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Plaid & Southbank Gamelan Players/Peverelist
Arnolfini, Bristol (Thu 10 June)• The meeting of musical traditions is fraught with danger. Too often the result is a well-meaning compromise or unholy din. Luckily, Southbank Gamelan Players are well versed in it.…10.06.2010 READ MORE -
S.C.U.M. / You Love Her Coz She’s Dead / Poppy & The Jezebels
Moles, Bath (Thu 27 Nov) • Purr are painfully on-trend with three scenester bands tonight. The 60s-flavoured beat pop of all-girl underage favourites Poppy And The Jezebels passes largely unnoticed until the last…27.11.2008 READ MORE -
Safetyword at The Llama Festival
Lynton and Lynmouth (Sat 9 June) • From a Bristol-centric perspective, the highlight of this weekend of sunshine and summery village fete lounging on Devonshire’s dazzling coast has to be Safetyword. In a pub car park,…09.06.2007 READ MORE -
Sage Francis/B Dolan/Clayton Blizzard
Fleece, Bristol (Wed 15 Sept) • In the echelons of hip-hop accents, self-proclaimed folk-rapper Clayton Blizzard lands squarely between West Country and Goldie Lookin Chain’s cheeky brogue. That’s perhaps unfair on the…21.09.2010 READ MORE -
Sain Zahoor
Colston Hall 2, Bristol (Wed 5 Oct) Someone obviously got the word out in all the right places, because Hall 2 is packed out for this gig – the first in an ongoing collaboration between Colston Hall and the Asian Arts…07.10.2011 READ MORE -
Sam Amidon/Joe Volk/Hollowbody
The Cube, Bristol (Wed 19 Oct) There is a sense, upon the first gentle stroke of guitar and tender opening vocal refrain of Hollowbody (Bristol-based Dan Weltman), that this gig couldn’t have been held anywhere else.…21.10.2011 READ MORE -
Sam Braithwaite / Saturdays and Sundays / Dandelion Killers
The Fleece, Bristol (Wed 24 Jan) Though only outnumbered three to one by their audience, the ternion Dandelion Killers surprise with variety that warps from Suede on steroids to marshmallow toastin’ Morricone. His…24.12.2007 READ MORE -
Sam Duckworth/Jonny Neesom/Leon Walker
The Junction, Bristol (Fri 9 July) • Billy Bragg nicked the name for his prisoner rehabilitation charity, which he started in honour of the late Joe Strummer, from a Clash B-side: ‘Jail Guitar Doors’. Inspiration goes…09.07.2010 READ MORE -
Sarah Gillespie with Gilad Atzmon
Jazz@Future Inns, Bristol, Sun 13 Feb) • At some point Venue loses focus – something’s being smuggled here, but what? And by whom? Superficially it seems one of Future Inns’ acoustic gigs has annexed the Sunday jazz…16.02.2011 READ MORE -
Saturday Looks Good To Me/Chris Bathgate/Santa Dog
Thekla, Bristol (Thur 10 May) • It’s all running very late. The headliners, Michigan’s Saturday Looks Good To Me, have driven all the way from Aberdeen. It’s easy to imagine the arguments: "Dude, it’s like, only six…10.04.2007 READ MORE -
Saxon/Wolfsbane
O2 Academy, Bristol (Tue 19 April) "You on the stairs: get your hands in the air! You've already paid - it can't get any worse!" Good old Blaze Bayley, eh? He's survived being kicked out of Iron Maiden during their…25.04.2011 READ MORE -
Saxophone Colossus
Bebop Club, Bristol (Fri 11 Dec) • Music of comfort and joy, albeit with an understandably shaky start – bass player Greg Cordez having only been drafted in on the evening. Focusing on Sonny Rollins’ style and…11.12.2009 READ MORE -
Sbtrkt/Becoming Real
Thekla, Bristol (Thur 6 Oct) It ain’t easy making electronic music with non-electronic things. Witness Sbtrkt, aka Aaron Jerome, a man who wears a big tribal mask and makes really great beats. His eponymous debut – much…11.10.2011 READ MORE -
Scarlatti Tilt / Slow / The Wraiths
The Croft, Bristol (Thur 8 Mar) • Three bands, three self-contained worlds of varying appeal tonight. The Wraiths are an excruciatingly worthy duo binding sonnets and the words of Image poets to gently plucked guitars.…08.05.2007 READ MORE -
Scarlet Rascal & The Trainwreck/Rock In Your Pocket/Flags/The Lonely Tourist
Louisiana, Bristol (Fri 11 Feb) • It helps they’re playing through more than a vocal PA, but seems there’s a lot more wind in Flags’ sails than our last viewing in November. The intricate build remains the same, but the…16.02.2011 READ MORE -
Seagull Strange/The Purple Spiral Project/The Rifftoads
Fleece, Bristol (Sat 16 Jan) • Lord bless the humble covers band. There’s something about serviceable renditions of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ that draws out the spirit of generosity. All…16.01.2010 READ MORE -
Seasick Steve / The Gemma Ray Ritual
Thekla, Bristol (Tue 17 Apr) • Gemma Ray was pretty good, like a grittier Howling Bells. But that’s it, for the main attraction is a little overdue some attention. “Hey, guys, could you just stand aside?” asks an urgent…27.04.2007 READ MORE -
See No Evil
Nelson St, Bristol (Sat 20 Aug) “Welcome to Bristol” reads Tats Cru’s convivial doodle above Café Central. The setting is an urban dream. Formerly drab apartment blocks show off their bizarre new depictions and the…22.08.2011 READ MORE -
Semiconductor vs Antennae Farm / CHCHCHCHCHCH
Cube Cinema, Bristol (Fri 9 Mar) • When even the promoter concedes within their press release to being wholly confused as to which listings section an event should feature in, you know you are in for a challenge.…09.03.2007 READ MORE -
Sensorium/Sarah Menage/Katy Salvidge
Sensorium/Sarah Menage/Katy Salvidge The Lansdown, Bristol (Fri 30 Jan) • They’ll need extra bar staff at the Lansdown for these monthly sessions - I estimated 100 people creating the sauna fug in the upstairs room.…30.01.2009 READ MORE -
Sepultura/Gama Bomb/Seregon
