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

Huge hometown headline show for these sublimely sinister 90s slacker revivalists. Wych Elm craft hefty brooding grunge steeped in eldritch imagery, like a folk horror Sonic Youth. Catch ‘em before they haunt the world stage. FFO: Mannequin Pussy, NewDad, Slutever, Snail Mail, Hotline TNT. Wych Elm at The Trinity Centre.

Firestations offers an astral art-rock reinterpretation of blues and folk, drifting weightlessly on cosmic currents - sometimes stripped-back, sometimes spaced-out - where hushed, Jason Pierce-esque vocals are gently carried by rolling guitar lines, like a worn stone tumbling slowly downhill. Totally mesmerising FFO: Spiritualized, Maria Somerville, Grouper, William Tyler, Iron & Wine. Firestations + Melinda Bronstein + Andy Skellam at The Hen & Chicken.

Sell out warning! Gargantuan Friendly day-fest fundraiser for War Child calling on the seismic pull of gobby agit-punk icons Sleaford Mods and Bristol’s undisputed indie-pop queen Katy J Pearson. Expect tickets to go like searing hotcakes. Friendly Festival 2025 at Lost and Grounded Brewers.

Nigel Chapman renders the world from the outside in, with a kind of absurd spiritual reverence. His literary sophisti-pop band, Nap Eyes, sprout lyrical imagery of animal spirits and phantoms and 13th century castles and if you’re into Breakfast Records this is a no-brainer. FFO: Destroyer, the propelling wind of the self development paradigm, David Berman. Nap Eyes at The Louisiana.

What our editors say

“Oscar Blue is a singer-songwriter hailing from Co. Clare in the west of Ireland. His music embodies a unique sound rooted in folk and storytelling traditions, while fusing indie pop and rock influences. Drawing inspiration from his rural upbringing and the ever-changing world around him, Oscar's exploration of the human condition and personal experience resonate deeply with fans across the globe.”
From: Oscar Blue

“NME’s ones to watch, Eades, combine the creative values of Wilco, Sonic Youth and Sparklehorse, with the immediacy of The Velvet Underground and The Clash. Eades have evolved over years of continually touring around the UK and Europe, finely poised between indie rock and alternative 90s. Their tight self-produced sound is glued together by the vocal swapping and storytelling partnership of Harry Jordan and Tom O’Reilly. The narrative of the band has crystallised into a winning calling-card, both epic and intimate, capturing the emotional turbulence of finding your place in a world that’s constantly shifting beneath your feet.”
From: EADES

“Amazing indie pop group touring the UK in support of their third LP, this time out on Skepwax Records over here and Slumberland again in the States. Rightfully one of the most beloved bands in this scene at the moment...”
From: Jeanines, Lightheaded and Silk Cuts

“Corporate Retreat is a Bristol Emo supergroup formed by underground favourites Leonardo Lemuel and Gunkus. Blending raw emotion with walls of sound, their music draws from Midwest emo, shoegaze, indie folk and punk. It’s shouting, it’s thrashing, it’s catharsis—Corporate Retreat is the kind of band that makes you feel sad in the best possible way. Whether you’re a long-time follower of the Bristol Emo scene or just discovering them, this is the band to watch.”
From: Corporate Retreat

“Her most recent album, ‘My Light, My Destroyer‘, is an expansive sonic journey. Blending indie rock, new age, sophistipop, and jazz, Jenkins explores themes of curiosity and duality, weaving poetic lyricism with field recordings. The album reflects a newfound energy after her 2021 breakout ‘An Overview on Phenomenal Nature‘, which she initially thought would be her final release.”
From: Cassandra Jenkins