Nitelife May 2017 by NITELIFE

COVER SHOT: ANIA SHRIMPTON

INFLUENTIAL VENUES // ESSENTIAL EVENTS AND PARTIES // MONTHLY GUIDE

L MAY - 2017

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

WEDNESDAY 21 JUNE

FRIDAY 23 JUNE

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH UNITED TALENT AGENCY

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH UNITED TALENT AGENCY & JEM MUSIC GROUP

FEATURING

GRAEME PARK & PETER HOOK PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS & MANCHESTER CAMERATA

ORCHESTRA PLUS BRITISH SEA POWER & THE ANCHORESS

THURSDAY 22 JUNE

SATURDAY 24 JUNE

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH X-RAY

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH UNITED TALENT AGENCY

CANONS MARSH AMPHITHEATRE BRISTOL HARBOURSIDE T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E F R O M

SONGKICK.COM

SEETICKETS.COM

BRISTOLTICKETSHOP.CO.UK

GIGANTIC.COM

BRISTOLSOUNDS.CO.UK @BRISTOLSOUNDS

T @BRISTOL_SOUNDS

f /BRISTOLSOUNDSOFFICIAL

A CROSSTOWN CONCERTS PRESENTATION

The Haze Sessions are back

Find out how to get tickets here:

J000793_Haze_Sessions_2017_322x225_NiteLife.indd 1

Line up: Little Comets Elder Island Eva Lazarus & The Afronauts Harry & The Gondolas www.thatcherscider.co.uk/hazesessions

20/03/2017 15:47

HIGHLIGHTS

best events this month 22-25

PROFILES

KREED 27 SKINNY LISTER 27

LOCAL TALENT

my nu leng 28-29

REWIND

NUBIYAN TWIST 30-31

PREVIEW

DJ FORMAT AND ABDOMINAL 32-33

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH

may 2017

STRYDA 34-35

FEATURED VENUES

51 Stokes Croft 38 O2 Academy 39 BOOTLEGGER 40 colston hall 41 Crofters Rights 42 exchange 43

The Fleece 44 The Full Moon 45 GALLIMAUFRY 46 The Golden Lion 47 lakota 48 Lanes 49

the lantern 50 MArble Factory 51 MotherSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ruin 52 Mr Wolfs 53 THE OLD BOOKSHOP 54 Stag and Hounds 55

swx 56 to the moon 57 THekla 58 Trinity 59

Photography: Lukasz Kaminski / Martin Thompson / Dominika Scheibinger / Ania Shrimpton / Khali Photography / Soul Media / Jessica Bartolini / shotaway.com / Leora Bermeister www.nitelifeonline.com | facebook.com/nitelifebristol | info@nitelifeonline.com | Tel: 07590 993 523

Director Carlos Javier

Art Director Steve Hughes

Editor Rachel Morris

Features Abi Lewis

Photo Editor Lukasz Kaminski

Print Stephens & George

Distribution Javier Fox

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SHOTGUNBARBERS.CO.UK

T: 0117 973 1130

BARBERS FOR MEN & WOMEN

-All Guns Blazing-

Mon - Fri 9:00am – 7:00pm Saturday 9:00am – 4:00pm

-Unisex Barbers-

No appointment needed unless for colours - visit www.shotgunbarbers.co.uk for more information

- Armoury -

1a Pitville Place, Cotham Hill Clifton, Bristol, BS6 6JZ

NO24 PRESENTS: THE AVENUE

PROTOJE AND THE INDIGGNATION

INKH. BOAT PARTY

6 May // £4-£7 // Blue Mountain

10 May // £16.50 + booking fees // O2 Academy

14 May // £15 + booking fees // Tower Belle Boat

SLY LOGIC, JORDAN O’REGAN, DAREN C, JANTE

PROTOJE, INDIGGNATION, SEVANA

flyer wall

RAGGA TWINS, DAZEE, SUBCRIMINAL, Y DOTT

flyer wall

GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC

RIVERSIDE

SET IT OFF / WITH CONFIDENCE CO

15 May // £26.50 + booking fees // O2 Academy

20 May // £18 + booking fees // The Marble Factory

23 May // £12 + booking fees // The Marble Factory

GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, GUESTS

RIVERSIDE, THE SIXXIS, LION SHEPHERD

flyer wall

SET IT OFF, WITH CONFIDENCE, TOO CLOSE TO TOUCH

flyer wall

ARCTANGENT WARM UP 2017

ROYAL TRUX

THRESHOLD PRESENTS: FOKUS RECORDINGS

28 May // TBC // The Stag and Hounds

30 May // £18.50 + booking fees // The Marble Factory

17 June // £5- £10 // Blue Mountain

BRITNEY, YOUTH QUEST, GUG, MEMORY OF ELEPHANTS

ROYAL TRUX, PURLING HISS

ZERO T, MACCA AND LOZ CONTRERAS

22 // HIGHLIGHTS

MAY

HIGHLIGHTS Brought to you by Wray & Nephew

1. MARTHA TILSTON

Martha Tilston has grown up immersed in music. Her singer/ songwriter father Steve Tilston and renowned step mother and folk singer Maggie Boyle, have helped pave the way for Martha’s solo music career. 4th May // 7pm-11pm // £12.50 adv + bf // Trinity

2. ANTHONY JOSEPH

Poet, novelist, musician and lecturer, Anthony Joseph will be creating a hypnotic blend of rapturous spoken word and rhythmic speech this May. Plus Ngaio, Titan Sound and AAA Badboy. 6th May // 8.30pm – 2am // £3 // Full Moon & Attic Bar

3. SHAME

Funk, indie and soul five-piece from South London are bursting at the seams with punk energy, representing the spittle of Mark E. Smith and the underground sprit of Eddy Current Suppression Ring, combined with the frenzy, rage and exasperation of their youth. 8th May // 6pm – 10pm // £6.75 inc.bf // Crofters Rights

4. J HUS

Best known for his 2017 single Did You See J Hus is taking the grime scene by storm, holding down a profile many artists would dream of, with his irrepressible, upbeat flow. 10th May // 7pm – 11pm // £16.50 inc.bf // Motion

5. APPETITE IN THE DOGHOUSE

After the success of their last event, Appetite are back in the Doghouse for a night of house and disco. Bringing you the finest taste of funky beats and free donuts for everyone. Make sure you bring your Appetite because this ones gonna be tasty. 11th May // 9pm – 3am // Free before 10pm/ £3 after Doghouse

6. UNDEROATH

Underoath return to the UK for their highly-anticipated Rebirth tour. Performing both Define the Great Line and They’re Only Chasing Safety in their entirety, this reunited line-up features Aaron Gillespie, Grant Brandell, Spencer Chamberlain, Chris Dudley, James Smith and Tim McTague. 11th May // 7pm – 11pm // £20adv // O2 Academy Bristol

7. SMOOVE & TURRELL

Newcastle’s finest British funk and soul band Smoove & Turrell are taking centre stage at The Fleece this May in support of their new album Crown Posada. 11th May // 7.30pm – 11pm // £12 +bf // The Fleece

HIGHLIGHTS // 23

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8. DOO WOP: A ROCK N ROLL PARTY

After the hugely successful launch back in February, Doo Wop is back. Shaking your nerves and rattling your brains ‘til the early hours of the morning with a heavy dose of Rockabilly, garage, surf, rock’n’roll, rhythm & blues, swing and vintage sounds. 12th May // 9pm – 3am // £3 +bf // The Lanes

9. SMERINS ANTI-SOCIAL CLUB + THE CARNY VILLAINS

Smerins Anti Social Club are back with a new album Jelly Deals, blending brass-heavy funk, swing, rock, drum ‘n’ bass, and ska. To celebrate the release, Trinity will be hosting an album launch party, with special appearances from the sure-fire party starters – The Carny Villains and DJ Dad. 12th May // 9pm-1am // £8 / £12 adv + bf // Trinity

10. FLAMINGODS

Experimental 5-piece Flamingods have cultivated a technicolour sound quite distinct from any other contemporary artist. Originally from Bahrain and Dubai, its members have absorbed the influence of many different cultures, in a wild flourish of self-determined psychedelic song writing. 12th May // 8pm – 11pm // £12.90 inc. bf // The Lantern

11. THE MODEL FOLK

Come down to Old Bookshop for a rumbustious Balkan acoustic party. North Somerset’s finest visit for a night to remember. 13th May // 9 - 11pm // Free // The Old Bookshop

12. RUSSELL KANE: RIGHT MAN, WRONG AGE

Are you 16 years old, yet feel 21? Are you 40, but tragically faking 25? Don’t worry: this is normal. In this brand new show, Russell Kane unleashes a blisteringly-funny stand-up performance about growing up and growing down. 14th May // 7pm – Late // £18.27 inc.bf // Colston Hall

13. INKH BOAT PARTY

Get ready for a special one-off INKH boat party cruise. Featuring an exclusive 90 min birthday set from the legendary Ragga Twins, plus a whole boatload more, including Dazee, Subcriminal , DJ Krucial and more. 14th May // 4pm – 7pm // £15 +bf

15. GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic are bringing the mothership back to the UK in May. The soul collective released over 40 hit singles and three platinum albums, while inspiring Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Macy Gray and more. As the godfather of funk, this is not to be missed. 15th May // 7pm – 11pm // £20adv // O2 Academy Bristol

14. CALAN + SPECIAL GUEST DAN WILDE

Breathing fire into the old traditions with their infectious rhythms, fiddles, bagpipes and accordion, young energetic folk band, Calan explores the legends of Wales’ very own fairy realm with tales of magic, myth and mischief. 16th May // 7.30pm – 11pm // £15.05 inc.bf // The Lantern

16. GNARWOLVES

After giving fans a glimpse of their new record in January’s gig, Gnarwolves are back once again for another rager. This show will sell out in advance so don’t snooze. 16th May // 7.30pm – Late // £10adv // Exchange

17. AMMO LAUNCH NIGHT PRESENTS: GLXY + MORE

AMMO has an incredible selection of artists lined up for your listening pleasure in their highly anticipated launch night. Featuring strong names in the liquid drum ‘n’ bass scene, including GLXY, Aperio, Subdivision, Precision, Constrict and more. 18th May // 10pm – Late // £2/£4 // Doghouse

18. THE COMET IS COMING

Following the success of their 2016 full-length album Channel The Spirits, London-based band The Comet Is Coming will be showcasing their mystical jazz, electronica and funk incorporated sounds. 18th May // 7.30pm – 11pm // £14.50adv // The Fleece

