27 things to do in Bristol this week, October 2-8 2023

Monday: Ceramic mountain mug pottery workshop, Wild Clay Studios
Get creative in the South Bristol ceramics studio, as you will be taught how to make your own mountain mug (a mug that starts wide at the base and slims out towards the top, like the shape of a mountain) and decorate it with your own designs – suitable for all abilities/skill levels.

Mountain mug workshop at Wild Clay Studios – photo: Yuup

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Monday-Thursday: The Old Oak, Watershed
Rumoured to be the final film from Ken Loach, The Old Oak has been described as a ‘fierce final call for compassion and solidarity’.

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Now-October 8: Circus Extreme, The Downs
Circus Extreme is thrilled to be returning to England in 2023 as part of its World Tour. A one-of-a-kind performance, that was five years in the making and features some of the most talented performers in the world. Merging modern and contemporary styles with extreme stunts and classic clown escapades, audiences will be amazed by the jam-packed Circus Extreme production which features show-stopping performances that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Circus Extreme – photo: Andrea Giachi

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Now-November 5: From Our Perspective, RWA
Enjoy From Our Perspective, an exhibition showcasing paintings, drawings, prints and collages made by the incredible children, and young people attending the RWA Happy Mondays programme; a series of sensory, explorative workshops for families with children with SEN+D. The artwork on display came out of partner school groups enjoying artist-led workshops. These were often reactive and co-designed with the young people, adapting to their learning needs and interests, as well as responding to the gallery exhibitions and RWA Handling Collection being taken offsite.

From Our Perspective – photo: RWA

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October 3: Dawta the podcast live, The Mount Without
DAWTA The Podcast first broadcast this May 2023 inspired by DAWTA a one woman musical about Sarah a black transracial adoptee fighting to survive in 1970’s/80’s Britain. DAWTA The Podcast has broadcast 5 episodes and has already reached over 500 downloads.

This Black History Month, 2023 The Mount Without Crypt is hosting DAWTA The Podcast Live on Tuesday 3rd October, 7.30pm. Plush leather sofas and illustrious arm chairs provide the perfect seats to enjoy DAWTA The Podcast’s world of performance, discussion, and music…and this time you can ask the questions! Of course there will be a BIG theme that frames the whole night (DAWTA fans out there it’s a big question that was asked in one of the episodes….can you guess?)

So, join DAWTA’s writer and producer Dionne Draper, co-host multidisciplinary artist writer/singer Lisa Marie-Simmons and DAWTA’s podcast guests, for a soulful night of real talk, discussion and dancing to Bristol’s finest, ‘DJ Mystri’. Can’t wait to see you.

Dawta the podcast live – photo: The Mount Without

Tuesday: Temps: Q&A with James Acaster + Signing, Rough Trade
Temps, a 40 person strong musical collective, led by a cartoon alligator and designed and produced by comedian James Acaster, celebrate the release of their debut project with a Q&A and signing from the group’s creator in the intimate setting of Rough Trade on Nelson Street.

Tuesday: Amity label launch – ‘Kills two birds’, Crofters Rights
Amity, the Bristol based party collective known for putting on hair-raising, forward thinking parties across the city, celebrate stepping into the label space following the release of their debut compilation in true Amity style – with a big old party at Crofters with an equally big lineup, most/all of whom feature on the breakout comp.

Amity label launch at Crofters – photo: Amity, Crofters Rights

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Wednesday-October 15: BFI London Film Festival, Watershed
The 67th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express is brimming with the world’s best new films, series and immersive storytelling – and everyone is invited! Coming to Watershed from Wed 4 Oct. Grab your tickets before they go.

BFI Film Festival previews – photo: Watershed

Wednesday: Freak like me, Piloxercise studios
A dance class for all abilities, soundtracked to the powerful rhythms of nostalgic pop rhythms at the Lawrence Hill dance studio. If you’re after a group dance class where the emphasis is on letting go and moving freely, look no further.

Freak Like Me poster – photo: Headfirst

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Open now: Solo Exhibition by Chris Rydlewski: Confluence, The Mount Without
Award-winning Bristol photographer is publishing the third photobook in “an unanticipated trilogy”. Chris Rydlewski has lived and worked in Bristol (UK) for 45 years. For 35 of those, he worked as a freelance photographer and as a photography lecturer at City of Bristol College. Recently retired Chris is now concentrating on personal projects, mainly based in France, which he and his family have visited regularly for many years. These projects take the form of self-published, limited-edition photobooks. Chris also exhibits his work regularly, both in the UK and France. ‘Confluence’ is his third France-based photobook, making what he calls “an unanticipated trilogy”.

