Bands & Musicians

Brejeiro is an exciting acoustic group that specialises in the Choro style of music from Brazil. Twin mandolins play haunting melodies over pulsating rhythm guitar, all propelled by dynamic latin percussion that makes dancing irresistible, Brejeiro mix traditional Choro tunes with contemporary songs and original compositions in a vibrant show that has been getting rave reviews.

Joyshop are an original 5-piece Folk and Roll band based between Bristol, London and Cambridge. They play music for all occasions with a folky tint. From silky smooth acoustic numbers to deep, deep funk. The harmonious vocals and strings of Tom McNeil and Beth Winter complement a driving three-part rhythm section. The band are always happy to play and are keen to get involved!

Wiltshire based Power-Folk duo The Haiku create "high energy music played on traditional folk instruments but influenced by college rock, punk and pop." Vocals, acoustic guitar and drums, cut-the-crap lyrics, a sense of adventure and an infectious energy combined to form witty, melodic and memorable songs. Busy gigging up and down the country so catch them at a venue near you! 

Imagine Faith No More mutated with Sylvester, playing at full pelt, and then turning up the volume, Now add stage conquering personalities and an infectious knack of songwriting and bass heavy arrangements. You would have created a huge rock monster of a live act . Venue Magazine

Official site of Benita Johnson, all original UK singer songwriter, live performance (gigging) and recording musician from Bristol, South West. Buy CDs, download tracks, book and message here!

Twisted have earned the reputation as Bristol’s only original no-nonsense, hard rock band and have built a dedicated following of loyal fans. Packing live performances in front of their famous wall of Marshall amps, Twisted are the ultimate in hard rock, and not just because of the buzz you take away from every gig. With too many influences to mention, Twisted are backed up with years of experience and provide an exciting new perspective to live music. Combining a tight mix of anthemic vocals, powerhouse drumming, thundering bass tones and the apocalyptic riffs. Aggression, beauty and yet a distinct commerciality have placed Twisted in a new and exciting niche in the constant changing world of music. With frequent airplay and high profile support to legendary rock bands will no doubt soon be replaced with bands own well deserved headline status. Despite their achievements, Twisted remain modest allowing their music to do the talking exuding their obvious love for their own style of hard hitting rock which should not be missed. TWISTED have recently recorded a Live Sessions demo at Bink Bonk studios in Bristol.You can hear 4 of their tracks on their website.

A latin funk band from Bristol, UK with musicians from Uruguay, Colombia, Chile and England, playing salsa, Brazilian music, reggae, funk, jazz, flamenco and hip hop. Songs are sung in Spanish and are a mixture of Latin standards and original material.

Welcome to The Suspects, an authentic soul band based in Bristol.  The band are proud to offer a non-stop, high energy two and a quarter hour set (with interval), that will guarantee to get everyone on the dance floor from the first song to the last! Our many years of experience in this business mean that we maintain our professionalism in appearance and conduct throughout an event

CCQ serves up a unique fusion of drum'n'bass, hip-hop and jazz influenced live breakbeat. They are a mainstay of the live club scene in the south west and have fans all over the world.

A 4 piece Madchester tribute act formed in 2006 to bring Baggy back to the masses.

Versatile 2-6 piece jazz & funk band based between Bristol and Bath. Ideal for weddings, parties & corporate events. Plays background jazz, mellow soul, plus jazz & funk for dancing. We can vary from a jazz duo to a 6 piece funk band depending on your needs. Listen to music clips, read client feedback and request a quote at our web site.

Keith is a singer-songwriter and plays acoustic guitar and harmonica, usually accompanied by Stuart Gordon on violin and Kit Morgan or Rick Payne on acoustic and electric guitars. He also organises music events, and has presented his own radio show on BBC Radio Bristol for the past 15 years. 

FAB 208 are the West's longest running 70's tribute band and have been performing since 1992. They have toured with Les McKeown's 70's Bay City Rollers and The Glitter Band on numerous occasions and have also appeared alongside Roy Wood, Rubettes and Slade at various 70's festivals. 

Whiskey Position blasted onto the Bristol music Pub scene in January 2005, and has been going from strength to strength ever since. With a continually evolving eclectic mix of rock and blues covers, you will never hear the same set twice! 

With Steve Reeves' distinctive vocal Crossfire are a formidable rock band, with plenty of power and showmanship. 

"Indica's sound is choppy, it's unpredictable, it has melody and crushing heaviness in bucketloads, and most of all it is unique." 

Minor Swing can take you on a journey through Jazz . Whether playing Hot Club Swing, Bebop or the mellow tones of cool Blues and Bossa, this compelling duo will captivate you with their unique sound.

James Gale, singer-songwriter guitarist, playing acoustic roots, country and folk.  James has been compared with Leonard Cohen, Ralph McTell, Glen Campbell, Roy Harper, Al Stewart, Christy Moore and others, even including Bob Dylan! – James has many influences but essentially they are peripheral – he is an original.

Katus Young sings and plays guitar, kicking out folk music "with its creative spirit intact. A genuine and creative medium of story telling." 