Bierkeller, Bristol (Wed 14 July) • Blimey, when did Seregon get to be so good? The last time this reviewer saw them, they looked like a rather nervous youth club act. Now they’re the heaviest metal band in all of Yate,…04.10.2010 READ MORE -
Sera Rabbett/Jetfly/Rozi Plain
Scout Hut, Bristol (Wed 25 Feb) • It’s another fairylight-lit Folk Tales night, and the crowd are here expecting an acoustic folk trifecta. Rozi Plain starts with sweet cyclic swishes round and round, melodies…25.02.2009 READ MORE -
Seregon/No Guts No Glory/In the Absence of Light/Fallen Divinity
Cavern Club, Bristol (Sat 22 May) • A giddy, childlike sense of discovery underlies the opportunity to see a series of up-and-coming bands on the verge of breaking into the music scene. Fallen Divinity kick off…22.05.2010 READ MORE -
Seth Lakeman/Karima Francis/Mike Dawes & Amy Turk/Heart Shaped Things
Komedia, Bath (Fri 14 May) • “Seb Lakeman?” “Seth Lakeman, darling. Seth.” In the voluminous queue for Great Folk Hope, Cantrememberhisnamebutwesimplyhavetoseehim, conversation moves onto how India’s just not the same…14.05.2010 READ MORE -
Shackleton
The Croft, Bristol (Wed 12 Aug) • The heavy black door to The Croft’s back room vibrates like a furious giant wasp courtesy of the full high pressure sound system beyond. “And we’re only using a third of its capacity,”…12.08.2009 READ MORE -
Shearwater/Nils Frahn
St Bonaventures, Bristol (Thu 29 Jul) • Boyish Berliner Nils Frahn makes cinematic, meditative piano soundtracks for imaginary snowbound forests, wind-hurried clouds, the whirl of migrating birds: a fitting prelude to…29.07.2010 READ MORE -
Sheelanagig/Crooked Fiddle Band/Glow Globes
Fleece, Bristol (Thur 14 July) • They’re an unexpected bonus that nearly doesn’t happen, but when the traffic-bemired duo Glow Globes finally arrive there’s no trace of fluster about them. John and Laura Holmes make…15.07.2011 READ MORE -
Shinedown/Halestorm
O2 Academy, Bristol (Sun 12 Feb) It demonstrates considerable confidence to take a band as good as Pennsylvania's Halestorm out as your tour support. Lizzy Hale has an incredibly powerful, Joplin-esque voice emanating…13.02.2012 READ MORE -
Shitdisco/To My Boy
The Fleece, Bristol (Thur 12 Apr) • The Futurist/80s crossover fun starts with likeable technology obsessives To My Boy before Shitdisco unleash air-raid siren synth, wailing over their hi-top stompalong neon-rock: all…12.04.2007 READ MORE -
ShockRock Tour: Shy Child / Metronomy / A-Human
Thekla Social, Bristol (Wed 21 Feb) • Sometimes I think that rascally editor of mine contrives these occasions hoping the culture shock will be so severe that I’ll go into social anthropologist mode, the heightened…21.02.2007 READ MORE -
Shockwaves NME Tour 2011
O2 Academy Bristol (Tue 15 Feb) • The word ‘eclectic’ is rarely associated with that self-proclaimed barometer of cool, the NME, yet it’s clearly the watchword for this year’s showcase tour. It’s hard, however, to…23.02.2011 READ MORE -
Shonen Knife/Call The Doctor
Thekla, Bristol (Thu 6 May) • Patti Aberhart stands heavy fringed like Chrissie Hynde and similarly poised, face forward with mouth glued to mic, shoulders coyly oscillating back and forth. The voice is cool like Karen…06.05.2010 READ MORE -
Silhouette Showgirls/Bite The Buffalo/Dirty Kiss
The Croft, Bristol (Thur 11 Aug) It’s a testament to Oxjam's principles that they lean towards the local music scene, giving a platform to up-and-coming bands from the area a chance to showcase their talent, but one…19.08.2011 READ MORE -
Silver Sun / First Of The Giants
Louisiana, Bristol (Sat 10 Mar) • Like tonight’s headliners, First Of The Giants are a twin-guitar/bass/drums assemblage. But whereas Silver Sun have polished their schtick to a point where the gleaming surfaces give…10.03.2007 READ MORE -
Simone Felice
Colston Hall, Bristol (Sat 28 Apr) The Felice Brothers came out of New York State with an alt-country sound of urban blight and backwoods nostalgia. Dylanesque with a bleakly original spin, they warmed in an outsider…01.05.2012 READ MORE -
Simple Things Festival
Various venues, Bristol (Sun 1 May) One of the most ambitious – and mostly successful – one-day music festivals we’ve seen in a long time, Simple Things isn't without its complications. Spreading itself across six…09.05.2011 READ MORE -
Simple Things Festival
Various venues, Bristol (Sun 1 May) This ambitious one-day music festival isn't without complications. It veers off schedule from the start, and packing too many acts into The Old Fire Station leads to queues and missed…02.06.2011 READ MORE -
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
St George’s, Bristol (Thur 19 Jan) ‘Sir Henry’ distilled and squandered the late Viv Stanshall’s warped Englishness into a Rabelaisian torrent of vulgarity, satire and schoolboy scatology beguilingly delivered in his…22.01.2012 READ MORE -
Sixnationstate / The Francos / Turbowolf
Moles, Bath (Thur 11 Jan) In defiance of the January doldrums, there’s a decent crowd for Turbowolf’s early doors billing as word spreads of their brilliance. They’re not quite firing on all cylinders tonight, as they…11.01.2007 READ MORE -
Ska Cubano
(Fri 3 June, Spiegeltent, Bath) • It’s a fine Friday night and the Spiegeltent glows in sunset light as a capacity audience converges for this Fringe Festival gig. It’s a happy evening and the band is the perfect…06.06.2011 READ MORE -
Sketchbeat / Bedmonster / The Acolytes
The Croft, Bristol (Sat 10 Feb) • I like The Croft on a busy night, with enough life at the bar and a good crowd in the back room. It’s a comfortable place with a nice vibe and challenges bands to pull in the punters.…10.02.2007 READ MORE -
Sleeping States / I Know I Have No Collar / Fringes
