henge, performs solo!
LEFTBANK
OPEN MIC
Sing, strum, pluck, holler, rap - share your talents!
The Golden Lion
OPEN MIC NIGHT at The Golden Lion
Weekly Open Mic
HallPass Bar
City Sounds / Arts2Life UK
Happy New Year! We're back with a bang with a brand new venue, HallPass, and an incredible line up to shake away your January blues!
The Bristol Fringe
Afternoon Jazz: Around About Dusk
Trad jazz and country infused multi-intrumentalist trio
The Clifton Pub
The Clifton Pub Open mic Night and BYOT
Every Thursday evening at The Clifton pub, live music and vinyl
Cloak and Dagger
Burns Night Extravaganza!
Bag Pipers, Drummers, Folk, food, Whisky and Prose!!
Zed Alley
Ravetank//Bruno Chávez//The Byker Grove Fan Club
Quasar Sounds Presents
Thekla
The Milk Carton Kids Play Thekla
Critically acclaimed The Milk Carton Kids announce special select UK dates including Thekla Bristol 25 January 2020
The Golden Lion
Billy In The Lowground
Folky? Rocky? Brilliant!
Crofters Rights
Aerialists
JUNO nominated quintet Aerialists meld their ferociously creative harmonic sensibilities and deep love for folk traditions into a post-rock
Bristol Improv Theatre
Benjamin Spike Saunders presents: A Tonsil Wedding
Leisure Records and Benjamin Spike Saunders present a special show to celebrate the 'Tonsil Wife' EP
Central Bristol
Tonic's Day Out
A free day of writing jams, socialising and finding inspiration in our fine city and our fine selves.
The Gallimaufry
Open Mic w/ Mike Dennis
The stage is yours
Benjamin Perry Scout Hut
Sacred Harp singing
Traditional shape note singing - loud, fun, free
The Gallimaufry
Tamasene
Psychedelic soulful folk
Assembly Rooms Glastonbury
BENEFIT Glastonbury 28.1.2020 - UNIT X + support
Glastonbury : UNIT X (Skullraider Division) + Tim Hawthorn + Daygan + more
St George's Bristol
Band of Burns "The Thread" - Album Launch
“A shimmering collection … that does full justice to the poet’s humane vision” The Times
LEFTBANK
OPEN MIC
Sing, strum, pluck, holler, rap - share your talents!
The Golden Lion
OPEN MIC NIGHT at The Golden Lion
Weekly Open Mic
Exchange
Badlake Hill - WTFASTR - w/ Solace & Eldwin
A special Badlake Hill show in The Exchange's basement alongside Solace and Eldwin
Bristol Folk House
David Wax Museum
Colston Hall Presents at Bristol Folk House
The Cube
Dequincey, The Moldy Couple, Mark Mcdowell
Tonight the Cube is proud to present to you three fantastic bands projections, a visual set from mr-hopkinson and some wonderful DJs
St. James' Wine Vaults
IVW / RMT Music • Patrick Duff (Strangelove)
RMT Music present Patrick Duff touring the sublime 'Leaving My Father's House' LP at St James Wine Vaults, Bath as part of Independent Venue
Friendly Records Bar
Squirrel Flower In-store Debut Album launch
Launch of new debut album- part of Dinked album series
The Gallimaufry
Open Mic w/ Mike Dennis
The stage is yours
Benjamin Perry Scout Hut
Sacred Harp singing
Traditional shape note singing - loud, fun, free
The Hen & Chicken
Sam Baker - Celebrating Fifteen Years Of Mercy
To celebrate its fifteenth anniversary Sam will be playing Mercy in it’s entirety, as well as selections from his other highly praised album
Crofters Rights
Georgie
Georgie's rich powerful vocals come to Bristol
The Cloak and Dagger
Open Mic hosted by Graeme Moncrieff
Monthly Open Mic 1st Tuesday of the month
Exchange
Printhead: Jamie Cruickshank + Guests
Hazy Folk Rock
The Hen and Chicken
Kevin Montgomery
KEVIN MONTGOMERY WITH SPECIAL GUESTS KELLI JONES-SAVOY AND GREGOR PHILP.
LEFTBANK
OPEN MIC
Sing, strum, pluck, holler, rap - share your talents!
The Golden Lion
OPEN MIC NIGHT at The Golden Lion
Weekly Open Mic
The Director's Cut, Horts Bar
Tonic 016: China Bowls
Tonic kicks off 2020 with a storming first main show full of spoken and sung word!
The Canteen
Our Man in the Field at The Canteen
An evening of Roots and Americana brought to you by Our Man in the Field, an independent correspondent.
LEFTBANK
Traditional Nuggets Live
Balkanesque Stomp, Breaks, Fiddle and Beats
Rough Trade Bristol
Smoke Fairies & guests
Rough Trade Bristol & Fantome presents
St George's Bristol
Lady Nade
Part of The Listening Room Series at St George's Bristol.
