23 things to do in Bristol this week, May 15-21 2023

Monday: Overmono (DJ Set) + friends, Rough Trade
The duo that have been defining the UK club scene for the past five years celebrate the recent launch of their Debut album with a special DJ set at the Nelson Street record store. They’ll be bringing along some of their many talented mates to perform, too, just for good measure.

SPONSORED
Now-June 2: Sabotage by No Fit State Circus, Wilson St
SABOTAGE is another full-on, boisterous, and audaciously fierce performance with the NoFit State signature style. It brings a darker, grittier, and more subversive edge to NoFit State’s trademark large scale contemporary circus spectacular. With incredible acts, original music, new apparatus and a more theatrical feel, SABOTAGE challenges the status quo. Evening and matinee performances available. NoFit State Big Top: Wilson Street, St Pauls, Bristol, BS2 9HH

Sabotage by No Fit State Circus – photo: No Fit State Circus

Now-May 31: Life By Numbers, Arnolfini cafe & bar
In support of the international men’s mental health charity Talk Club, six Bristol artists will line the walls of the gallery’s cafe/bar space with their work, much of which will be related to mental health, and will invite conversation on the topic.

Life By Numbers Exhibition, Arnolfini Bar – photo: Life By Numbers

SPONSORED
Open now: The Eight Mountains, Watershed
A striking, dazzling and melancholic film about a friendship between men who can’t talk about their feelings and about winning and losing at the great game of life.

Tuesday: Best In Show, The Cube Microplex
A screening of the hilarious 2000 Mockumentary starring Jennifer Coolidge. The stage is set for the greatest show on Earth – The Mayflower Dog Show. For fans of dogs and fans of that unique brand of early 2000s comedy, this one’s certainly for you.

SPONSORED
Wednesday: Talisk, The Mount Without
Ground-breaking, chart-topping, genre-bending, globetrotting, instantly enthralling, it’s little wonder that Talisk rank highly amongst the most in-demand folk-based groups to emerge from Scotland in the last decade and more.

Wednesday: Snazzback – ‘Ruins Everything’ Album Launch Party, Strange Brew
If you know, you know. If you don’t know, now’s your chance to learn. Local legends blending elements of funk, soul and just about everything else come to Strange Brew to celebrate the launch of their latest album. If that’s not enough, Grove will be on guest vocals, so strap yourselves in.

SPONSORED
Open now: Plan 75, Watershed
Chie Hayakawa’s thought-provoking drama imagines a world where a country with a low birth rate and dwindling workforce takes drastic steps to alleviate the burden of its ageing population.

Thursday-Sunday: Forbidden Worlds Film Festival, Bristol Aquarium IMAX
Did you know that there’s a hidden IMAX theatre located within the Bristol Aquarium? Whether you did or you didn’t, they’re opening it up this weekend for four days of screenings of some of cinema’s most historic fantasy, science fiction and action flicks.

The Imax is hidden within the Bristol Aquarium – photo: Forbidden Worlds Film Festival

SPONSORED
Friday-Sunday: Bristol  Jazz Festival, Bristol Beacon
After a four year break, Bristol Jazz Festival is back and celebrating its 10th anniversary! Taking over Bristol Beacon’s foyer spaces for three days, Bristol Jazz Festival opens with a star-studded tribute to the late Pee Wee Ellis on Friday evening. Over the weekend catch straight ahead jazz with The Jazz Defenders, dance grooves of Afro-beat big band No Go Stop, exquisite indie songstress Hannah Moule, the powerhouse vocals of Hannah Williams and The Affirmations, the super talented Bristol keyboardist Rebecca Nash, the premiere of Bristol supergroup 6161 (featuring members of Get the Blessing and Run Logan Run), plus much more. Running on various stages throughout the weekend and with various ticket options, don’t miss catching the very best of Bristol jazz this weekend.

Bristol Jazz Festival at the Bristol Beacon – photo: Bristol Beacon

Friday: TrUst: Saoirse (All Night Long), Lost Horizon
With a record collection about as extensive as it gets, the Irish born DJ brings her eclectic rhythms to Lost Horizon for an excursion lasting all night. The last time Saoirse shelled down an all-nighter, it was a sellout affair at The Island, and it will be much the same this time around, no doubt.

Saturday: Rave On Avon, Trinity Centre
The annual mega-party that takes place each year at one of the city’s biggest and best venues returns, this time choosing Trinity as the field of battle. Expect a lesson in drum & bass from stalwart of the scene Krust, along with bass/techno explorations from the likes of Dave Angel and Mia Lily, and sets from some of the most exciting up and coming names in Bristol right now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp4zGxpLoHc/

Saturday & Sunday: BS5 Art Trail, across BS5
Stretching from the top of Stapleton Road to the bottom of Netham Park, this weekend is the time to celebrate the incredible creativity coming from the BS5 postcode. There are over 120 artists and makers exhibiting their works across various homes and shops around the area.