Diptych from ‘Confluence’ photobook – photo: Chris Rydlewski

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Thursday: Jean-Michel Blais, Bristol Beacon
Classical piano icon Jean-Michel Blais began his relationship with the instrument aged 9, writing his first compositions at 11, and eventually releasing a stream of piano-focused albums which earned him a Libera Award, two Polaris prize nominations, a #1 on the Billboard Classical chart and more. As the pandemic took hold in 2020, Blais started to wonder if there was more to music than his solitary practice, leading to a time of great catharsis that paved the way for the bold new direction of his next album, ‘aubades’. Named after the Middle Ages notion of romantic music written for dawn and daybreak, with this new record Jean-Michel Blais has created 11 aubades for 12 musicians, all of which celebrate rebirth, a season in bloom and the expectation of a new day to come.

Thursday: Debauched Tales, Cloak & Dagger
After taking a hiatus over summer, the incredibly popular Debauched Tales returns to the Stokes Croft cafe/venue/bar. Each session has a sensual theme, and participants will read saucy passages from books or simply regale the audience with stories from their own lives that match the theme.

Cloak and Dagger – Photo: Miles Arnold

Friday: Return of Ziefield and Paradise’s Cabaret of Curiosities, The Cube
Celebrating 25 years of the community tiny cinema, the team behind The Cube on Dove Street are bringing back one of their most popular long running events from the past. The Cabaret of Curiosities aims to host a plethora of cabaret, dance, circus, comedy and more.

The Cabaret of Curiosities returns to The Cube this week – photo: The Cube Microplex

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Friday: Ria Lina – Riawakening, Hen & Chicken
In the aftermath of a global pandemic, comedian and scientist, Ria Lina has had a Riawakening and sees the world differently. In this, her highly anticipated debut tour, Ria tackles the issues of coming out of a global pandemic, the new normal, divorce, dating in a new digital world, motherhood and what it really means to be a woman today.

Fearless, provocative, and very funny, Ria Lina is the only Filipina comedian in British stand-up and a hugely admired talent in the comedy industry.

Her extensive list of credits includes Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, Lovestruck High, Richard Hammond’s Brain Reaction, House of Games, The Last Leg and Celebrity Mastermind.

“I guarantee you will laugh a lot” The Scotsman

Riawakening – photo: The Comedy Box

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Saturday: Henleaze Concert Society: Glories of the Baroque, Trinity Henleaze URC
For this first concert of our season, come and join the Bristol Ensemble for a programme of Baroque favourites:

• Handel- Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
• Vivaldi- Trio Sonata in D minor ‘La Follia’
• Bach- Brandenburg Concerto No.1 in F major, BWV 1046
• Handel- Water Music

Glories of the baroque – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

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Saturday: Splash Test Dummies, Redgrave Theatre
Rub-a-dub-dub, The Dummies are here with some splish splashing circus set to drown you in tears of laughter. The Splash Test Dummies are off on an exciting adventure of oceanic proportions! With a brilliant array of catch-your-breath stunt work, dazzling acrobatics, dexterous juggling and side-splitting, slapstick comedy, the Dummies are ready to roll out their beach towels and spring into an exciting hour of circus-filled hilarity for the whole family.

Splash test dummies – photo: Redgrave Theatre

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Saturday: Stand Up For The Weekend with Jeremy Flynn and guests, Hen & Chicken
Jeremy Flynn is a naturally funny comedian who after starting comedy in 2015 quickly made a name for himself as one of the best acts on the lively Bristol comedy scene. Since then he has gone on to delighting audiences around the country with his unique mix of idiosyncratic observations and hilarious anecdotes leaving audiences in metaphorical stitches. He is now in high demand at some of the best and most prestigious comedy clubs in the UK.

Jeremy is also the co-host of the popular Make it Better Podcast with fellow comedian Jake Lambert.

“Routines written with ruthless efficiency, delivered in a punchy relaxed style with sparkling payoffs” Farcical Comedy
“Detailed, illustrated, and very funny indeed” From the Margins

Jeremy Flynn and guests – photo: The Comedy Box

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Saturday: In:Motion: TSHA, Prospa & more, Motion
In:Motion are proud to present one of the most exciting talents to come out of the UK in recent years, TSHA. Known for her flawless productions and diverse DJ sets, she has cemented herself as a household name in electronic music. Joining her will be Prospa, an electronic duo who’s reimagining of classic dance sounds has accelerated their rise. More acts to be announced soon.

