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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

A big nod to International Womxn’s Day as Bristol Babes gather a top-notch line up at Bristol Temple Meads’ underworld for a night of bassline whompers, side-winder garage and fiery drum and bass. BRISTOL BABES at The Loco Klub.

Woi oiiii jungle techno royalty Top Buzz dazzle you that ‘93 darkcore throb featuring the unmistakable ragga chat of MC Mad P. Plus bonafide breakbeat ‘ardkore Dreamscape hero DJ Ratty will be lighting the candles on Twisted’s birthday cake. 3am finish for the dedicated ravers, smiles all round. Dj Twisted Birthday bash!!

Sell out warning! Soft Butch returns for an adventurous deep dive into butchness and no-phone dancefloor somatics. With queer spoken word excellence from Manganaro and dizzying acrobatics from Zooni before DJ LEXX unleashes the dancehall / dnb / afrobeat heat. A somatics-infused night celebrating all butchness, for women, NB and Trans folk to dance freely together.

The First Lady of Metalheadz whips up an essential 'ardkore rip-roarer courtesy of Double O and Mantra’s peerless Rupture. Featuring the don Peverelist in rare junglist mode, Bristol’s breakbeat / dark ruffage queen Anina, cloud-gazing pad euphoria from Artificial Red + Blackeye MC on the mic all night. It’s amen heaven we tell you, what more could you want? Rupture is back for our first night in Bristol in 2025

What our editors say

“Introduced to d&b at 14, Whiney has become a true master in deep rollers, techy minimal and jungle-influenced drums. Having signed to Hospital Records at 18, his top-notch productions speak for themselves, reflected in a stacked back catalogue on respected labels and a long list of collaborations under his belt, such as P Money and Unglue. You know this one’s gonna go off.”
From: Wide Eyes: Whiney + Benny Page

“Join us at Clock Factory Bristol this 4/20 for a pop-up rave featuring none other than jungle legend Aries! He'll be turning up the heat with an exclusive 3 hour set including Jungle, Ragga and Drum & Bass, plus he's bringing line-up of special guest MCs with him, ready to take the energy to the next level. Tickets are limited.”
From: 4/20 Bristol Pop-Up Rave: Aries

“Get ready for an explosive event as Bristol's new DJ collective come together at the Fox for an unforgettable session of high-energy beats and bass-driven vibes. Rogue Frequency team brings you the finest in jungle, drum & bass, garage, and bassline.”
From: Rogue Frequency Records: Crashie's Birthday Bash

“Round 2 is here for the Easter Bank Holiday! We're back with true Bristol flair as five of the city's iconic brands go head-to-head in another epic sound clash. Brace yourself for a powerhouse mix of breaks, jungle, drum and bass, 140, and grime — no rules, just champions.”
From: Easter Bank Holiday - Bristol Sound Clash

“As always, we are keeping things classic with all DJs channeling that oldskool euphoric rave sound, to keep your faces smiling and feet moving. Expect the usual breakbeat, hard house, and hardcore, and if you're well-behaved we might even get some jungle tekno and acid techno to finish ;)”
From: Safe As F*ck w/ Aerbreak