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Bristol's Pop Scene

80s pop, 90s pop, Bristol has all kinds of pop. Go down the Harbourside on any night of the week and the streets are packed with queuing punters going out to hear the latest tracks and pop classics from days gone by. Bristol's thriving club scene means you can go out and hear almost any music. Another key area is the Clifton Triangle (especially for students) where cheap nights and drink deals at clubs like Po Na Na and Mbargo's are all the rage.

On the live circuit, you can experience plenty of pop music in Bristol. Like any major city, larger concert venues cater towards and music and, along with Cardiff, Bristol is one of the key cities in the West (and South-West) for any international touring act to be playing. Larger venues like the O2 Academy and Colston Hall are great places to see groups of all kind.

Buy tickets for pop events in Bristol

Our recent pop recommendations

Woi oi! Iconic 'ardkore action incoming from the unrivaled Moving Shadow fold! Reinforced / Altern8 / Shut Up And Dance heads will already have their tickets of course. For everyone else: breakbeat ravestalgia doesn’t come much ruffer than 2 Bad Mice, chopping samples and bombing tha bass like it was the Second Summer of Love all over again. 2 Bad Mice + Friends at The Jam Jar.

Sell out warning! Harakiri are the only band you need on your post-black sky chariot riding mix. Triumphant melody barely disguising soul-wrenching trauma, blistering blast-beats; BM purists beware, this is pure catharsis stitched with post-rock, post-hardcore, grunge and skramz DNA. With Denmark's impossibly mournful Sunken opening things up, ethereal awakenings await disciples of: Alcest, Deafheaven, Drudkh, WitTR. Harakiri for the Sky & Sunken at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! You’ve never heard pipes like this! Queer futurism from visionary bagpiper Malin Lewis, playing self-made instruments and the world’s first wooden Lindsay Chanter. Malin channels their pipes and drones to form a layered, shifting sonic language that lives between binaries. Malin Lewis at The Jam Jar.

British folk iconoclast Chris Wood graces the candlelit hush of John Wesley’s New Room. His everyday epics sketch sharp-edged portraits of England’s many overlooked lives, from empty nests to minor league football teams to tragedies of industrial decay. Acute compassion ballads FFO: Martin Carthy, Karine Polwart, Billy Bragg, Richard Dawson. Chris Wood at John Wesley’s New Room.

What our editors say

“Despite being based in Toronto, Canada, their sound lends itself more to the sardonic European art pop of Klaver’s heritage and the metallic cacophony of Northern England, where Crombie and Nixon grew up. These influences fuse to form their own brand of goth-adjacent music that is equal parts nostalgic and contemporary, all while maintaining a staunchly DIY process where each step from conception to completion is conducted by the members of the band. ”
From: THEO VANDENHOFF

“Following a busy 2025, which saw her sell out venues on tour and perform at Glastonbury and Hyper Japan, London singer-songwriter and producer Jewelia returns to the stage for a first taste of her next chapter, previewing new songs alongside fan-favourites. Blending ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s influences into bittersweet, hook-filled alternative pop, Jewelia has been featured by Netflix, BBC Introducing and Clash Magazine and amassed over 3.5 million streams across Spotify and YouTube. Expect a full-band show that combines big choruses, heartfelt songwriting and moments of connection with the audience into a night that feels both cathartic and genuinely fun.”
From: Jewelia

“Pearly Drops is Sandra Tervonen and Juuso Malin. Across their two albums to date, the Finnish duo has created a world out of strange and softly smudged pop music. Serving as their own self-contained audiovisual continuum, all cover art is hand painted by singer/producer Sandra in the band’s Helsinki studio while press pics, styling, videos and other aesthetic items are created by the band as well. ”
From: Pearly Drops + miaw

“Blending psychedelic textures, jazz-inflected harmony and richly layered songwriting, Pocket Sun continue to establish themselves as one of the most distinctive acts in the UK's alternative pop scene, with a sound that feels simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic.”
From: POCKET SUN - 'WATERCOLOURS' ALBUM LAUNCH + Claudine + More Soup DJ

“Blending Americana and Western influences with alternative pop, folk and ethereal textures, her music feels windswept, nostalgic and otherworldly. With spellbinding vocals, layered guitars, synths and full-band arrangements, Colette’s songs explore love, obsession and imagined worlds. Her latest single, WAYSIDE, continues the story begun with 2025’s WHERE DID SHE GO, drawing listeners deeper into her surreal Western universe.”
From: GET OUT OF THE WAYSIDE