April at Colston Hall
Posted on: 06 Apr 2018Spring has sprung and what a month they have lined up at Colston Hall. Pop indie heroes Bastille will take to the stage in April, thrilling fans with re-imagined hits accompanied by a full orchestra and choir. Orchestral accompaniments don’t stop at musical acts this month as Colston Hall’s Spielberg season continues, bringing cult classic ‘Jaws’ to the big screen with a live orchestra to accompany with one of the most iconic soundtracks of all time.
***TO BUY TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS CLICK HERE***
Making us laugh they have the likes of Alice Levine, James Cooper and Jamie Morton aka the readers of the hit podcast ‘My Dad Wrote a Porno’. The trio will be reading, critiquing and generally dissolving into laughter whilst delving into a ‘lost chapter’ from the infamous erotic saga ‘Belinda Blinked’.
Contemporary music biennial Bristol New Music weekend returns to venues across the city, including St George’s Bristol, Colston Hall, Victoria Rooms and Spike Island. Both established and emerging artists explore new realms in sound spanning jazz, classical, installation art and electronica, over this weekend-long takeover.
Rock and Pop: Gregory Porter, Colston Hall, 7:30pm, Tuesday 3rd April, £45.69-£53.75 inc. booking fee
Jazz and soul sensation Gregory Porter returns to Colston Hall for a night dedicated to his music icon, Nat King Cole. Having scooped a Grammy and MOBO Award, and performed to packed venues across the world last year, it’s fair to say there’s something undeniable about his talent. In this unique and deeply personal tribute, Porter will lend his smooth vocals to iconic Cole tunes like Mona Lisa and Nature Boy.
Families: Andy and The Odd Socks, 1:30 & 5pm, Wednesday 4th April, The Lantern, £12.90-£16.12 inc. booking fee
Andy Day, Star of Children’s TV, proudly presents his brand new rock and roll band for kids….Andy and the Odd Socks! Andy has shown his musical credentials before via his hugely popular dinosaur raps, which have amassed a whopping 12 million views on YouTube. Come join us for a show jam packed with hilarious songs, fun loving characters, and an important message about celebrating your individuality. Don’t forget to wear your odd socks!
Film screening: Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert, Colston Hall, 7pm, Thursday 5th April, £27.50 to £55.00
Kicking off Colston Hall’s Spielberg season - the film that gave the world one of its greatest movie heroes, Indiana Jones - is back and better than ever before. Relive the magic on the silver screen with the original great adventure Raiders of the Lost Ark, with John Williams’ epic score performed live to picture by The Czech National Symphony Orchestra.
Rock and Pop: Julia Biel, The Lantern, 7:30pm, Thursday 5th April, £16.12 inc. booking fee
Award winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Julia Biel, has been likened to everyone from Billie Holiday to Björk. Biel’s pioneering and self-produced debut album ‘Not Alone’ received great praise for her Winehouse-sharp perspective on life and love and smooth vocals. Performing new and old tracks in The Lantern, expect spine-tingling, golden age jazz harmonies seen through a modern lens.
Rock and Pop: Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker, The Lantern, 8pm, Friday 6th April, £13.50 inc. booking fee
British folk duo Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker began their musical partnership in 2010 with the release of ‘Our Light is Gone’, a delicately arranged and deeply melancholic set that recalled folk icons like Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, and Joni Mitchell. With Josienne’s haunting vocals matching Ben Walker’s expressive guitar, the pair are sure to captivate.
Event: Record and CD Fair, The Foyer, 10-4:00pm, Saturday 7th April, Free admission
The biggest record fair in the South West is back at Colston Hall; spread over three floors it boasts up to seventy dealers. Traders from all over the South attend the event, with buyers from as far-afield as Japan, Russia and Poland. The fair is mostly vinyl, (LP, 12” and 7”), with a few CD traders selling hard to find and discounted titles. You’ll find everything in the hall from £1 bargains to expensive rarities, and dealers specialising in most genres of music from the fifties to present day.
Rock and Pop: Musu ft The Golden Filter and Palmbomen ii, The Lantern, 7pm, Saturday 7th April, £10.75 inc. booking fee
Musu are known for bringing Bristol based House music nights - delivering extended sets in intimate spaces. Now they return for their first show of the year, featuring two mesmerising electronic live acts. The Golden Filter is an American/Australian electronic music duo from New York City, formed in 2008, now based in London. The band consists of Penelope Trappes and Stephen Hindman. Palmbomen ii is Los Angeles electronic artist, Kai Hugo - expect pounding drums and out of control synth choirs.
Classical: NCO Main Orchestra Spring Concert - Landscapes and Seascapes, Colston Hall, 6:30pm, Sunday 8th April, £0-£27.95 inc. booking fee
The National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain are celebrating their 40th anniversary with an incredible classical musical showcase, set to inspire music lovers of all ages. Landscapes and Seascapes is a concert told in two halves, a dizzying journey through the world and its waters. Astonishing audiences since 1978, their accomplished main orchestra now make their 2018 concert debut. Perfect for the whole family, this promises to be a fun and magical night.
Rock and Pop: Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary Tour, Colston Hall, 7:30pm, Monday 9th April, £26.88-£43.00 inc. booking fee
Ian Anderson and the Tull band celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of one of the world’s most successful and enduring progressive rock bands. The group achieved commercial success in 1969 with the album ‘Stand Up’, which reached No. 1 in the UK charts. This anniversary concert will feature a broad mix of material, some of it focussing on the earlier formative period through to the later “heavy hitters” of the Tull catalogue.
Comedy: Mark Steel, The Lantern, 8pm, Monday 9th- Wednesday 11th April, SOLD OUT
Razor-sharp columnist, writer and comedian Mark Steel is back with a new show that takes a frank and dryly funny perspective on a seriously messed-up world. Famously left wing, Steel has made appearances on a stack of radio and television panel shows and is perhaps best known for presenting The Mark Steel Lectures. Steel’s latest show is a darkly comic yet profound view on the world today.
Classical: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Images and Dreams, Colston Hall, 7:30pm, Thursday 12th April, £1-£36 inc. booking fee
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is the resident orchestra at Colston Hall, performing a series of concerts here every year. Now… Spring is in the air! Much in demand on both sides of the pond, Robert Trevino joins forces for the Mendelssohn with Dutch violinist, Simone Lamsma, whose Beethoven with the orchestra under Karabits displays a sense of line and phrase that holds audiences spellbound.
Classical: YCAT Lunchtime Concert - Daniel Lebhardt, The Lantern, 1:05pm, Friday 13th April, £5.50 inc. booking fee
Award winning young Hungarian pianist Daniel Lebhardt has performed all over the world including America, Germany and France. He will be performing Beethoven and Ravel in this very special lunchtime concert presented by the Young Classical Artists Trust.
Rock and Pop: Bastille, Colston Hall, 7pm, Friday 13th April, £43 inc. booking fee – SOLD OUT
Kings of indie pop Bastille return to Colston Hall for a sell out show. With two No.1 albums under their belt, ‘Wild World’ and ‘Bad Blood’, Colston Hall sees Bastille perform their biggest hits with a live orchestra and choir for what is sure to be a spine-tingling, energetic evening.
Rock and Pop: Let’s Eat Grandma, The Lantern, 7pm, Friday 13th April, £10.75 inc. booking fee
Teenage British duo Let’s Eat Grandma burst onto the scene with their cult album ‘I, Gemini’. Challenging gender politics with their exhilarating sound, Let’s Eat Grandma aim to entertain musically whilst defying conformity.
Film screening: Jaws in Concert, Colston Hall, 7pm, Saturday 14th April, £27.50-£55 inc. booking fee
Colston Hall’s Spielberg season continues with the original summer movie blockbuster, Jaws. With an Academy Award®-winning score that made John Williams a household name, Jaws is the ultimate film-with-live-orchestra experience. Now for the first time, audiences will have the chance to experience the power of a live symphony orchestra performing the entire score in sync with one of the greatest motion pictures of all time.
World: London Astrobeat Orchestra performs Talking Heads, The Lantern, 8pm, Saturday 14th April, £16.12 inc. booking fee
Bringing together the finest West African session musicians on the planet, the inimitable London Astrobeat Orchestra present a night of iconic music by Talking Heads. Following sell-out performances at The Jazz Cafe in London, the Orchestra pick up the strong Afrobeat currents that run through the Talking Heads back-catalogue and recreate tracks from cult albums like ‘Remain In The Light’ and ‘Speaking in Tongues’.
Education: Stages 2018, Colston Hall, 1pm-1:30pm-7:30pm-8pm, Sun 15 - Sat 28 Apr 2018, £8.06 to £11.30 incl. booking fee
Bristol Plays Music is Bristol’s hub for music education, believing in the power of music to inspire, teach and transform lives. This annual school and youth dance event features over 2,000 performers from across the city.
Comedy: My Dad Wrote A Porno, Colston Hall, 8pm, Monday 16th April, £29.56 inc. booking fee
Following the success of the enormously successful podcast ‘My Dad Wrote A Porno’, Alice Levine, Jamie Morton and James Cooper bring a live reading of a lost chapter from the notorious Belinda Blinked Saga to the Colston Hall stage. Reading from Morton’s father’s erotic novel, the trio react and comment on the witticisms of ‘erotic’ novel that is Belinda Blinked. With a strong cult following and almost 100 million downloads, this live reading will be a unique opportunity to witness the hilarity in the flesh.
World: Toko Telo, The Lantern, 8pm, Tuesday 17th April, £10.75-£12.90
Toko Telo (meaning ‘group of three’) is a trio of top Madagascan musicians: guitarist D’Gary, accordionist Regis Gizavo and vocalist Monika Njava. Madagascan heroes Toko Telo revisit their shared southern roots. Interpreting traditional musical styles like tsapiky, jihe and beko with sublime musicianship and artistry, Toko Telo provide the perfect introduction to some of the best music that Madagascar can offer.
Rock and Pop: Marillion, Colston Hall, 7pm, Tuesday 17th April, £32.25 - £37.62 inc. booking fee
Marillion emerged from the brief progressive rock revival of the early 1980s to become an international recording and touring phenomenon who have sold more than 15 million albums. Marillion have been making music for over 30 years, releasing 18 albums over 38 years. Known for continually defying expectations, this show will push the boundaries of progressive rock.
Comedy: Simon Evans, The Lantern, 8pm, Wednesday 18th April, £15.05 inc. booking fee
Dapper gent Simon Evans has been performing stand-up for over fifteen years and counting, and has quietly made himself heard with his dry wit and aloof, disdainful delivery. Commonly dressed in a suit and tie, he plays the condescending ex-public schoolboy with minimal physical gesture, leaving his writing skills to speak for themselves. Expect sore ribs from his socio-political witticisms.
Rock and Pop: Alexander O’Neal, Colston Hall, 7pm, Thursday 19th April, £28.49 - £36.02 inc. booking fee
Thirty years on and the irresistible, smash hits that made Alexander O’Neal an R&B icon continue to light up dancefloors and pull audiences to their feet. O’Neil, who sprang from the same Minneapolis funk scene as Prince, is a triple platinum-selling artist and famously sold out Wembley over six consecutive nights. With his passion undimmed, O’Neal’s R&B sound is sure to enchant crowds back to 1987.
Rock and Pop: Lost Horizons, The Lantern, 7:30pm, Thursday 19th April, £13.44 inc. booking fee
Lost Horizons is a rare sighting of two gifted musicians, Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde and Dif Juz drummer Richie Thomas. Collaborators and friends in the eighties, their debut record ‘Ojalá’ is proof of their telepathic relationship through music. Giving an intimate performance in The Lantern, these musical heavyweights will be joined by a glittering cast of special guests.
