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Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

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Bristol's Drum And Bass Scene

Is Stokes Croft a drum and bass Mecca?

Drum and bass in Bristol needs no bigger homes than Lakota and Blue Mountain. Both on the same street in Stokes Croft - they’ve continued Bristol’s drum n bass lineage from DJ Krust and Roni Size through to Intrigue Music and the more experimental UVB76 crew. Bristol’s place in the history of drum n bass is assured. Figureheads like DJ Die draw the line between the jungle and drum n bass scenes, jungle is key in Bristol - a city with so much Caribbean heritage, roots reggae’s influence on drum n bass comes through the language of jungle. But with both Lakota and Blue Mountain closing their doors soon to developers, is Bristol in a drum n bass crisis?

Drum and bass in Bristol encapsulates the genre in the wider world. Big venues play host to big acts with nights such as Bedlam, One Nation and Shit the Bed offering International stars including Pendulum, Chase and Status, Andy C and Noisia on a regular basis. In addition to this, alternative venues like the Dojo Lounge, Basement 45 and the Black Swan foster the rarefied sounds of dnb's many sub genres offering the city a unique depth to its plethora of drum and bass music. New years eve in Bristol clubs sees the city's venues rammed to the brim with all of the drum and bass's big players djing somewhere in Bristol.

Agro, Dissident and Mongrel offer dnb of a techy, dark variety while the bastion of the deeper sound, Intrigue, continues to push artists such as Marcus Intalex, Calibre and Fabio. Torque, straddling the line between dark and deep is a drum and bass monthly of significant recognition, hosting label nights and affiliated artists from Club Autonomic to Critical and Shogun Audio.

With drum and bass such a popular genre in Bristol, most clubs present dnb of some description at least once per month. Basement 45 has emerged as a consistent venue, with Torque, Abstraction and Nine Tree all on regular rotation at the club. Dojos plays host to the aforementioned Intrigue while Lab is home to Signal which runs as a bi-monthly event.

Of the larger venues Motion has a throng of events that are less frequent but larger in scale. Although many of these nights are multi-genre affairs, Run and Shit The Bed routinely promote dnb artists as their headline acts.

Lakota is another important dnb venue, housing Concrete Beat, Agro and since September 2010, Bedlam. Hospitality's residency at the Thekla ensures dnb is consistent fixture on the ship, while the rave-ready Black Swan is the spearhead for the harder jungle-tek sounds of the dnb genre.

Buy tickets for drum and bass events in Bristol

Our recent drum and bass recommendations

Sell out warning! 18 year Corsica-aged vintage dnb NRG - Double O & Mantra bring that peerless Rupture vibe rip-roaring into Trinity Centre for one night of undiluted amen heaven. Huge double headliner action with hallowed Bristol Sound alchemist DJ Krust on a ‘93 special + ‘ardkore junglist futurism from the one and only Tim Reaper. This is how you do it…. Rupture 18th Birthday at The Trinity Centre.

AnExperience descends on the Broad Plain boxing gym with their own righteous take on amen culture, taking us back to 92-96 with an all-vinyl crew running pure junglist/hardcore euphoria through Scotland Yard’s ‘so loud it’s psychedelic’ soundsytem. 100% deconstructed-rave free zone. AnExperience ~ A Proper Jungle Night at The Boxing Gym.

AIRHORNNNNNNN!!!! Enter the Exstatic thunderdome of breakbeat belters with the most notorious rotter in hardtek / Deathchant’s prodigal son: the DJ Producer. He’ll be on an old skool / junglist tip with a live hardware set from Rudeboy Morris and Boca’s hella authentic hardcore stylings (laced with 2024 futurism). Exstatic - The DJ Producer, Jay Cunning + More at The Island.

Draggernauts demands your wildest club fantasies! Expect a lurid cocktail of immersive carnival macabre drag performance art and post-Balter/Bangface dancefloor silliness with irreverent bounce Queen DJ Can’t Say No. Join the DRAGGERNAUTS and Step into Carni-HELL: an unholy drag rave where neon nightmares, twisted carnival freaks, and pounding DONK, DNB, and HARDCORE beats collide in a chaotic whirlwind of glitter and fear – dare to join the dark side of the big top!

What our editors say

“They'll be taking over the iconic Clock Factory, a venue known for its unmatched visuals and VOID-powered sound system—perfect for showcasing the deep, dark, and dynamic frequencies Carbon Music is known for. This is more than just a label night—it’s a celebration of drum and bass culture at its finest.”
From: Carbon Music: Breakage B2B Jubei & SP:MC, SATL

“MAIN PHASE - Copenhagen-born DJ, producer, and co-owner of ATW records with Interplanetary Criminal has solidified himself at the forefront of the UK bass scene in recent years. Blending garage, dubstep, and jungle, he's known for energetic sets featuring unreleased tracks. His innovative sound is instantly recognisable and loved across the UK scene by ravers and fellow established producers alike.”
From: Frontline Presents: Main Phase, Bakey, Capo Lee +

“Join us on Friday 20th December at Clock Factory Bristol for a night of high-energy drum & bass, jungle and 140, headlined by the legendary Ego Trippin, hosted by Elkay!”
From: Xmas DNB Fundraiser Rave w/ Ego Trippin + More

“Dysfunction: Oxfordshire-based artist Dysfunction is closing up an excellent year, which saw them featuring on both the 1 More Thing and establishing themselves as a resident for the Birmingham-based Industrial Drumz outfit. Dysfunction will be bringing their eclectic mix of minimal, jump up, neuro and 4x4 for their Cosies debut.”
From: Full Spectrum @ Cosies - 14.12.24

“There'll be drum n bass and jungle booming from 8pm until 3am in one of the city's most unique venues, as we bring you our biggest event yet! This filthy N' festive basement party will be headlined by Zapya, who's had a big 2024 with releases on Invicta Audio, Jungle Cakes and Dub Shotta Records, as well as triumphant appearances at events including Boomtown and DNB Allstars. He's collaborated with artists such as Spyda, Mad Sam and many others, while taking the DNB scene by storm.”
From: Big Up Xmas Rave: DNB + Jungle with Zapya + more