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
dub
grime
uk garage
140
dubstep
— The Island
experimental
noise
industrial
electronic
techno
— The Island
exhibition
exhibition-opening
Get a feel for The Island
Our recent recommendations for The Island
Gun fingers at the ready! Headset returns on Good Friday with mega 140-whompers and an all-star lineup. Bandulu titans Kahn & Neek unleash thunderous dubstep and grime-steeped steppas, while Just Jane drops dark, angular bass cuts, and Neffa-T sparring partner Zukki brings his punishing sino-grime chops. This one’s gonna shake the walls!
HEADSET140: Kahn, Neek, Just Jane, Zukki, Nio-B, Axle, Skillis + more at The Island.
PWYC! Grama are back for their monthly all-star Island takeover with Bristol’s most underrated sonic warriors. At the helm: Idle Hands’ Chris Farrell – armed with an encyclopedic arsenal of bumpin’ house and garage-leaning rattlers – alongside Jonny Chorley’s razor-sharp minimal techno and R.E.D.’s low-slung, leftfield oddities.
Grama05 - chris farrell, jonny chorley + r.e.d at The Island.
Razor-sharp club futurism at its finest! Local spinner Severine has been busy carving out the Bristol circuit with discombobulated rhythms delivered in a thrillingly uncanny, disorienting style. Their latest venture brings together Rhyw and Yushh – two of the slickest selectors shaping sleek, contemporary club sounds FFO: Timedance, Livity Sound, CCL, Wisdom Teeth, Fever AM.
Forma: Rhyw, Yushh, Dom Carlo & severine at The Island.
Spectacular footwork-not-footwork hybrids collide with heavy, wall-shaking UK bass as Addison Groove and Fonzo assemble for a huge b2b. Percussive skankers and low-end wobblers inside, with support from Amy Kisnorbo’s high-speed pulsations and YSL groovin’ techno and electro. Big FFO: Om Unit, CCL, Martyn and Yushh.
After 3 years and 20+ shows in the city, we make our long awaited return to the venue in which our Bristol story began in 2022 - The island...
PWYC! The Grama crew serve up another deliciously twisted locals lineup for their next if-you-know-you-know Island session. Tilly and EC Ryder crank out 80s synth-pop, Dirtytalk-grade house and disco oddballers in true Noods fashion, accompanied by Mica’s soulful slow jams and Ongo’s deep psychedelic downtempo.
Grassroots clubnight supporting the abundance of local bristol talent