Music / Features
The Bristol bands breaking the mould
In regional band scenes every place has its palette. It just so happens that Bristol’s tastes are on the spicy side.
It’s a city where the weird is wonderfully expected and for that reason artists are having to push increasingly hard to turn heads and widen eyes.
The city fosters an attitude of doing your own thing, with its vibrantly active independent music platforms – venues, radio shows, zines and festivals – all providing a stage for unique voices, all born from a love of novel ways of expression.
With this encouragement for artists to pursue what sets them apart, it’s no wonder that we find the scene in the grooves of something great.
Photo Credit: Tyler Tuncer
In the next six weeks from the time of writing two of the largest independent local music festivals will take place – Ritual Union (March 29) and Outer Town (April 12).
Across the billings are homegrown artists who break the mould of what to expect from a live show, in sound and in optics. Here is a selection of five such artists worth the price of admission.
Art punk, anarchy pop, nu-rave gone shoegaze
For fans of: Melt-Banana, Fat Dog
Playing: Ritual Union
An MP3 Chainsaw show is like a conduit of lightning firing off for 45 minutes – and suddenly its over. You’re left mouth agape and in total stunned silence by the rocket-fuelled sound that has charged out from the speakers.
Combining thumping hard dance principles with a free roaming semi-improvised lead guitar, they lay down the foundations for you to find the beat and then hit you with a sound that pushes the track to its extremes.
Be prepared to have your tastes challenged, your heart pounding and your socks solidly blown off.
Post-hardcore, alt-rock, massive sound
For fans of: early Idles, Mclusky
Playing: Outer Town, Trinity
Knives are sharp, steel solid and deadly.
Homegrown from BIMM alumni they’ve exploded in popularity since graduating, garnering a die hard fanbase locally and striking a chord in France where they’ve toured frequently in the last two years.
Their sound is massive, guaranteed to make the window frames shake; their stage presence is chaotic and masterful, feeding crowds everything they need to cut loose and stomp to infinity.
Go down to experience the crowd as much as the music.
Blues, folk, funk
For fans of: the Pogues, Ian Dury
Playing: Outer Town, The Ill Repute
TSE put on a feast of a show.
The sextet is comprised of multi-instrumentalists so the sound can change wildly from song to song. Each set feels fresh and like a punchdrunk raga of high-energy folk and blues.
Imagine an old Irish pub band, fronted by Rick James and you’re along the right track of what to expect from TSE.
Art-punk, experimental jazz, performance art
For fans of: Fugazi, Black Midi
Playing: Outer Town, The Stag And Hound
As unpredictable as they are entertaining, The Scuttlers deliver a show that keeps you guessing.
The four-piece comprises seasoned folk and jazz players looking to infect the room with a fervent intensity. They’re the punk band that know how to play soft.
A large draw is the live performance from frontman Myer U Clark. Always cranking things up as high as they can go, his stage persona is one of demented contortions, pseudo-tantrums and speaking in made up languages between songs to see if the audience will buy that he’s from a more exotic part of Europe.
Power pop, dance music, indie
For fans of: The Streets
Playing: Ritual Union
Get Down are as British as a Wellington boot filled with baked beans.
Their shows are essentially two shirtless blokes singing and dancing to a thumping backing track with a couple of beers thrown in the mix.
With songs on subjects anywhere from Jamie Oliver to Dog Dribble their subject matter is eclectic in its kitchen sink mundanities. Their incredible talent is creating songs as comedic and entertaining as they are dance floor fillers.
Get down to Get Down Services if you want to laugh, dance and have pure fun.
Main image: Olga Dubrova
Read Next:
- Ritual Union returns with fresh sounds for 2025
- Review: Outer Town Festival a roaring success
- MP3 Chainsaw: The five piece band distorting genres and reality
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