24 // HIGHLIGHTS

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MAY

HIGHLIGHTS Brought to you by Wray & Nephew

19. IMELDA MAY

23. RAVE ON AVON

20. SKINNY GIRL DIET

24. THE MAN AND THE LAKE

Imelda May has found a new groove, exploring blues, soul, gospel, folk, rock, sensitive acoustica, cinematic drama and explosive balladry on a set of the boldest, most personal and intimately autobiographical songs she has ever written. 19th May // 7pm – Late // £26.42 inc.bf // Colston Hall

Self-branded “London’s most badass scream queens”, electric DIY trio Skinny Girl Diet are a much-needed breath of fresh air in modern punk music. Unpolished, brash and completely unafraid, their sound is a forceful wall of noise that drives their fury-fuelled political song-writing. 20th May // 8pm – Late // £8adv // Exchange

21. RIVERSIDE

Get ready for DJs and Live Music in the garden with DJs Mr. Fitz, DJ Glade, and classic DJ Alfie. Open to wristband holders, or usual entry price for non ROA goers. 20th May // 4pm - Late // £12.50adv / £15 otd No.51 Stokes Croft

Hailing from Bristol, The Man and The Lake take strong influences from South-East Europe to deliver a joyous Klezmer knees-up. Join them for a foot stomping set and a musical adventure. 20th May // 9 - 11pm // Free // The Old Bookshop

25. ALDOUS HARDING

After last years announcement confirming the band are now a trio, Riverside are back with their Towards the Blue Horizon tour, to showcase their latest progressive rock sound. 20th May // 6.30pm – 10pm // £19.80 inc.bf // Marble Factory

New Zealand singer-songwriter, Aldous Harding, wows audiences with her original ‘gothic folk’ music. Known for her sinister torch songs, wit and quiet horror, Harding comes from the same dramatic realm where Kate Bush and Scott Walker reside. 23rd May // 7pm – 10pm // £9.90 inc.bf // Thekla

22. CHRONIXX

26. CROSSTOWN CONCERTS PRESENTS: COUSIN KULA

Chronixx & Zincfence Redemption Band return to the UK following a successful Reparation Tour in 2015. To coincide with his forthcoming reggae album ‘Chronology’, he’ll play a handful of shows this spring. 20th May // 9pm – 2am // £25 adv // O2 Academy Bristol

Following support from BBC Introducing, 6Music and NME, Cousin Kula’s unique live music psych-pop sound has built a dedicated fan base in their hometown of Bristol. 23rd May // 8pm - Late // Free // The Gallimaufry

HIGHLIGHTS // 25

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27. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

Imagine if The Ramones traded in their leather jackets for anoraks. Meet The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a New York four-piece who play dreamy, noisy pop with blissful melodies and blistering drums. 24th May // 7pm - 10pm // £16.50 inc BF // Thekla

28. BASS KITCHEN PRESENTS: FEATURECAST

Featurecast has been synonymous with the groove and funk for quite a few years now. Get ready for his trademark DJing, bringing mid-tempo breaks, hip hop and down right dirty bass. On the night he will be joined by Dr Fly, Mishima and Wobbling Wookie. 26th May // 9pm – 3am // £5 +bf // The Lanes

29. DUBMATIX + CHARLIE P + MORE

One of Canada’s premiere dub, reggae and electro artist / producer Dubmatix will be hitting the stage at the Attic Bar, along with singer and Mungo’s Hi Fi collaborator Charlie P. Plus, classic wonder-year veterans – Solo Banton & Jay Dee. 26th May // 8.30pm – 2am // £3 // Full Moon & Attic Bar

30. DOT TO DOT FESTIVAL / THREE KINGS HIGH

Mr. Wolf’s are thrilled to announce that they will be taking part in this years Dot to Dot Festival. Mr Wolf’s have a host of bands on the bill, topped off by favourites Three Kings High and DJ Asian Hawk. 27th May // 2pm - late // Dot-to-Dot ticket holders // Mr. Wolf’s

31. BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND / THE 45S

34. BPF PRESENTS: DEATH VALLEY GIRLS

32. DOT TO DOT FEST 2017

35. THE ONE WHERE WE SCREEN F.R.I.E.N.D.S

33. VINTAGE TROUBLE

36. WALDO’S GIFT

Mr Wolf’s have a special treat for you - The 45s will be rolling in your Bank Holiday Sunday. These Bristol legends will be bringing a double bill of the smoothest Motown rock n roll. Plus DJ Rockit Science on till late. 28th May // 9pm - late // £3 - £4 OTD // Mr. Wolf’s

SWX will once again be hosting some of the finest live acts as part of the 12th edition of Bristol’s Dot To Dot Festival. Featuring a huge lineup of established performers and emerging artists from around the world. 28th May /12pm – 4am // £22 inc.bf // SWX

Over the past few years, Vintage Trouble have wowed audiences across the globe by opening for the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Who and AC/DC. Following the release of their latest single Knock Me Out Vintage Trouble will be showcasing their finest material at SWX this May. 31st May // 7.30pm - Late // £23.65 inc.bf // SWX

Think of Death Valley Girls as an acid-tripping science experiment that’s been buried alive and resurrected as a sexually liberated dystopian chain-gang. Death Valley Girls are starting a revolution with their fired-up, gritty rock n roll. 31st May // 7pm – 10pm // £6adv // Crofters Rights

Every Sunday this month The Morning After Club will be screening Friends. So if you’re feeling a little worse for wear, come down to No.51 and have THE JOEY SPECIAL (TWO PIZZAS) or grab a pizza + cocktail / house single / pint for only £10. Every May Sunday // 4pm – 10pm // Free // No.51 Stokes Croft

Weekly residency with talented trio, Waldo’s Gift, bringing out-ofthis-world musicianship combining Math, Jazz, Groove and Electronic elements. With a shifting line-up of special guests and tribute sessions you can expect to hear something new and innovative every week. Every Wednesday // 8pm - Late // Free // The Gallimaufry

26 // COMPETITION

Fat Freddy’s Drop

Kano

competition

WIN TICKETS • WIN TICKETS • WIN TICKETS competition

Win 4x Tickets to Love Saves the Day festival

Little Dragon • Fat Freddy’s Drop • Kano • Mura Masa • My Nu Leng

Mura Masa

Love Saves the Day returns to Eastville Park on 27-28 May with another heady lineup – including Little Dragon, Mura Masa, Nao, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Kate Tempest, Kano, My Nu Leng and Jamie Jones – as well as a brand new stage to explore, The Lost Garden. It’s one of our all-time favourite festivals and we can guarantee that there’s plenty for everyone across its dozen or so stages and installations. Check out the full line up at lovesavestheday.org.

Little Dragon

We’ve got 4x weekend tickets to give away – so you’ll just need to worry about remembering the sunscreen, based on the past few years’ scorchers. To enter, visit nitelifeonline.com/win/lovesavestheday. Winner selected on 16 May. Please note that under 18s attending the festival must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

PROFILES // 27

profile - HOMEGROWN

profile - incoming

Kreed

Skinny Lister

Bristol producer of the moment Kreed first caught our attention last summer when his track Sunday – with Bristol dubwise MC Gardna (pictured, right) – exploded onto our speakers. Last month they dropped the full Gardna x Kreed EP including Sunday, as well as three fresh new tracks. Creating bass-heavy dub beats with a dark twist, Kreed has been Gardna’s go-to producer since the tender age of 13, but now he’s putting out his first solo release of Gardna’s Boom Sound label, which we’re expecting some time this year. He’s also landed a set at this year’s Love Saves the Day festival on the Hold Tight / Brouhaha stage, featuring regular collaborators Parly B and, of course, Gardna. We wanted to get to know a bit more about the mysterious but fast-ascending producer, so we asked him to answer our 10 questions.

Six-piece folk/punk/pop-fusion band Skinny Lister have a bit of a reputation for throwing a good party. Whether it’s stomping and dancing in a hotel elevator or performing to 5000 people at Fuji Rock, you will more than likely find them passing around rum, or crowd surfing to the bar. In fact, their infamous infectious camaraderie and jovial recklessness has such a name for itself, that their visit to Bristol this May is just one of many sold out dates on their latest UK tour. Signed to Xtra Mile Recordings, Skinny Lister spent 2014 touring with the likes of Boy George and Dropkick Murphys. Last year they released their third album The Devil, The Heart & The Fight and continue to cause an energisingly beautiful amount of chaos at all their gigs. Ahead of their appearance at The Fleece this May, singing and dancing band member Lorna Thomas answers our 10 questions.

Upcoming gigs 28 May, Love Saves the Day, Eastville Park

Upcoming gigs 6 May, The Fleece

Producer

Band

THOSE QUESTIONS...

1. What have you learned today? Apparently the Arabica coffee variety might be extinct within 70 years. Madness.

6. What was the last book you read? A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. Highly recommend it!

1. What have you learned today? Nothing. I’d better get my head into something now. Ask me again in an hour!

2. Favourite track of all time? That’s a hard one, not sure I could pick an all time favourite but Massive Attack – Blue Lines has always been a special one for me.

7. Favourite thing on TV? Black Mirror for sure, amazing soundtrack on every episode.

2. Favourite track of all time? Bit of a tricky question! Depends what day you ask me. Maybe today I’m in a Salt ’N’ Pepa Shoop kind of mood.

3. It’s 3am and the party is winding down, what track do you play to get everyone going again? The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – PIMP is certified for any situation. Credit to Laurence Walker from the Hold Tight Records crew for showing me that one. 4. Who are your top three acts right now? Very difficult to narrow it down, but my most played at the moment are: Sepia – Bristol-based producer who is unstoppable right now! Novelist – Very inspirational MC / producer, always can’t wait to hear what comes next from him. Mista Savona – Australian producer who has been working with a bunch of legendary musicians from Cuba and Jamaica recently.

8. Are you afraid of anything? See question number one! 9. Tell us something people don’t know about you... I have a pretty impressive collection of those little foil lids on the top of San Pellegrino cans. Soon the world will know. 10. What are you doing tomorrow? Heading down to the The Bell pub for the regular vinyl-only night, Revinyl Sessions. Run by a great bunch of people, and who doesn’t enjoy some midweek pub-step?

