News / Old City Sounds
Day festival brings jazz, brass and secret gigs to 13 venues
Old City Sounds returns for its third edition on August 23.
The free one-day festival once again brings live music, DJs, family activities and entertainment to Bristol’s historic centre, taking over 13 venues in and around King Street.
While there’s an emphasis on jazz, soul and New Orleans brass, venues including Mr Wolfs, the Crown, Mothers’ Ruin, Seamus O’Donnells and the Glassboat have programmed an eclectic mix of musical acts that includes party starters, karaoke and cutting edge electronica.
The Old City will come to life with outdoor stages, street parties, buskers, family entertainment and late night music over August bank holiday – photo: Julian Preece
At the centre of the festivities lies the Old Duke Jazz festival, a weekend-long programme of live jazz, Blues, funk and swing that has been running for 58 years.
The stage with a long history of hosting the hottest jazz and Blues acts in town will welcome the Blues Mercenaries, the Soul Strutters, Flash Harry, the Malthouse Jazz Band and Jack Calloway & the Midnight Creepers.
Local legend Eddie Martin will perform with his electric Blues band, and the Severn Jazzmen, the Blue Notes – both of which have been playing at the pub for over five decades – and Jeremy Huggett’s Allsorts complete the lineup.
The Old Malthouse Jazz Band are one on a long list of bands performing as part of the Old Duke jazz festival, which overlaps with Old City Sounds – photo: Julian Preece
Round the corner, Mr Wolfs offers up a contrasting programme comprising an all-day street-to-club party that will begin on the outdoor stage at 3pm and continue inside until late, with funk-pop headliners Shake Your Brass and DJ Chef de Party helping take the venue through to 4am.
“The energy last year was electric – crowds were dancing all day and the venue was full until the early hours,” said programmer Paul James. “We’re upping the ante for 2025.”
Mr Wolfs uses an outdoor stage to bring a street party-like atmosphere to St Nicholas Street, with plans to bring the party indoors for more live music and DJs from 10pm – photo: Mr Wolfs
The Mothers’ Ruin will feature live trad jazz, Blues and Americana in the afternoon, then host takeovers from house / electronica collectives VooKoo and Bristol Zoo.
Late-night sets in the Rathouse club on Saint Nicholas Street will be curated by GetWeird, Mental Block Records and Rogue Frequency and music at the Crown will be programmed by Void Radio while Seamus O’Donnells will go a tad more traditional with an afternoon of live Irish folk.
St Stephen’s Church will be the base for a creative kids’ zone, with a free selection of circus skills workshops, African drumming, bubble magic and facepainting between noon and 5pm.
And Bristol Old Vic will host five Sofar Sounds gigs from 4pm, providing an atmospheric backdrop for the series of secret lineups, with artists only revealed when the audience is in situ.
The oldest continuously working theatre in the English-speaking world, Bristol Old Vic will provide a unique experience for those attending the surprise Sofar Sounds gigs on August 23 – photo: Julian Preece
The one day festival has been organised by Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID).
“Old City Sounds is a joyful celebration of Bristol’s cultural soul,” said BID’s Sarah Shutter.
“We’re proud to champion the city’s independent spirit – not only through the music and performances, but through the people, spaces and stories that make the Old City such a vibrant part of Bristol’s identity.”
More acts are still to be announced ahead of the event. Find all information oldcitysounds.co.uk
Main image: Julian Preece
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