The Cube, Bristol (Fri 11 Sept) • It’s a late summer, pink lemonade twilight on the way to The Cube. I spot someone stood on a Bedminster bridge, chin in hand, just staring off at the rosy atmosphere. Proof that…11.09.2009 READ MORE -
Sleigh Bells/Kites & Flags/Drunk Granny
Louisiana, Bristol (Tue 25 May) • It clearly isn’t Drunk Granny’s day. Drummer Edie Pain has spent the afternoon vomiting and guitarist Debi Withers gets electrocuted twice in the first three songs. If Young Ones-style…25.05.2010 READ MORE -
Smoke Fairies/Sea Of Bees
Fleece, Bristol (Wed 2 Feb) • “I bet she’d be intense to go out with,” says Venue’s gigging partner, nodding in the direction of Sea of Bees’ Julie Baenziger. She’s not wrong. “I hope you have a happy life,” sings the…09.02.2011 READ MORE -
Social Flatline/Natural Tendency/Live Wire
Louisiana (Sat 24 Sept) Following the first yelpy, frantic opening track by Live Wire, there’s a definite influence that won’t allow a finger to be placed upon it. That is until the lead singer announces, “This next…26.09.2011 READ MORE -
Something Of The Night / Tom Bellamy
The Folk House, Bristol (Fri 13 Nov) • A very big sound comes from little Tom Bellamy, whose neatly executed solo folk recalls ‘Pink Moon’-era Nick Drake. High praise indeed, but slightly deceptive – his melodramatic…13.11.2009 READ MORE -
Sound Of Rum/Syte & The Sound/Vid Warren/I Am Horse
The Croft, Bristol (Fri 27 Nov) • Foolishly caught out by the early start, I Am Horse are already in the final furlong by the time Venue arrives. One and a half songs says their lo-fi wonky pop is way too charming not…27.11.2009 READ MORE -
South West Sound
Louisiana/Thekla, Bristol (Wed 25 Apr) • I only catch the tail end of Loveteam’s set at the Louis, but the happy promoter assures that they’ve been "rather good". The scything guitars and bleepy synths I heard certainly…25.01.2005 READ MORE -
South West Sound
Fleece/Mr Wolf’s, Bristol (Wed 25 Apr) • It takes a track or two for Firstofthegiants’ industrious pop rock to gain momentum, but soon we see a satisfying symbiosis evolve between bassist and drummer, their mouths…27.02.2007 READ MORE -
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
O2 Academy, Bristol, Sept 25 2011 New Jersey r’n’b stalwarts Southside Johnny & The Asbury jukes have been making spine-tingling music since the early 70s. Their soulful big band sound came from the same stable as…27.10.2011 READ MORE -
Spinnerette
Thekla, Bristol (Thu 27 Aug) • The red carpet on the gangplank informs passers-by that tonight Thekla’s hosting rock royalty. Brody Dalle – Queen Courtney to Josh Homme’s King Kurt – spent the first half of the decade…27.08.2009 READ MORE -
Spiro/Cliff Stapleton/Katey Brooks
Fleece, Bristol (Sat 31 Mar) It’s very satisfying when your local heroes get national recognition. Three years ago the mesmerically original Spiro caught the ear of Peter Gabriel and Real World records and soon were…02.04.2012 READ MORE -
Square & Compass Jazz Weekend
Worth Matravers, Dorset (Fri 2/Sat 3 Sept) Imagine a busload of Bristol and Bath’s finest jazz musicians arriving at an idyllic cliff-top pub offering splendid ales, home-pressed cider and the best pasties you can eat…05.09.2011 READ MORE -
St Pauls Carnival
(St Pauls, Bristol, July 2 2011) • I start with the traditional misguided attempt to see the whole procession by moving about (as opposed to standing in one place as it passes). I may well miss half of it and spend…02.07.2011 READ MORE -
St Paul’s Reggae Orchestra
St George’s Bristol (Mon 1 Mar) • This was the giggest night I’ve ever seen at St George’s, thanks to a lively capacity audience allowed to come and go and – unbelievable! – bring their drinks into the auditorium. In…01.03.2010 READ MORE -
St. Vincent
The Fleece, Bristol (Fri 11 Nov) There’s always been a tension about St. Vincent’s live performances. “I’m just being coy,” Annie Clark muttered during a 2009 show, but her awkward shyness, her reticence – it appeared…22.11.2011 READ MORE -
Stackridge/Jouis
Komedia, Bath (Tue 15 Dec) • Blinking sleepily out of hibernation, Bath’s own Stackridge, dormant since the late 70s are back in the endless swirling now that allows the Velvet Underground to exist alongside Spandau…15.12.2009 READ MORE -
Staff Benda Bilili/Fatoumata Diawara
(Fri 20, Colston Hall, Bristol) It’s good to see that, judging by the turn-out tonight, Bristol still loves world music. The hall is packed and expectant and the MC’s claim that during the first act “you’ll be able to…23.05.2011 READ MORE -
Status Quo
Colston Hall, Bristol (Tue 10 Nov) • Flashback thirty years. Your reporter, a mere stripling, is inquisitively investigating an older cousin’s singles on a Dansette record player in her bedroom in Bromsgrove. ‘Paper…10.11.2009 READ MORE -
Stereophonics
Colston Hall, Bristol (Fri 28 Nov) • There is, unusually, elaborate security and body searches for everyone entering the building tonight. The fear is that some crazed knife-wielding Dad Rock fan will run amok,…28.11.2008 READ MORE -
Steve Mason/OLO Worms
The Louisiana, Bristol, Thurs 12 Aug • OLO Worms really are an odd band – the type of band that gets journalists tying themselves in knots trying to pin down every fleeting suggestion of a genre or influence. They…12.08.2010 READ MORE -
Stokes Croft Streetfest
Various venues, Stokes Croft, Bristol (Sat 22 May) • The sun has obviously had an effect on the people of Stokes Croft. By the time Tom Bellamy kicks off proceedings at midday, the scorching heat has plastered sloppy…22.05.2010 READ MORE -
Stonephace Stabbins
( Thur May 19, St George’s, Bristol) • Though he’s lived in Cornwall for years now, saxophonist Larry Stabbins still gets claimed as a ‘Bristol’ musician and this gig – the first appearance with his new acoustic quintet…20.05.2011 READ MORE -
Subloaded Sixth Birthday