5. If you couldn’t work in music, what would you be doing instead? Part of me has always wanted to work in a bakery. My name is Joe Baker, so I reckon there’s some logic in it. I handed in a CV once at this place on Gloucester Road called Joe’s Bakery, but I’m not sure they believed I was being serious.

soundcloud.com/kreeddubs // FB.com/kreeddubs

3. It’s 3am and the party is winding down, what track do you play to get everyone going again? Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. It’s always guaranteed to get me and Mule dancing on the tables, especially after a few drinks. It’s usually a catalyst, causing what might be a reasonable night to turn into an outright crazy one. 4. Who are your top three acts right now? John Grant has great lyrics and brilliant arrangements. I love Future Islands’ stage show – great moves and voice. And, not very ‘right now’ but Dolly Parton’s Pandora channel was a staple on our last US tour. She was really great at Glastonbury a couple of years back too and I’m never disappointed when her voice comes on the stereo. 5. If you couldn’t work in music, what would you be doing instead? I’m a qualified teacher, so I’d be doing that. I worked at a school for children with autism and loved it, but had to give it up as Skinny started touring – there’s only so many times you can approach your head teacher asking for time off to go touring, only to return with hangovers and no voice!

6. What was the last book you read? I’m actually reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – again! The book is falling apart. It’s a total favourite. I try other authors but nobody does it better or even nearly. Love the characters, the setting and the plot. Has me laughing and crying in equal measure from the minute I pick it up. 7. Favourite thing on TV? The latest series of Peter Kay’s Car Share has been emotional. 8. Are you afraid of anything? Waking up with an injury that makes going on stage difficult. I actually went out last weekend and woke up not being able to move my wrist. With only a week until our biggest headline tour I was petrified I was going to have to put it in a pot. Fortunately a lot of rest and calling on people to do stuff has meant it’s made a full-ish recovery. I think I was dancing too hard to Oh My God! It’s The Church so I’ll just have to watch myself. 9. Tell us something people don’t know about you… I guess a surprising fact is that I love watching snooker. Given the fact that most people see me bouncing around a stage, I think it’s the last thing they’d imagine me doing. 10.) What are you doing tomorrow? I will be enjoying the downtime I have leading up to the UK tour. I live in Hastings by the sea so no doubt there’ll be a stroll down by the seafront.

soundcloud.com/skinnylister // FB.com/skinnylister

28 // LOCAL TALENT

HAZE SESSIONS PRESENTS LOCAL TALENT

MY NU LENG

Bristol bass duo My Nu Leng have been a major part of the city’s electronic dance sphere for the last half a decade, turning heads with breakthrough track The Grid in 2012, and continuing on a steady path to success with Set It and more recent Bristol anthems like Soul Shake and brand new track Border, which they released last month with drum and bass don Friction’s bass-centric alter ego, FineArt. On top of that, they were bestowed the honour of hosting a Fabric Live mix last year, and Radio One Essential Mix this February. Although not born and bred here, they’ve become part of Bristol’s music community in a big way. Tommy and Jammo, who make up the two parts of My Nu Leng, actually met in Jammo’s hometown of High Wycombe. ‘Jammo used to run a night there and that’s how I met him – doing some tiny night with Hazard!’ Tommy explains. ‘The decks were on a bit of wood on a snooker table,’ says Jammo. ‘That was the DJ stand – it was quite DIY! Not soon after, I moved to Bristol and then Tommy moved down a year later.’ They moved into a four bedroom house in Bristol with two other producers, Troy Gunner and Rowl, who’ve both also played a major part in the local scene over the last few years.

‘It was quite wild for a few years,’ says Jammo. ‘And that’s when some of our best music was being made, in that house. Both of them were really influential, because they were always making music.’

‘It took a long time to get there, but once things start picking up, you catch the momentum – the snowball effect,’ says Jammo. ‘I think it happens with a lot of producers, once you start tapping into people’s consciousness, it spreads.’

‘It made us buck our ideas up a bit,’ says Tommy. ‘They taught us a lot about music software and how to use it – we learnt a lot from being in that house. Rowl is still in Bristol and Troy now lives in Berlin working for Hype.’

‘The Grid was a big turning point for us, and then Masterplan, and then it kept going from there,’ says Tommy.

We’re not going to turn into drum and bass producers, we’re just showing what we can do and having fun with it How they ended up coming to Bristol to figure out a music career rather than their neighbouring London is thanks to Jammo deciding to enroll on a university course here. Although ‘the uni thing didn’t work out’ he tells us, eventually they were getting enough bookings to quit their jobs and survive off shows.

Although they don’t release music as often as some other producers, they’ve been able to maintain a pretty consistent presence in people’s consciousness through other projects like their Radio One Essential Mix, which dropped in February, and also their sell-out Leng & M8s tours. ‘The Leng & M8s tour we’ve just done, we had nine dates and they all sold out in advance. That’s the second year in a row, so it feels like a really positive thing that we’ve got going,’ says Jammo. ‘Things like that really help catapult us forward, because we don’t release music more than once or twice a year. We won’t write music just for the sake of it. It has to be really perfect.’ ‘We’re at the last stage of finishing off our next release,’ Tommy says. ‘I can’t wait to get that done and wrapped up. It’s going to be on Friction’s drum and bass label Shogun. There’s a couple of drum and bass tracks on there and one 130(bpm) track. We’re really excited about the music.’

LOCAL TALENT // 29 ‘Going back to back with Goldie is pretty daunting,’ says Tommy. ‘We get on with him quite well and we’ve hung out with him enough times that it won’t be awkward, unless we drop a really, really dodgy tune. ‘He’s been really supportive of us. We get some amazing text messages from him saying how he looks at us and thinks we’re doing something great. When you receive something like that from Goldie, it’s a real big booster.’ ‘There has definitely been moments in our career where we’ve looked at each other and gone: what the… how did that happen?’ says Jammo. As for what’s next for My Nu Leng, who seem to be gathering momentum by the day, Tommy explains how going independent is helping them progress creatively and professionally: ‘We haven’t had management for the last two years and I think that’s a testament to ourselves, but also to the people we work with. You can’t beat a good circle of people around you that are all in it together and all on the same wavelength – our booking agent, our accountant, our touring company have all been amazing. We’ve actually achieved more without management. ‘We parted ways with a label we were on and management at the same time. It wasn’t our choice and it was a bit of a blow – we thought that was the start of the end for us. You can get yourself lost in the industry and think that you need to rely on people to be successful, but everything has been positive, if not more successful, since we’ve left the label.’ Jammo says, ‘It’s been more creative and we’ve released on three different labels now, and we’ve now just started our own label...’

Jammo explains: ‘We’ve been exploring the drum and bass world a lot more lately, because that’s how we met. We like to keep it interesting for us and also to show that we’re not just going to recycle Set It and Soul Shake again and again. ‘We’re lucky that labels like Shogun are interested in putting music out by us, and letting us be creative with it all. We’ve got some really cool collabs on there, we’ve done our own original drum and bass track, and an original 130 track, which we’re really excited about and will be out for the summertime. ‘We’ve also got a lot more drum and bass bookings lately, and it’s nice to be accepted by drum and bass promoters. We’ve got Playaz coming up and we used to go to those nights at Fabric, so it’s nice to be a special guest there and be respected enough to know that we can go there and play drum and bass in the right way. Because the drum and bass world is a serious world! It’s even more serious than what we do…’ Tommy says, ‘I think that’s why at the start, even though we were both complete drum and bass heads, we started making housier stuff because it wasn’t as harsh a scene, whereas the drum and bass scene was quite cliquey. ‘It’s a really difficult scene to break into, and the fact that we’re doing it now over ten years later shows how long it can take.

We’re not going to turn into drum and bass producers, we’re just showing what we can do and having fun with it.’ For those looking forward to catching My Nu Leng at Love Saves the Day this year, they confirm that they’ll be doing the My Nu Leng sets that fans know and love, with those heading to the Leng & M8s after party at Motion getting a chance to catch some more of their different sounds. ‘It’ll be our normal kind of set,’ Jammo says. ‘Depending on how long we’ve got. We normally do about half an hour of drum and bass and an hour 130 stuff. If it’s an hour, we might even just do all 130 stuff. We’ve got the after party at Motion as well, which gives us the freedom to do a bit of everything. ‘With Leng & M8s, we have a list of our friends who are DJs, and we try and work with the promoters to do things like back-to-back sets that you wouldn’t normally see. So for the Love Saves the Day after party, we’ve got Redlight and Zinc B2B; New York Transit Authority, Jus Now and GotSome B2B2B.’ They’re also planning on taking Leng & M8s to Common People festival, bringing with them: Redlight, Novelist and Goldie; and to South West Four festival, where they’ll be going B2B with Goldie themselves.

Their new label Maraki Records is a joint effort with Friction under his bass music moniker FineArt. Their first release In Too Deep dropped just last month and is a three-track EP from FineArt, with a look in from Taiki Nulight, as well as My Nu Leng. ‘13/ 14 years ago we were buying his tunes on vinyl, going to his sets, and now we’re putting out on Shogun and working with him on our own label,’ says Tommy. As well as putting out some of their own stuff, Tommy explains: ‘It’s a chance for us to put out music by people who aren’t necessarily getting that much attention.’ ‘It’s stuff we went through at the start of our career,’ says Jammo. ‘And the labels that put belief into us, we are so grateful to. We want to be able to give people that are in that position a platform. There’s a few producers that we’ve backed for a while, but now we get to put music out for them, which is sick. We’ve got about five releases planned already. ‘It’s amazing the position we’re in, because we can put out stuff from new producers, but then when we tell people that it’s a label from us and Friction, we’re getting a lot of support from established names as well. We’ve got a various artists EP coming at some point this year and the track list at the moment is looking really cool – new names alongside people who’ve been doing it for about ten years.

We’re at the last stage of finishing off our next release ‘The label will be about the 130 stuff – if we get drum and bass it will be through remixes. I think for Friction it’s a chance for him to break away from drum and bass.’ Looking again toward their Love Saves the Day set, where they’ll take the second headliner slot on Sunday’s Cloud 9 stage, and their Leng & M8s takeover at Motion afterwards, they say they’re looking forward to playing to a home crowd. ‘I think Bristol’s got the biggest sense of music community of any of the cities in the UK,’ says Jammo. ‘It’s helped us – no question – to get where we are now,’ says Tommy. ‘We had residencies at Thekla when we first started out, and they really helped build our name. We’ve pretty much played every venue in Bristol. ‘Now whenever we do a show here – we probably do one or two a year because it has to be special – they sell out weeks in advance and it’s always a crazy homecoming vibe. Even though we’re not born and bred in Bristol, we feel like this is our home. I think any producer that moves here, it would be difficult not to be influenced by Bristol and the energy here.’