The map showing all the locations of this year’s BS5 Art Trail – photo: BS5 Art Trail

SPONSORED
Sunday: Yoga Brunch Club x Bombay Brrrunch, The Mount Without
For our May event, we’re thrilled to announce we will be returning to the stunning Mount Without for another instalment of the Yoga Brunch Club Experience. This time, we will be collaborating with Indian Street food Bombay Brrrrunch. The morning will start with a yoga flow class suitable for all levels and ages. You will then enjoy a cup of Joe’s Tea and sit down to a well earned brunch.

Yoga Brunch Club at The Mount Without – photo: The Mount Without

SPONSORED
Closes Sunday: Artist Network Exhibition, RWA
Don’t miss the Artists Network Exhibition. Head down to our Lower Ground Floor galleries TODAY and enjoy this showcase of painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, textiles, and more. The Network consists of nearly 100 practicing visual artists from Bristol and the South West, offering opportunities for members to make links and socialise with other practitioners, promote themselves and their work, develop their creative portfolios, and contribute to exhibitions such as this.

Artist Network Exhibition – photo: RWA

Sunday: Tommy’s Waffle Club, The Wardrobe Theatre
Kind of like an open mic night, but with a sprinkling of a variety show and a smattering of an awful PowerPoint presentation. There will be a theme to the night, and audience members and regulars to the show alike will be invited on stage for their five minutes of whatever they want to present, be it poetry, dance, storytelling – nothing is off the table.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co72F2LuhgY/

And coming soon…

SPONSORED
May 20-August 13: Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City, RWA
Presenting Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City. Curated by Turner Prize winner, Lubaina Himid CBE, this Arts Council Collection touring exhibition explores modern city life from a female perspective. Themes range from safety and navigation to concepts of belonging and power. Included are Bristol artists whose work examines Bristol’s history – where it has come from and where it is now.

Found Cities Lost Objects at RWA – photo: RWA

SPONSORED
May 24: Aspects multi-sensory album launch party, Lost Horizon
Bristol based producer, podcaster and promoter Vice beats, the creator of the only official UK based J Dilla tribute to date, returns with his second full length album – Aspects – which explores connection in a wide variety of forms.

The multi-sensory launch party will take you on a journey, turning Lost Horizon into a creative galaxy with lots of surprises in store, alongside great music from some of the collaborators on Aspects, and the album played in full with live visuals. This is also an opportunity to hear the album and grab a limited edition vinyl and merch before the public release on the 26th May.

Aspects album launch party at Lost Horizon – photo: EQ Music

SPONSORED
May 25: Siv Jakobsen, The Louisiana
Norwegian musician Siv Jakobsen ushers in a hushed and breathtaking reverence with her songwriting. Her delicate vocals convey an emotive poignancy, underpinned by instrumental accompaniments that take in Jakobsen’s finger-picked guitar playing, soaring strings and striking harp and brass arrangements. The new album ‘Gardening’ was released to much acclaim this year, with Clunk Magazine describing it as “a new benchmark for modern folk records”. Jakobsen has spent a lot of time on the road, playing shows alongside the likes of Damien Jurado, José González and Susanne Sundfør, and will be supported at this gig by local bands Ead Wood and Deadheading.

SPONSORED
May 27: Whole Lotta Shakin’ – The Shakin Stevens Story, Redgrave Theatre
The Award Winning tribute to the UK’s biggest selling singles artist of the 1980’s – Whole Lotta Shakin’ is a nostalgic celebration, jam packed with feel-good Rock ‘n’ Roll!

Whole lotta shakin’ at Redgrave Theatre – photo: Redgrave Theatre

SPONSORED
May 28: The Young’uns, Redgrave Theatre
The Young’uns live shows are renowned. With heart-on-the-sleeve storytelling, beautiful lyrics, warm harmonies and relentless repartee, Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes, and David Eagle (the award-winning stand-up comedian) sing life-affirming folk songs for today.

The Young’uns at Redgrave Theatre – photo: Redgrave Theatre

SPONSORED
June 9-18: Festival of Nature, Millennium Square
Join the celebration for Festival of Nature’s 20th anniversary with its unmissable programme of vibrant city-centre events, family nature parties, wildlife workshops, walks and talks, film screenings, and spectacular performances across 10 days. Don’t miss out on the festival’s feature Bristol event at Millennium Square and Anchor Square 17th & 18th June – two days of free nature activities, stalls, food and drink, and special guest talks.

Festival of nature – photo: Natural History Consortium

SPONSORED
June 10-18: Clifton International Festival of Music, various locations
Bristol’s very own classical music festival is back with a special 10th anniversary edition. The lineup includes favourite artists The Tallis Scholars, and iconic masterpieces including Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, alongside performances from some of the country’s brightest classical rising stars.

Clifton International Festival of Music – photo: Clifton International Festival of Music

Main photo: ShorAway

Read next:

• Ben Miller: The NYC comic and scientist combining his two passions
• Legends of alternative cabaret – The Tiger Lillies and their UK tour in Bristol
• New techno music event to take place

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines Podcast: