Bristol Live Music Highlights - July 2018
Posted on: 02 Jul 2018Here at 365Bristol, we're committed to making you aware of the best Bristol has to offer in terms of live music, great food and drink, days out and more. With the Live Music Highlights series, we'll be providing you with a list of the top live events at the beginning of every month, taking into account some of the city's favourite acts and venues as well as some you might never have heard of. This month's list is slightly top-heavy, with a great run of events falling in the last few days of the month that includes performances from David Rodigan, Craig Charles, Grandmaster Flash, Harvey Causon and many more.
Bristol Harbour Festival @ Multiple Venues, Friday 20th-Sunday 22nd July
The Harbour Festival is one of Bristol's favourite Summer events for a number of reasons, not least the fact that it repeatedly attracts some huge musical talent to the city every year. It's free to attend and regularly attracts crowds of over 250,000 people to celebrate Bristol's rich history and incredible music and art scene.
Following on from last year's huge lineup that saw the 20-piece Outlook Orchestra and Roots Manuva head up the main stage at Lloyd's Amphitheatre, this year's music programme is looking even stronger. The lineup, spread across numerous stages and venues, features hip-hop royalty Jimmy Cliff & Grandmaster Flash with Trojan Soundsystem, Bristol Reggae Orchestra on Saturday afternoon, local singer-songwriter Harvey Causon on board the Thekla boat on Sunday and many more throughout the weekend.
Future Islands @ Venue TBA, Friday 20th July (Skyline Series)
As part of the hotly anticipated Skyline Series, which kicked off last month with Echo & The Bunnymen and UB40, indie four-piece Future Islands are set to perform live in Bristol in an intimate Summer setting. Currently on the last leg of their UK & European tour before heading back to their native United States, the band are no strangers to large-scale gigs, having previously performed at huge festivals like Glastonbury, Primavera Sound and Coachella, and opening for the likes of Morrissey and Grace Jones.
The show was originally scheduled to be held at St. Phillips Gate, but a late change has meant that the organisers are yet to secure a new venue. Follow the Skyline Series' Facebook Page for updates and venue information as soon as it's confirmed.
Dimensions Festival x Dropout Disco @ Lakota, Friday 20th July
Dropout Disco are renowned for bringing some of the best parties of the year to the Bristol's best venues time and time again. They may well have outdone themselves with this one though, not only collaborating with celebrated Croatian festival Dimensions but also securing the services of the internationally-renowned man of the moment in the underground music scene, Hunee, for their event at Lakota this month.
As a part of this year's Dimensions International series, held in the buildup to their renowned event at Fort Punta, Croatia at the end of August, Berlin-based selector Hunee will be bringing the vibes to Bristol in a way that only he knows how to. Known as one of the most committed crate-diggers in the game, no one transcends so many genres and styles in DJ sets quite like he does, and he's sure to provide you with a night you certainly won't forget in a hurry. He'll be joined on the night by Dimensions Soundsystem, Dropout Disco residents and Bristol local Sam Hall.
Sequences Festival @ Motion, Saturday 21st July
This year's Sequences Festival has teamed up with three of the UK's most exciting bass music institutions as well as some of the world's most powerful soundsystems to bring a huge event to Motion this month. Boasting a huge lineup that features the likes of Mist, Rejjie Snow, Noisia, Ivy Lab, Kahn & Neek and many more, Sequences is certainly not one to be missed for any drum n bass, hip-hop or grime fans.
Second release tickets for the event on Saturday 21st are still available in limited numbers, so book yours now via the link above to avoid paying the full final release price!
Craig Charles Summer Party @ Thekla, Friday 27th July
Summer sunshine, the Thekla boat and Craig Charles' unrivalled selection of some of the best funk & soul records of all time. If you're sat thinking "wow, that sounds like a match made in heaven", you're right. As someone who's seen the former Red Dwarf and Coronation Street actor play DJ sets on two separate occasions, I couldn't recommend it more as a guaranteed feel-good party that's certain to put a smile on your face.
Charles' Saturday evening Funk n Soul Show on BBC 6 Music has become an essential listen for thousands of music fans since it started out, sending a selection of crowd-pleasers out over the airwaves week in week out. His live show is no different, an unforgettable party for people of all ages. And with tickets at just £14 this one's a bit of a no-brainer.
David Rodigan @ O2 Academy Bristol, Saturday 28th July
Legend status pretty much confirmed at this point, there's not much that David 'Ram Jam' Rodigan hasn't done in his illustrious career as a DJ. As well as an extensive knowledge of Reggae and Dancehall, he has also been heavily involved with parts of the UK's underground music scene since getting involved with BBC Radio 1Xtra, championing up-and-coming musicians and under-represented genres.
Rodigan will play a set at Bristol's O2 Academy this month as part of his 40th Anniversary DJ Tour, backed up on the night by Chris Ellis, Claire Angel, Junior Chin, Tenor Star, Qualitex Sound, DJ Wayne Irie and DJ Skel. You won't want to miss this one - anybody who's been DJing for 40-plus years must have at least some idea of what he's doing.
Fat Lip Fest @ The Lanes, Saturday 28th July
The South-West's favourite alternative pop-punk party is back! After the huge success of last year's inaugural Fat Lip Fest, which was held across three stages in two venues (The Lanes and The Bierkeller), brought some incredible talent through the doors and welcomed a selection of the biggest bands in the country!
This year's iteration looks to be even bigger, with acts like Mallory Knox, Black Peaks, Hacktivist, Area 11, New Volume and loads more already confirmed on the lineup. Tickets for this one are certain to sell out before the date given Fat Lip's huge popularity in Bristol, so act now and book yours before it's too late!
For more information on any of the events above, or to book your tickets, follow the links to the respective listings. All ticketing information is correct at the time of writing. Have we missed your event from this list? Let us know through our contact page.
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
