29 of the best songs to come out of Bristol

Music is a big part of Bristol life and over the years there have been some great musicians and bands born in this fair city. While we may not have as many big name acts to claim as say, Manchester, Sheffield and London, we do have a whole bunch of significant songs which we’ve deliberated long and hard over to share with you. And we’ve no doubt forgotten plenty of corkers, so please do tell us what’s missing from this chronologically-ordered list.

Acker Bilk – Stranger on the Shore (1961)
Easy listening through and through, this beautifully soothing, easy-on-the-ears clarinet piece was written by the Bristolian musician for his daughter (the track was originally called Jenny). In 1962 it became the first ever British song to top the US Billboard chart. It’s since been covered by Andy Williams and The Drifters, among others. Hell, a cassette version of this song has even been played in a spaceship – Apollo 10 – on a voyage to the moon. It’s that far-reaching.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7jZeXvpyZQ

Adge Cutler – Drink Up Thee Zider (1966)
John ‘Adge’ Cutler, aka the Bard of Avonmouth, was known for his comic folk songs and for being the founder of the Wurzels. Cutler died in a car crash in 1974 but not before he’d written some classic songs such as Don’t Tell I Tell Ee and Moonlight Over Gordano. The songs were funny and wry but had some heart unlike a lot of comedy tunes. Listen to them now and you can see the genuine affection he had for Bristol and the surrounding area shine through. Cutler was the best thing to come out of Portishead and way better than the current incarnation of the Wurzels who are a decent comedy band no more than that.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdMfLJfZD54

The Pop Group – She Is Beyond Good and Evil (1979)
An angst-fueled explosion of rock, jazz, dub and political dissent, the recently-reformed Pop Group were one of the post-punk era’s most uncompromising bands. An insurrectionary love song  – “I hold you like a gun” – with a square-baiting funk groove, She Is Beyond Good and Evil is one of their more accessible numbers, but it still makes Gang of Four sound like Level 42. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL0tYowbIxE

Vice Squad – Last Rockers (1980)
Beki Bondage – from Frampton Cotterell to the cover of the NME, punk wasn’t quite dead in 1981 when this was released. Formed in 1978, Vice Squad may not have been lurking around London with the Pistols and the Bromley Contingent but they blew away the musical cobwebs for a lot of people in Bristol. They recorded a couple of session for John Peel, signed to a major label and toured endlessly before Bondage left the group to do her own thing, notably Ligotage. So far – so punk. She then re-formed the band or a version thereof in 1997 and is still gigging today – still punk. Chuck a dart at gig listings in most cities and you’ll find original punk bands still doing it. A decent racket adhering closely to the punk template, 1,2,3,4 GO – three chords and a load of energy. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUu0HUMJLPo

Talisman – Dole Age (1981)
Veteran reggae roots group Talisman have been telling it like it is for over three decades now and are still releasing original music after reforming in 2011, following a bit of a break. Before that their popularity was notable for having supported The Clash and Rolling Stones on tour and played a blinding Glastonbury set in 1982. The vocal role play of Dehvan and Dennison is brilliant and nowhere more so than in the opening to this catchy belter. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8kOTh33DZc

Jaguar – Axe Crazy (1982)
It’s not the greatest song ever written, but few bands were playing heavy metal quite as fast as this back in 1982. Over in LA, a NWOBHM-obsessed pimply youth named Lars Ulrich was paying very close attention. Many noted a marked similarity in style on Metallica’s debut album, released the following year. Ulrich acknowledged the debt when Jaguar were included on the Metallica-approved compilation Full Metal Garage: The Songs That Drove Metallica. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0S8xKTy1A

Fresh 4 – Wishing on a Star (1989)
Universally acknowledged as the warning shot that prefigured the Bristol Sound, this stripped-out urban rethink of Rose Royce’s 1978 hit (and Steve Haley’s Wild Style inspired low-budget video) captured the city’s creative DIY energy to perfection. Knowle West’s Fresh Four posse – including future Full Cyclists Krust and Suv – were splicing cassette tapes for warehouse squat parties when they met Rob Smith and Ray Mighty in Ray’s front room studio. Someone knew Lizz E, a schoolteacher who could sing, someone found a James Brown drum break, someone called Virgin Records, and their laid back, dubbed-out take on hip-hop went top 10 in a week. Nothing would ever be the same again. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeuebY6Cypg

Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy (1991)
An integral part of the Bristol holy trinity of trip-hop (along with Portishead and Tricky), Massive Attack managed to jump the fence into the world of mainstream music while maintaining their fierce independent streak. Their Blue Lines album, is a staple in most record collections and captures a very exciting moment in time for Bristol music. A favourite song of NME journalist Julie Burchill and topping an MTV2 poll of the best songs of all time, Unfinished Sympathy has stood the test of time.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmrfgj0MZI

Tricky – Aftermath (1993) 
By 1993 ‘Tricky Kid’ Adrian Thaws was already a well-known voice, having contributed some killer verses to Massive Attack’s album Blue Lines. Few could have predicted what he came up with next though. Aftermath remains one of the most startling debut singles of all time – a bleak psychodrama played out against a backdrop of nuclear devastation and death-rattle beats. Even the flute is awesome. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=25y3cMC9i94  

Portishead – Roads (1994)
Perhaps the most famous band to come out of Bristol was trip-hop forerunners Portishead and this track captures their magnetic appeal perfectly. Beth Gibbons’ haunting vocals relay heartbreaking lyrics (How can it feel this wrong/From this moment/How can it feel this wrong?) set to a backdrop of whirring keys and slow, sparse beats. From the almost chart-topping 1994 album Dummy, it’s unsurprising this song has gone on to be used in a range of TV shows/films. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg1jyL3cr60

Strangelove – Beautiful Alone (1996)
When London and Manchester were all over the Britpop scene, Bristol was mellowing in its trip-hop bubble but there was one act which rose through the indie guitar band ranks to gain wider recognition during this time – Strangelove. Fronted by the brilliant Patrick Duff, who continues to perform as a solo artist, Strangelove had a series of upbeat, anthemic indie ballads not dissimilar to The Smiths. Beautiful Alone was one of their most well-known tracks played at many an indie disco throughout the late 90s and early naughties.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt5g_EEunYI

Parlour Talk (feat. Frikshun) – Able Semen (1996)
Whether we’re talking Aspects, Buggsy or Split Prophets, Bristol rappers have always sounded a bit different from those down the other end of the M4. Parlour Talk specialised in surreal wordplay performed in a broad West Country accent but only a blockhead would dismiss them as a novelty act. As this nautically-themed gem proves, Scoutleader Deed and Sir Beanz OBE had the beats, rhymes and fiendish scratching to rank with the best in UK hip-hop.     
www.youtube.com/watch?v=COWKqJUpDmk

Roni Size / Reprazent – Brown Paper Bag (1997)
Whether it’s Bristol’s best drum ‘n’ bass track or not (other contenders include Krust’s Warhead, More Rockers’ You’re Gonna and Size & Die’s Music Box) Brown Paper Bag is easily its most famous. Si John’s double-jointed bassline and Onallee’s call-to-arms vocals made this one of the genre’s all-time classics, and it was the closest thing Bristol had to a national anthem by the time of Roni’s triumphant set in Queen Square on Millennium Eve.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwI0gbGEyuI

Caroline Martin – Without Permission (2001)
Caroline Martin was a singer-songwriter who recorded 4 sessions for John Peel the late 90’s. Her song ‘The Singer’ for which she is best known reached number three on Peel’s legendary ‘Festive Fifty’ in 1998. Acclaimed by niche and national press Caroline’s work was arresting, intimate and she had been compared to PJ Harvey with an acoustic guitar. Her dark and deceptively simple songs were things of beauty and ‘Without Permission’ is no exception. Covered by alt-rock superstars the National for their ‘Virginia EP’ see the film of her performing with them a few years ago.
???www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwJTaw0igpQ

Smith & Mighty (feat. Niji 40) – B-Line Fi Blow (2002)
From their 80s covers of Walk On By and Anyone Who Had A Heart to Rob Smith’s dubstep-leaning work as RSD, nobody has done more to define the parameters of the Bristol Sound than Smith & Mighty. For us, their finest moment is this garage-flavoured banger whose lyrics and rhythm cut to the heart of soundsystem culture. “Selector drop the needle, watch the jumpin’ jacks.”  
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_yEjHAjeao

Madnomad – Let’s Kill The Pig (2003)
Back there in the early noughties, Madnomad weren’t just the best live band in Bristol. They were the best live band in the world. Behind the pig masks, burning keyboards, raw meat throwing and gratuitous nudity there was great music, and Tamper Evident (the band’s only album) is a spectacular outpouring of thwarted romanticism and schoolboy mischief. Live favourite Let’s Kill The Pig wasn’t Madnomad’s subtlest moment but it sums up the tone.  
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioLsPIZAsTU ???

Gravenhurst – Nicole (2005)
Bristol lost one of its brightest musical stars late last year, but in both life and death Nick Talbot remains an important part of the scene. It’s not an easy task narrowing the significance down to a single song, but Nicole is frequently hailed as a favourite of many a Gravenhurst fan. Taken from the 2005 album Fires in Distant Buildings, Nicole is a slow, melancholic love song which sails through the seas of your soul. An instrumental version of this powerful tune was used in the equally powerful film This Is England.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxiwtqRqUsU

Santa Dog – Big Bang (2007)
Perfect melodic indie-pop all chiming guitars, a great rhythm section and quintessentially English vocals and lyrics from front woman Rowena Dugdale. Santa Dog was a band that would leave most crowds grinning after their joyous performances be they in circuit venues, overseas or at festivals. However, this Dog was not lacking bite. Similar to St Etienne, their lyrics were, at times, much darker than the music might suggest. Watch the video for the single Big Bang; it’s had more than one million views and thousands of comments on YouTube. Admittedly, some are from creationists but the arguing in the comments is genuinely excellent and entertaining. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NErMMzFnkVM

Onslaught – Killing Peace (2007)
With roots deep in Bristol’s hardcore punk scene, Onslaught became one of Britain’s earliest thrash metal bands and remain the only local act to headline the Colston Hall, Hippodrome and Academy. They split in 1991 and reformed in 2004, promising not to become a bunch of sad, middle-aged dads plying the nostalgia circuit. Onslaught made good on that promise with a ferocious comeback album, Killing Peace, which updated their sound and won them a new, younger audience.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Go30HwqJhg

Sleeping States – Gardens of the South (2009)
Rewind half a dozen years and Markland Starkie and was a staple on the Bristol music scene – working with talented local artists to form Sleeping States. Another artist who left London to make a nicer, more affordable life in Bristol, the city welcomed him with open arms. This song is a swooning, unforgettable journey through a land unknown and was released on cassette by indie label Bella Union. Technically still active, though musically awol at the moment, you’re more likely to see Markland playing with Zaftig Chicks nowadays.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jstK6TjmdQo

Fuck Buttons – Olympians (2009)
Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power make up experimental electronic duo Fuck Buttons. Signed to ATP recordings, they’ve gained popularity across the world and were even part of the massive spectacle that was the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony, playing Surf Solar and Olympians live in front of millions of viewers across the globe. A hit with the music press, they’ve worked with the likes of John Cummings (Mogwai), Bob Weston (Shellac) and Daniel Snaith (Caribou).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQZo2rsReEM

Joker – Digidesign (2009)
From Pinch’s Qawwali to Peverelist’s Roll With The Punches, a good number of dubstep’s finest moments have been produced in Bristol. When Easton’s own Joker rose to prominence with Stuck in the System, he was just 16 years old, and three years later the melodic sci-fi splendour of Digidesign was inescapable from DMZ to the Dalmatian Coast.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeLR1VDotQI

Addison Groove – Footcrab (2010)

Dubstep dominated dance music at the turn of the decade but many of its key players were already looking for pastures new. Tony Williams – previously known as Headhunter – created one of the summer’s biggest anthems by blending UK bass dynamics with the manic shuffle of Chicago footwork. With lyrics consisting of the nonsense phrase “footcrab, footcrab, f-f-f-footcrab” and variations thereof, this was never going to give Leonard Cohen a run for his money, but it was a shot in the arm that proved hard to resist. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWfiog1Ure4

