A pop gig in Bristol

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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

Showstopping trifecta of contemporary classical meets experimental electronic. Mara Simpson weaves vocal loops and field recordings into shapeshifting ambient/avant garde/chamber folk soundscapes to lose (and find) yourself deep within. Stellar support in the glitchy jazzbient eclecticism of Bethany Ley (fka STANLÆY) and pianist Larkhall’s sublime post-classical compositions. Mara Simpson + Bethany Ley + Larkhall at The Jam Jar.

Free entry / PWYC! Brighton power-trio here to pulverise the Lanes with propulsive melodrama: PROJECTOR hit the sweet spot between the post-punk grit of Interpol, Pixies et al and Spoon-esque indie rock melodiousness to make pure grunge-pop magic. No-contest new faves FFO: Sonic Youth, The Breeders, CLT DRP, Fraulein, DITZ. PROJECTOR + THE MOTOR SHOW + THE MEAT SWEATERS at The Lanes.

Sitting outside the outer edges of the outside are Philadelphia’s Eyes of the Amaryllis - offering free improv scratches, snatches of pastoral sound moss and freeform pop-concrète for the true dreamers. Pure sonic fascination FFO: Sun Ra, Flying Nun Recs, Will Guthrie, The Caretaker, Pierre Schaeffer. The Eyes Of The Amaryllis, Shit Creek, Hannah Sullivan, Dan Guthrie

Classic 90s street thrash/trash punkers The Restarts top a Shitty Futures Paddy’s Day whopper with caustic crusts Zero Again, blistering powerviolence from People Eater + much aggro propulsion FFO: Chaos UK, Total Chaos, Born/Dead etc etc. Playgrounds for Palestine benefit gig

What our editors say

“Born from a woozy synth-fuelled landscape, Pocket Sun fuses alternative pop, psychedelia, and jazz, crafting an outcome that is both playful and tinged with nostalgia. Their ethereal melodies and hypnotic grooves invite you to shut your eyes and sway into synesthetic bliss.”
From: Pocket Sun, Tamasene

“EotA is a Philadelphia based group bonded by an interest in non-musical creative practice. Despite this, visual artist Jim Strong (Melkings, ex-Weyesblood), illustrator / horticulturist Goda TrakumIte and miscreant Jesse Dewlow (People Skills) converge to stake out curious, spectral sonic territory. Their non-idiomatic take on pop music ambles between vaporous New Weird America recordings, 80’s industrial cassette murk, and the heartfelt vernacular of the kiwi underground.”
From: Liquid Library X Tough Sell Present..

“Rani, who grew up in Gdansk, Poland, has always embraced broad horizons – far broader than her strict, two-decade training as a pianist might initially suggest. Alongside her classical activities, most notably award-winning collaborations with cellist Dobrawa Czocher, she was also one half of Poland’s respected alternative pop duo Tęskno, and even scored Piotr Domalewski’s ‘I Never Cry’, winner of the 2020 Polish Film Festival’s Best Score award.”
From: Hania Rani + Caoilfhionn Rose

“Plastic Estate is the project of Stanley Fouracres and Nic James. With a contemporary lens placed on the sensibilities of many Synth-Pop and early electronic acts, their marque of “pop music” has garnered support from the likes of Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, KEXP, Apple Music Editorial, and BBC Radio Wales.”
From: FRANKIE ROSE + SRSQ + PLASTIC ESTATE

“Come down to The Bristol Fringe tonight to catch Pete Lane and The Weeds, they will bring you 40 years of influences and eclectic listening from the likes of Joe Strummer, Eels, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, to name a few... This will be a night of catchy, interesting and entertaining alternative pop and not one to miss! Original tracks and brand new releases from their new EP!”
From: The Weeds

Trending Pop Gigs

Fievel Is Glauque + special guests Bernice at Strange Brew
— Strange Brew
pop experimental pop alternative rock indie rock jazz
Eden Rain at The Louisiana
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pop synthpop indie rock singer-songwriter
Stevie Toddler Album Launch at Dareshack
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art pop electronic experimental pop synthpop
TWEN at Rough Trade Bristol
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Exclusive Listening Party at Bristol Beacon
— Bristol Beacon
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The Book Club + Clemencie & Half Happy at Rough Trade Bristol
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synthpop alternative rock indie rock shoegaze psych

Bristol's Trending Live Music Venues

Exchange The Louisiana Jam Jar The Trinity Centre The Marble Factory Rough Trade Bristol
Sunnbrella at The Louisiana
— The Louisiana
experimental pop synthpop indie rock shoegaze experimental
DENT MAY at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
pop indie rock
Mui Zyu at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
pop experimental pop
Busted at Canons Marsh Amphitheatre
— Canons Marsh Amphitheatre
pop rock alternative rock indie rock punk
Eighties Things: The Stranger Things 80s Party at Thekla
The Breeders at Canons Marsh Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
— Canons Marsh Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
pop experimental pop
Placebo at Canons Marsh Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
— Canons Marsh Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
pop experimental pop rock alternative rock
James Arthur at Canons Marsh Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
— Canons Marsh Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
pop
Morgan Harper-Jones at Crofters Rights
— Crofters Rights
pop folk folk-pop singer-songwriter
Blancmange at The Trinity Centre
— The Trinity Centre
electronic synthpop
Smoove & Turrell at Strange Brew
— Strange Brew
pop synthpop jazz funk soul funk
Lynks at SWX
— SWX
pop experimental pop lgbtq+
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark at Bristol Beacon
— Bristol Beacon
electronic new wave pop synthpop experimental
COMPUTER WORLD : OMD Beacon Aftershow Club Special at The Lanes
— The Lanes
Event Cancelled
new wave electro synthpop