Motion Ramp Park, Bristol (Fri 29 Oct) • Subloaded isn’t just a club night - it’s part of dubstep history. When Pinch staged the first one in 2004, this music was the preserve of a small London clique. The early…03.11.2010 READ MORE -
Substatic/Nova Robotics
The Cooler, Bristol (Thu 15 July) • What happens if you can download a cracked version of logic onto your MacBook before you can play ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on the guitar? Well, you get something a little bit like Nova…04.10.2010 READ MORE -
Sun Dogs/Steve Page/Liz Lawrence
Mr Wolf’s, Bristol (Mon 13 July) • We’ll begin at the end. Sun Dogs ply tightly syncopated rollabilly, all percussive double bass and two-piece drum kit. Cash, Dylan and – contemporary awareness alert – Imelda May…13.07.2009 READ MORE -
Supersuckers / Rock Pirates
Carling Academy 2, Bristol (Thur 18 Jan) Rock Pirates are the poster of a poodle hair band circa 1984 come magically to life in sound and vision. Poisonsnake, say. Apparently gigging to afford some shirts for their…18.01.2007 READ MORE -
The Sadies/Christopher Rees
Polish Club, Bristol (Thur 2 Dec) • Bands who loyally tour Bristol receive loyalty in return; heaving with a keen, early turn-out of Sadies fans, the place is packed with punters thankful tonight was wisely up-sized…06.12.2010 READ MORE -
The Script/Gary Go
O2 Academy Bristol (Mon 9 Feb) • We’re sold out and packed to the rafters with teenage girls trying unsuccessfully to buy vodka at the bar. Street teams work tirelessly handing out free download tickets and signing up…09.02.2009 READ MORE -
The Sketches /The Thermals
Thekla, Bristol (Sun 14 June) • Leeds four-piece The Sketches exhibit enormous self-assurance. The chiming guitar lines of latest single ‘Slow Start’ recall the euphoric urgency of early U2. Epic, transatlantic vocals…14.06.2009 READ MORE -
The Speedwell Invention/ The Alf Hale Band/ Triggerfish
Louisiana, Bristol (Thu 8 Apr) • Arriving to find that the billed openers have been replaced by a band called Triggerfish doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the prejudicial hack, but Triggerfish turn out to be a…08.04.2010 READ MORE -
The Spooky Men's Chorale/Kate Rowe
(St George’s Bristol, Mon 18 July) We used to say (groundlessly) that Americans don’t do irony. Well, Australians do irony big time – think Edna Everidge, Clive James – and this evening reaffirms that preconception.…19.07.2011 READ MORE -
The Stingrays
The Thunderbolt, Bristol (Sat 13 June) • Given that it’s been nearly thirty years since the band last played there is, unsurprisingly, a certain age to this audience. There are some younger people but, watching the…13.06.2009 READ MORE -
The Stop Motion Men/Tin Dogs/Different Day
Fleece, Bristol (Thur 20 Mar) • Kicking off are Different Day, a tight and competent Portsmouth fourtet showcasing driving guitar and some nice vocal melodies. Nothing new, but the band give a solid performance and…20.03.2008 READ MORE
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THE BIG GIG
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Gary Numan
Mike White muses on the missing link between Kraftwerk and NIN. The same year as ‘Alien’, three years before ‘Blade Runner’, awkward, acne-ridden 21-year-old Gary Webb wrote a song called ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’. It sounded…23.04.2012 READ MORE -
Philharmonia/Ashkenazy
You have to feel sorry for any young pianist braving a Chopin concerto under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy. Poacher turned gamekeeper, Ashkenazy’s glittering career as a pianist was kick-started by success at the Warsaw Chopin…23.05.2012 READ MORE
Live Reviews
The Handsome Family
The Fleece, Bristol (Mon 21 May) There's a warmth about The Handsome Family, a kind of…
23.05.2012
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Classical Opera
St George’s Bristol (Fri11 May) An opera by an 11-year-old … in Latin. Talk about a hard…
13.05.2012
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Dave Stapleton
St George’s, Bristol (Thur May 5) There are eight players on stage – and great ones at…
04.05.2012
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Simone Felice
Colston Hall, Bristol (Sat 28 Apr) The Felice Brothers came out of New York State with an…
01.05.2012
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Dan Baird and Homemade Sin
Beeses Tea Gardens, Bristol (Sun 29 Apr) I used to think I was the sole person who'd ever…
30.04.2012
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Neil Cowley Trio with the Mount Molehill Strings
St George’s Bristol (Thur 26 April) It’s the last night of a national tour and Neil…
27.04.2012
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Cher Lloyd
O2 Academy, Bristol (Tue 10 Apr) It's a struggle-to-get-through-the-door sell-out…
24.04.2012
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Alabama 3: Acoustic and Unplugged
Trinity, Bristol (Fri 20 Apr) The blues came down to Trinity... and blew it away. Alabama…
23.04.2012
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Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Chorus: ‘Carmina Burana’
Colston Hall Bristol (Thur 19 Apr) Time was when the definition of an intellectual was…
23.04.2012
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Filthy Six/Benny Sensus
Mr Wolf’s, Bristol (Fri 20 May) Mr Wolf’s on a Friday night and it’s a bit slow to fill…
23.04.2012
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Empty Pools/Schnauser/Glis Glis
Louisiana, Bristol (Wed 18 Apr) The three Glis Glis members repeating crystalline,…
20.04.2012
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Ceu/Curumin
St George’s, Bristol (Wed 18 Apr) Electronic bands rarely sound good in St George’s and…