28 May, Love Saves the Day, Eastville Park lovesavestheday.org Word by Rachel Morris Photography by Buki Koshoni

30 // REWIND

REWIND

NUBIYAN TWIST

Last month The Fleece welcomed Nubiyan Twist to the stage to kick-start the Easter bank holiday weekend with some of their finest afrobeat, jazz, funk and soul-infused sounds. To open the night, Worm Disco Club spanned an assortment of foot-shuffling funk and soul to ease the crowd onto the dancefloor. Shortly after, Bristol’s very own Sounds of Harlowe warmed up the crowd with a mesmerising set. Their sounds of smooth jazz, with a dash of hip hop, trip hop and everything else in between set the bar high for what was about to come. By the time Nubiyan Twist took to the stage, the tightly packed crowd was eager to get stuck into their make-youmove style of afrobeat, jazz and hip hop fusion. The band played a selection of material from their 2015 self-titled release, including songs like Work House and Hypnotised, plus a couple of newbies taken from their forthcoming album to give the attentive crowd a little taster. Before the show, Nitelife sat down with Nubiyan Twist members, vocalist Nubiya, Tom (guitar), Oli (keys), Nick (alto sax), Jo (baritone sax) and Dennis (tenor sax). The Leeds-based and London-born 12-piece began working with each other after meeting at Leeds College of Music, although long-gone are those days of collaborating around a laptop in student halls. Five years on and the band have had roaring success with their 2015 self-titled debut album and shared stages with the likes of Hot 8 Brass Band,

Quantic and De La Soul, with their soundsystem cultureinspired and jazz-infused sounds. Nubiya: ‘The music we make is a complex collaboration of the different genres and eras we’ve all been inspired by. When Oli joined us he brought a lot of neo-soul and more complicated jazz. Tom is a classical guitarist, but he also has a lot of experience in electronic music, so his detail to mixing and production really helped shape our records. I’d like to call myself a jazz singer, but I’ve also got a strong reggae background. ‘We were really inspired by afrobeat at the beginning, partly because the size of the bands were so big, we felt like that’s where we belonged. But now we’ve stretched into hip hop, urban roots and things like that. It’s just one big mixing pot.’ In April, Nubiyan Twist released their latest EP Dance Inna London, featuring Super Cat vocals from his timeless classic Dance Inna New York. Tom: ‘The reason we wanted to do this rework was for the opportunity to work with the Super Cat vocal, as he’s definitely a big inspiration in our eyes. He’s inspired so many reggae toasters like Solo Banton, Topcat and even Sean Paul! ‘An animated music video is going to be released fairly soon to support the track, bringing a whole different light to the tune. The whole point of this video is to give the message of support to grass roots venues in the UK, because a lot of them are in decline. The lyrics from Super Cat in this tune are

about him enjoying playing music around the world, so we wanted to apply that to the current situation in London and across the UK. There’s a theme in the video of a big monster eating and destroying all the music venues in London. Keep a look out for it!’ Following on from their upcoming music video, Nubiyan Twist went on to discuss the importance of music venue culture in general in the UK, and the damage caused by the closing of music venues for young musicians.

We will hopefully have an album out around this time next year Tom: ‘I think culture is the key word. England has got a great cultural history of amazing music and it would be a real shame to lose that. It’s a form of expression for people to go out and meet like-minded people and communicate through music.’ Nubiya: ‘As musicians, we also need a ladder to climb to be able to perform at bigger venues. By getting rid of all of the smaller venues, you’re stopping new artists from progressing.’

REWIND // 31

but it feels like everyone is quite out of touch. You see people on a bill and you get to know other musicians a little bit, but there’s not really the sense of everyone coming together. It’s starting to change, but it’s definitely a developing thing. ‘I hope it grows, because it is one of the most important things. It’s important that we try and stick together and support and teach and share knowledge with each other. It shouldn’t be a big secret how you gain success in your career, we should all be telling each other.’ As the interview began to wrap up in preparation for the band’s headline set, Dennis reassures Nubiyan Twist fans that a new album is definitely on the horizon.

Dennis: ‘It’s also important to use smaller venues as a space to try out new stuff. If you’re at a big headline gig in Albert Hall or wherever, you can’t afford to be playing around with different songs and changing them. If these venues shut down, you haven’t got the space to try out new stuff and be experimental.’ Nick: ‘If you can’t play your music live to an audience, then in my eyes there’s no point in making music at all. You have to have the experience of seeing the people who listen to your music face-to-face and share that moment with each other.’ Oli: ‘From my own personal experience, my first gig was when I was 13 in my local community centre. All youngsters need to be given that chance to be inspired by new music and that shouldn’t happen in a big venue with sponsors, you’re not going to get that vibe. It should happen in a grass roots local place where you can feel relaxed and want to get involved.’ Tom: ‘Whilst we’re on the subject, I’d just like to make a shout out to Music Venue Trust who are an amazing charity

who give support and campaign to save music venues across the UK.’ Along with their beliefs in keeping the live music scene alive, Nubiyan Twist also stress the importance of practicing a unity amongst musicians. Nubiya: ‘I can’t really speak for everyone, but at the minute I personally feel like we’ve entered this completely new era where musicians are becoming more self-sufficient. But unfortunately, I think the one thing that has died with this is a sense of community. ‘If you look back at eras like punk or Motown, there was a culture and a social scene that brought people together who shared common ground. That’s how a lot of musicians knew each other. They were playing each other’s music and part of the same cause. Now we are touched by so much stuff and we are in, as Dave Chappelle puts it “the age of spin”, where we have no idea what we are looking at anymore. ‘That whole sense of community is slowly growing again,

If you can’t play your music live to an audience, in my eyes there’s no point in making music at all Dennis: ‘We will hopefully have an album out around this time next year. We are going to be launching a Kickstarter campaign in May to help raise funds to go towards the album, so if you’re keen to hear another album, be sure to donate to help keep this band alive and on the road gigging!’ To find out more about the band’s Kickstarter campaign and to find out where the band will be playing next, visit the Nubiyan Twist Facebook page.

Words by Abi Lewis Photography by Ania Shrimpton nubiyantwist.co.uk

32 // PREVIEW

PREVIEW

DJ FORMAT AND ABDOMINAL THE FLEECE

Toronto-by-way-of-Brighton hip hop pairing Abdominal and DJ Format shared a stage for the first time in ten years at the end of 2015, for what was meant to be a one-off reunion tour. However, we gave them such a roaring reception that they’re heading out on tour again this month, stopping off at The Fleece on 17 May – this time with their first full-length joint album in tow. Still Hungry, released at the end of April, offers up ten fresh tracks from the pair, including the two tracks released in 2015 to coincide with their reunion tour, Reflective Meditation Rhymes and We Say. The album title is more than a play on their first ever track together – Format’s 2001 Ill Culinary Behaviour – and was decided before the title track was even written, Format creator Matt Ford explains:

‘Still Hungry so encapsulated how we felt and our attitudes, and for me personally, my approach to making music – I’m still hungry for it. ‘My girlfriend laughs because every time I make something, I tell her it’s the best thing I’ve ever done – obviously you can’t keep making things that are better, but as long as you’ve got that feeling that you’re constantly doing your best work, even if you’re misguided and it’s crap, that’s half the battle – to still feel enthusiastic and inspired.’ On whether the album title and some of the tracks, in particular We Say (you say, old / we say we’re fine / you say, still? / we say, better with time), are in defence of the fact that they’ve been in the game a long time, Andy Bernstein aka Abdominal says: ‘I don’t know if that song was more

of an observation or a defence, but I guess it’s a fine line between the two. Maybe it was a little bit… ‘I think in general hip hop has a tendency to be a slightly more disposable music than some other genres. In rock, you have your revered elderly statesmen and there’s classic albums that people still play. You have some degree of that in hip hop, but there’s also a lot of “this is the new club banger, that’s the new hot track” for all of a week, it seems, these days – and then it’s just forgotten. ‘It’s hard because you spend so much time and money and resources and effort and emotion creating an album – I don’t think people realise it’s a very long process; it’s a year, two years. And for that to come out for a week and disappear can be hard. So maybe there is a sense that we have to defend our longevity and that it’s not

PREVIEW // 33

this disposable thing. There’s value in still listening to and paying attention to people who have been doing this for a long time and who have built their craft up, similar to another genre. So yes – I would agree with your hypothesis.’ Both Format and Abdominal say that it has been a very different process this time around, having previously only featured on each other’s tracks.

It’s a little less party tricks and more really trying to connect with people ‘The dynamic is very different, because we’re both very opinionated and also perfectionistic types of people,’ Abdominal says. ‘So when we are featuring on each other’s projects, we’re still going to be opinionated and defend our artistic decisions, but ultimately, whoever’s project it is has final say. ‘This is the first time we’ve been on an equal playing field at the same time in terms of artistic decisions. So, as was to be expected, there were some clashes and debates here and there, but as headstrong as we both are, we are both also pretty reasonable and not prone to blowing our stacks. I think we both had to make some compromises, but we didn’t sacrifice our friendship in the process! ‘Neither one of us would ever want to put something out that we’re not 100% proud of and happy with, so all the arguing goes on beforehand. We would rather scrap something off the whole album entirely, rather than put it out and have our names on it if either one of us feels not right about something. The final product, we’re both totally 100% happy with.’ ‘There has been more compromising,’ says Format, ‘but not necessarily in a bad way. In the past, if it was a song from my album, I would have already made the music – and I’m not saying I would have dictated what Abs rhymes about, because that’s down to him, but I would have given him a certain type of song or certain sound because that what I needed for the album, as I was already building it as a whole myself. ‘But doing this album, it was totally – from beginning to end – us looking at it together and seeing what we both

wanted to do along the way. We had to humour each other a lot more and consider each other’s opinions equally to our own – it was always an equal collaboration 50/50.’

maybe we’ve ticked every box – or certainly we’ve tried to. We’ve got different styles and moods on the album to suit all sorts of musical tastes.’

‘99.9% of the time, the way we work is that Matt will send me the music first, or a whole bunch of rough beats, and I’ll pick the ones I naturally gravitate towards,’ explains Abdominal. ‘Then I’ll start writing to that particular rough beat or loop and record rough versions of the verses onto my phone to send back to him. Once he has some rough lyrics to work with, he can start fleshing in the music, start adding all the bells and whistles, and we build it up from there. But that’s all changed – back in the day, Matt would send me, not even CDs, literally cassette tapes!’

