The Island
Former police station turned creative playground
The Island is a vibrant multi-use venue in the heart of Bristol city centre. Once occupied by Bridewell Police Station, it’s been in the hands of community arts charity Artspace Lifespace since 2008.
Home to over 100 resident artists, The Island boasts a diverse mix of spaces and facilities including dance and circus training studios, a sewing room and an art gallery, while doubling up as a thriving events venue – covering live music, workshops and classes, immersive performance art, and more.
After dark the Edwardian cells come alive with experimental club nights, recent highlights including Timedance’s forward-thinking techno and bass nights, jungle, soul and Afrobeats from Nightspace, and late-night sessions from leftfield festival En Masse.
The 300-capacity venue is at basement level and is not wheelchair accessible. Free tickets are available for personal assistants. See https://artspace.uk/venue/the-island/ for details of the different event spaces within the building.
Home to over 100 resident artists, The Island boasts a diverse mix of spaces and facilities including dance and circus training studios, a sewing room and an art gallery, while doubling up as a thriving events venue – covering live music, workshops and classes, immersive performance art, and more.
After dark the Edwardian cells come alive with experimental club nights, recent highlights including Timedance’s forward-thinking techno and bass nights, jungle, soul and Afrobeats from Nightspace, and late-night sessions from leftfield festival En Masse.
The 300-capacity venue is at basement level and is not wheelchair accessible. Free tickets are available for personal assistants. See https://artspace.uk/venue/the-island/ for details of the different event spaces within the building.
What's On At The Island
— The Island
experimental
house
deep house
tech house
bassline house
— The Island
house
techno
electro
breakbeat
minimal techno
— The Island
workshops & classes
festival
— The Island
techno
140
electro
dubstep
breakbeat
Get a feel for The Island
Our recent recommendations for The Island
A decade of Timedance, Batu’s ever-morphing label of dancefloor abstractions and off-kilter brilliance. Willikens dives deep into melted-acid odysseys, the perfect foil to Metrist’s corkscrewing club chaos, and Northfield’s Mackenzie seals the night with riffling techno slammers. Unmissable.
Timedance 10 Years - Bristol at The Island.
Step into the day-dreamer techno and breakbeat continuum. Bristol’s notorious party starters Stretch Collective join forces with psych-dub innovators Cirrina Sessions for a night of deep, hypnotic minimalism, with residents out in full force. A hot tip for fans of Vlada, CCL, Roza Terenzi, Christian AB and Beatrice M.
Stretch Collective x Cirrina Sessions at The Island.
Sell out warning! The enigmatic club tricksters' surreal digi-fuelled whirlwind of hyperactive hyperpop, glitchy trance and hardcore bass swag meets a 300 cap venue... enough said.
Two Shell at The Island.
Calling all baddies looking to shake A-$-$! Get down to The Island for grime MC and hi-NRG DJ Jolie P serving a ghettotech special, itoa bringing the juke + footwork bounce and further jungle heat from Betsy Mae.
Call of Booty - Itoa - Jolie P at The Island.
Grama keeps the spotlight on Bristol’s low-key noise-makers, returning to the old police cells for another bumpin’ basement session. Strap in for Nahda’s industrial flair and Rose Again’s rolling technoid steppers while Jackin’ Patz and zato twist through leftfield disco and acid house on the close. Big tip!
Grama - jackin' patz b2b zato, nahda, rose again at The Island.