Pop gigs in Bristol — Headfirst Bristol

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Bristol's Pop Scene

80s pop, 90s pop, Bristol has all kinds of pop. Go down the Harbourside on any night of the week and the streets are packed with queuing punters going out to hear the latest tracks and pop classics from days gone by. Bristol's thriving club scene means you can go out and hear almost any music. Another key area is the Clifton Triangle (especially for students) where cheap nights and drink deals at clubs like Po Na Na and Mbargo's are all the rage.

On the live circuit, you can experience plenty of pop music in Bristol. Like any major city, larger concert venues cater towards and music and, along with Cardiff, Bristol is one of the key cities in the West (and South-West) for any international touring act to be playing. Larger venues like the O2 Academy and Colston Hall are great places to see groups of all kind.

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Our recent pop recommendations

Uplifting poetry melds with soul, spiritual jazz, dusty hiphop and rolling broken beat in the singular soundworld of Sons of Kemet wordsmith Joshua Idehen. Essential solo show FFO: Calabashed, Infinity Knives, Daedelus, Neue Grafik Ensemble. Joshua Idehen at The Jam Jar.

Sell out warning! Strange Brew are truly spoiling us with this magnificent double-bill! NTS Early Bird angel and folkloric dream-pop experimentalist Maria Somerville meets avant-garde supergroup Good Sad Happy Bad - the woozy art-rock project Mica Levi reformed from the ashes of Micachu. Seriously unmissable FFO: Relaxin’ Records, James K, Moin, Grouper, Space Afrika, AD93. Good Sad Happy Bad + Maria Somerville at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! A double headliner of winking, witty art-pop at The Cube. War Against Sleep's Duncan Fleming wrestles Cave-esque dark crooning with irresistible psych-pop melodies, while Emily Breeze’s indie-noir is seductive yet melancholic, uncanny yet anthemic… Patti Smith meets Pulp in paradoxical femme fatale form. Two of Bristol’s best underground songwriters here for sure! Good Friday - Emily Breeze with War Against Sleep at The Cube.

Monochrome made a blood oath to extreme ugliness in all forms, and the hex has not been lifted! Another weekend splatterfest of pummeling deathgrind, cybernetic queercore and….noise accordion? Gruelling highlights include Black Curse’s ludicrously blackened death-magick, Gretchen Guttersnipe in solo anarcho-gabber psychodrama, graveyard-bating OSDM from Coffin Mulch + all the bands we’ve never heard of, yet can’t unhear ….. Saturday Only at Strange Brew.

What our editors say

““Duncan Fleming is a genius of a songwriter walking a razor sharp tightrope between deranged humour and classic pop music. War Against Sleep is his ongoing battle against the absurd waking dream that passes for life, in which he plunders the hidden treasures of a thousand charity shop records, writing songs that tingle the spine, move the soul and lift the spirit.””
From: Good Friday - Emily Breeze with War Against Sleep

“Emelina Murphy is a musician that attracts and encapsulates the whimsical elements we hold so dearly in life. With an eclectic taste in music her original work mimics that of the 70’s and 80’s art pop and rock era. Influences that impacted Emelina Murphy’s journey was the likes of Kate Bush, Nina Hagen and Papooz because the need to look strange is absolutely necessary. Emelina creates an inspiring environment with her stage performance and no show presents boring. Guaranteed it will get you off feet !!”
From: Who Killed Bunny?

“Molly Fletcher Hebden is a singer song writer performing alternative pop rock original music both acoustically and with a four piece backing band. Inspired by artists such as Blondie, Paramore and Fleetwood Mac Molly started from a young age playing local home town venues, slowly branching out to headlining London shows and festivals. Currently based in Bath/Bristol/Kent, Molly is working on new music for the future, with catchy riffs and energetic performances. Molly is an up and coming artist not to miss.”
From: Molly Fletcher + Blue Ray

“They have scaled exhilarating heights since vocalist Jim Higson and guitarist Daniel McCarthy’s packed-out, homespun acoustic performances as students. Though the harmonic tenderness of folk is foundational to KAWALA’s sound, it is their instinct for pop music – the kind that is nourished by hooks, highs and a sun-blush glow of optimism for brighter horizons – which came to define this particular magic which expanded far beyond those small rooms.”
From: The Farewell Tour

“MYAH is a 20-year-old Surrey and London-based alternative pop artist whose music blends elements of pop, soul, indie, and R&B. Drawing inspiration from powerful female artists like Olivia Dean, Stevie Nicks, and Remi Wolf, Myah invites listeners into a space to embrace honesty, vulnerability, and letting go.”
From: Hot Lobby + Myah