20.04.2012
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Meshuggah/Animals as Leaders
O2 Academy, Bristol (Thur 12 Apr) Animals as Leaders are the missing link between The…
16.04.2012
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Orange Goblin/Church of Misery/Grifter/Dopefight
Fleece, Bristol (Sun 8 Apr) It's Easter Sunday and a sweaty, sold-out Fleece is…
09.04.2012
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The Magnificent Seven
Coronation Tap, Bristol (Sun 1 Apr) OK, it’s the usual suspects, but the discerning…
03.04.2012
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Spiro/Cliff Stapleton/Katey Brooks
Fleece, Bristol (Sat 31 Mar) It’s very satisfying when your local heroes get national…
02.04.2012
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Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet/Robert Mitchell 3io
Colston Hall 2, Bristol (Tue 27 Mar) “We don’t have much time,” announces pianist Robert…
29.03.2012
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Black Stone Cherry/Rival Sons
O2 Academy, Bristol (Mon 26 Mar) Even when the Academy is sold out, as it is tonight,…
29.03.2012
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Tall Ships
Thekla, Bristol (Wed 21 March) Tall Ships, originally from the harbourside town of…
29.03.2012
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UFO/Heavy Metal Kids
O2 Academy, Bristol (Sun 25 Mar) There are two things every rock trivia freak knows about…
27.03.2012
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The Cardinall’s Musick
St George’s Bristol (Sat 24 Mar) When not directing The Cardinall’s Musick, the…
27.03.2012
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Earth/Mount Eerie/Ô Paon
Arnolfini, Bristol (Sat 3 Mar) Ô Paon opens with a set of slow burners; her clumsily…
21.03.2012
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All Tomorrow’s Parties curated by Jeff Mangum
Butlins, Minehead (Fri 9- Sun 11 Mar) It’s a different line-up almost every time they…
21.03.2012
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The Answer/The Union
O2 Academy, Bristol (Fri 16 Mar) Let's hear it for the return of the big-value rock…
19.03.2012
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Get The Blessing/Pops Parker/The Liftmen
Arnolfini, Bristol (Thur 15 Mar) Like their seething soup-pond visual backdrop, there’s a…
16.03.2012
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Gabrielle Aplin/Hudson-Taylor
Thekla, Bristol (Mon 12 Mar) Still only 19 but nevertheless managing to rack up 1.3m…
14.03.2012
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The Tender Trap
Southbank Centre, Bristol (Fri 24 Feb) The Southbank has many guises and tonight it’s…
12.03.2012
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Ugetsu feat. Damon Brown and Yutaka Shiina
Colston Hall 2, Bristol (Tue 6 Mar) Yutaka Shiina heads straight for the piano as if he…
07.03.2012
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Field Music/Stealing Sheep
The Fleece, Bristol (Thur 23 Feb) A timid ‘hello’ from Stealing Sheep’s Lucy…
28.02.2012
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High Places/The Hysterical Injury/Hesomagari
The Cube, Bristol (Fri 17 Feb) If the idea of a boy/girl duo-themed night makes you feel…
21.02.2012
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Mouse Deer
The Old Bookshop, Bristol (Thur 16 Feb) Lord knows US coffee shop culture took a long…
20.02.2012
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OAE: The Glory of Venice
St George’s Bristol (Sun 19 Feb) With Vivaldi’s ‘L’Olimpiade’ about to be unleashed up…
20.02.2012
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James Morton & Friends
The Prom, Bristol (Fri 17 Feb) Lately, alto sax player James Morton’s career’s demanded…
19.02.2012
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Rich Robinson
Fleece, Bristol (Wed 15 Feb) With the Black Crowes on apparently indefinite hiatus, the…
17.02.2012
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Shinedown/Halestorm
O2 Academy, Bristol (Sun 12 Feb) It demonstrates considerable confidence to take a band…
13.02.2012
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Roots Manuva
Anson Room, Bristol (Fri 3 Feb) Having seen Roots Manuva take to the stage in riding…
06.02.2012
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Gannets/Tamco Trio/Three Cane Whale
St George’s Bristol (Fri 3 Feb) Can you have a game of three halves? It’s a Zen question…
05.02.2012
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Nigel Kennedy/Orchestra of Life
Colston Hall, Bristol (Wed 18 Jan) Telephone-hold to elevator music, ‘The Four Seasons’…
25.01.2012
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Bristol Acoustic Music Festival
St George’s Bristol (Fri 13-Sun 15 Jan) Who'da thunk it: some folk are dancing – dancing…
25.01.2012
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Howler/Man Made
Louisiana (Mon 23 Jan) Support act Man Made arrives on stage wearing the kind of gold…
24.01.2012
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Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
St George’s, Bristol (Thur 19 Jan) ‘Sir Henry’ distilled and squandered the late Viv…
22.01.2012
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Arabella Sprot Quartet
Bebop Club, Bristol (Fri 6 Jan) Given the styereotype of the lazy, time-wasting student,…
09.01.2012
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Denny Ilett plays Led Zeppelin
Coronation Tap, Bristol (Thur 5 Jan) There’s an inevitable sense of laddishness about…
06.01.2012
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The Peters