Comedy: Grumpy Old Women, Colston Hall, 7:30pm, Friday 20th April, £24.19-£26.88 inc. booking fee
Grumpy Old Women began as a British television programme that has now become a much-vaunted live comedy show, written by Judith Holder and Jenny Eclair. The Grumps are back with a new and no-holds-barred take on modern life. Perrier Award-winning comedian, writer and godmother of feminist comedy Jenny Eclair is joined by Dillie Keane and stand-up Lizzie Roper for a night of glorious grumpiness and growing old disgracefully.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Ulrich Mertin, Victoria Rooms, 1:15pm, Friday 20th April 2018, Free
German experimental viola player, Ulrich Mertin, has made waves across the music world by combining classical, house, folk, experimental and electronic styles. In this performance at the University of Bristol’s Auditorium, Mertin will showcase the possibilities of his instrument in a programme of music that ranges from the theatrical sensitivities of Aperghis to the delightful grooves of Kenji Bunch.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: AUDINT – Unsound: Undead, audio-visual exhibition and performances, Spike Island, Friday, April 20th 6-8pm (installation preview), Saturday and Sunday 21st-22nd April, both 11am-5pm, FREE
AUDINT is a sonic research cell that first came into being just after WW2. Exploring the concept of sound as a weapon of war, these events will form a weekend of installations, workshops, talks and performances under the curation of AUDINT, a European artistic collective made up of artists, musicians and DJs including Eleni Ikoniadou, Patrick Defasten, Toby Heys, Steve Goodman (aka Hyperdub founder and musician Kode9) and Souzanna Zamfe. A specially-created sound system will be at the centre of the Spike Island events, which will expose the listener to infrasonic and ultrasonic frequencies which are as much felt as heard.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Elysia Crampton: Red Clouds, Coby Sey, Laurie & Olly and AUDINT, Spike Island, 8pm-midnight, Friday 20th April, £13.44 inc. booking fee
AUDINT present a short lecture on the “century of zombie sound,” stretching from 1944 to 2064; taking in histories and speculations from the WW2 Ghost Army to the Wandering Soul strategy in Vietnam. This is followed by performances from multi-disciplinary Aymaran artist and electronic musician, Elysia Crampton, presenting the UK premiere of her new solo show Red Clouds, plus a live set from elusive London bass music protagonist Coby Sey
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Evan Parker (Trance Map), St. George’s Bristol, 10pm, Friday 20 April 2018, £10.00 plus £1 postage fee where applicable
Evan Parker is one of history’s great saxophone players. Pushing the instrument into uncharted waters since his emergence in the late 1960s, Parker’s improvisational style has helped to redefine what the saxophone can do. In this exciting performance, Parker will be joined by two master musicians – electronic artist Matt Wright and cellist Hannah Marshall – to create new sounds and experiences based on his electrifying music.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: BULO, Victoria Rooms, 12pm, Saturday 21st April, Free
Bristol University Loudspeaker Orchestra (BULO) is a unique platform of multiple loudspeakers that creates immersive mobile sound environments for people to share as a concert audience. In this special concert, BULO presents the winning works in its international composition competition, presented in glorious hyper-surround sound. Travel with your ears!
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: The Anatomy of The Orchestra, Steve Reich – The Four Sections, Foyer, 2:30pm & 5pm, Saturday 21st April, Free
The orchestra is a thing of wonder. It is also, invariably, a thing of mystery: a huge number of musicians playing in perfect time. How does this happen? The Anatomy of the Orchestra is part concert, part installation, providing a thrilling opportunity for the audience to climb inside this perfect team, to immerse themselves in its mechanisms and to explore its process. The Anatomy of the Orchestra will turn Colston Hall’s foyer inside out, as a total of fifty-one musicians – directed by the critically acclaimed Charles Hazlewood.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Aether Music and Oramics – show-and-tell, St George’s Bristol, 5pm, Saturday 21st April, £2.50, Free to evening concert ticket holders
Tom Richards is an artist, instrument designer, musician and DJ based in London UK. He is known for creating graphic scores with an instrument called the mini Oramics machine – an early synthesiser designed by electronic pioneer Daphne Oram. Sarah Angliss is a composer, performer, sound historian and robotic artist. A special session suitable for all ages to get up close to Tom Richard’s Mini Oramics machine and the theremin. Player Sarah Angliss will talk about the theramin’s extraordinary history and demonstrate a couple of the music machines she’s designed and built.?
