Indie Gigs in Bristol

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Bristol's Indie Scene

Bristol has a decent spread of indie venues for both big names (keep your eye on the O2 Academy listings) and local up-and-coming indie bands. Perhaps the most important mid-sized indie venue is The Louisiana whose "played-here-before-they-were-really-famous" list boasts Bloc Party, Kings of Leon, Fleet Foxes and Muse.

What’s become of Indie music? For many of a certain generation the early 2000s were the peak of indie music here in Bristol and in the UK as a whole. Not to be confused with the association of independent music (although indie does stand for ‘independent music’) indie came out of the 80s DIY scene and peaked in the 00s mainstream with acts like the Strokes and the Libertines. So where is indie now? Now indie in Bristol might just amount to clubnights like Ramshackle, and we have the decline of grassroots music venues to blame maybe. So while independent music might always be around, the genre formerly known as indie might be dead!

Buy tickets for indie events in Bristol

Our recent indie recommendations

Sell out warning! Thee mightiest Holy Tongue incarnation cometh! Adding Bristol raw improv icon Dali de Saint Paul to an already-flawless unit hellbent on historical On U Sound punk-funk destruction - all leylines lead to Brew for this sacral homecoming of mystical post-punk heritage, from Pop Group to Skull Disco to EP/64 to bold and future lands... Schwet with Holy Tongue and Ladr Ache at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Seize your chance to see Falmouth’s finest Lost Map-approved carnivalesque psych-folk collective. Blind Yeo are gonna carry the Jam Jar to new cosmic heights with wonky, motorik-tinged pastoralism (and a goblin outfit or three) – this one’s set to ignite fans of: Tunng, The Beta Band, Melin Melyn, Gong. Blind Yeo + Baby Deltic at The Jam Jar.

Globally adored for dialling up the kosmische with 21st century fusion GOATs The Comet Is Coming, Danalogue steps out to the fore in this dazzling analogue synth journey through all known galaxies. Timelessly distilling everything from 60s Moog stargazing to 80s acid house to 00s chillwave, this is the birth of a brave new world FFO: Wally Badarou, Lone, Legowelt, Space Dimension Controller. Danalogue AV Show at The Jam Jar.

Sell out warning! "I AM THE BLACK JAMES DEAN!!!!" Falle Nioke shouts over Peter Hook-style post-punk bounce, in a truly insane cocktail of driving 80s motorik and warped afro-futurist disco vision. Pigeon are seriously hot, Soundway says so, and this is one outernational space station your ass really needs to dock at. The crest of a big big wave FFO: William Onyeabor, Talking Heads, Joshua Idehen, ESG. PIGEON at Strange Brew.

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What our editors say

“Two of the best in lo-fi slacker indie rock team up for a tour across the UK and EU next March. Fish Narc and Toner will bring their dream pop and shoegaze tinged sounds to Rough Trade on March 26th in support of two unreal album releases they've put this year. Do not miss out!”
From: Fish Narc

“Having fun is a form of art, and Ciao Lucifer have mastered it like no other. This Amsterdam duo wears the label 'feel-good band' with pride. Since their high school days these two friends have made music, and since a few years as Ciao Lucifer: the indie pop project in which they tackle life's hardships with cheerful music. Their danceable, sunny tunes exist for one purpose only: to escape bleak reality, and dance away your demons. A kind of exorcism ritual, but with more kazoo.”
From: Ciao Lucifer

“With Wishy, indie pop practitioners Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites explore the 1990s- and 2000s-influenced intersection of dream pop, alt-rock, shoegaze, and noise pop. Alternating lead vocals and adding an additional guitarist and rhythm section to the lineup, the project's full-length debut, Triple Seven, appeared in 2024. The next year's Paradise on Planet Popstar combined their 2023 EP Paradise with 2025 EP Planet Popstar, for another excellent entry point to the band. Their next album, 2026's Nature's Pill, was a more collaborative one that further intertwined their founding influences.”
From: Wishy + special guests

“Rowena Wise is a Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter whose work balances beauty and mess with rare emotional precision, drawing from 60s folk storytelling while grounded in indie rock, garage pop and alt-folk. Raised in Margaret River, Western Australia, by a luthier father and a Chicago-born folk musician mother, Wise moved to Melbourne at 18 to forge her own path.”
From: ROWENA WISE

“FIRST 150 TICKETS FREE! ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ LUSH DUCK • www.instagram.com/lushduck_ North London electro-indie-pop four-piece blending indie rock, dance and infectious pop hooks. Known for their energetic, non-stop live sets, the band have built momentum through sold-out London and Leeds shows, festival appearances and support slots with Mystery Jets. Their previous highlights include BBC Introducing Song of the Week, DORK coverage and a Tramlines Festival shortlist.”
From: LUSH DUCK