House Nights in Bristol
upcoming clubnightBristol's House Scene
Bristol House Music: A Recent HistoryIt’s a Bristol Thing…. For Headfirst Bristol House music is all about Shanti Celeste, Eats Everything, Peach Discs, Idle Hands, Dirty Talk (who recently opened Strange Brew) and classic ‘chugging house’ from acts like Outboxx on BRSTL and Futureboogie Recordings. Futurboogie have built a Bristol house empire and venues like Motion with regular nights feature Julio Bashmore, Waifs and Strays and Christophe. House music is closely linked to the yearly influx of students to the city who make up a large audience for the House/Techno Music Scene. Many stick around after they graduate to become house music recording artists in their own right!
What we said in 2015...
House music is undoubtedly the star in Bristol’s crown. After decades of lurking in the shadows, a new generation of promoters are giving Bristol’s club scene something unrivalled elsewhere in the UK - nights to be proud of one off and parties that will never be forgotten. It’s taken 20 years, but the tired “Bristol Sound” catch-all has finally been laid to rest, by an unlikely candidate - house music.
Incubated in the basements of Take 5 and Cosies where the likes of Shanti Celeste, Steve Farrell and Hodge played intimate sets, a new approach to house music in Bristol began to blossom. This, coupled with nights like Futureboogie in the city centre, the stage was set for wide-eyed new promoters to take house music out of Bristol’s nightclubs and elevate things to the next level. Drawing inspiration from the unrivalled Alfresco Disco parties and the spectacular Carnyville events, promoters stopped putting on club nights and started throwing parties.
The quest by Bristol’s house promoters to find new spaces to throw parties had led to some of the most spectacular club nights Bristol has ever seen. There was a time when it was just Alfresco Disco tickets that sold out without announcing the venue (or headliners), but amongst Bristol’s innovative house promoters secret locations are becoming commonplace. The Island complex has seen raves thrown in prison cells, courtrooms and the fire station hall where Simple Things became the first to use the entire complex for a single clubnight. Since then, the journey through Bristol’s potential venues has been a joyous one, seeing bank vaults, churches, motorcycle showrooms, wood yards and even basketball courts used as venues for ticketed events.
Shapes are without doubt the runaway success in Bristol’s house story. 2011’s sweaty hedonistic parties showed the Blue Mountain club at it’s best since the Monkey!Knife!Fight! nights of yesteryear. Shapes strike the balance between big-room affairs at Motion, secret location events and inventive one-offs like their Final Frontier party living-up to it’s £40 ticket price.
While the bigger budget promoters like Shapes collaborate with veterans Just Jack and Futureboogie for some truly huge events, Bristol still has a broad spectrum of medium sized events. Dirty Talk continue to draw one of the best party crowds and newcomers like Banoffee Pies and Come Down With Me continue to explore new views. For those who like their club nights intimate - The Doghouse, Cosies and Take 5 are home to some great music-first promoters and Shambarber provides the ultimate soundtrack to any haircut.
what we said in 2010 (then classified as house & techno):
While not known as an international hotspot for house and techno clubbing, Bristol has a thriving scene that's looking its healthiest in years. Promoters such as Empathy and Digital are persuing forward-thinking, deep, tech-house in the smaller venues like Dojo's, Timbuk2 and more recently Crash Mansion.
Larger house nights in Bristol include Play! and Monkey Knife Fight, both at The Thekla. Arguably the biggest house nights are found at Motion. Bugged Out! and Just Jack book some seriously big house names with past guests including Claude Von Stroke, Tiefschwarz and Steve Bug..
After the short-lived but glorious Cuisine club nights in 2006-2007 minimal techno in Bristol has, until recently taken a back seat. Morph and Headrush (both at Timbuk2) are the new blood for driving minimal techno in Bristol, refreshingly booking British techno producers (Perc, Bigger Than Jesus, Nathan Fake) but still catching Berlin's smaller names on occasion (Format B, Mark Henning).
Another welcome twist to techno in Bristol has come from an unlikely source. Bristol's take on dub-step has supplied an unexpected vent for cutting edge techno with the success of established nights like Appleblim's Apple Pips the significance of techno's influence on Bristol. Artists such as Pinch, Peverelist and Appleblim are routinely billed alongside dub-techno purveyors Scuba, 2562 and T++.
While few clubs in Bristol are genre exclusive, at certain Bristol venues you're more likely to find house, techno and minimal than others. Timbuk2 and Dojos are your most likely bet, while the Thekla (a boat) and Motion (a skatepark turned club) are always worth checking for the occasional big house and techno event.
Larger house nights in Bristol include Play! and Monkey Knife Fight, both at The Thekla. Arguably the biggest house nights are found at Motion. Bugged Out! and Just Jack book some seriously big house names with past guests including Claude Von Stroke, Tiefschwarz and Steve Bug..
After the short-lived but glorious Cuisine club nights in 2006-2007 minimal techno in Bristol has, until recently taken a back seat. Morph and Headrush (both at Timbuk2) are the new blood for driving minimal techno in Bristol, refreshingly booking British techno producers (Perc, Bigger Than Jesus, Nathan Fake) but still catching Berlin's smaller names on occasion (Format B, Mark Henning).