For fans heading to their Fleece show in May, particularly those who have never had the chance to see the duo perform together, Abdominal explains what kind of thing we can expect:

Both parties have a reputation for their technical skills, which is one of the things that has made them such a popular live act. Format makes his presence very much known from behind the decks, mixing and scratching in a palpably live way. And Abdominal takes his name from his mastery of the abdominal breathing technique – which ranks him pretty highly as a speed rapper and makes for a phenomenal live spectacle. His famous Breathe Later track features an insane 16 bars in one breath, although he says that these stunts are less important to him as he gets older. ‘The whole technical prowess side of rapping, it’s always going to be an element and it’s good in a live situation, but now I look at the technical side more as a tool, not really an end in itself,’ says Abdominal. ‘It’s still exciting and I still like doing that stuff, but I’m more interested in the actual content in the lyrics and the songs. Okay, it’s cool that you can breath really deeply and say a bunch of words, but what are the actual words that you’re saying? In general, my focus is more on crafting good songs that have meaning and resonate with people. It’s cool to show off a little bit within that context, but it’s a little less party tricks and more really trying to connect with people.’ ‘Hopefully we haven’t been barking up the same tree or repeating ourselves,’ says Format. ‘For example, the track Behind the Scenes is literally talking about behind the scenes of our lives as working, travelling musicians. It’s all very relatable stuff – for anyone that’s had any sort of insight into that world, whether they know a DJ or have lived it themselves. ‘Whereas Diamond Hammer, I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily any real subject matter, that’s just me and Abs doing what we’re known for – going hell for leather, super fast, heavy drum breaks, brag raps. It’s a bit of a cliché, but

‘Matt and I both like to take a traditional approach to our live show, which is one MC, one microphone, and one DJ with two turntables – no real pyrotechnics beyond that. We really pride ourselves on being able to bring energy and excitement and hold the crowd’s attention just with those stripped down elements. ‘That said, we do like to tweak the songs somewhat in the live setting, so you’re not just going to hear the songs verbatim as they are on the album. We like to do little tweaks and remixes and mash ups, but beyond that we just like to bring our A game, bring our skills and connect with the crowd.’ ‘It’s safe to say that people can expect to hear a mixture of the new album and, of course, the old stuff,’ says Format. ‘People want to hear the songs they know and love and of course we’re going to give people want they want.

This is the first time we’ve been on an equal playing field at the same time in terms of artistic decisions ‘But as artists, it’s important to put a focus on the new album. We haven’t just made a load of mediocre stuff or stuff we’ve half-heartedly thrown together for the sake of having some new songs. This is stuff that we’re really proud of, that we’re really excited about performing for the first time. So we’ll be mixing it up with the old stuff, and making sure we’ve got the balance right, the energy right, and that the show is entertaining.’

17 May, The Fleece TheFleece.co.uk Words by Rachel Morris

34 // THE INFLUENCERS

THE INFLUENCERS // BEHIND THE SCENES WITH

STRYDA STRYDA Age: Occupation:

39 Dubkasm, Sufferah’s Choice, Teachings in Dub

Since the age of 18, Sam Howard aka DJ Stryda has been pushing the local roots scene, whether that’s through roots music duo Dubkasm with longtime pal Ben Glass (Digistep), his influential Sufferah’s Choice radio show and record label, or his regular Teachings in Dub soundsystem nights at Trinity Centre. So much so, that many of the Bristol artists we’ve spoken to over the years at Nitelife have cited Stryda as a direct influence and mentor figure.

coursework. Although he says he regrets not finishing his studies, it was an early indication of his passion for the music he has dedicated his life to. ‘Roots soundsystem sessions differ from your average mash up night where it’s a mixed bag and you’ve got hourly sets and different genres, it’s a bit more purist with Teachings. ‘For example, the next Teachings is Channel One soundsystem and there will be a certain order to the dance that’s dictated by Mikey (Dread) controlling the soundsystem. ‘I feel that it’s important to keep Teachings in Dub going because it gives a window into that world for people. In turn, some people have started to buy records and build

‘I think maybe that’s through the length of time I’ve been doing it. I started on the radio in 1996 on Ragga FM when I was 18, and I was the youngster looking for guidance from people in the scene around me and feeling my way into this music scene that I loved. Over the last ten years, I’ve become established in my own right and then younger people coming up have collaborated, and that’s the way it’s just naturally unfolded.

‘We want to celebrate soundsystem culture as a whole and bridge the gap between the scenes. Generally, one night has been more dubstep focused and the other has been a bit more foundation, dubwise focused. But it’s still been amazing to see Mala do his old school set on the more Teachings focused night and see those worlds come together under one roof and in one room, as opposed to the two separate rooms from the Subloaded days.

‘They’re not two extremely different worlds. For Ben and I, when we had our album remixed by the dubstep greats of Bristol at the time (Transform I Remixed contributors included Pinch, Peverelist, Appleblim, Gemmy and RSD) that was an experience we could never come back from. You hand over your material and it comes back to you reinvented – it’s amazing, because you don’t know what’s going to come back to you. Everyone was experimenting with sound and vibe, and it was brilliant. I’ve always been such a roots man – and still am – but that took the blinkers off a little bit and allowed me to appreciate that there’s so much great stuff out there, and in our city particularly.’

Teachings in Dub was originally set up in conjunction with Pinch’s now iconic Subloaded nights in Stoke Croft’s Clockwork in 2007.

One thing that Stryda has been clear on from the very beginning is respecting the origin and tradition of roots culture and soundsystem music – disappearing to Kingston, Jamaica to meet Rasta elders and explore soundsystem culture instead of handing in his A Level

He can be held responsible for Deep Medi’s first ever outing in Bristol, thanks to his Teachings in Dub presents: Deep Medi event in 2015, the success of which led onto a TID x Deep Medi Weekender later that year. The Weekender is now an annual highlight for heads from both spheres.

‘It’s a one-off, once a year thing, but it’s nice to break down those barriers. It’s been a good meeting of minds and I feel really proud of the vibes that have been generated at The Weekenders.

‘Teachings in Dub especially has always been aimed at young people coming along, because it was set up initially with involvement from the Bristol Reggae Society at Bristol uni. It was always aimed at handing stuff on to the next generation, or at least being a place where people could come and see stuff in its authentic set up, with actual soundsystems coming in.’

‘Upstairs was Pinch’s Subloaded and downstairs was Teachings. A lot of people came for dubstep as that sound had just been established – people were so hungry for it that they were flocking through the door. But they would venture downstairs and hear the Teachings room for the first time – sometimes hear a reggae soundsystem for the first time – and slowly people latched onto that. When Clockwork closed down, Subloaded continued on its own and Teachings continued on its own. I took it to Trinity Centre and everyone followed!’

relationships between the worlds of dub and dubstep through collaborations with Deep Medi boss Mala, having become good friends since bumping into each other on the Eurostar and deciding to go for a cup of tea.

Stryda can trace the beginnings of his career path pretty clearly back to when he started working on Bristol’s pirate radio station Ragga FM at the age of 18. ‘You’re talking pre-internet, pirate radio – high rise flats, old ganja growing rooms, disused crack houses, the back of shops – it was all proper pirate beginnings. their own little sounds, or become production outfits – for example, Gorgon Sound used to come to Teachings nights. It’s lovely to see them going around the world and doing their thing now and know that they were influenced by coming to those nights when they were youngsters.’ Stryda continues to play an important part in forging

‘I’d been a pirate fan since I was a kid, so I was getting on the radio to meet some of the people I’d been listening to on tape cassette for years. And actually transmitting to Bristol with a very small record collection – to the point where I did my first few shows and realised if I didn’t buy more records soon I’d be playing the same stuff. And it all started to grow from there…

THE INFLUENCERS // 35 ‘My very first show, Ben was tuned in from his A Level art block in Cotham, and I was playing the first early Dubkasm. Then through the radio and going to dances, I got to know people in the scene. A guy called Dr Gaffa from Armagideon Sounds, who was doing a lot in the 90s for dub in Bristol, was putting together a compilation album called Dub Out West – dub out west of London – and we played him a track. He signed it and suddenly there was this first Dubkasm release. ‘I carried on with the radio, interviewing as many people as I could – Shaka, Aba Shanti-I, Augustus Pablo – many greats. Ben would often come along with me and, if they were a soundsystem, leave a DAT tape with them. Then Shaka started to play Dubkasm on dubplate – which was the biggest honour for us – and Aba Shanti-I followed suit. So Dubkasm became this underground dubplate name for a lot of years. ‘Eventually the reaction these dublates were getting was so good, we decided to put them out on our own label. That’s when we started Sufferah’s Choice – named after the radio show – and we put the first release out in 2003.’ Fast forward to today and Dubkasm remain a hugely respected name in the dub and roots world, with sought-after releases, huge collaborations and a strong live presence. ‘There’s lots of exciting stuff going on – remix projects, collabs, and an album we’ve been working on for many years, which we’re still trying to complete. And the live shows are still bubbling away – I feel very blessed that we can still do that.’ In terms of what advice he’d have for the younger generations coming up, in true Teachings form, he has plenty: ‘I’d always advise people to be true to themselves and the music they love, but also in terms of events, try and put things on where you feel there’s a need for it, rather than oversaturating things and doing it just because you want to. It’s worth looking at the bigger picture of what the city needs, as opposed to what the individual needs.

There’s nothing wrong with still taking a bit of an old school approach ‘In terms of radio, if – or should I say when – SWU FM gets a full time license, I think that’ll be a great thing for people to get involved in. That’s what I did, there was a radio station called Respec FM and I just phoned them up and asked if they needed help answering the phones. ‘Something I feel quite strongly about in this world of social media and always being in front of a screen –

communication has changed so much, but I feel there was a lot to be said for me and my peers having to take that extra time to record a tape, package it up, send it in the post and having to wait for that person to listen to it, or until you see that person at a dance in Brixton. ‘You had to make an extra effort physically, but because of that, the friendships that were formed were much more longstanding. Because we’re in an age when it’s so easy to hit someone up, I’ll get messages that say: “Here’s my new tune” or “Can you book me?” on Facebook chat with hardly any introduction, and I just think it’s such an extreme difference from where I’m coming from. ‘There’s nothing wrong with still taking a bit of an old school approach. If you’ve got a tune that someone really likes, maybe pay for it to be cut onto a dubplate at Dub Studio in Bristol and send it to that DJ. Or try and have a chat in person and just make that effort. ‘I still to this day will send handwritten letters if we’ve

got a new tune and I send it to say, Mala, for example. And he says he keeps the letters in the sleeve. It’s nice to still have that human element. Otherwise it’s all so quick – you blink and it’s over or you’re forgotten. We’re bombarded with information and you want what you do to count and to last, which is a part of our reason for pressing vinyl – it’s there physically and it’s going to last.’ You can catch Dubkasm this month at Trinity Centre’s Free Garden Party on 14 May. And Teachings in Dub returns on 9 June for a very special ‘Teachings in Rub a Dub’ – make sure you follow the Teachings in Dub Facebook page for lineup information as it’s released.