Coronation Tap, Bristol (Tue 3 Jan) Here’s a mind-boggling little collective of young…
04.01.2012
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The Hook 'Em Boys
The Croft, Bristol (Wed 21 Dec, 2011) It’s the longest night and it’s slipping by very…
22.12.2011
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Mike Willox Quartet
Bebop Club, Bristol (Fri 16 Dec) Mike Willox has long been master of the element of…
20.12.2011
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La Nuova Musica/Messiah
St George’s Bristol (Sun 18 Dec) Anyone nervous about the one-to-a-part line-up promised…
19.12.2011
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Oxford Philomusica/Schiff
St George’s Bristol (Thur 8 Dec) Intriguing to see Andras Schiff in front of an orchestra…
19.12.2011
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Holy Stain at Festive Fest
Thekla, Bristol (Sun 18 Dec) It’s Holy Stain’s second to last ever show, so we can…
19.12.2011
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Hawthorne Heights/The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus/Failsafe
Thekla, Bristol (Wed 14 Dec) Golly, when Thekla say ‘early show’, they mean it. Failsafe…
19.12.2011
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Get The Blessing
(Thur 15 Dec, Canteen, Bristol) They’ve clearly been missed. Get The Blessing’s 2011…
16.12.2011
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Little Dragon/White Hinterland
Thekla, Bristol (Fri 2 Dec) Despite the name, ‘White Hinterland’ is not a right-wing…
14.12.2011
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Ginger Wildheart and Friends
Fleece, Bristol (Tue 13 Dec) Ginger's guitar is out of tune and the drum monitor isn't…
14.12.2011
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The Magic Band
Thekla, Bristol (Sun 4 Dec) When rock visionary Captain Beefheart passed away in December…
07.12.2011
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Bleeding Heart Narrative
The Cube, Bristol (Sat 26 Nov) Watching Bleeding Heart Narrative at The Cube, it's…
07.12.2011
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Uriah Heep
O2 Academy, Bristol (Mon 5 Dec) When a band has been around as long as Uriah Heep, it's…
06.12.2011
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Emily Wright & The Royals
The Old Bookshop, Bristol (Sat 3 Dec) A nice new band in a nice new venue - Christmas has…
06.12.2011
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Wire/Talk Normal
Thekla, Bristol (Tue 29 Nov) At the merch stand, sales of the Wire shopping bag appear…
02.12.2011
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Zappa Plays Zappa
Colston Hall, Bristol (Wed 30 Nov) This is weird. There's a biggish band on stage – two…
01.12.2011
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In:Motion – RBMA & Futureboogie
Motion, Bristol (Sat 26 Nov) Tonight sees two of Bristol’s biggest dance music beacons,…
01.12.2011
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Billy Bragg: Left Field In Motion Tour
The Fleece, Bristol (Nov 28, 2011) Typical of Billy Bragg: he didn't just show up for a…
01.12.2011
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John Cooper Clarke
The Fleece, Bristol (Sun 27 Nov) Like a wizened stick-insect love child of 60s-era Bob…
29.11.2011
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Blakeley's Messengers
Bebop Club, Bristol (Fri 25 Nov) These days there’s so much going on in the name of jazz…
28.11.2011
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Claudia Aurora
The Folk House, Brisrtol (Fri 26 Nov) It’s packed down in the Folk House’s hall basement…
28.11.2011
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John Pearce & Mike Willox Classical Duo
El Rincon, Bristol(Sun 20 Nov) I ring Mike Willox shortly before this lunchtime gig is…
23.11.2011
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C.W. Stoneking & The Primitive Horn Orchestra/Howling Lord
Trinity, Bristol (Tue 22 Nov) It’s a remarkable crowd both in numbers and style, and the…
23.11.2011
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WNO: Don Giovanni
Bristol Hippodrome (Tue 8 Nov) Hearing Leporello’s ‘black book’ aria (in which he lists…
22.11.2011
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St. Vincent
The Fleece, Bristol (Fri 11 Nov) There’s always been a tension about St. Vincent’s live…
22.11.2011
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Benn Clatworthy Quintet
Bebop Club, Bristol (Fri 18 Nov) It’s a quintessentially Bebop gig, this, as club mainman…
21.11.2011
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Gillian Welch
Hippodrome, Bristol (Tue 15 Nov) “I learnt this from Doc Watson,” she says, before…
17.11.2011
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The Melvins
The Thekla, Bristol (Fri 4 Nov) Just when you thought The Melvins couldn't get any more…
11.11.2011
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Balkanarama feat. The Destroyers
The Fleece, Bristol (Fri 4 Nov 4) It's an inspired way to start proceedings: they've put…
07.11.2011
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This Is My Normal State/Tomorrow We Sail
The Cooler, Bristol (Sat 5 Nov) A wrapt, standing-down-the-front crowd for a support act?…
07.11.2011
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WHY? Acoustic Grand Piano Tour
Colston Hall 2, Bristol (Sun 23 Oct) There is usually something jarringly civilised about…
01.11.2011
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Anna Calvi
Trinity Centre, Bristol (Mon 31 Oct) Anna Calvi released her self-titled debut album at…
01.11.2011
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Alice Cooper
(Colston Hall, Bristol, Wed 26 Oct) Considering that this was billed as Alice's Halloween…