Formed in 1998, by Will Smalley, Thomas Elgie and George Elgie we started out as Octane Bud before mutating into Gonga, a band with pounding, heavy rock, progressibe intentions. Now signed by Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame, we are likely to be hearing much more of Gonga in the very near future.

A far from typical Bristol-based pianist and singer-songwriter fusing post-rock and Reich-esque minimalism with elements of glitch and drum+bass, tracks veer from startling complexity to playful simplicity in an instant; experimenting with multiple layers of live-looping, obscure time signatures and unconventional instrumentation along the way.

Songwriter, musician, engineer, producer and label owner Alan Wilson is probably best known as founder member of Neo-Rockabilly band the Sharks. However, over the last 25 years he has been involved in several projects and activities, some of which are covered on his website. 

Formed from the ashes of Wushcatte and the Startled Insects, Widescreen were an electronica three - piece based around the song writing of John Douglass, the vocals of Steve Hogg and production of Richard Grassby-Lewis. Initially signed to EMI via Kitchenware Records their only album, recorded in Massive Attack’s Christchurch Studio was released in 1996.

Formed in Bristol in the mid 1980’s, Kid Sinister were based around the classic song writing of John Douglass & the passionate vocals of Steve Hogg.

5-piece covers band specialising in classic rock, pop and blues songs through the generations.  Trailing the gig circuit since 2005.

A seven piece band specialising in high energy funk, soul & dance music, formed in 1998 by musicians with a "Pedigree" fronted with at least four vocalists capable of lead singing, plus the kind of dedicated harmony singing that is rarely produced by live bands. 

A passionate Alternative / Folk / Experimental singer songwriter based in Bath - "Dark Eyes Journey Through Dark Fire"

We are dedicated to playing purely spontaneous improvised music, composed on the spot.
The RKC Quartet explore musical textures and soundscapes more in the light of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble than what is commonly seen as the abrasiveness of 'free jazz'. This is alive music not just live music. 

Jazz Groove Hammond based music, Beats , Jazz,  Funk and Soul. Influenced by the organ greats such as Jimmy Smith, Joey DeFrancesco, Lonnie Smith, Prince.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist with a unique, complex guitar style, reminiscent of Andalusian guitar as well as modern rock. In addition to his solo act, James is also singer with the rock band JEBO.

Lisa Morgan is so much more than your everyday run of the mill pop that is out there at the moment, this is a singer/songwriter who is creating a fresh dance/pop/electro sound waiting to explode onto the mainstream. 

BUJO are a large, unauditioned jazz ensemble welcoming players of all abilities. New last year, they rapidly went from strength to strength with a varied, fun and challenging repertoire, playing anything from classic jazz to swing, funk and even a cheeky bit of pop. 

Playing since 1989, the Quartet offer an extensive repertoire to suit every occasion, including traditional Classical and Baroque styles as well as Swing, Ragtime, Jazz and Popular Show Tunes. For an extra special touch to your occasion we can also arrange specific requests. 

All professional musicians, the Ardeton String Quartet is a young and vibrant ensemble based in Bristol and Bath that has been playing for weddings and corporate functions in the South West and South Wales since 2001. 

The Allegrezza String Quartet was formed in 2001 by graduates of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, and Bristol and York Universities.  Based between Bristol and Cardiff, the quartet frequently give recitals and provide live music for weddings, functions and events.

A Bristol based quintet bringing a fresh and vibrant approach to functions, weddings and corporate events. Their playlist can be selected from 70’s Funk, Soul and contemporary classics to best suit the occasion. 

One of Emma Hutchinson's projects, Jazz Up Your Wedding! is a live band composed of professional musicians. The idea is that with five different line-ups to choose from, you can hire the right combination of musicians and the right music to suit your wedding celebrations. A Duo, Trio, Quartet, Quintet and Full Band are available.

A young and keen Bristol funky rock / grunge quartet.

Creating Music for Film, TV, Radio and Digital Environments. Bespoke Compositions and Compositions for Music Libraries. Alex plays guitar, bass guitar, Keyboards and programming

Space-age charleston ugly-funk, The Fabrics blend Swing Jazz, Pop, Drum'n'bass, Hiphop and Rock in style, with style and beyond style whilst jumping all over style. Stylish!

Malarchy rip the wedding band rulebook to shreds, bringing Klezmer, Romani, Balkan, and Jazz styles to a never-ending celebration. This passionate, intricate, fast, and extremely danceable world quintet tear through the musical traditions of Europe as if it were the last night on Earth. Welcome to the pa

A 16-piece acappella band based in Bristol, England who perform an astonishingly diverse range of songs, replacing instrumentation with their voices. Their performances are uplifting and moving, mainly featuring their own arrangements of pop songs taken from the 20th century to the 21st, also embracing jazz, world, folk, big band theme tunes, classical, secular and sacred music.

Limbo, a British free-jazz collective, is a loose, ever-changing organism, with the six original members joined by many occasional members, collaborators, and guests.