14 May, Dubkasm at Trinity Free Garden Party dubkasm.com Photography by Martin Thompson FB: TheFaceCollective

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51 stokes croft

38 // VENUES

51 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3QP | Twitter - Coming soon | facebook.com/51stokescroft | 01179 148 048 | 51stokescroft.com

A vibrant and welcoming venue with traditional and historic roots, being one of the oldest Public Houses in Stokes Croft. Our space is versatile and creative, blending homemade, locally sourced food with livemusic, art and late night party DJs. Our beautiful garden offers a sunny sanctuary amongst the hustle and bustle of Stokes Croft.

THE ONE WHERE WE SCREEN F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Every Sunday this month The Morning After Club we will be screening Friends. So if you’re feeling a little worse for wear, come down to N0.51 and have THE JOEY SPECIAL (TWO PIZZAS).

Every May Sunday // 4pm – 10pm // Free

RAVE ON AVON

No.51 are happy to be part of Rave on Avon again this year. Get ready for DJs and Live Music in the garden with DJs Mr. Fitz, DJ Glade, and classic DJ Alfie. Open to wristband holders, or usual entry price for non ROA goers.

20th May // 4pm – Late // £12.50 adv / £15 otd

02 academy

VENUES // 39

Frogmore Street, Bristol, BS1 5NA | @o2academybris | facebook.com/o2academybristol | 0905 5020 3999 | o2academybristol.co.uk

The o2 Academy is one of Bristol’s busiest music venues playing host to major touring acts as well as up and coming artists. We’ve established ourselves as one of the best venues to catch your favourite bands in the Southwest. We’re also home to Ramshackle - Bristol’s Notorious Weekly Rave: A fine selection of all thats good in music mixed by Patrick Nazemi, Chezney & Guests.

PROTOJE & THE INDIGNATION

facebook.com/o2academybristol twitter.com/o2academybris instagram.com/o2academybris facebook.com/o2academybristol youtube.com/o2academytv

Protoje is a powerful songwriter and philosophical thinker who expresses just that in his music. Leader of the Indignation, he articulates the righteous anger of an emerging generation.

twitter.com/o2academybris instagram.com/o2academybris youtube.com/o2academytv

10th May // 7pm – 11pm // £16.50 adv Wed 3rd May • SOLD OUT

Thu 15th Jun • £18 adv

Wed 4th Oct • £17.50 adv

Future Island + Wing Dam

The Wedding Present Playing “George Best”

Loyle Carner

+ Young Romance

New Found Glory

Wed 10th May • £16.50 adv

Protoje & The Indiggnation

Sun 18th Jun • £18 adv

Thu 11th May • £20 adv

House Of Pain

Underoath + Mewithoutyou

Thu 29th Jun • £27.50 adv

Fri 12th May • £3 adv

Cheap Trick

BA1 Records Showcase

Tue 4th Jul • £22 adv

Sat 13th May • From £15 adv

Gogol Bordello

10.30pm-5am • over 18s only

Keeping The Rave Alive - Wed 2nd Aug • £20 adv Bad Religion Neon Nation w/ Kutski Mon 15th May • £26.50 adv

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic Tue 16th May • £20 adv

The Cribs

DJ Shadow Wed 11th Oct • £35 adv

Dru Hill feat. Sisqo, 112 & Ginuwine + Csar + Mista Bibs

Wed 25th Oct • £22.50 adv

W.A.S.P. Sat 28th Oct • £18.50 adv

Kate Nash

Sleaford Mods + Nachthexen

Sat 12th Aug • £22.50 adv

Tue 14th Nov • £29.50 adv

Sublime with Rome

Happy Mondays

+ General Roots + Stick figure

Thu 16th Nov • £22.50 adv

Sat 26th Aug • From £12 adv

Chronixx

Fri 6th Oct • £22.50 adv

Sun 6th Aug • £18 adv

+ Matt Stocks (DJ Set)

Sat 20th May • £25adv

Thu 5th Oct • £22.50 adv

10pm-5am • over 18s only

Insane Clown Posse + Mushroomhead

Sat 25th Nov • From £14.90 adv

& The Zincfence Redemption

Breakin Science

Mon 22nd May • £25adv

Bristol Bank Holiday Special

Twin Atlantic

Fri 1st Sep • £12 adv

+ Darlia + The Pale White

Guns 2 Roses

Wed 24th May • £25adv

Fri 15th Sep • £12 adv

Hawkwind

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

The Velvets

Wed 13th Dec • £27.50 adv

Thu 25th May • SOLD OUT

Fri 22nd Sep • £13 adv

Skunk Anansie

Fish

The Smyths

Thu 14th Dec • £24 adv

Sat 27th May • From £12adv

Tue 26th Sep • £24 adv

Shed Seven + Cast

Dot to Dot Festival 2017

Sparks

Fri 15th Dec • £19.50 adv

Sat 10th Jun • £19.50 adv

Fri 29th Sep • £18 adv

2-Tone Tribute Tour

Mayday Parade

10pm-3am • over 18s only

Festival Of The Dead Fri 1st Dec • £16.50 adv

Purple Rain A Celebration of Prince

O2 Academy Bristol Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 5NA • Doors 7pm unless stated Venue box office opening hours: Mon - Sat 12pm - 4pm

ticketmaster.co.uk • seetickets.com • gigantic.com

o2academybristol.co.uk

UNDEROATH

May • 2017

Underoath return to the UK for their highly-anticipated Rebirth tour. Performing both ‘Define the Great Line’ and ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety’ in their entirety.

11th May // 7pm – 11pm // £20 adv

the bootlegger XX

40 // VENUES

233 Cheltenham Road, Bristol, BS6 5QP | @Brstlbootlegger | facebook.com/BristolBootlegger | 0117 942 2700 | bristolbootlegger.co.uk

The Bootlegger, an independent, family run business welcoming all who look for a friendly company, good conversation, and an amazing selection of Liquor. Our liquor, our service and our music are inspired by Prohibition-era traditions but also offer the very best of contemporary modern America. Live Music and a great atmosphere are at the heart of the Bootlegger.

AWESOME WELLS

DJ Awesome Wells will take you from swing to electro swing, making stops at rock ‘n’ roll, blues and ska.

Every Saturday // 11pm – 2am // Free

LEARN TO BE A BOOTLEGGER COCKTAIL MASTER ShAKE IT, STRAIN IT, BuILd IT, dRINK IT!

Learn 3 different cocktaiL techniques with your own personaL bootLegger, then choose your two favourite drinks you’ve seen being made,

to make and enjoy for yourseLf! THE DELICIOUS CHOICES

MOJITO • Old fashioned • LONG ISLAND ESPRESSO MARTINI • Cosmopolitan • martini £20 per person. Free Glass oF prosecco on arrival. Groups oF up to 16 welcome. Book Your slots everYdaY Between 5 - 7 pm & 7:30 - 930 pm At Info@Bristolbootlegger.co.uk

WHY NOT TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS FESTIVE SEASON? BOOK NOW FOR YOUR XMAS PARTY ON 0117 9422700

HAPPY HOUR

Our Happy Hour features old classics as well as some of our own inhouse creations. In more of a “Happy Night” fashion, it runs all night from Sunday to Thursday and until 9pm on Friday’s and Saturday’s.

Sunday – Thursday all night Friday & Saturday 4pm – 9pm// 2 for £10

colston hall

VENUES // 41

Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR | @Colston_Hall | facebook.com/ColstonHall | 0117 203 4040 | colstonhall.org

‘Colston Hall is Bristol’s largest concert hall, presenting major names in rock, pop, jazz, folk, world and classical music such as Laura Marling, John Grant, Richard Hawley, Robert Plant and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. It houses world-class comedy, film screenings and light entertainment, as well as local choirs, orchestras and schools.

RUSSELL KANE: RIGHT MAN, WRONG AGE

summer at colston hall 0117 203 4040 colstonhall.org

14th May // 7pm – Late // £18.27 inc.bf tue 2 may the kooks wed 3 may michael kiwanuka thu 4 may steve hackett wed 10 may paul rodgers fri 12 may omid djalili – schmuck for a night

mon 29 may simple minds wed 31 may russell brand – re:birth sat 3 jun record & cd fair wed 7 jun sons of pitches wed 14 jun idina menzel

fri 14 – mon 17 jul river town: bristol’s americana weekend fri 14 jul the shires & ward thomas sun 16 jul nick lowe, paul carrack & andy fairweather low mon 17 jul mavis staples & the james hunter six

sun 14 may russell kane

sat 17 jun kraftwerk: 3D

tue 16 may procol harum

tue 20 jun russell brand – re:birth

thu 18 may bella union 20th anniversary tour feat. mammút, pavo pavo & will stratton

thu 22 jun french & saunders: comedy legends in conversation with mel giedroyc

fri 19 may imelda may

tue 4 jul steve winwood

wed 26 jul the spooky men’s chorale

sat 20 may jimmy carr

wed 5 jul jobs fair

sun 13 aug the flaming lips

mon 22 may the cranberries

sat 8 jul gurt lush choir & bristol man chorus

wed 16 – fri 18 aug hoo ha! children’s festival

thu 13 jul mercury rev & the royal northern sinfonia

thu 31 aug – fri 1 sep the magnetic fields: 50 song memoir

thu 25 may anastacia fri 26 may the next step

mon 17 jul the stax music academy fri 21 jul the outlook orchestra & roots manuva at bristol harbourside

IMELDA MAY

19th May // 7pm – Late // £26.42 inc.bf

crofters XX rights

42 // VENUES

117-119 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3RW | @Crofters_Rights | Facebook.com/croftersrights | 0117 2310079 | croftersrights.co.uk

Situated in the heart of Stokes Croft, Crofters Rights brings you fine craft beer, exciting street food and a big versatile arts space for the local community. Passionate about beer, we are dedicated to seeking out the finest beers the UK craft beer scene has to offer. Our carefully selected list includes some lovely local beers from Bristol as well as some interesting international beers.

SHAME

Funk, indie and soul five-piece from South London are bursting at the seams with punk energy, combined with the frenzy, rage and exasperation of their youth.

8th May // 6pm – 10pm // £6.75 inc.bf

BPF PRESENTS: DEATH VALLEY GIRLS

31st May // 7pm – 10pm // £6 adv

exchange

VENUES // 43

72 - 73 Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0EJ | @exchangebristol | facebook.com/exchangebristol | 0117 930 4538 | exchangebristol.com

Exchange plays host to both gigs most nights of the week with Club Nights most weekends. Having opened in September 2012, Exchange has already hosted performances from a varied array of internally revered artists including The 1975, Four Tet, (the) Melvins, Jungle, Diplo, Haim and Sick Of It All to name but a few.