Another welcome twist to techno in Bristol has come from an unlikely source. Bristol's take on dub-step has supplied an unexpected vent for cutting edge techno with the success of established nights like Appleblim's Apple Pips the significance of techno's influence on Bristol. Artists such as Pinch, Peverelist and Appleblim are routinely billed alongside dub-techno purveyors Scuba, 2562 and T++.
While few clubs in Bristol are genre exclusive, at certain Bristol venues you're more likely to find house, techno and minimal than others. Timbuk2 and Dojos are your most likely bet, while the Thekla (a boat) and Motion (a skatepark turned club) are always worth checking for the occasional big house and techno event.
Buy tickets for house events in Bristol
Our recent house recommendations
Sell out warning! You’ve been to Rupture, but have you seen Double O, Dead Man’s Chest and Decebela shell it atop a fire engine with the cream of Bristol’s underground jazzers shredding along? Didn’t think so. Welcome to Tokio Station kid, where junglist ruffage comes with smooth sides of guitar fusion and trumpet skronk, and there ain’t nothing else like it right now.
Tokio Station x Save Our Scene w/ Rupture: JUNGLE JAZZ DAY PARTY at The Boxing Gym.
Sell out warning! Club der Visionaere BS1 here we come…it’s the return of Uruguay’s vinyl-only myth-maker and dark prince of trip-tastic techno tessellations, percolating acid, cosmic minimal house and star-gazing electro. Mr Lutz is a total bucket list DJ for the leftfield aficionados and chasers of psychedelic club transcendence.
Afterthought: Nicolas Lutz at Strange Brew.
A crew of mutant club enthusiasts touches down in Bristol for their first venture beyond South Korea, brought to you by Seoul’s own underground bass connoisseur H4rdy. Angular dubstep workouts and speedy techno hybrids mutating into one another at every turn – come primed!
H4rdy presents: STAMINA SEOUL at The Love Inn.
A sublime lineup from the Rezonant Body crew powered by the almighty Dharma HiFi system – transformative sounds from the get-go! Bridging dub-techno hypnotics, ambient drift and transcendental 170 kinetics, Vilhelm Hasselgren enters hybrid mode under his slo-mo Crest guise, joined by Rezonant label pals navigating the deepest reaches of the techno continuum.
REZONANT BODY 4.0 w/ Dharma Hifi at KIT FORM.
More Photos of House Nights in Bristol
What our editors say
“A very special one-off celebration of our love of The River Avon and our love of house music, in the most perfect venue, The John Sebastian. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE + FLOAT YER BOAT + RAVE ON FOR THE AVON Screening of "RAVE ON FOR THE AVON" by Charlotte Sawyer -a feature-length documentary which captures one community’s love for the Avon and explores the importance of rivers in modern life – all set to a Bristol soundtrack and drinks 7pm til 9pm. AFTER-PARTY - 9pm til 1am DJs: EMSKI JAMES B LA DJS THRILOGY ...................... You can purchase tickets for either the FILM (and drinks bar), THE AFTER-PARTY or both. ......................”From: BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE + FLOAT YER BOAT + RAVE ON FOR THE AVON
“Legendary True Definition lands at After Dark Bristol for a night dedicated to the roots and future of house music. Built on the sound of “the house that Jack built,” this is more than a party it’s a proper session for those who know. Expect high-energy sets and deep, rolling grooves from Deli G, Trilogy, Ned Hawes and Raddi, taking you from 9PM right through to 4AM. From classic influences to cutting-edge selections, the music stays true all night. Set in the heart of Bristol on St Stephens Street, After Dark delivers an intimate, late-night atmosphere with a serious sound system and a crowd that’s all about the music.”
From: After Dark Presents...True Definition
“JC & OG b2b all night long Wafters and rollers of the finest quality from start to finish. Jonny Chorley and Ongo Gablogian have been playing together for a decade now, mostly blessing afters sessions deep into the morning, with a bottomless bag of top-tier tech-house, deep house ("music"), groovy techno, and tasteful-but-slightly-naughty garage. Bring your two-stepping shoes and your floppy wrists. £5 OTD 10-3”
From: STH: Jonny Chorley b2b Ongo Gablogian
“Free entry day party at Lost Horizon, bringing together a range of house sounds from across the spectrum. Expect everything from deep, groove-led house through to jacking rhythms, with touches of acid and minimal tech house as the day builds. The lineup is made up of experienced vibe providers. Amongst a stacked lineup stands out Lipsealed head honcho: Frillr who will deliver his signature funky sound before Tommy Dymock b2b Contest Traxx steer the night into darker territory with a vinyl mixing showcase. Running from 3-9pm in the outdoor space, it's all about catching that daytime energy and letting it roll into the evening. Free tickets via Skiddle - come down early, stay late.”
From: Chemist & Friends: Daytime Remedies
“With over 35 combined years in the game, Thrilogy and Emski make a solid B2B team - capturing the heady days of 90s underground house music across the UK, and the shimmering, jacking, garage hi-hats from US made vinyl, to cutting-edge soulful vocals.”
From: Beautiful People DJ Residency
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