Bhangra band, RSVP has rocked many crowds. From the Midlands melas and the large Bhangra gigs of London to world music gigs in London, Reading and WOMAD. In addition to this they do many night club gigs, both Asian and mainstream.

The gloriously uncategorisable Organelles are mark bradley, paul bradley, pete judge and dan marcus who have worked with the likes of Super Furry Animals, The Blue Aeroplanes, Lupine Howl, Papa Noel, Asere, The Moonflowers, Sensorium, Baraka, Morning Star, Mooz, Adrian Utley, The Startled Insects, Marc Gauvin, Big World Skunk, The Invisible Pair of Hands, The Midnight Brothers, Fritz Azay, World Government, Moonshot, The Big Fish, The Klezmernauts...

The Liftmen are a fourpiece twin-lead guitar, all-singing group playing songs of beauty (songs of terror). The guitars meander together like pondweed in a slow-moving stream, all the band change into animals in dark moments of the performance. The water is very clear folks.

Official Home Page for British singer and songwriter Pete Atkin, collaborator with Clive James on 6 albums and some 200 songs of indeterminate genre!

John E Vistic, the English answer to Nick Cave but with an even bigger Guthrie styled country edge. This is a man with a voice and stage presence to surely end up on one of the main stages here in the future. - Glastonbury Festival Review 2007

Performing a mixture of thrash, death and progressive metal, Seregon formed in 2004.

Shadow Law formed ranks in late 2004 in Bristol UK. The ethos being power and strength exacted with surgical precision, to create a brutal metallic assault polished off with a melodic shine.

Babel - Bristol band - Pearl Street Raga!

Unusually unique.

A two-piece outfit from Bristol, discovered by Geoff Barrow, who are rising in poularity at this moment in time. Blending beats and samples and using a wide range of instruments, mixing and editing techniques, Malakai draw on a wide range of influences from dub to 60s pop, flavoured by highly distinctive and declamatory vocals.

Part of the mid-1980s British indie pop boom, The Flatmates were part of the Subway Organization, a Bristol record label formed by Martin Whitehead, who was also guitarist and main songwriter for the band.

A Jazz Revival band from the early eighties. Their first single, instrumental "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag", on Dick O'Dell's Y Records, distributed by Rough Trade, quickly became an underground dance hit, selling many thousands of copies and appearing high in the Independent Charts. Originally from Cheltenham. This links to their Wikipedia page.

Dub From Atlantis have been playing and promoting all styles of reggae music in Bristol since the summer of 2000. Founded by Stevie Bear & Guy Calhoun of the 'Men From Atlantis' they have performed with most Bristol's best known reggae artists as well as newcomers to the scene & big names from out of town. 

Onslaught was formed in 1983 by Bristol punk rockers Nige Rockett (guitar) and Steve Grice (drums), who worked together at a local printing company. The first UK Thrash band to sign a major deal, and fondly remembererd in parts of Bristol for their famous trashing of the Colston Hall. New album in 2007.

Cool and hip Indie Rock band releasing great singles, one of which earned the accolade  ‘Fucking great single of the month’ on the RollingStone website.

The Severn Jazzmen have been playing traditional and dixieland jazz in Bristol since 1967 and can be seen alternate Mondays at the Old Duke. The band's style is very much traditional/dixieland including vocals from band leader Dave "Fats" Millman on the piano. This easy listening music will appeal to jazz connoisseurs and those who just want to hear some interesting happy swinging music.

Valère Speranza is a double bass / electric player bass based in Bath. A well established freelance player in the Bath and Bristol music scene, Valère plays with Andy Sheppard, Andy Hague, Ruth Hammond, Emma Hutchinson and many others.

From Chicago Blues to New Orleans Funk, Great Bristol-based blues band led by the mighty James Forster on guitar and Phil King on vocals and cowbell.

Phil writes heartbreaking songs backed up by expert guitar playing. Inspired by Eric Clapton, Marvin Gaye, Nick Drake, Chet Baker and John Lee Hooker, but perhaps the strongest influence on his mix of folk, blues and jazz, is classic songwriter and performer Bill Withers.  

One of the UK's finest guitarists and a Bristol legend. International quality blues songwriting and performance, with 9 rave-reviewed cd's on international release, "Easily the best .. guitarist this country has produced since Clapton". Catch Eddie solo, as a trio or his big band, you will not be disappointed.

HOT rhythm and singing, Cuban style! With a charismatic front man and the powerful appeal of people who really believe in their music, Los Palitos make the most remarkable music from it's most basic ingredients - voice and percussion. How do these amazing Latin projects make their way in Bristol?  Don't know, but they certainly do it in style - not to be missed. Hot, hot, hot!!!

An acoustic world-folk outfit who's manifesto is simple – take the best tunes and rhythms and fuse them into dancefloor mayhem. Musical anarchy where western swing meets Irish reels, manouche ‘Gypsy jazz’ catches Eastern European melodies, Arabic tunes waft over salsa beats and tabla puts a spring into ska-fuelled klezmer. Confused? Just start dancing to their energetic playing and phenomenal musicianship- it will all make perfect sense.