GNARWOLVES

After giving fans a glimpse of their new record in January’s gig, Gnarwolves are back once again for another rager. This show will sell out in advance so don’t snooze.

16th May // 7.30pm – Late // £10 adv

SKINNY GIRL DIET

Self-branded “London’s most badass scream queens”, electric DIY trio Skinny Girl Diet are a much-needed breath of fresh air in modern punk music. Unpolished, brash and completely unafraid.

20th May // 8pm – Late // £8 adv

the fleece

44 // VENUES

12 St. Thomas Street, Bristol, BS1 6JJ | @FleeceBristol | facebook.com/fleecebristol | 0117 945 0996 | thefleece.co.uk

Legendary live music venue previously hosting the likes of Oasis, The Strokes, Goldfrapp and Bloc Party. Live music 7 nights a week and new club nights coming soon The Fleece is a must for music lovers and students. The in-house promotions team are also responsible for promoting many gigs across the city in other venues so follow us on Twitter and Facebook to receive updates on our upcoming gigs

SMOOVE & TURRELL

Newcastle’s finest British funk and soul band Smoove & Turrell are taking centre stage at The Fleece this May in support of their new album ‘Crown Posada’.

11th May // 7.30pm – 11pm // £12 +bf

THE COMET IS COMING

Following the success of their 2016 full-length album ‘Channel The Spirits’, London-based band The Comet Is Coming will be coming to the Fleece to showcase their mystical jazz, electronica and funk incorporated sounds.

18th May // 7.30pm – 11pm // £14.50 adv

THE FULL MOON / ATTIC BAR

VENUES // 45

1 North Street, Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3PR | Twitter - Coming soon | facebook.com/pages/The-Full-Moon-and-Attic-Bar | 01179 245 007 | fmbristol.co.uk

The Full Moon pub, Attic bar, with its Moonshine bar and Shisha bar are all the on the same grounds. This really is a hub for all nightime activities from events, parties, drink and food. To add to this there is also a backpackers hotel which adds an international vibe to a great night out. What more could you ask for?

ANTHONY JOSEPH

Anthony Joseph will be creating a hypnotic blend of rapturous spoken word and rhythmic speech this May. Plus Ngaio’s compelling neo-jazz and saturated nu-soul beats, Titan Sound and AAA Badboy.

6th May // 8.30pm – 2am // £3

DUBMATIX + CHARLIE P + MORE

Dubmatix will be hitting the stage at the Attic Bar, along with singer and Mungo’s Hi Fi collaborator Charlie P. Plus, classic wonder veterans – Solo Banton & Jay Dee.

26th May // 8.30pm – 2am // £3

the gallimaufry

46 // VENUES

26-28 The Promenade, Gloucester Road, BS7 8AL | @thegallibristol | facebook.com/TheGallimaufryBristol | 01179 42 7 319 | thegallimaufry.co.uk

An independent bar, restaurant and music venue on the Gloucester Rd. A relaxed coffee shop vibe in the day, ‘The Galli’ serves food and drinks all day with live music and DJs 7 nights a week (always free entry). Working with local suppliers, artists & artisans wherever possible. Check www. thegallimaufry.co.uk for up-todate info on menus and events.

CROSSTOWN CONCERTS PRESENTS: COUSIN KULA Following support from BBC Introducing and NME, Cousin Kula’s unique Psych-pop sound has built a dedicated fan base in their hometown of Bristol. The 6-piece explores psychedelic landscapes, blending pop vocals, lush synths and soaring guitars.

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23rd May // 8pm – Late // Free

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WALDO’S GIFT

Weekly residency with talented trio, Waldo’s Gift, bringing out-of-thisworld musicianship combining Math, Jazz, Groove and Electronic elements. With a shifting line-up of special guests, you can expect to hear something new and innovative every week.

Every Wednesday // 8pm – Late // Free

the golden lion

VENUES // 47

244 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8NZ | @goldenlionbriz | facebook.com/goldenlionbristol | 0117 924 6449 | goldenlionbristol.co.uk

Live music 6 nights a week! Mondays - Open Mic Night. Tuesdays - A live evening of Folk music hosted my Nuala Honan. Wednesays Uberphonic: A surprise mix bag encompassing the whole music spectrum. Keep up to date on our Social Media pages for full listings and details. Bar open ‘til 1am Friday and Saturday, and midnight on Sunday -Thursday.

BINBAG WISDOM + THE MIDNIGHT ZU

Funky, conscious hip hop from two of Bristol’s freshest heavyweights, Binbag Wisdom and The Midnight Zu. You’d be a fool to miss this.

5th May // 9pm – Late // £3

LUKE TUCHSCHERER + KEEGAN MCKINROE

SoP Live presents the finest Americana acts from the UK and abroad, featuring Luke Tuchscherer and Keegan Mckinroe.

7th May // 9pm – Late // Free

lakota

48 // VENUES

6 Upper York St, Bristol, BS2 8QN | @LakotaBristol | facebook.com/lakotabristol | 01179 232 225 | lakota.co.uk

Situated in a converted warehouse, hosting a wide range of underground events. It now welcomes a larger crowd of people owing to the mix in music styles on show. The club covers 3 storeys, 4 dance areas, a huge balcony. Lakota also boasts a massive outside smoking area. Lakota remains one of Bristol’s big players.

SWARM: SAM BINGA + KLAX + KYRIST + MORE SWARM launches its first night of dark, heavy drum & bass with a selection of the finest DJS and Producers coming to Bristol. In aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Macmillan Caring Locally.

19th May // 10pm – 4am // £6/£8 adv

5&6 MAY

TBC - SEE WEBSITE 13&14 MAY

TBC - SEE WEBSITE 19 MAY

SWARM 20 MAY

RAVE ON AVON 26 MAY

LOVE SAVES THE NIGHT 27 MAY

LOVE SAVES THE NIGHT

With the main room hosted by Gutterfunk, and special guests including Toddla T, DRS, and Zed Bias, Lakota is the only place you’ll want to be for this year’s LSTD after party.

27th May // 11pm – 5am // £8/£10/£12 adv

the lanes

VENUES // 49

22 Nelson Street, Bristol, BS1 2LE | @thelanesbristol | facebook.com/lanes.bristol | 01173 251 979 | thelanesbristol.co.uk

Rapidly establishing itself amongst the ranks of city’s most respected music venues. As well as playing host to both international and local live music and clubnights, The Lanes also offers round the clock bowling, an Italian style pizzeria, karaoke, a vintage shop and even a bed for the night. All in a genuinely laid back atmosphere.

DOO WOP: A ROCK N ROLL PARTY

12th May // 9pm – 3am // £3 +bf

BASS KITCHEN PRESENTS: FEATURECAST

Featurecast has been synonymous with the groove and funk for quite a few years now. Get ready for his trademark DJing, bringing midtempo breaks, hip hop and down right dirty bass. On the night he will be joined by Dr Fly, Mishima and Wobbling Wookie.

26th May // 9pm – 3am // £5 +bf

the lantern XX

50 // VENUES

Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR | @Colston_Hall | facebook.com/ColstonHall | 0117 203 4040 | colstonhall.org

The Lantern at Colston Hall presents a packed programme of cutting edge artists playing everything from jazz, electronica and pop, to folk, world and hip hop. Recent visitors include Kamasi Washington, Julia Holter, Slum Village, This Is The Kit and Saul Williams. Grab a bite to eat at Beerd and relax in Colston Hall’s stylish modern foyer before you head to the show.

FLAMINGODS

Experimental 5-piece Flamingods have cultivated a technicolour sound distinct from any other contemporary artist. Originally from Bahrain and Dubai, its members have absorbed the influence of many different cultures and transforming into a psychedelic sound.

12th May // 8pm – 11pm // £12.90 inc. bf

Highlights Wed 3 May William Basinski

Sun 21 May Zoe Lyons: Little Misfit

Thu 4 May Katy Brand: I Was a Teenage Christian

Tue 23 May Darrel Higham

Fri 5 May Hackney Colliery Band

Wed 24 May Moya Brennan

Fri 12 May Flamingods

Thu 25 May Angelos & Barry: The New Power Generation

Sat 13 May Dj Yoda

Fri 26 May Osibisa Tribal Reunion

Sun 14 May Jon Gomm

Thu 1 Jun Orchestre Poly-Rythmo

Tue 16 May Calan

Sun 4 Jun Zoe Rahman & Jay Phelps Quartet

Thu 18 May Bella Union 20th Anniversary Tour feat. Mammút, Pavo Pavo & Will stratton Fri 19 May Luke Sital-Singh Sat 20 May Maarja Nuut

Tue 6 Jun Elephant Sessions Sat 10 Jun Mt. Wolf Tue 13 Jun Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Wed 14 Jun Thurston Moore Group

www.facebook.com/colstonhall @colston_hall instagram.com/colstonhall

Thu 15 Jun Tom Green’s European Comedy Road Trip Thu 22 Jun Hollie McNish: Plum Mon 26 Jun Junun Sun 2 Jul Darlingside Tue 4 Jul Lee Fields & The Expressions Fri 14 Jul Jon Cleary & Amythyst Kiah Sat 15 Jul Jim Lauderdale & My Darling Clementine Fri 14 – Mon 17 Jul River Town: Bristol’s Americana Weekend Thu 27 Jul Raghu Dixit Thu 17 Aug Laura Gibson & Karl Blau Full Band

New music in The Lantern sponsored by

Box Office: 0117 203 4040 www.colstonhall.org/the-lantern

CALAN + SPECIAL GUEST DAN WILDE

16th May // 7.30pm – 11pm // £15.05 inc.bf

Marble Factory

VENUES // 51

74-78 Avon Street, Bristol | 0117 972 3111 | @MarbleFactoryUK | facebook.com/marblefactorybristol | marblefactorybristol.com

Set in what was formerly a skate park, Bristol’s newest live venue The Marble Factory has been completely re-developed and re-configured to host live music, club nights and much more. The philosophy applied throughout the process of developing the venue was to offer artists and promoters an enjoyable and affordable option with the emphasis on having everything needed in-house and ready to go.

J HUS

Best known for his 2017 single ‘Did You See’ J Hus is taking the grime scene by storm, holding down a profile many artists would dream of, with his irrepressible, upbeat flow.

10th May // 7pm – 11pm // £16.50 inc.bf

RIVERSIDE

After last years announcement confirming the band are now a trio, Riverside are back with their ‘Towards the Blue Horizon’ tour, to showcase their latest progressive rock sound.

