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
Chicago bounce house, ballroom blitz and stuttering ghettotech from Munich’s peerless Bashkka with Adonis / HOMODROP’s Marie Malarie pushing those sweltering hi-NRG cuts and squelching acid into the red. Expect queer club bangers with enough Big Femme Energy to blast your local TERF into the stratosphere.
Off-Kilter club comes in hot and juicy with a fierce line up including BASHKKA, Marie Malarie & Daisy Moon.
Sell out warning! Deep club psychedelia has no better hero than John Talabot. Blanco’s giving him the necessary space to stretch those godlike selects into primordial cosmic battlecries in the Brew’s back room. Salon des Amateurs will feel as tame as a Mixmag office party after this one!
Hivern Disc's boss John Talabot in the back room of Strange Brew - a master of contemporary melodic electronica & house music
NYE sell out warning! The understated god of weirdo funk - Maurice Fulton treads the experimental with genuine soul to his own beat of post-disco cosmic house realness. Yes, disco isn’t dead as long as Maurice lives. Let the 90s maestro fill your ears with infinite cowbells, ecstatic vocals and low-slung grooves til the lights come on.
House music royalty at The Red Church
When we all die Ron’s gonna be sitting up with Frankie Bones and Jesus in rugged machine electro-funk heaven. The brains behind LIES aka the best EBM/ acid house/ whatever label this century brings his twisted wisdom to the decks to rip your bloody face off.
L.I.E.S Records' Ron Morelli returns to classic sounds with a refreshing twist, plus Bristol’s own spinning foot-stomping house and techno
What our editors say
“Femme45 connects Glasgow based Dj’s Dakilei and ReQuinha who both draw on their shared love for bringing people together in the dance. Through spinning vinyls old and new, they embrace their feminine energy to bring you upbeat tropical vibes and hypnotic rhythms from across the globe.”From: Femme45 - tropical takeover
“Samuel Bee – The house music master for the night. The man behind the cult house brand Gospel: A Testament to House Music, Samuel Bee has shared lineups with Ron Carroll, Dave Lee, ATFC, Norman Jay, Kid Massive, DJ Meme, and brings decades of house vibes to the booth. Expect uplifting grooves, spiritual moments, and pure class.”
From: Groove Garm
“In 2004, Carlos co-founded the innovative Rocket Sound System, and by 2006, he expanded his musical expertise to include diverse genres such as R&B, soul, garage, freakbeat, mod jazz, and '60s funk. His passion for dance-inducing beats led to the creation of Hipshakers!, a monthly club night focused on '60s and early '70s sounds that thrived until 2018. In 2015, Carlos introduced Bombo y Maracas, one of the hottest tropical nights on the planet dedicated to Latin and Caribbean sounds from the 50s, 60s and 70s.”
From: La Bomba presents Carlos Rene
“You’ll be in safe hands from the get-go, with Bristol’s underground sorcerer and Dirtytalk’s very own Tender T joining on warm-up duties, blending the finest deep house and jackin’ body music to loosen ya limbs.”
From: SB Presents Tama Sumo & Lakuti + Tender T
“Expect non-stop house and disco groovers, fuelled by the venue's rich history with house music and as a staple of the Bristol underground scene for many decades. Advance tickets will start at £5 but be quick as they will get more expensive over time, and cost more to purchase on the door. Remember, buying tickets in advance is the best way to support grassroots venues!”
From: In House w/ Casa Disco
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