27.10.2011
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The Union/Fighting Wolves
Fleece, Bristol (Sun 23 Oct) The huge cheer that greets Fighting Wolves' announcement of…
27.10.2011
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Oxjam Takeover
Various venues, Bristol (Sat 22 Oct) It may well be an overcast Saturday afternoon, but…
27.10.2011
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Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
O2 Academy, Bristol, Sept 25 2011 New Jersey r’n’b stalwarts Southside Johnny & The…
27.10.2011
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Laura Marling
Bristol Cathedral (Tue 25 Oct) Spotlit columns vaulting to the heavens, a stage backed by…
27.10.2011
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Christian Wallumrod Ensemble
St George’s, Bristol (Mon Oct 24) He’s all in black at the piano and there’s a general…
25.10.2011
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The Duval Project
The Bell, Bath (Mon 10 Oct) “There are some people that, when they tell you they have a…
21.10.2011
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The Pierces/Marcus Foster
Anson Rooms, Bristol (Thur 20 Oct) Hadn’t heard Marcus Foster’s ‘Nameless Path’, but knew…
21.10.2011
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CD Reviews
Kid Carpet
‘Kid Carpet & The Noisy Animals’ (LP, self-released) // Few things are more intoxicating…
20.04.2012
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Million Way
‘Your Circuitry’ (EP, self-released) // Dream Continuum release the ‘Reworkz’ EP and,…
20.04.2012
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Paul Garry
‘With Love Comes Rescue’ (EP, BMS Records) // Offensively inoffensive and supremely…
18.04.2012
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Dave Stapleton
‘Flight’ (LP, Edition Records) // Dave Stapleton's Cardiff-based Edition Records is fast…
17.04.2012
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Hello Lazarus
‘Hello Lazarus’ (EP, Scylla Records) If there's a theme for this EP, it's that it implies…
26.03.2012
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Lady Nade & The Silhouettes
‘All I Am’ (EP, unsigned) Lady Nade’s deep-hued voice adds archaic credibility to…
22.03.2012
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Caroline Martin
‘For All That I Do Not Know’ (LP, Smalldog) Second album ‘proper’, and still like being…
22.03.2012
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Island Audio
'The Drift' (Single/Sink & Stove) It's early days for glam-y, knife-edged post-punkers…
15.02.2012
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Rock In Your Pocket
‘Gutterdub’ (LP, Artscare Records) There are Riot Grrrl-invoking essays to be written…
15.02.2012
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Get The Blessing
‘OCDC’ (LP, Naim Jazz) Bish bash bosh, here they come, but there’s a sparkling new…
14.02.2012
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Experimental Pop Band
'Little Things' (Single, Wear It Well) Since 2007 EPB have written, recorded and scrapped…
13.02.2012
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Phantom Limb
‘The Pines’ (Album, Naim Edge) The title could’ve been swiped from a new-build…
19.01.2012
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Josh Arcoleo
‘Beginnings’ (Album, Edition Records) It takes practice and inspiration to become a…
19.01.2012
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The Hysterical Injury
‘Dead Wolf Situation’ (LP, Crystal Fuzz) Yes, Hysterical Injury brandish nothing more…
19.01.2012
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Silent Tides
‘Silent Tides’ (EP, self-released) This is Silent Tides’ debut EP and, as such, serves as…
19.01.2012
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The Liftmen
‘Troubled Teens’ (Single, Twisted Nerve) It’s disappointing that the first pressing of…
19.01.2012
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Francois & The Atlas Mountains
'E Volo Love’ (LP, Domino) Whilst the minutiae of the human condition might not present…
19.01.2012
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Mouse Deer
‘The Mouse Deer EP’ (EP, self-released) Girl-group harmonies forged from a single vocal…
14.12.2011
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Radio Banska
‘The Balkan Courtesan’ (LP, Get Real Records) Who knew John Zorn was composing 13-time…
14.12.2011
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Sarah Menage
‘In A Mood’ (LP, Independent) Just ‘a’ mood? There’s a range on offer in Sarah Menage’s…
14.12.2011
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The Short Life of Gracie
‘The Short Life of Gracie’ (EP, self-released) There’s a moment on opener ‘How to Kill…
14.12.2011
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Bleeding Heart Narrative
‘Bison’ (EP, Brainlove Records) As opening gambits go, 'Shoals' has to be one of the…
07.11.2011
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The Hit Ups
‘Unforgivable'/'66 Sexy’ (Free download, self-released) The Hit Ups: ‘parties, death,…
21.10.2011
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Follow The Sun
'The Evening Light’ (EP/self-released) Pushed just beyond ambient loveliness by gentle…
21.10.2011
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The Groove Farm
‘I Know It’s Only Indie Pop… But I Like It’ (LP, Big Pink Cake) From ’86 to ’90, South…
21.10.2011
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The Bad Joke That Ended Well
‘The Meteors Are Coming’ (LP, Little Paradise Records) Zips in on an express banjo…
30.09.2011
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Smile, LOOKALIVE!