20th May // 6.30pm – 10pm // £19.80 inc.bf

mother’s XX ruin

52 // VENUES

7-9 St Nicholas Street, Bristol, BS1 1UE | @TheMothersRuin | facebook.com/The-Mothers-Ruin | 07546 082 009 | mothersruinbristol.co.uk

Bright Red, behind the market on St Nicks street, a three floor mad funhouse that specialises in super sweaty aural delights of Rock n Roll, Pop and Disco. We pride ourselves on being Free to enter nearly every night, without compromising on our entertainment. Upstairs or downstairs you won’t be going anywhere quite like here!

MOTHERS RUIN QUIZ! FREE FOOD AND BONUS ROUNDS Join Calum and co as they take you through the latest in music, news and general knowledge in the Ruin’s very own test of skill and endurance. Winning team takes pot. Plus bonus games and free food.

Every Tuesday // 9pm – Late // £1 per person

TOTAL ECLIPSE (80’S)

The launch night for our 80’s cheesy fest. Free entry, cheap drink and open till two am. Expect a lot of power ballads and hairbrush singing.

5th May // 9pm – Late // Free

mr wolfs XX

VENUES // 53

32 St Nicholas Street, Bristol, BS1 1TG | @MrWolfsBristol | facebook.com/MrWolfs | 0117 923 2565 | mrwolfs.com

Wolfies is the place for live music and late night party. It’s the place you’ll get the opportunity to see up and coming bands, to bust some moves on the dance floor, to watch talented artists paint live, to hear some quality musicians come together and jam their hearts out. We are open 7 nights a week and look forward to seeing you soon....

DOT TO DOT FESTIVAL / THREE KINGS HIGH

Mr. Wolf’s are thrilled to announce they will be taking part in this years Dot to Dot Festival. Featuring a host of bands on the bill, including favourites Three Kings High and DJ Asian Hawk.

27th May // 2pm – Late // Free entry till 11pm

BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND / THE 45S

Bristol legends The 45s will be bringing a double bill of the smoothest Motown Rock ‘n Roll this bank holiday Sunday. Plus DJ Rockit Science on till late.

28th May // 9pm - Late // £3 – £4 OTD

the oldXX bookshop

54 // VENUES

65 North Street, Bristol, BS3 1ES | @theoldbookshop | The Old Bookshop | 0117 953 5222 | theoldbookshop.co.uk

The Old Bookshop is an informal, sociable café-bar located on North Street. With its eclectic decor, homemade food, unique cocktail bar, boatyard beer garden, and famous Sunday roasts, The Old Bookshop is known for doing things its own way. The bar showcases guest ales and local craft beers week-by-week, and the ever-changing menu from guest chefs, pop-ups and street food vendors.

THE MODEL FOLK

Come down to Old Bookshop for a rumbustious Balkan acoustic party. North Somerset’s finest visit for a night to remember.

13th May // 9pm – 11pm // Free

THE MAN AND THE LAKE

Hailing from Bristol, The Man and The Lake take strong influences from South-East Europe to deliver a joyous Klezmer knees-up. Join them for a foot stomping set and a musical adventure.

20th May // 9pm – 11pm // Free

stag and XXhounds

VENUES // 55

74 Old Market Street, Bristol, BS2 0EJ | @Stagandhounds | facebook.com/The Stag and Hounds | 0117 329 2141 | stagandhoundsbristol.co.uk

A well-established pub dating back to the 15th century, with friendly staff serving real ales and a great selection of pub classics until 8pm. The downstairs stage hosts some of Bristol’s best live bands and international artists, including jazz, punk, folk, and indie rock. “The Stag” is one of Bristol’s most eclectic live venues. Another reason to head into Old Market.

THE SPOOK SCHOOL

Four-piece band from Edinburgh, The Spook School are hitting the stage at the Stag this May to present their roaring sound, often being compared to The Shop Assistants, The Buzzcocks and David Bowie.

13th May // 7pm – Late // £3

DUNE RATS + THE GOOCH PALMS

Australian rock band Dune Rats will be showcasing music from their latest album ‘The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit’ this May. Get ready for antics on and off stage. Plus support from The Gooch Palms.

18th May // 8pm – Late // £8.80 inc bf

SWX XX

56 // VENUES

15 Nelson Street, Bristol, BS1 2JY | @swxbristol | facebook.com/swxbristol | 0117 945 0325 | swxbristol.com

SWX is a live music venue and event space in Bristol city centre. Equipped with a state of the art sound & lighting system, we’ll be playing host to some of the best gigs the city has to offer, as well as being home to two of Bristols most loved Club Nights; Far Fetched every Friday and CODEC every Saturday night. Head to SWXBristol.com for our latest listings

DOT TO DOT FEST 2017

SWX will once again be hosting some of the finest live acts as part of the 12th edition of Bristol’s Dot To Dot Festival.

28th May /12pm – 4am // £22 inc.bf

VINTAGE TROUBLE

Following the release of their latest single ‘Knock Me Out’ Vintage Trouble will be showcasing their finest material at SWX as part of their tour.

31st May // 7.30pm – Late // £23.65 inc.bf

to the moon

VENUES // 57

27-29 Midland Road, Old Market, St Philips, Bristol BS2 0JT | @tothemoonbris | facebook.com/pg/tothemoonbristol | 07845 700194 | tothemoon.cc

A new venue off the beaten track of Old Market’s main streets, To The Moon is a bar-come-boutique and vintage shop, serving up awesome cocktails, local beers and Pieminister pies, with a great spirit collection – particularly when it comes to rum, with over 20 top-notch rums to try. To The Moon also puts on a growing range of club nights and gigs and are currently on the lookout for more DJs and promoters to get involved.

SPACE PIRATES

The fourth installment of To The Moon’s bi-monthly rum and roots music parties. 2for1 cocktails till 8pm, plus double up on all rums for just £1 – with plenty of reggae, dub and jungle music to go with it.

6th May // 7pm – 12am // Free

FIRST BIRTHDAY

Join To The Moon in celebrating one whole year since opening – how time flies! For many, this place is still an undiscovered gem, so it’s a great excuse to join them for a party. Special guest TBC, so watch this space.

20th May // 7pm – Late // Free

thekla

58 // VENUES

The Grove, Bristol, BS1 4RB | @theklabristol | facebook.com/theklabristol | 0117 929 3301 | theklabristol.co.uk

Bristol’s only music venue and club on a boat! From live toe-tapping Americana to the dirtiest Dubstep this side of London and everything in between, we have all your musical needs covered. We play host to the cream of the city’s weekly club nights as well as national and international touring live acts every week. Welcome aboard!

ALDOUS HARDING

New Zealand singer-songwriter, Aldous Harding wows audiences with her original ‘gothic folk’ music. Known for her sinister torch songs, wit and quiet horror, Harding from the same dramatic realm where Kate Bush and Scott Walker reside.

THEKLA

LIVE LISTINGS

23rd May // 7pm – 10pm // £9.90 inc.bf

The Grove East Mud Dock Bristol BS1 4RB theklabristol.co.uk | thekla.club F L theklabristol | I X theklabris alt-tickets.co.uk • gigantic.com • bristolticketshop.co.uk

FRIDAY 19TH MAY

MONDAY 1ST MAY

RYLEY WALKER

BLACK SPIDERS

+ HEALTH&BEAUTY

+ BIGFOOT

SATURDAY 20TH MAY

TUESDAY 2ND MAY

THE RIFLES (ACOUSTIC)

THE UNDERCOVER HIPPY MONDAY 22ND MAY

WEDNESDAY 3RD MAY

ASGEIR

SAM BROOKES

+ AXEL + TUSKS

+ LOW CHIMES + JOE PROBERT

TUESDAY 23RD MAY

FRIDAY 5TH MAY

ALDOUS HARDING

TAX THE HEAT + SLEEPTALKING + REACH

WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

SUNDAY 7TH MAY

SEAFRET

+ LEWIS CAPALDI

+ NIGHT FLOWERS

TUESDAY 9TH MAY

WILL JOSEPH COOK + TEN TONNES WEDNESDAY 10TH MAY

MODULUS QUARTET SATURDAY 13TH MAY

TANKUS THE HENGE + IMPRINTS

TUESDAY 30TH MAY

CARL BARAT & THE JACKALS SOLD OUT

SATURDAY 3RD JUNE

COASTS SATURDAY 10TH JUNE

WHY?

TUESDAY 13TH JUNE

SUNDAY 14TH MAY

BAT SABBATH

MONDAY 15TH MAY

DAVID FORD

WHEATUS

THURSDAY 15TH JUNE

DECLAN MCKENNA + GIRLI WEDNESDAY 17TH MAY

MY VITRIOL THURSDAY 18TH MAY

DAN CROLL

+ MICHELE STODART + JP RUGGIERI FRIDAY 16TH JUNE

KYLA LA GRANGE SATURDAY 16TH JUNE

SWEET BABOO WEDNESDAY 21ST JUNE

POND

Thekla Listings May 2017.indd 1

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THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

24th May // 7pm – 10pm // £16.50 inc BF

trinity

VENUES // 59

The Trinity Centre, Trinity Road, Bristol, BS2 0NW | @trinitybristol | facebook.com/trinitybristol | 0117 935 1200 | 3ca.org.uk Xxxxxxxxx

One of the few truly independent venues with performances from the likes of Gorillaz, Daniel Johnston, Roni Size and Animal Collective as well as a venue for great club nights like Teachings in Dub and now Bump Rollerdisco. Famous for hosting some legendary band names such as U2, Massive Attack, Portishead, Public Enemy and The Specials. Trinity can rightly claim to be the birthplace of the Bristol sound.

MARTHA TILSTON

Martha Tilston has grown up immersed in music. Her singer/ songwriter father Steve Tilston and renowned step mother folk singer Maggie Boyle, have helped pave the way for Martha’s solo music career.

4th May // 7pm – 11pm // £12.50 adv + bf

TRINITY GARDEN PARTY: DUBKASM + SEPIA + MORE Celebrating the coming of summer with an eclectic mix of live music, amazing workshops, wicked food, theatre shows, entertainment and fun for the family.

14th May // 12pm – 9pm // Free

ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENT

SATURDAY 20th MAY 2017 O2 ACADEMY BRISTOL 9PM - 2AM | TICKETWEB.CO.UK

CHRONIXXMUSIC.COM

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BUY 1 PACK GET 1 FREE @ reon-energy.com Use code: NITE05 Redeem promo code at reon-energy.com Go to facebook.com/reonuk for full Terms and Conditions.

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& on