Rough Trade Bristol

Rough Trade Bristol

Bristol branch of the iconic record store with decent sized gig space and excellent music


Rough Trade's punk credentials stretch way back to 1976 and Geoff Travis' watershed Rough Trade Records (home to Stiff Little Fingers, Cabaret Voltaire and the C86 compilations that defined that UK indie sound). The first branch open in West London, but Bristol is its fifth and newest store. The 2018 opening came at a great time - whatever you think about the store - the addition of a solid 150 - 200 venue in town with some discerning heads behind the programming was welcome news for all.

Free and ticketed events happen most nights of the week - mix of big names like Idles and Throbbing Gristle's Chris Carter plus local acts like Bad Tracking and Elder Island.

What's On At Rough Trade Bristol

ALL VINYL ALTERNATIVE XMAS PARTY at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
rock alternative rock punk post-punk garage rock
Tonic 055: Winter Warmer at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
open mic singer-songwriter spoken word poetry family event
Modern Nature + pictureframes at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
indie folk indie pop lo-fi alternative rock indie rock
CHEMTRAILS at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
experimental pop punk garage rock psych
Speedy Ortiz at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
indie rock
Kite Thief + Special Guests at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
metal rock classic rock alternative rock
Meatraffle at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
Oh, The Guilt & HAVVK - double album launch gig at Rough Trade Bristol
— Rough Trade Bristol
post-punk grunge shoegaze lgbtq+ drag

Get a feel for Rough Trade Bristol

Our recent recommendations for Rough Trade Bristol

Deadly MBV x Fontaines DC x Scalping cocktail of macabre vocals, wall-of-noise-guitars and industrial dancetronica; Bristol’s rapturous post-rock shoegazers come of age with their debut EP, crashing into the world via the Rough Trade stage. Essential I-saw-them-before-they-were-massive bragging rights FFO: Interpol, New Order, Primary Colours-era Horrors, A Place To Bury Strangers. Damefrisør + guests at Rough trade

The mighty Punka returns with a triple bill of raucous queer punk energy. Headed up by Martyrials’ psychedelic electro-punk with goth-rockers Witch Hook and riotous noise-punx Split Dogs. 3 Bristol queer punk bands and a drag host!!

Free entry / PWYC! Medieval chamber-prog meets indie-metal in a bizzaro mashup of seriously accomplished modern sludge liturgies. Like Horse Lords collabing with Mars Volta or Oxbow covering Hildegard von Bingen; Extra Life have stumbled upon something unclassifiably out of time FFO: Zs, Liars, Dirty Projectors, Theatre of Hate, These New Puritans, Kayo Dot, Lingua Ignota. New York avant rock unit, with elements of math rock, dark pop, metal and classical.

Punka heads to Rough Trade, dragging DIS with them for another night of drag crossover madness. With musical delights from spoken word soulful popster Freddie Lewis and brooding synth-driven anthems from Kerensa. 3 amazing queer artists and a drag host!

Leather-clad legends of no-wave disco anarcho-glam, Special Interest command a riotous car-flipping synthpunk sound somewhere between Suicide, Sonic Youth and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They’re gonna make a real big noise with chaotic techno hero Container in support too. Fans of Guerilla Toss, early HTRK, Show Me The Body, ESG, why haven’t you bought tickets yet? New Orleans, Louisiana / Rough Trade Records.