Bristol Folk House
Lucy Farrell and Andrew Waite
Lucy Farrell and Andrew Waite release their debut album as a duo at the end of 2019 and will be heading out on tour in February next year to
The Hen & Chicken
Sam Lewis
With rich soulful vocals, well-crafted songs, roots country and blue-eyed soul Sam Lewis is connecting the dots.
St Bartholomew's Church Hall, Sommerville Road. BS6 5BX
Windborne Singers, workshop
A vocal workshop from the Windborne Singers, featuring polyphony from around the world
LEFTBANK
OPEN MIC
Sing, strum, pluck, holler, rap - share your talents!
The Golden Lion
OPEN MIC NIGHT at The Golden Lion
Weekly Open Mic
St Bartholomew's Church, Maurice Road. BS6 5BZ
Windborne Singers, concert
A concert from the Windborne Singers, featuring polyphony from around the world
Exchange
Printhead: MXLX + Guests
Avant-Garde Noise
The Hen & Chicken
ROSIE FLORES
ROSIE FLORES WITH SPECIAL GUEST JAMES OLIVER
St Annes Church
Romance & Fantasy with Fran & Flora
Romance is in the air with the seductive sounds of Cello, Violin and voice of Fran and Flora, with fantasy folk from Eastern Europe.
The Cube
Red River Dialect + guests
Shifting musics, heart wenching vocals, this is wild and touched folk making songs with a burning soul
Mr Wolfs
8pm SongSmith Sunday @Mr Wolf's
8pm SongSmith Sunday @Mr Wolf's ft PonyBoy and the GoldenSound / The Shiny Blue Demons / Martin James
St George's
Sam Lee
The highly inventive, restlessly creative Sam Lee plays a unique role in the British music scene. He is not only a uniquely gifted artist bu
LEFTBANK
OPEN MIC
Sing, strum, pluck, holler, rap - share your talents!
The Golden Lion
OPEN MIC NIGHT at The Golden Lion
Weekly Open Mic
Jam Jar
Popes of Chillitown & Forest of Fools
Scruffy Productions are back with a Hi-Octane lineup to get you skanking!
Frenchay Village Hall
Gilmore & Roberts + Matt Quinn & Owen Woods
Gilmore & Roberts headline Downend Folk Club's February concert at Frenchay Village Hall
Bristol Folk House
Rough Island Band: 10th anniversary tour
Rough Island Band are a contemporary folk quartet who have been creating original music inspired by the Isles of Scilly since 2009.
Exchange
Anna's Anchor
Indie folk from Limerick
Cafe Kino
HCM// DG Solaris + Special Guest
Danny Green (Laish) returns after selling out Kino last year with a new vibe and a local favourite!
St George's Bristol
Damien Jurado
with support from Dana Gavanski
The Louisiana
Mikal Cronin
LA native / Ty Segall collaborator returns with new album 'Seeker' via Merge
The New Room
Folk at the New Room: Leveret
Leveret is a unique collaboration between three of England's finest folk musicians.Tickets available on EventBrite
The Gallimaufry
Tamasene
Psychedelic soulful folk
LEFTBANK
OPEN MIC
Sing, strum, pluck, holler, rap - share your talents!
The Golden Lion
OPEN MIC NIGHT at The Golden Lion
Weekly Open Mic
St George's Bristol
Emily Magpie
Part of The Listening Room Series at St George's Bristol.
Rough Trade Bristol
Samantha Lindo // ‘Underside’ Single Launch
UK Jazz and soul artist Samantha Lindo, featured on BBC Sounds Hot List releases new track ‘Underside’ i
Crofters Rights
Heather Woods Broderick // Emily Isherwood // Aiko
BLG Promotions Proudly Presents Heather Woods Broderick with support from Bristol's own Emily Isherwood and Aiko (rus)
Jazz at Future Inn Bristol
Joy Ellis
Songs from her new album "Dwell"
St George's Bristol
O'Hooley & Tidow 'Gentleman Jack' Tour
O'Hooley & Tidow 'Gentleman Jack' Tour comes to St George's Bristol
Bristol Folk House
The Magpies
Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award winner Bella Gaffney (guitar, vocals), acclaimed mandolin player Polly Bolton and fiddle player Holly Br
The Cube
Soundings -
Sonic Exploration into rewilding through story telling, folk music and field recordings.
The Wardrobe Theatre
Kit Hawes & Aaron Catlow - Album Launch
Launching their highly anticipated second album Pill Pilots, Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow explores the relationship between fiddle, guitar and
The Cloak and Dagger
Open Mic hosted by Graeme Moncrieff
Monthly Open Mic 1st Tuesday of the month
Zed Alley, Bristol, BS1 5BU
Easy Sundays
Easy Sundays Charity Gig
Zed Alley
Punka presents: International Women's Day Show
Fierce and fabulous performances and music from some of Bristol's most creative womxn!
Colston Hall Foyer
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman
World class duo celebrate 25 years of making folk music together
Cafe Kino
IT: Danny Starr, Joe .T. Johnson & Jasper Storey
Sci-fi retro future pop epic
Bath Chapel Arts
Faeland
Uplifting heartwarming acoustic folk-pop. Expect acoustic guitars, accordion, banjo, charango, violins, lush vocals & Celtic harp.
Mr Wolfs
SongSmith Sunday @Mr Wolf's
SongSmith Sunday @Mr Wolf's ft The Ashdown Roadhouse Band / Richard Craine Band / Fatbwoi
The Wardrobe Theatre
Chris Wood
Chris Wood is an uncompromising writer whose music reveals his love for the un-official history of the English speaking people.
The Trinity Centre
CocoRosie
CocoRosie expertly create the kind of weird, whimsical world we can only dream of
The Cube
Fairytales for Grown-ups - THE WHISPERING ROAD
The Crick Crack Club's wild haven of fairytale, myth & epic...
St James Wine Vaults
RMT Music • John Bramwell (I Am Kloot) • Residency
RMT Music warmly welcome back Mercury Prize nominated I Am Kloot's John Bramwell for a two-night residency at St James Wine Vaults, Bath.
St George's Bristol
Benjamin Francis Leftwich
A more intimate show playing venues he hasn’t been to before.
Frenchay Village Hall
Salt House + Jon Wilks
Salt House headline Downend Folk Club's March concert at Frenchay Village Hall
St James Wine Vaults
RMT Music • John Bramwell (I Am Kloot) • Residency
RMT Music warmly welcome back Mercury Prize nominated I Am Kloot's John Bramwell for a two-night residency at St James Wine Vaults, Bath.
SWX
Ziggy Alberts
Open-hearted and emotional songwriter Ziggy alberts comes to Bristol
Fiddlers
Andy Shauf
Canadian songwriter Andy Shauf makes his much-anticipated follow-up to 2016’s breakthrough record The Party.
The Bristol Fringe
Frameshifter II
An extended, one-day acoustic music festival with a conscious feel, jam-packed with the best South West talent.
Bristol Folk House
Daoirí Farrell
Winner of two BBC Folk Awards 2017: The Horizon Award for best newcomer and Best Traditional Track
Colston Hall Foyer
Fly Pan Am
Fly Pan Am take over the Colston Hall Foyer with their forward-looking experimentalism
The Gallimaufry
Tamasene
Psychedelic soulful folk
The New Room
Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith are one of the finest duos to have emerged onto the British folk and acoustic scene in recent years.
The Louisiana
Pictish Trail
Colston Hall presents at The Louisiana
Exchange
Fishstock 2020
DIY punk all dayer
The Trinity Centre
Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson, the black-humoured bard of Newcastle, returns to release his sixth solo album 2020.
The Cloak and Dagger
Open Mic hosted by Graeme Moncrieff
Monthly Open Mic 1st Tuesday of the month
Bristol Folk House
Calan
Colston Hall Presents at Bristol Folk House
The Louisiana
Nadia Reid
The award winning NZ based folk artist returns to Bristol
The Louisiana
Dana Gavanski
BBC 6 Music approved, Toronto based Dana Gavanski returns to Bristol
Frenchay Village Hall
India Electric Co. + JanE.B
India Electric Co. headline Downend Folk Club's April concert at Frenchay Village Hall
The Wardrobe Theatre
Mairearad Green & Anna Massie
Two of Scotland’s most revered multi-instrumentalists, Mairearad Green (accordion and bagpipes) and Anna Massie (guitar, banjo, fiddle) are
The Cloak and Dagger
Open Mic hosted by Graeme Moncrieff
Monthly Open Mic 1st Tuesday of the month
St George's Bristol
Talisk
One of Scotland’s most popular folk groups to emerge in the last decade, Talisk return to Bristol in May 2020 - headlining the city’s stunni
Exchange
Sylvette + The Big However
Manchester art-rockers Sylvette return to Bristol after 2018's sellout show!
Faeland
Faeland
Faeland’s original music is beautiful, enchanting, uplifting, technically impressive and extremely accessible.
The New Room
Folk at the New Room: The Hut People
Tickets Available on Event Brite
Venue TBC
Lady Maisery
Award-winning vocal trio Lady Maisery celebrate 10 years of innovation at the forefront of the English folk scene.
The New Room/ John Wesley’s Chapel
Peggy Seeger with Calum MacColl – ‘The First Farew
Expect to hear some of Peggy and Ewan MacColl’s most loved songs, readings from Peggy’s award-winning memoir ‘The First Time Ever’, plenty o
The Cloak and Dagger
Open Mic hosted by Graeme Moncrieff
Monthly Open Mic 1st Tuesday of the month
St George's Bristol
The Secret Sisters
Colston Hall Presents at St George's Bristol
The Cloak and Dagger
Open Mic hosted by Graeme Moncrieff
Monthly Open Mic 1st Tuesday of the month
The Cloak and Dagger
Open Mic hosted by Graeme Moncrieff
Monthly Open Mic 1st Tuesday of the month