24 things to do in Bristol this week, May 9-15 2022

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Until June 19: Me, Myself, I: Artist Self Portraits, RWA
Me, Myself, I: Artists’ Self-Portraits is the RWA’s landmark reopening exhibition taking place in May and June. Featuring work by major artists the exhibition provides historical context to today’s selfie culture through an exploration of self-portraiture over 300 years. Taking place in the newly transformed gallery spaces this is a must-see!

The exhibit showcases self portraits from top portrait artists old and new | Photo: John Hammond

Monday: Nosferatu – Live Score from Jozef Van Wissem, The Cube
To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the classic German horror, The Cube is inviting down “possibly the most-known lute player in the world” for his own live interpretation of the score. Expect gothic, atmospheric energies.

Tuesday: CLoWn SoUp, Desperate Men Studios
For those in the clown community, or those curious about dipping their toes in, Tuesday night is clown night across May, with four clown play sessions booked in at Desperate Men Studios in Easton.

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Wednesday: Tempers, The Louisiana
Tempers’ work pulsates with industrial electronica and transcendent synth-fuelled melodies. The NYC duo, composed of Jasmine Golestaneh and Eddie Cooper, makes music for the night time, abounding in brooding glacial pop and crepuscular disco grooves. With their upcoming new album New Meaning, their fourth record, the pair expands on their elegantly introspective and cinematic sound, crafting an alluring and enigmatic musical alchemy.

Wednesday: Time To Declare – Sweat Not Oil, Seat Unique Stadium
We all know that one of the greatest risks of climate change is the effect it could have on the game of cricket. Gloucestershire Cricket Club is hosting a talk about this dreadful danger, and what we can do to stop it, both on and off the pitch.

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Thursday & Sunday: Jazz at Bristol Beacon, Bristol Beacon
Two jazz acts play at Bristol Beacon this week! On Thursday, Bristol Beacon and Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival present Bristol-based quartet We Are Leif, whose soul and jazz draws on a rich expanse of influences, including the trip-hop of their home city, as well as jazz luminary Gretchen Parlato and the sounds of R&B soul icon Erykah Badu. Then on Sunday, Jazzata presents Orphy Robinson MBE – a major figure on the UK Jazz scene, master musician, mentor and educator. Orphy has released records on the Blue Note record label and played with top artists including Don Cherry, David Murray, Henry Threadgill, Courtney Pine, The Jazz Warriors and Andy Sheppard, among many others.

Thursday: OwM x Sudo Sound, The Social
Two new Bristol 140 labels collide at The Social, inviting down three exciting local selectors for a multi-genre bass driven evening with hefty sonics courtesy of subsolar soundsystem. From 8pm to 10pm, there will also be open decks, so bring your sticks.

Thursday: BRINK., Serchia Gallery
A photography exhibition from eight UWE students, BRINK examines the relationship between humans in many different environments in the form of documentary photography, in an attempt to examine how we are different – and how that can bring us all together.

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Thursday: Dom Joly’s Holiday Snaps – Travel & Comedy in the Danger Zone, Redgrave Theatre
Dom Joly is best known as the creator of Trigger Happy TV. And now the writer and broadcaster is undertaking his first UK tour since 2011, giving fans a rare opportunity to see him live.

Thursday: Dining and Magic Malka, Cloak & Dagger
Bristol’s resident close-up magician Malka graces the Cloak & Dagger, promising to thrill punters with card tricks and other forms of close-up magic.

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Opens Friday: Everything Everywhere All At Once, Watershed
At last, the movie everyone is talking about arrives on our screens! Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as the Daniels), this emotional, mind-bending stunner is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who can’t seem to finish her taxes.

Friday: Ukraine Benefit Gig, The Louisiana
Help out the Ukraine at the Louisiana. With lively group The Pleasure Dome topping the bill, it promises to be a ferocious evening of letting your hair down, and all for a good cause, too.

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Friday: My My! Abba The Concert, Redgrave Theatre
My My! pays homage to the original Swedish sensations through capturing Abba’s great sense of fun, recreating their incredible unique sound and combining this into a fun filled evening of sing-along, dance-along magic!

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Friday: Lunchtime Talk: The Department of Dreams, Watershed
In this free talk, Department of Dreams lead at Civic Square Birmingham, Mathilde Petford, shares how the team use play, imagination and story to tape into the minds of dreamers to explore regenerative futures and civic life.

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May 13-29: Mayfest, various locations
Bristol’s trailblazing festival of international theatre makes a triumphant return this month, with a city-wide programme of performance, installations, parties and screenings spanning three weekends in May. Mayfest opens this Friday at Bristol Old Vic with Birthmarked, a new play from Bristol-based polymath Brook Tate, followed by a free opening party in the foyer ’til late.

Friday: Music Production Workshop w/ Captain Planet, Jam Jar
American hip-hop producer Captain Planet comes to the Jam Jar, for a rare intimate workshop, in which he will detail his creative production process, from beginning to end. He will also be performing at the Jam Jar’s eighth birthday party happening later that evening, and tickets for both can be purchased separately or as a bundle.

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Saturday: You Choose Exhibition, Fashion Museum
You Choose, a unique exhibition co-curated by local people, will open at the Fashion Museum Bath. This community-led exhibition gives local people a voice and visibility in the museum and considers issues such as sustainability, creativity, gender fluidity and cultural identity. Book online.

The exhibition covers a number of social issues, and is based around community | Photo: Fashion Museum

Saturday: Club Blanco Open Air, Propyard
Club Blanco, promoters known for hosting some of the best underground house/techno lineups come to new warehouse venue Propyard for possibly their biggest party to date. Heading the lineup will be Danilo Plessow, AKA Motor City Drum Ensemble, bringing the party in the (hopefully) sunshine.

Sunday: Bristol Comedy Festival, Old Market
For one day only, Bristol Comedy Festival aims to bring the laughs to Old Market, with 40 different comedy acts performing throughout the day up and down the street, from Stag and Hounds to The Ill Repute. Tickets are purchased individually for each show.

And coming soon…

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May 22: Dubioza Kollektiv, Trinity Centre
Dubioza Kolektiv are established as among the best and most popular live outfits in Eastern Europe. Along with local Balkan flavours, their musical influences come from all over the world: ska, punk, reggae, electronic, hip-hop. Don’t miss this life-affirming band and their explosive live show at Trinity.

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June 2: Helado Negro, Trinity Centre
Helado Negro is an award-winning, Brooklyn-based, Ecuadorian artist who has spent more than a decade refining his sound. Somewhere between synth-folk and alt-pop, his music is a soothing, dreamlike collage of live, unorthodox instruments.

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June 10: I See Myself? A Panel Discussion, RWA
Artist Shani Rhys James MBE and writer Jennifer Higgie will discuss self-portraiture and the role it has played for women artists over time in this inspiring panel discussion at the RWA. The conversation will be chaired by Me, Myself, I: Artists’ Self-Portraits exhibition curator Tessa Jackson OBE.

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June 10-18: Festival of Nature, Bristol & Bath
The UK’s largest celebration of the natural world is back! Join an exciting week packed full of in-person, digital and hybrid events across the region, all aimed at helping people take action for nature. This year will see over 50 events including wildlife workshops, film screenings, family nature parties and special guest appearances – you don’t want to miss this!

Main photo: Be Part Of by Monika Truong is part of the Mayfest programme

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