Zun Zun Egui – Katang (2011)
Formed in Bristol in late 2008 – Mauritian guitarist and singer Kushal Gaya met and started making music with Japanese keyboard player Yoshino Shigihara after they had both moved to the UK and a core group of musicians soon formed around them. A love for experimentation, free jazz, fusion, DIY culture, throwing parties and playing wild shows was the glue that bonded the outfit together. Katang is the title track off their 2011 album, released on Bella Union. It received lots of national music press coverage when it was released and has since featured heavily in their live sets.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HpCH5wFqH0

Crybaby – I Cherish The Heartbreak More Than The Love That I Lost (2012)
Danny Coughlan, formerly of Babel fame, launched his new outfit, Crybaby, with a low key gig at The Louisiana in 2012 and instantly won a small legion of fans. His swooping indie ballads combine with deep, soothing vocals and heart on sleeve lyrics – take the title and then the rest of this song. Words of wisdom grounded in real life relationships. With definite sniffs of Richard Hawley, this is compelling stuff – sadly they’ve not done too much by the way or releasing new material/touring on these shores since then.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDGUb2Vk08Q

Gonga – Miasma (2013)
Bow down to the Gods of Riff. There are ‘heavy’ Bristol bands and there’s Gonga. Formed in 1998 by the Elgie brothers, Bristol’s finest stoner rock band have gone through a few incarnations and are currently an instrumental three piece. Signed to Invada Records, home of much that is heavy, experimental or a soundtrack, Gonga released two albums and a couple of EPs to universally positive reviews. A Gonga curiosity which fans of Portishead may enjoy is Black Sabbeth, a cover of the Black Sabbath song featuring Beth Gibbons. However, our choice Miasma is 10 minutes of rock riffing which will make your teeth rattle but in a good way.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X36mLmRUUU

Jus Now ft. Bunji Garlin – Tun Up (2013)
The influence of Caribbean culture on Bristol’s music scene is well known and there’s always room for new hybrids. Interface was a well-known Bristol drum and bass producer when he formed Jus Now with Trinidad producer Laza Beam. The resulting blend of soca and jungle is pure fire, and Tun Up – the opening track from their One Time EP for DJ Die’s label Gutterfunk – quickly emerged as the duo’s calling card. The unmistakeable sound of Carnival 2013 (and 2014, and probably 2015 too).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu4GzTaN2n8

The Fauns – Lights (2013)
Dreampop, shoegaze, call it what you will, The Fauns do it brilliantly. There was a much mooted shoegaze revival a few years back and unlike many bands who have fallen by the wayside into a woozy feedback and gentle electronic morass, The Fauns are still creating gorgeous music and getting some decent airplay and gigs. Don’t be surprised if you hear the Fauns soundtracking a film one day, their music has a cinematic quality which would suit the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson or Sofia Coppola. Single Flames had some heavy rotation on BBC 6 Music and film soundtrack composer Clint Mansell (Requiem for A Dream, Black Swan and Moon) is a fan having remixed Fragile for them.???
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqGirS2WMtA

George Ezra – Budapest (2014)
Vocally wise beyond his years, well with a voice which sounds like it belongs to an old crooner rather than a 20-somthing graduate from Bristol, George continues to impress. Starting his musical career at Bristol institute of Modern Music and caning the local open mic circuit, before migrating to his own intimate gigs at The Gallimaufry, George only this week announced a headline slot at the Lloyds Amphitheatre as part of the Bristol Summer Series. A few days after that, he played his hit Budapest live at The Brits – a song which made it into the top 10 charts across the world.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHrLPs3_1Fs

This list was compiled by Bristol24/7 writers Laura Williams, Adam Burrows, Lou Trimby, Robin Askew, Tony Benjamin and Steve Wright, so blame them for the omissions.

Photo by Beezer of The Wild Bunch — soon-to-be Massive Attack — at the Dug Out Club on Park Row. Beezer Photos © / www.beezerphotos.com