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Folk Nights & Acoustic Music in Bristol

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Bristol'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.

Was folk & acoustic born in the West Country?

With local venues like Bristol Folk House and Bristol University Folk society, folk and acoustic music has a strong foothold in Bristol. The romantic images of a farmer chewing grass sitting on a hay bale is a West Country classic, English folk music has always thrived in the countryside. While Bristol isn’t as rural as its surroundings, music people have always flocked to Bristol from the surrounding areas, bringing the folk sound with them. So while folk music wasn’t born in the west country, it sure does have a home in Bristol.

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 Lost Horizon 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: Lost Horizon, 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.

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Our recent folk & acoustic recommendations

Sell out warning! Fog rolls into Strange Brew for the return of Maria Somerville... her full-band set promises the spectral braid of folk, dream-gaze, and star-smeared pop she’s refined into a kind of sonic weather. These tickets will move fast; unmissable future icon FFO: Cocteau Twins, Broadcast, Mazzy Star, Julianna Barwick. Maria Somerville + Nashpaints + special guests at Strange Brew.

More avant-garde magic from Copenhagen's ceaseless musical wellspring … Fine’s off-kilter singer-songwriting and collaborations with fellow power-Danes (inc Astrid Sonne and Erika de Casier) have launched her to cult status in just a few years. Tender, moody 90s alt-rock meets electronic bedroom pop, full of country murmurs and sleepy strangeness FFO: Mazzy Star, Why Bonnie, Maria BC, ML Buch. Fine + guests at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Sun-baked and sublime, São Paulo’s Sessa leads his full band through cosmic folk steeped in Afro-Brazilian styles and música popular brasileira. His sonorous crooning glides over lush rhythmic interplay in surging samba fusion, breathing in everything from soul to psych rock. A masterclass in heat FFO: Elza Soares, Novos Baianos, Lo Borges, Sly & The Family Stone. Sessa + special guests at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! The shot in the arm blues rock needed. Amythyst makes shimmering Southern Americana instilled with Black power and gay pride; confrontational protest songs mixed with rousingly personal tales of love and anguish, and everywhere Kiah’s jawdropping vocal theatrics. The hottest thing in country blues right now FFO: Valerie June, Shovels & Rope, Emmylou Harris, Rhiannon Giddens. Amythyst Kiah at Exchange.

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What our editors say

“He grew up in a stack of records that spun everything from Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson to Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye. That mix shaped a sound rooted in country storytelling but unafraid to reach beyond its borders. A thoughtful songwriter with a knack for sharp one-liners, sturdy hooks, and a powerhouse voice that cuts straight to the truth, Fleet was working blue-collar jobs long before ever landing a record deal. Fleet is doing things his own way, touring globally, connecting with fans, and staying true to where he's from while taking country music somewhere new.”
From: Larry Fleet

“Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra have been gleefully trampling over genre boundaries for over a decade now, chucking rockabilly, blues, country, swing, soul and more into their musical gumbo, but always sounding mostly just like themselves.”
From: Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra + The Swamp Puppies

“This April, The Undercover Hippy will embark upon their UK “Real Life Tour”, slogging their actual physical bodies and instruments around the country in a van and pouring their hearts and souls out to other actual physical human beings around the country. So sack off your digital identity, if just for one night, and come and get sweaty with one of the most delicious crowds you will ever encounter.”
From: The Undercover Hippy + Support

“Having shared stages with Overpass, Ellur, and Twin Atlantic, the band have honed a sound that shimmers with emotion and surges with scale. With new music slated for autumn/winter 2026, Fright Years are set to embark on their biggest headline tour to date, bringing their soaring sound and emotional intensity to stages across the country marking the next thrilling chapter in their ascent.”
From: Fright Years

“Shtëpi are a melting pot of exhilarating art-punk sounds, boasting an aggressive and emphatic live sound, reminiscent of Viagra Boys & Idles. Expect industrial synth sounds, groovy percussion and guitars that vary between static and devoted, yet always triumphant. The band’s eclectic song-writing defies the containment of genres, with their latest EP ‘CTRL + ALT + ROCK’ forming the consummation of 3 years of relentless gigging, which has seen the surging act support the likes of Geese, Personal Trainer and Getdown Services. Shtëpi are one of the country’s most exciting upcoming bands, catch them before they’re the country’s worst kept secret!”
From: Shtëpi + guests