'Ringside Seats’ (EP, self-released) Smile, LOOKALIVE! (or SLA, for those with…
30.09.2011
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Centrefolds
'Fresh Air’/’Jennifer’ (Single, self-released) Fiercely mixed to fizz with high end,…
30.09.2011
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Call The Doctor
‘Riots.’ (EP, Fear of Fiction) Patti Aberhart’s living the dream: black bob, lip gloss…
30.09.2011
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Chatterbox & Samuel Otis
‘Hard Graft’ (Killamari Records) Hip-hop is always at its most convincing when you can…
30.09.2011
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Curse You Damn Kids
‘Sorta Like An Epiphany’ (EP, Screamlite Records) There’s much to admire in this youthful…
27.08.2011
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Echo Park Orchestra
'Hymns of the Black Flag’ (LP, self-released) Echo Park Orchestra mainman Peter…
27.08.2011
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Rossanne Hamilton
'Attic Tapes/Live At The Thunderbolt 09’ (Double EP, self-released) Classically trained…
27.08.2011
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Baobinga & Co
‘Joint Ventures’ (LP, Build Recordings) DJ, producer and blogger Sam ‘Baobinga’ Simpson…
27.08.2011
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The Weary Band
‘Office Doodles’ (LP, self-released) At last! We’ve waited almost a decade – and a couple…
29.07.2011
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Planting_Claymore
‘Re-Gen’ (EP, self-released) Not, as the name suggests, a Clifton estate agent but a…
29.07.2011
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Electric Contradiction
‘Gold Mind EP’ (EP, self-released) This Bath-based five piece describe themselves as an…
29.07.2011
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The Minke Whales
‘Turncoat’ (LP, Tandem) The Minke Whales – possibly named in honour of that doomed…
29.07.2011
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The Divided Circle
‘The Divided Circle’ (LP, Lonely City Records) • Why isn’t everyone talking about The…
30.06.2011
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Edenheight
‘Peaceboy’/‘Trouble’ (Single, Breakin’ Bread Records) • One of Bristol’s…
30.06.2011
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Hi Fiction Science
'Hi Fiction Science' (LP, self-released) •A lass with a high, folksy voice ponders aloud…
30.06.2011
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Zero Pilot
‘XY’ (EP, self-released) If ‘Ice Road Truckers’ were a record, it’d be this ballsy,…
27.05.2011
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James Hollingsworth
‘Two And Two’ (EP, self-released) Awful cheesecloth rock channelling mawkish Chris De…
27.05.2011
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Oxygen Thief
‘Destroy It Yourself’ (LP, Broken Tail Records) Bristol’s Barry Dolan, in-your-face raw…
27.05.2011
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Maps and Legends
‘Maps and Legends’ (EP, self-released) Perhaps appropriately given their name, M&L…
27.05.2011
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Hello Lazarus
‘All Alliteration’ (LP, self-released) • It whizzes. It buzzes. Noisy and precise guitar…
29.04.2011
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The Short Stories
‘Small Mercies’ (LP, The International Lo-Fi Underground) • A lo-fi thrum of songs…
29.04.2011
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Cemlyn Jones
‘All These Dreams’ (LP, Kargo Records) • Clevedon-based singer-songwriter and former…
29.04.2011
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The Carny Villains
The Carny Villains (EP, Unsigned) • The seven-piece band from the heart of Bristol’s…
29.04.2011
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Narco Lounge Combo
‘Music for Ice Rinks’ (LP, self-released) • “She got freckles and a blow-job nose, kitten…
20.04.2011
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The Cheaterslicks
Rev Up, Burn Out’ (LP, Western Star) • Here’s a blistering debut mixing up rockabilly,…
20.04.2011
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Heg Doughty
‘Little Red’ (EP, self-released) • Ah, the sadly defunct Dartington College in the green…
20.04.2011
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Centrefolds
'Is Anyone There?’ (EP, self-released) • All hail Centrefolds for their unashamed pursuit…
13.04.2011
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Okus Dolphin
‘Spiritual’ (LP, self-released) • With its Glastonbury candle shop sleeve, ham-fisted…
13.04.2011
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Rachael Dadd ‘
'Elephee’ (EP, Broken Sound Music) • Rachael Dadd is a songwriter in thrall to nature,…
13.04.2011
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Elliot Hall
‘Adults Are Stupid’ (LP, self-released) • The title is just one affable feature of this…
06.04.2011
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James Brewster
‘As a Hovering Insect Mass Breaks Your Fall’ (LP, Make Mine Music) • Now living in Malmö,…
06.04.2011
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The Naturals
‘Gifthorse’/‘He Has An 80ft Tarantula’ (double A-side single, self-released) • The thing…
06.04.2011
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Principal Participant
‘Principles’ (Download LP, self-released) • “Minotaur Shock is my regular outlet for…
30.03.2011
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Emily Teague
‘Emily Teague’ (LP, self-released) • Bristol’s folkies have some bad habits – ‘spiritual’…
30.03.2011
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Pat Nicholson
‘Roll With It’ (LP, Pan Records) • Australian Pat Nicholson’s debut arrives with some…
30.03.2011
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The Egret Seacrow
‘Imaginatively, A Silk Wasp’ (LP, self-released) • A slight, delicate release – our copy…
23.03.2011
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Tony Harris
‘Choices’ (LP, self-released) • There is something of the madrigal about these simple,…
23.03.2011
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Color Of The Sun
‘Solong Suckers’ (LP, self-released) • Multi-instrumentalist Aron Ward is a Californian…
16.03.2011
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Honour Your Pain
'Between Blood and Pride' (EP) • Metal's such a crowded marketplace these days that you…
16.03.2011
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The Get-Outs
‘Exit’ (LP, Kitchen Rock Records) • The Get-Outs, currently celebrating their tenth year…
09.03.2011
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The Zen Hussies
‘Troubled Feet’ (LP, Musique DaDA) • If you’ve ever stumbled across a Zen Hussies gig the…
09.03.2011
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Badgertrap
‘Agony of Choice’ (EP/download, Kangaroo Kourt Records) • Product of Hal Camplin/Barry…
02.03.2011
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Central Spillz
'Space Travel' (LP, Durkle Disco) • In the increasingly boundary-bereft territory between…
23.02.2011
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TwoManTing
‘Legacy’ (LP, self-released) • Formed from Afro-dance outfit Le Cod Afrique, duo…
23.02.2011
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David Britton
'The Oldland Commoner Album’ (LP, self-released) • David Britton is a gent from Bristol’s…
23.02.2011
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Caricatures
‘Fire In The Womb’ (Single, Anticreation Productions) • Down-tuned strings, irregular…
16.02.2011
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Secret Shine
‘The Beginning and the End’ (LP, self-released) • Hard to believe these passionless…
16.02.2011
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