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Reggae Nights in Bristol

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Bristol's Reggae & Dub Scene

Is Bristol the capital of reggae & dub in the UK?

With the return of the community led St Paul’s carnival (getting national coverage in the Guardian), Bristol has always had claim to be the capital of the Jamaican diaspora sound. Reggae and dub can be heard on the streets of St Paul’s and Stokes Croft, on the airwaves of Ujima and at venues like Cosies and community-centred nights at Kuumba Centre and the Malcolm X centre. While smoking bans and rapid gentrification have murdered the nightlife of London, Bristol has it’s own problems that are impacting the reggae and dub communities. The recent sale of the Rastafari Cultural centre poses a threat to the beating heart of this vibrant scene in Bristol.

While it's still possible to see reggae legends like Lee Perry and Horace Andy at Bristol's large venues (ie Colston Hall and the o2 Academy), live reggae in Bristol is fewer and farther between. Dub and 'soundsystem culture' on the other hand, are literally huge. For the big dub and roots soundclashes, keep an eye on whats on at the Trinity Centre in Bristol, most notably Unity in Dub who's guest soundsystems have included Irration Steppas and the mighty King Earthquake.

On a much smaller scale look at Cosies listings for their weekly roots and reggae night and check whats on at the Attic (attached to the Full Moon on Stokes Croft). Pure ragga, bashment or dancehall events in Bristol are pretty rare, instead a reggae room is a pretty common fixture at big nights at venues like Lakota.

The rapid growth of dubstep in Bristol has brought with it a rekindled interest in modern dub (aka digi-dub aka future dub) and has led to some unlikely dub bookings like Mad Professor at Shit the Bed in the Motion listings.

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Our recent reggae & dub recommendations

Sell out warning! A living, breathing legend of roots and dancehall, Mr Rub a Dub himself, the Ice Cream Lover, returns to Bristol after igniting the mic at THAT unforgettable Teachings session last year. Toting his endlessly-sampled repertoire of silver-tongued anthems, this will be essential enrichment for even the most casual of reggae observers. A living legend of Reggae Music | Support from No Ice Cream Sound & Hotsteppas (DJ)

The Brackish carve chaos with an audacious precision, their sweltering live sets and boggling assemblage of stylistic strands rejecting all psych rock conventions. Fantastic Stranger channel raw sax fury, merging post-rock, trip-hop, and jazz into a blistering improv maelstrom. A mould-breaking double bill FFO: Can, Captain Beefheart, Ornette Colman, And So I Watch You From Afar. Let's get awkward!

Saharan rocker Bombino swings through town with his desert blues, conjuring communal dance atmospheres and fractal fretboard shred. Part of the golden generation of Tuareg guitarists, his instrument plays like a motorcycle racing down a mountain of reggae-inflected rhythms, leaving slack-jawed axeman enthusiasts in his wake. Essential FFO: Mdou Moctar, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Dirty Projectors, fuzzboxes. The “Sultan of Shred” blends traditional Saharan rhythms with rock, blues and reggae

Kelela-esque R&B sensuality, soulful synth-pop, off-kilter electronica and reggae bounce gracefully meld together under Sirens of Lesbos’ shimmering creative touch. The sister-duo led Swiss group - who count Bootsy Collins, dreamcastmoe and Erick the Architect as collaborators - bring their radiant indie-pop to The Jam Jar. Essential FFO: Steve Lacy, Mk.gee, Childish Gambino. Sirens Of Lesbos

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What our editors say

“The Bristol-based 7 piece has been tearing up venues and festivals at home and abroad since 2013, with accolades including primetime BBC 6 Music radio play, a live performance on German TV and a dub remix by renowned producer Youth.”
From: Ushti Baba

“There’s no easy way to encapsulate GAUDI’s vast body of work, for the past three decades he has been shattering genre barriers, pioneering world-music, electronic-dub and reggae music, amassing a stunning collection of originals, albums, collaborations and remixes with artists such as: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Bob Marley, Simple Minds, Lamb, Trilok Gurtu, Shpongle, Apache Indian, Soom T, Michael Rose, Deep Forest, Beats Antique, Sizzla, Michael Stipe & Asha Bhosle, Michael Franti, Dub Pistols, Grandmaster Flash, & Krs One, The Beat, Barrington Levy, Horace Andy, The Orb & Lee Scratch Perry, Afrika Bambaataa to mention a few.”
From: AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE PLUS GUESTS

“Fly Higher fuses afrobeat, soul jazz, and deep dub grooves, delivering uplifting, addictive melodies through powerful chorus vocals, punchy horn hooks, and hypnotic basslines. The sound is warm, organic, and unmistakably Soothsayers — a unique blend that honours their influences without ever falling into cliché or predictability. The new album will be released on Wah Wah 45s in September 2025 . Listen out for single releases during Spring and Summer 2025.”
From: Soothsayers - 25th anniversary & album launch + Soma Soma

“Natalie Bergman is an American singer-songwriter. She is one half of the duo Wild Belle, along with her brother Elliot Bergman. Her debut solo album, Mercy, was released on Third Man Records on May 7, 2021 - infused by rich pop music taking influence from reggae, afrobeats and soul.⁠”
From: Natalie Bergman + special guests

“The Golden Guild is an exciting 7-piece reggae band which is fronted by the talented singer, Guire. Their style is a delicious blend of roots and modern reggae originals, with the odd cover thrown in.”
From: The Golden Guild