Music / Reviews
Review: Bristol Legends party, Ashton Gate Stadium – ‘Pulsed with unmistakeable Bristol spirit’
As the applause from the Bristol Legends awards faded, Ashton Gate Stadium traded ceremony for celebration as Bristol24/7 hosted an afterparty that pulsed with colour, sound and unmistakable Bristol spirit.
Glowing inflatable sculptures lit up the space and transformed the stadium into an immersive late-night playground.
The room filled quickly and the dance floor was alive with movement, as a special AV set from DJ Cheeba kicked off proceedings.
He managed to squeeze 60 songs that define the Bristol sound into 30 mins with synched video in hologram form that highlight the cultural moments and landmarks that make Bristol so special.
The Holotronica holigauze, used in shows around the world, was utilised throughout the night to bring Bristol legends into the room.
The Invisible Circus brought a moment of spectacle. As acrobats and aerialists took to the stage, the room tilted skyward.
Necks craned to view one performer on the aerial hoop that captivated the crowd. They twisted and glided above the stage with hypnotic precision. The pacing of the routine kept every gaze locked in place and made the busy room fall momentarily still.
Then the barrier dropped and the crowd flooded forward towards the stage, turning the event from an extravagant show to a proper Bristol knees-up.
Emily Breeze’s performance felt like a love letter to the city scrawled in eyeliner and electric guitar.
With tambourine shaking and guitar ringing out, her voice cut through the room with a punky elegance. At moments the sound drifted into a hazy shoegaze swirl, reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins, before snapping back into sharp-edged indie cool.
Her lyrics featured spoken and perfectly dry anecdotes about finally getting “a proper job” and blowing the money on motorbikes. The whole thing felt sultry and commanding.
Then Gardna arrived, and the night shifted gears. With the DJ laying down the foundations behind him, the Bristol MC took control of the room within seconds.
Offering a spin on classics like If We Ever and Back in the Dayz, it was a set that whispered the coming of festival season. When Gardna told the room to jump, nobody hesitated. The floor bounced, hands shot into the air, and it was impossible not to get swept up in it.
For many in the room it was easily the standout moment of the night.
Closing the evening were Laid Blak, bringing the celebration home with their unmistakable blend of dub and rock.
Fronted by MC Joe Peng and a powerhouse female vocalist, they knew exactly how to keep the crowd lifted and their set carried the final stretch of the night with warmth and swagger.
Their last track, My Eyes Are Red, drifted through the room on a deep, swaying dub rhythm.
By the time the lights came up at 2am, the room was still buzzing as guests filtered out of the stadium.
The Bristol Legends Awards afterparty felt like a perfect mix of performance, community and celebration with a genre-spanning lineup and infectious energy.
All images: Shotaway
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
