By the Epigram Music Team
The festive season has descended upon us, but even if you're averse to carol-singing, there's still plenty of options to soundtrack getting stuck into a musical wonderland this Winter. Bristol may be experiencing exceptionally chilly weeks, but one thing you can always bank on from a concert - besides the music - is the free heating. Escape your chilly student digs for an oppurtunity to huddle in penguin-like fashion as ice gathers on those frosty, unglazed windows.
Reggie Watts & Capyac, 2nd December @ Strange Brew
If you can manage to squeeze just one more gig in before cracking down for exam season, keep an eye out for comedian, actor, and musical powerhouse Reggie Watts, who is joining forces with electronic dance band, Capyac. Tred with caution though, as Capyac advises to 'expect the unexpected and prepare for the material dissolution of reality'.
If you’re looking to have your brain melted at the hands of a mere keyboard and loop pedal, this night of funk improvisation and musical hypnosis is a show you don’t want to miss.
Fish56Octagon, 6th December @ Marble Factory
He's charmed his way into our hearts with his dressing gown, dry Weetabix, and all-round loveliness, but what really sets aside the mysterious Fish56Octagon from your average DJ-dad archetype are his geneuine skills behind the decks. Playing the likes of Boomtown in 2024, the viral dance music finatic opens the Winter season with unadultered joy amid an uncertain future for the building where the show will be hosted.
One things for sure though; fun times will be had by all before it's time to shut the warehouse's doors for good.
Bristol University Singers Annual Christmas Concert, 7th December @ All Saints Church Clifton
A much-loved and hugely respected gem of the Music Department, the Bristol University Singers, the university's auditioned choral ensemble, return with their annual festive offering at All Saints Church Clifton. Led by guest conductor Jonathan James, a fellow of Boston Philharmonic, the programme promises to tease out your festive cheer with a contemporary take on the Christmas tale.
Jack J, 14th December @ Strange Brew
Name one time that Strange Brew has hosted an act that wasn't worth taking a gamble on buying a ticket for: I dare you. Bristol has a lot of venues, and many that offer tickets at a lower price-point, but it can often be difficult to find an act that delivers with consistent quality at a lower cost. The exception to this rule? Strange Brew, Strange Brew, and more Strange Brew.
Somewhere between contemporary deep house and dream pop, the Vancouver-hailing Jack J will navigate a musical conversation between these two styles at the venue mid-December alongside Laura Groves and ddwy for half the price of an average ticket.
Joy Orbison, Octa Octa, Special Request, and others, 31st December @ Prospect
One minute Joy Orbison is a recluse of the modern dubstep scene, and the next he's making music with playmakers like Overmono and Kwengface. Fast-forward further to 2025, and he's got a new tune featuring Lil Yatchy's 'Flex Up' that's gone viral.
While a collaboration with Fred again.. may deter electronic gatekeepers and hipsters, a surefire way of kickstarting 2025 is with lashings of bass in the freshly opened Prospect Building. Expect an especially heavy drop as the clock turns midnight.
Hamish Hawk, 15th February @ Thekla
From the music society at St. Andrews to the Thekla stage, Edinburgh-born Hamish Hawk tours his third studio album A Firmer Hand. The album’s titular lyric features prominently in single ‘Big Cat Tattoos’, a track that has infiltrated almost every Instagram reel ad on my explore page for the past few months.
Crooner-esque in his vocals, Hawk’s performance is sultry yet stern, melding the brooding drama of Nick Cave with the Scottish charm of Franz Ferdinand. Promising to scathe with gothic rock and new wave sounds, Thekla-goers on the 15th are sure to be snapped out of any lovey-dovey Valentine’s smugness from the day before.
Circa Waves, 23rd February @ Bristol Beacon
Sometimes we all need to kick it back to 2015 for some classic indie rock. If ‘T-Shirt Weather’ by Liverpudlian band Circa Waves rings any bells then you’re in luck.
The four-piece, now suited up and with a more professional sound than ever, will grace Bristol Beacon in late February. Though new album Death & Love, Pt1 displays their most polished sound yet, a filthy mosh pit or two will still be on the cards to let your indie rocker fantasies run wild.
Berlioz, 25th February @ O2 Academy
Towing the teasingly gilded tagline 'if Matisse made house music', Berlioz certainly set himself up for some shoe filling but luckily the producer has big feet.
A jazz-meets-house project, Berlioz (Jasper Attlee) takes his name from Aristocrats favourite grey furred kitten, not to be confused with the highly esteemed 19th century French romantic composer. Given the success of EP jazz is for ordinary people in 2023, debut album open this wall, released in July, promises to be equally indulgent live. If you're not following this guy on Instagram already, you should definitely add him to your list.
Fionn Regan, 28th February @ Strange Brew
From the sprawling coastal town of Bray, County Wicklow, Fionn Regan originally hit the mainstream in 2006 with debut studio album The End of History. Returning after a short break with the newly released album O AVALANCHE, the intimacy of his earlier folk remains but with an added electronic edge.
A regular favourite in television drama soundtracking, think Normal People, Skins and This Is England '88, Regan's delicate sound perfectly accompanies the warm comfort of introspection.
Featured Image: Joe Coburn, Plaster Creative Communications, Megan Foulk, Carry On Press, (edited by Benji Chapman)Who are you most excited to see live this Winter?
