Preview: Old Market Music Fest

There’s got to be catch, right? You can’t just stroll into a venue without paying and expect to hear great music from all over the world. Life’s not that interesting.

Old Market is dead interesting these days though; the efforts of Exchange nightclub, Hydra bookshop and the Stag & Hounds pub all contributing to its reputation as a haven for alternative culture. The annual Old Market Music Fest is a chance for this radical corner of Bristol to stick its neck out, and while last year’s event – which featured Sleaford Mods, Ill Move Sporadic and a bunch of local favourites – was loads of fun, this year’s looks like being the best yet by miles.

Exchange’s lineup is nothing short of spectacular. Curated by Cacophonous Sarcophagus, whose shows at the Crypt of St John the Baptist are the stuff of legend, it’s headlined by Indonesian duo Senyawa, playing their first ever date in the UK. An improvised blend of Javanese folk and ritual styles with metal and hardcore influences, their music is intense, psychedelic stuff guaranteed to expand and possibly explode minds. 

Senyawa aren’t the only international act playing at Exchange. They’re joined by Spanish drone-doom outfit Orthodox, who have played festivals like Roadburn, Supersonic, Hellfest and Primavera and toured with High on Fire. Memorably described by Julian Cope as “a raging and debilitating sonic stag hunt,” they’re another coup for the 2015 event. Also well worth catching are Netherlands-based band Dead Neanderthals, a cosmic mess of grind, free jazz and noise that’s about as bracing as it gets. You should definitely check out Dublin-trio No Spill Blood, whose explosive synth-led rifferama was one of our highlights at last year’s ArcTanGent festival. 

There’s no shortage of homegrown goodness on the Exchange bill either, including Bristol noise scene alumni Organchrist, Godhead and William Pearce (best known as the guitarist from Pohl) but the one we’re particularly excited about is Manchester’s Michael O’Neill. Although we know Mike of old – thanks to his work with The Sonar Yen and collaborations with the mighty Gnod – his self-titled mini-album of politicised raps and lo-fi industrial beats took us, thrillingly, by surprise when it landed in late 2013. Mike’s new live show is a collaboration with talented Mancunian sound artists Danny Saul and Sam Weaver, and we’ll be shocked if it’s anything less than compelling. 

Danny Saul’s CV includes everything from post-punk and black metal (Tsuji Giri / Easter / Wode) to conceptual ambient drones and concert performances with Ben Frost. As well as the Mike O’Neill show he’s hooking up with Gwen Osmond (Trianglecuts) for a combination laptop and dance performance. We haven’t heard it for ourselves yet but the words “abstract beats, shape-shifting audio manipulations, sparse fuck-dubs, heads down Berghain-filth and brain destroying rave death” are making us wish we had. 

If that wasn’t enough to get your ears around there’s also plenty going on at the Stag & Hounds, a fine neighbourhood boozer whose regular all-dayers have become such a feature of the grassroots music scene in Bristol. Punk-edged Leeds indie quintet Fizzy Blood are among the visitors from distant lands, while throughout the day you can catch everything from romantic troubadours (Ben Turner, Otis Elliott, Sean Snook) to punk, prog and alternative bands like Hey You Guys!, Honey, Doctor Nut, StirOfEchoes, The Holy Orders and The Backhand Jags. Did we mention it’s free? 

Old Market Music Festival is at Exchange and Stag & Hounds on Saturday, September 5.