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Keith Tippett Octet with Matthew Bourne, Colston Hall, Saturday April 21st, 6.30pm, £17.50 incl. booking fee
Bristol-born pianist and composer Keith Tippett, one of the biggest influences in UK jazz since the 1960s, will combine his considerable talent with fellow pianist Matthew Bourne and the Keith Tippett Octet, the collective that played on his most recent recording The Nine Dreams of Patrick Gonogon. For fans of jazz, this is a rare chance to see two masters of their craft at work.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Sarah Angliss, St George’s Bristol, Saturday April 21st, 7.30pm, £7.50 plus £1 postage fee where applicable
Electronic innovator and BBC Radiophonic workshop co-founder Daphne Oram designed, but never finished, a one-of-a-kind synthesiser using graphics. Using her original notes and diagrams, Tom Richards finished the project and will play his Mini Oramics machine alongside Sarah Angliss, who specialises in theremin, robotic carillon and other instruments. Both performers will perform their own graphic scores composed for this amazing instrument.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Moritz Von Oswald & Rashad Becker with Eric Chenaux, The Cube, Saturday April 21st, 8pm, £16.25 incl. booking fee
Electronic experimenters Rashad Becker and Moritz Von Oswald have been pivotal figures in European experimental music for two decades, in particular giving the sound of the piano a new identity. Eric Chenaux, a key player in the DIY and electronic underworld of Toronto for much of the 1990s and 2000s, will join them at The Cube, bringing his unique playing of the acoustic guitar to what should be a stunning evening.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Bristol Ensemble, University of Bristol Auditorium, Victoria Rooms, Sunday April 22nd, 1pm, £10.75 incl. booking fee
The city’s only professional orchestra will perform new works by young Bristol University graduates Carmen Ho and Matthew Olyver, along with the words of Gavin d’Costa set to music by John Pickard. The Bristol Ensemble frequently collaborates with world-famous artists and has recorded award-winning music for TV and film, including the score for Any Human Heart, which won a BAFTA.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Ensemble Variances, Victoria Rooms, 5pm, Sunday 22nd April, £5.38-£16.13 inc. booking fee
Ensemble Variances was in residence at the University of Bristol from 2015-2017 supported by the Carr-Gregory Trust and Diaphonique. Their performances are about experiencing the music, being touched by the deeper layers you will never get to know by just using your ears.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, IMAX, 6:30pm & 9pm, Sunday 22 April 2018, £15.00 incl. booking fee
As a recent music graduate, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith borrowed a neighbour’s Buchla 100 synthesizer and started to experiment. Taking inspiration from the psychedelic electro-pioneers of the sixties, the LA based composer sculpts lush and exciting worlds of sound, with her latest album, ‘Ears’, released in April 2016 to widespread critical acclaim. This will be a unique IMAX experience.
BRISTOL NEW MUSIC: A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Sportsmans, Sunday April 22nd, 8pm, £12.56 incl. booking fee
Perhaps best known as the drummer for Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeremy Barnes started A Hawk and a Hacksaw in France in 2000 for the purpose of collecting music while travelling. Fast forward to 2018, and along with violinist Heather Trost, Barnes will take Bristol New Music into the unfamiliar surroundings of the Sportsmans public house on Colston Street, unfolding musical tales of life on the road. One not to be missed.
UWE Festival of Sound, Colston Hall, 4pm, Sunday 22nd April, £1.07 - £5.38 inc. booking fee
The UWE Bristol Orchestra and Singers perform Karl Jenkins’ epic Songs of the Earth to open the headline 4pm concert for this year’s Festival of Sound. We also welcome the UWE Bristol Big Band, and special guests the Bristol Reggae Orchestra and a massed ensemble from partner primary schools for the second half, for breathtaking performances and a sensational massed finale.
Rock and Pop: Blanco White, The Lantern, 7:30pm, Monday 23rd April, £8.60 inc. booking fee
The solo project of London guitar whiz-kid, Josh Edwards, Blanco White brings together the twin musical charms of Spanish and Latin American music. Millions of fans have been moved by watching the emotional and captivating music created as a result, and this seated show will be the perfect way to enjoy the magic up close.
Rock and pop: Barenaked Ladies, Colston Hall, 7pm, Tuesday 24th April, £31.71 to £42.46 inc. booking fee
Canada’s alt-pop whirlwind the Barenaked Ladies have mixed multiple styles in their lengthy time together as a band, but it’s the uplifting madness of their 1998 single “One Week” that propelled them to global attention. Known for inviting the audience to join the fun between - and during - songs, the band began as a warm-up act for comedy gigs on college campuses and have never lost their sense of fun.
Rock and Pop: Josh Rouse, The Lantern, 8pm, Tuesday 24th April, £18.81 inc. booking fee
Josh Rouse may have been born in Nebraska but his American folk/roots pop tunes come direct from Nashville, where his infectious style grabbed the attention of US audiences. Borrowing from many different artists and benefitting from a spell in Spain where he absorbed plenty of the nation’s musical culture, Rouse now sings in more than one language as well as in many styles. A voice and talent to really grab the attention, he’ll be supported by Field Division.
Rock and Pop: Bryan Ferry, Colston Hall, 7pm, Wednesday 25th April, £37.62 to £134.38 inc. booking fee
The driving force behind Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry CBE remains one of the most iconic and innovative artists still touring today. It’s not just his songwriting which keeps audiences coming back, but his ability to craft lyrics that move people as much as the music.
‘Slave to Love’, ‘More than This’ and ‘Jealous Guy’ are just a handful of his hits, part of a prolific writing career which produced some of the most recognisable pop songs of the past three decades.
Rock and Pop: Grant Lee Phillips, The Lantern, 8pm, Wednesday 25th April, £18.81 inc. booking fee
Having made his name as lead singer of Grant Lee Buffalo with a voice that led to him being voted Rolling Stone’s Male Vocalist of the Year, Grant Lee Phillips forged his own path in 1999 and continues to produce not just memorable music but powerful live shows.
Rock and Pop: G3, Colston Hall, 7:30pm, Thursday 26th April, £37.62 to £215 inc. booking fee
For fans of the power generated by rock guitarists it doesn’t come bigger than this. Since 1996, Joe Satriani’s G3 tours have combined the planet’s greatest guitar players into one live experience and taken that show around the world.
This time the world-renowned guitar virtuoso comes to Bristol with a stellar line-up featuring Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and Uli Roth, former lead guitarist with The Scorpions. The show will be crowned with a huge guitar jam at the end.
Rock and Pop: Drenge, The Lantern, 7pm, Friday 27th April, 7pm SOLD OUT
Having supported the likes of Wolf Alice and Bloc Party, Drenge come to Bristol as part of their first UK headline tour.
Since their self-titled debut album took the indie charts by storm, the brothers from Sheffield have earned plenty of critical acclaim for their haunting grunge, dark wit and heavy riffs.
Rock and Pop: Peter Hammill, The Lantern, 7pm, Sunday 29th April, 7pm SOLD OUT
Founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill has been, and remains, an English music visionary.
An accomplished producer and multi-instrumentalist, Hammill’s stunning vocals have been the mainstay of a career that has seen him produce magnificent, original work over a career that spans more than 40 years.
Light Entertainment: Daniel O’Donnell, Colston Hall, 7:30pm, Sunday 29 Apr 2018, £45.69 to £48.38 incl. booking fee
International singing star Daniel O’Donnell is one of the best-loved music artists on the planet. Over a thirty year career, Daniel has released an incredible 31 top 30 albums and, most recently, was awarded an MBE from the Queen. Now, the global star returns to the Colston Hall stage with his new band and special guest Mary Duff for a show-stopping night of trad, country, easy listening and rock ‘n’ roll.
To buy tickets and find out more about Colston Hall, click here.
Colston Hall is located at Colston St, Bristol BS1 5AR
Article by:
Hannah recently graduated with a degree in English with Writing. She is an avid writer, freelancer and creative. She is currently writing her first full-length novel and a collection of poetry. Always out and about in Bristol's music scene, she attends music events on a weekly basis.
