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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

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.

Marauding Norsemen Agabas charge into town wielding their self-coined ‘deathjazz’: a pummeling uptempo rawk engine with a thrash gallop, horn blasts strafing through the noise, and shredding throat growls atop a storm of riffs and rhythms. A cataclysmic ruin ritual FFO: Kvelertak, Imperial Triumphant, Slipknot, Converge. AGABAS at Exchange.

Sell out warning! Crazed cumbia meets mutant surf, acid champeta and retro-future radiophonic SFX via Bogotá’s most notorious supergroup (ft. Meridian Brothers mastermind Eblis Alvarez). Astonishingly strange new instrumental worlds FFO: Romperayo, Dengue Dengue Dengue!, Ondatrópica, Frente Cumbiero, Fumaça Preta. Los Pirañas at The Jam Jar.

Sell out warning! A Halloween oldie revamped! Two heavyweight purveyors of the midnight mood live-score Nosferatu in a creaky proto-horror symphony of shadows and smoke. Industrial folk-sludge enigma Circuit des Yeux merges with slowcore legend Alan Sparhawk (of Low fame) for a meeting of slow-burning indie grandeur and silent-era nightmare fuel. Circuit des Yeux feat. Alan Sparhawk presents Nosferatu - Score at Strange Brew.

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What our editors say

“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

“Alborosie & Shengen Clan are a powerhouse international reggae act consisting of the Italian-born, Jamaica-based reggae star Alborosie (Alberto D’Ascola) and his exceptional, highly disciplined backing band, the Shengen Clan. Together, they are globally recognized as a benchmark for modern authentic roots reggae, dub, and dancehall.”
From: Alborosie & Shengen Clan

“OMEGA NEBULA is an electronic future dub duo from the UK. They return this Autumn with an explosive live/electronic show that transcends the boundaries of traditional dub and reggae. Join them in the dance for your next dose of musical healing. Special guests to be announced.”
From: OMEGA NEBULA

“Chainska Brassika’s sole purpose is to get their audiences bouncing and having the time of their lives. Blending raucous ska, heavy dub and classic reggae, the South Londoners have gone from rocking house parties at school to playing stadium shows with Madness, have become Glastonbury Festival favourites and collaborated with reggae royalty Toots Hibbert of the Maytals while recording in Jamaica. Saturday 3rd October Scruffy Presents: Chainska Brassika + support 7pm - 10pm The Jam Jar, Bristol”
From: Chainska Brassika

“Singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer King Zepha presents an all-star band with wailing horns, thunderous double bass, global rhythms, dub delays and stunning 3-part vocal harmonies. Their original music draws influence from rhythm n blues, jazz, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub and soul and has been described by Craig Charles (BBC 6 Music) as "breathtaking" and "my favourite album" by the legendary reggae producer Dennis Bovell (Soho Radio).”
From: King Zepha