The joy of 6

The BBC Radio 6 Music Festival 2016 looks like being one of the biggest weekends of music Bristol has ever seen. Featuring more than 50 acts ranging from household names to emerging talent, the festival is set to take over the Colston Hall, Motion, O2 Academy, Basement 45, Blue Mountain and Trinity over the Valentine’s weekend.

It’s the third event of this kind that 6 Music has staged in as many years, following similar multi-venue affairs in Manchester and Newcastle. Primal Scream are headlining the Bristol weekend, while other big names include Underworld, Foals, Suede, Laura Marling, Roots Manuva, Buzzcocks and Roisin Murphy.

Naturally the organisers have also included a clutch of local artists. Bristol dubstep daddy Pinch will be collaborating with veteran dub master Adrian Sherwood, and there will also be appearances from drum & bass dons Roni Size and DJ Krust, as well as art-rock survivors The Blue Aeroplanes. 

Perhaps most notable of all, though, is the presence of Tricky – back in his home town to present Skilled Mechanics, his intriguing new band project featuring original Wild Bunch DJ Milo. Slightly less famous Bristol acts playing include Beak>, Rozi Plain and This Is The Kit, while Julia Holter, White Denim and Savages are among the more interesting visitors.

Last year’s festival sold out in hours, so it’s likely that by the time you read this you’ll already know if you’re going. If you’re not, you’ll be glad to hear that Bristol’s venues and promoters have got together to create a festival fringe to be proud of – a real show of strength highlighting the vast array of talent this city has to offer. 

A few of the fringe events are ticketed, albeit at very reasonable prices, with the likes of The Shimmer Band, She Makes War and Rhain (all Saturday) appearing at The Louisiana, while Jesse Vernon (Moonflowers / Morning Star) brings his majestic Fantasy Orchestra to the Kuumba centre in St Paul’s.

The rest of the fringe is mostly free-entry, and dedicated gig hunters will surely get sore feet from zigzagging between venues. Friday highlights include Idles (Thekla) and Repo Man (Exchange), but it’s Saturday when things get really competitive. Plastic Mermaids and Goan Dogs top Thekla’s bill, while Kid Carpet and the masterful Thought Forms are among the attractions at Exchange. 

Elsewhere you’ll find everything from singer-songwriters (The Golden Lion) to heavy psychedelic rock (The Thunderbolt), while Start The Bus has a great lineup of electronica headlined by Bass Clef and Vessel. There’s good stuff on Sunday too, as the BBC Introducing team take over The Fleece with Lonely Tourist, Auxx and Vena Cava, and Falling Stacks lead the way at Start The Bus. Meanwhile, Howling Owl’s lineup at Thekla is spectacular, with everything from grime to guitars from Young Echo, Boofy, Lemzly Dale and Hi5 Ghost, Giant Swan, Velcro Hooks and Silver Waves.

If that wasn’t enough to be going on with, we’re getting involved in the Fringe ourselves, with Bristol24/7 stages at The Fleece and Attic on Saturday. Headlined by the unstoppable Eva Lazarus, our stage at The Fleece features a selection of our favourite live acts, most of we’ve featured in the magazine since launching in 2014. 

We’ve got guitar noise (The Saint Pierre Snake Invasion, The Hysterical Injury), electronica (Kayla Painter, Katapulto), forward-thinking pop (SJ Esau, Lionface, Jemima Surrender) and star-scraping art rock (Candy Darling). We’ve also got a performance from The Dead Astronaut, whose debut album is one of our favourite albums of the last year, and an amazing two-hour showcase of Bristol hip-hop from our friends at Wordlife and Crudely Cut. Meanwhile, over at The Attic we’ve programmed some of Bristol’s finest underground beats with DJ sets from Jus Now, Batu, Lurka, Ironside and White Bully Soundsystem following live sets from artists like The Scribes, Ruckus Collective and ThisIsDA. 

With other fringe events including film screenings, club nights and record fairs, there’s an incredible amount going on. If you managed to bag tickets, congratulations: but you should be in for an amazing time either way. 

6 Music Festival 2016 & The Fringe – Supported by 6 Music Feb 12-14. Find these and many more music listings at b247.staging.proword.press/music