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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! Early bets on the beatdown of the year, 2:1 on Sunami to pummel all contenders with their no-it’s-not-a-joke-anymore bada$$ bully crossover hxc. You’ve seen the news, so expect a bleeding lip or two (and don’t wear that fresh white tee). Fans of Terror, First Blood God’s Hate etc – you know the drill! Sunami at Shredenhams.

Sell out warning! The Brownswood polymath / scene GOAT lends her exuberant electro-jazz sensibilities to the Miles canon in a supreme act of love. Emma pushes the King of Cool's electric era into deeper fusion territory with the 21st century wisdom of broken beat and footwork, cos we all know he was a junglist born too soon. A bonafide life-affirmer for all the Brainfeeders out there... Dear Miles – A Love Letter at Strange Brew.

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.

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What our editors say

“The Skabratts are a high-energy seven-piece band from London bringing the unmistakable sound of 1960s Jamaica to stages across the UK. Blending authentic ska, rocksteady and boss reggae, they deliver the timeless music of Studio One, Treasure Isle and Trojan Records with passion, style and respect for the genre's roots.”
From: The Skabratts

“Known for classic reggae songs such as '54-46 Was My Number', 'Monkey Man', 'Pressure Drop', 'Funky Kingston', 'Broadway Jungle', 'Bam Bam', 'Time Tough' and 'Reggae Got Soul', Toots and the Maytals are now fronted by Toots' daughter Leba, who has released her own recordings and worked with Sly & Robbie, Jimmy Cliff and more.”
From: TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS featuring LEBA

“Curbside Lambsear is Annabelle Mödlinger and Magdalena McLean. The collaboration explores rough textures and soft intentions, weaving together elements of pop, folk, and improvisation with influences of drone, dub, and post-punk.”
From: Curbside Lambsear

“SiM (Silence iz Mine) conquered their native Japan with a vibrant mix of nu-metal and postmodern hard rock, injected with hardcore attitude. Then the self-described “Reggae Punx” broke into the US scene with the no.1 smash, ’The Rumbling’. Now the alt-metal four-piece have set their eyes on the world! Their music conjures the melodic bombast and rhythmic punch of early 2000s heavy hitters like Korn, Linkin Park and Deftones, with precision blasts of chunky metalcore and the renegade spirit of classic reggae, and two-tone ska.”
From: SiM

“Expect virtuosic keys, heavyweight rhythms, deep improvisation and a journey through the rich musical currents that connect jazz, dub, soul and soundsystem culture. Revisiting Idiom alongside music from across their decade-long partnership, this is a rare chance to experience two artists whose friendship and creative connection continue to shape the sound of modern British music.”
From: Joe Armon-Jones & Maxwell Owin