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!

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Our recent indie recommendations

Sell out warning! You can’t talk about the last decade of rap without saying ‘Billy Woods’ or ‘Backwoodz’. And if you’re not shouting those names by the end of it, Lord help you. By our counts this’ll be the second time he’s ever taken the stage in Bristol (hands up the Armand Hammer 2019 crowd). Do whatever you need to do to be there. Untouchable FFO: Quelle Chris, Def Jux, Ka, Mike, JPEGMAFIA, Pink Siifu. Billy Woods + DJ Haram at Strange Brew.

Breakfast Records' annual late-summer DIY showcase returns! Battering-ram art punk? Check. Self-deprecating power-pop heartbreak? Check. ’80s-style bubble-pop joy? Check. Breakfest is the city’s highest-calibre exhibition of guitar band eclecticism. Breakfest 2025 at Strange Brew.

One of the shoegaze revival’s finest progenitors, Boston three-piece Horse Jumper of Love return to town, continuing their quietly thrilling evolution of woozy slowcore and languorous indie-rock fuzz. Utterly unmissable FFO: Duster, Codeine, MBV, Wednesday, Hotline TNT. Horse Jumper of Love at Exchange.

Sell out warning! Irresistible pagan dream-folk evocations of Cornish megaliths and wistful faeries through fingerpicked guitar, sitar drones and Daisy’s hypnotic contralto. A complete pastoral reawakening FFO: Shovel Dance, Incredible String Band, Nico, Alison Cotton, Karen Dalton. Daisy Rickman // LIFTER // Pictureframes at Strange Brew.

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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

“His extensive discography, including emotionally charged works like L’Humanité (a tribute to his late mother), the mellow, left-field mixtape TUMPIT (2025), and collaborative projects such as The Beautiful Malaise (2025) with Psychedelic Ensemble, fuses abstract hip-hop, post-hardcore, indie rock, punk and soul influences, showcasing his genre-defying versatility.”
From: mark william lewis + Tony Bontana

“New York trio Sunflower Bean-vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming (she/her), guitarist and vocalist Nick Kivlen (he/him), and drummer Olive Faber (she/her)- have made a name for themselves as one of the city's quintessential indie rock bands over the past decade since forming in 2013. What started as a project of three high schoolers soon turned into a band with chart-topping releases, sold-out tour dates, international festival slots, wide-spread critical acclaim, and three remarkable full-length albums under their belt.”
From: Sunflower Bean + special guests

“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

“Anthems for the underdog - that’s what Felix does best. Melding heart-rending vocals and powerful indie rock arrangements, up and coming singer-songwriter Felix fuels his ear-worming anthems with real life experiences that lie just below the surface of his emotive lyrics. Ranging from cry your eyes out in your car to speeding down the motorway shouting your lungs out, Felix’s tracks are lifted to an even higher level in his thrilling live set, filled with shimmering surge and a bare, shiver-inducing voice. This Oxford based songster is not one to miss.”
From: Felix Ross