INTERVIEW // Bristol punks IDLES choose love on their new album, Joy as an Act of Resistance
‘We were heading down the path of second album syndrome, so we scrapped all the songs and started again’ IDLES frontman Joe Talbot tells me, nine months since our last conversation and on the brink of releasing their second LP, Joy as an Act of Resistance. ‘I was trying to over intellectualise our art because …
Win 4 x weekend tickets to Tokyo World 2018
Tokyo World returns to Eastville Park on 22 and 23 September, with its biggest and best lineup yet. The festival has been closing our summers with a sonic boom for the past five years and has become a staple calendar event for electronic music lovers. This year Tokyo World have expanded their live offering, with …
A Bristol record label is releasing 11 singles from BIMM’s best this summer
Bristol’s new student-run record label HUBB Records has dropped the second in a string of 11 releases from BIMM students planned for this summer. On Friday, rap-metal trio Profiler’s new single Burn hit the digital shelves. Taking strong influences from Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and Deftones, they brilliantly evoke the sounds of 90s nu metal with …
Interview // How Bandulu are turning heads South West for progressive grime
Known collectively as Bandulu Gang; Kahn, Neek, Boofy and Hi5ghost have played a huge part in building an important hub for instrumental UK grime in Bristol. As well as releasing between them on key labels like Deep Medi and Innamind, and operating under a number of aliases, including Young Echo, Wu Yen, O$VMV$M and …
PREMIER // Kayla Painter debuts new dancefloor-leaning track with support from Gilles Peterson’s label
This past year has been a good one for Bristol-based producer Kayla Painter. Having finally escaped a restrictive publishing deal that stopped her debut album ever seeing the light of day, in October it was announced that Kayla Painter was one of 10 musicians selected for Gilles Peterson’s 2017-2018 Future Bubblers programme. A collaboration between …
GUEST MIX // Judge Jules warms up for his Bristol show with a 30-minute mix
Original superstar DJ Judge Jules is coming to Bristol this Saturday night for a super-intimate two-hour set at The Doghouse. Judge Jules will be flying in for the occasion from his summer residency at Ibiza megaclub Eden, where he first grew to fame with his now-legendary Judgement Sundays – one of the busiest nights on …
Behind the scenes with Boomtown and Dank Parish
Though it takes place outside the quaint city of Winchester each August, Boomtown Festival has always felt like an extension of Bristol. Not only does the city annually clear out as we drive east to make up a significant portion the Boomtown population, the festival is also run out of Bristol and built out of …
St Pauls Carnival: Key sound systems and set times
Three disappointing summers have passed with a carnival-shaped hole in our hearts, but finally, St Pauls Carnival returns this Saturday in line with the carnival’s 50th anniversary. The important celebration of Bristol’s African and Caribbean heritage has been a vital source of inspiration for much of the city’s culture and musical output over the past …
Interview // Valis Ablaze: ‘We’re achieving what we set out to achieve’
Four parts Bristol, one part Manchester, progressive metal band Valis Ablaze was born in 2012 with guitarist Ash Cook and drummer Rich New. Six years and some lineup changes later, the final incarnation, in addition to Ash and Rich, is Tom Moore and George Demner on guitar and bass, with Manchester-based vocalist Phil Owen joining …
10 questions with Kayla Painter
Kayla Painter has been pushing the boundaries of Bristol’s electronic scene since 2012, when she independently released her debut EP Kayla Painter. Combining unusual instrumentals and field recordings, she creates dreamy, multi-layered, left-field electronica. Kayla was selected for this year’s Future Bubblers programme with Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, where she is currently receiving mentorship from …