TSHA comes to Motion this October – photo: Alastair Brookes

Saturday: Bristol Alternative Market w/ Grandma’s House & more, Lakota
Lakota opens their gardens space for a daytime showcase of some of Bristol’s finest rising punk and alternative bands/artists, whilst showcasing some of the city’s most popular alternative makers, creators and designers, who will all be presenting and selling their creations.

Bristol alternative market – photo: Headfirst

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Saturday: Scribble and Sketch, Hartcliffe Children’s Centre
Head over to Hartcliffe Children’s Centre, this Saturday for Scribble and Sketch. Join artist Seekan Hui for an arty workshop that everyone can get stuck into. These sessions are designed for children and grown-ups to take part in together, everyone is welcome. Suitable for all ages, children must be supervised.

Scribble and sketch -photo: RWA

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Sunday: A Century of Swing, Redgrave Theatre
Join the UK’s hardest swinging band Down for the Count for ‘one hellova celebration of vintage music’ as they celebrate A Century of Swing. The band takes you on a whistle-stop tour of the best swing music, tracing the origins of the style from 1920s America through to the genre’s heydey in the 30s, 40s and 50s. The band will also perform their own original arrangements of classic jazz standards featured on their new album.

A Century of Swing – photo: Redgrave Theatre

Sunday: Creative Foraging: Meadow medicine, wild gardening, Greenbank Cemetery
Learn about the incredible properties of the flora that sits under your very feet every day in amongst the peaceful settings of Greenbank Cemetery, led by two experienced forage/gardeners Ruby and Maria. Learn what to look for when foraging for teas and remedies, and how to enact ‘guerilla gardening’ in your local area.

Meadow Medicine and Wild Gardening – photo: Headfirst

And coming soon…

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October 14: In:Motion & Percolate x Steel City Dance Discs, Marble Factory
On the 14th October, In:Motion team up with London party starters Percolate and Steel City Dance Discs to bring you a stacked line up featuring SCDD head honcho Mall Grab, plus KETTAMA, Effy and more. Expect heavy duty house and techno selections and high-energy from start to finish.

Mall Grab – photo: Alastair Brookes

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October 14: Mozart by candlelight, Bristol Cathedral
Mozart’s infamous Requiem in D minor is a masterpiece shrouded in mystery, making it all the more fascinating, compelling and emotionally stirring. The story of the creation of the work involves a shady commission and a blanket of deceit.

It all began in July 1791, when a stranger turned up at Mozart’s door with a commission to write a requiem. Mozart accepted and obsessively threw himself into the piece and worked on almost nothing else for several months. However, by this time, his health was deteriorating and he was unable to finish what he started. Mozart wasn’t sound of mind when he received the commission and believed he’d been cursed to write the piece as a swansong because he knew he would shortly die. Was he writing his own Requiem?

Experience this extraordinary work in the majestic setting of a candlelit Bristol Cathedral, with over 400 candles recreating the original performance in Vienna 230 years ago on January 2, 1793.

Mozart by Candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble

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October 17: Bristol Beacon presents: National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Bath Forum
Formed in 1918, The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (NSOU) is the country’s principal orchestra and recognised as one of the finest symphony orchestras in Eastern Europe, having achieved worldwide recognition through multiple international tours. Since 1993, the 98-strong orchestra has released more than 100 critically acclaimed recordings featuring Ukrainian and international repertoire. We are delighted to present the orchestra’s visit to Bath Forum this October as the first date in a 17-concert tour of the UK – its biggest UK tour in 100 years. The orchestra’s performance in Bath will include a specially selected piece by Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshynsky (1895–1968) whose works the NSOU have proudly premiered in the past, and pieces by Max Bruch and Jean Sibelius.

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October 18: Beethoven 5 by candlelight, St George’s
Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 5 is widely considered one of the cornerstones of western music. First performed in Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterward and is described as “one of the most important works of the time”. The symphony, and the four-note opening motif in particular, are known worldwide, with the motif appearing frequently in popular culture, from disco versions to rock and roll covers, to uses in film and television.

Equal in stature to the Fifth Symphony, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 redefined the relationship between the piano and the orchestra, and its heroic and majestic character makes it one of the best-loved works of the repertoire.

Beethoven by candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble

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November 25: Henleaze Concert Society: Romantic Nights, Trinity Henleaze URC
For this second concert of our season, come and enjoy two of Rachmaninov’s cherished works performed by the Bristol Ensemble and soloist Paul Israel:

• Rachmaninov- Piano Concerto No.2 (arr. Iain Farrington)
• Rachmaninov- Symphonic Dances (arr. Iain Farrington)

Romantic nights – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

Main photo: Bristol Beacon

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