Bristol's World Music Gigs

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Bristol's World Scene

Do we need the term World music in 2020?

World music has always been a problematic term, somewhere like Bristol is a key example of why. With 16% of the population being from ethnic minority groups and dedicated centres studying the impact of migration on citizenship, there seems little distinction between ‘local music’ and ‘world music’ anymore. Reggae is often classed as ‘world music’ given its Jamaican roots, but it has a strong UK heritage and for someone who is a 2nd or 3rd generation UK citizen with migrant parents, making music that’s classed as ‘world’ when they’ve never lived anywhere else but say, Bristol, seems an offensive categorisation. Its almost a cliche to say we live in a global society, so isn’t all music now world music?

Everyone knows that Bristol is a true melting pot of cultures and it comes as no surprise that the city has a healthy world music scene which manages to avoid the cliche. The on-trend big names in world music like William Onyeabor, Ebo Taylor or the Kuti family usually find themselves at home in Bristol’s Colston Hall. Occasional headliners can also be found at The Fleece and the Trinity Centre. St George’s hosts regular world music events covering more traditional music from Senegal, Mozambique and South Africa, where instruments like the kora and mbira are commonplace.

Locally, Bristol is home to some very talented ‘world music’ musicians. Afrobeat stalwarts like Mankala and No Stop Go (formerly Bristol Afrobeat Project) play smaller venues like The Canteen and The Old Market Assembly but also get the opportunity to support international bands at larger Bristol venues.

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Our recent world recommendations

Sell out warning! Thee mightiest Holy Tongue incarnation cometh! Adding Bristol raw improv icon Dali de Saint Paul to an already-flawless unit hellbent on historical On U Sound punk-funk destruction - all leylines lead to Brew for this sacral homecoming of mystical post-punk heritage, from Pop Group to Skull Disco to EP/64 to bold and future lands... Schwet with Holy Tongue and Ladr Ache at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Seize your chance to see Falmouth’s finest Lost Map-approved carnivalesque psych-folk collective. Blind Yeo are gonna carry the Jam Jar to new cosmic heights with wonky, motorik-tinged pastoralism (and a goblin outfit or three) – this one’s set to ignite fans of: Tunng, The Beta Band, Melin Melyn, Gong. Blind Yeo + Baby Deltic at The Jam Jar.

Globally adored for dialling up the kosmische with 21st century fusion GOATs The Comet Is Coming, Danalogue steps out to the fore in this dazzling analogue synth journey through all known galaxies. Timelessly distilling everything from 60s Moog stargazing to 80s acid house to 00s chillwave, this is the birth of a brave new world FFO: Wally Badarou, Lone, Legowelt, Space Dimension Controller. Danalogue AV Show at The Jam Jar.

Sell out warning! "I AM THE BLACK JAMES DEAN!!!!" Falle Nioke shouts over Peter Hook-style post-punk bounce, in a truly insane cocktail of driving 80s motorik and warped afro-futurist disco vision. Pigeon are seriously hot, Soundway says so, and this is one outernational space station your ass really needs to dock at. The crest of a big big wave FFO: William Onyeabor, Talking Heads, Joshua Idehen, ESG. PIGEON at Strange Brew.

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What our editors say

“Belfast-based singer-songwriter and producer Joshua Burnside brings together Irish folk traditions with Americana, world music, electronica and experimental soundscapes. His distinctive music blends intricate songwriting with found sounds, layered textures and unexpected production, creating something that feels both rooted in tradition and entirely contemporary.”
From: Joshua Burnside

“Andy has been at the helm of legendary bands like Sweeney’s Men in the mid 60s, to the enormous success of Planxty in the 70s, and then from Andy Irvine & Paul Brady to Patrick Street, Mozaik, LAPD and Usher’s Island. Andy has been a world music pioneer and an icon for traditional music and musicians.”
From: Andy Irvine

“Because of the success the band still exists today. The first album was released in 2016 on Discrepant Records. Distorted voices, metal and even sometimes gabberhouse-like clichés are mixed with a tropical rhythm section made of salsa, cumbia, currulao & reggaeton. ”
From: Chúpame El Dedo

“Los Bitchos are a London-based instrumental band whose music is built on curiosity, collaboration, and celebration. Drawing inspiration from musical traditions across the globe, they create vibrant, cinematic, genre-defying songs that blend cumbia, surf rock, Turkish psychedelia, Latin American rhythms, disco, and countless other influences into a sound that is unmistakably their own.”
From: Los Bitchos & Friends

“Expect an intoxicating collision of worlds as hypnotic polyrhythms and soaring vocals meet the raw, modern energy of UK jazz, heavy funk, soul, and afrobeat. Born from an Arts Council-funded exploration to push traditional Gnawa into contemporary international spaces, Tagna Groove delivers an immersive, high-energy live experience designed to lift the spirit and move the dance floor.”
From: Mohamed Errebbaa & Tagna Groove