Review: Ritual Union – ‘A welcome addition to the city, we can only hope it returns again soon’

There was a lot of pressure for the company behind Ritual Union with the event being postponed twice, however it seemed the wait only made people more eager. As soon as doors opened, the queue outside the wristband exchange at Rough Trade snaked down Nelson Street.

Once we picked up our wristbands, we kicked things off at the newly renovated and recently opened SWX, where all-female post puink trio Grandma’s House were performing. It was a fierce performance which was thrown into disarry when lead singer, Yasmin, broke a string on her guitar, two songs in.

For other bands, this might have meant the performance was over, the band improvised while people backstage searched, and eventually provided, another guitar. The honestly raw performance continued onwards and upwards, with the band reminding us why they are receiving critical acclaim in and out of Bristol.

Continuing in the same punk vein, we headed upstairs to catch Saloon Dion‘s set. My second time watching them perform this year, they continue to impress.

Despite a couple of technical glitches, the five piece band barrelled head-first into hit after hit, never waiting to catch their breath. Full of energy and enthusiasm, the crowd left equally breathless and craving for more.

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Over at Rough Trade was a change in pace coming from Premium Leisure. Hailing from Oxford, the project is from songwriter, singer and guitarist Chris Barker. A three piece band joined him onstage while he performed soft-indie rock. It was a slight lull from the previous high-octane sets, however it was still clear why the venue was packed with eager listeners.

The next venue was Dareshack and the next act was Quade. The four piece band fuses a range of different genres, from folk to ambient electronica, making their live set completley enchanting. The violin added a cetain depth to each synth-heavy track, combined with spoken word and post-rock lyrics, it was an eccentric and genre-blending performance.

We waited around at Dareshack for the next band, and they were certainly worth the wait. Getdown Services are a dance, rythmic, synth-y duo, with one half being based in Manchester and the other in Bristol, they deliver witty lyrics along with catchy beats to entice the audience in.

My favourite track was Biscuit Tin which uses humour to mask the anger at landlords, with an anti-landlord message that anyone who rents in Bristol (including myself) can relate to. It was the perfect tonic to the current state of society, giving us free reign to laugh at the madness and indulge in the lunacy.

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Heading back to SWX, we unwound to the soft, melodic songs from Willie J Healey. The Oxfordshire musician offered up chilled, Sunday vibes alongside guitar-heavy and groovy tracks, allowing the audience to luxuriate in his voice.

We ended the day with two openly queer artists. First up was non-binary artist, Grove, providing dancehall hits and a sonic lightshow that transported us from the groundfloor of SWX to a warehouse in London. The Bristol based artist celebrates black, queer nightlife through their dance and electronic hits, showing the music industry that there is space for this sort of music.

Our final act of the day was Lynks. Following in Grove’s footsteps, the musician provided tounge-in-cheek and witty lyrics with dancehall beats that were both catchy and electrifying. Covered in a mask and with three backing dancers, Lynks dominated the stage and was a great end to a great day.

A welcome addition to the music scene in Bristol, we can only hope Ritual Union returns again and again.

Main photo: Issy Packer

Read next:

• Review: Dot To Dot 22 – ‘With so much live music across the 11 hour day, it was hard to narrow it down!’
• Review: August, Rough Trade – ‘Her soft and soulful voice captivated the entire audience’
• Festicket collapse impacts popular Bristol nightclub

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