Freshers’ Week in Bristol

The beginning of university is an exciting time: no work to do, lots of parties and plenty of new people to meet. But with so much going on, how are we supposed to work out what’s worth going to, and what isn’t? The Bristolian branch of the Student Channel has sifted through all the listings – both university-organised and otherwise – to bring you the very best that your Freshers’ Week has to offer.

University of Bristol

According to the University of Bristol Facebook page, the two biggest and most popular freshers’ events are the Freshers’ Party (4 October) and the Freshers’ Ball (13 October). They are £7 and £22 respectively, but you can buy tickets for both for the discounted price of £26. The ball is at Motion, one of Bristol’s biggest, coolest and most popular nightclubs, so expect it to sell out! But these are just the tip of the iceberg: more information on freshers’ events organised by the students union can be found here, and each individual residence also organises its own parties.

 

Motion, Bristol

UWE

The biggest event of UWE’s freshers’ week calendar is the Allstars Party, taking place on the Frenchay campus on Saturday 24^th September. The line up is impressive: Chase and Status, the View and Kissy Sell Out are headlining. Tickets are £30 a pop, but if that seems a little on the expensive side there’s plenty more going on at a fraction of the price, including comedy nights and mock-full moon beach parties. Click here for full listings.

 

Bristol events

Freshers’ week may be organised by your union, but that doesn’t mean you’re confined to the official events! Local clubs are putting on a huge variety of freshers’ themed events; read on for a selection of the very best Bristol has to offer.

 

The Thekla

With term starting again the Thekla is reviving its well-established and hugely popular student night Zoology: the official club night of UWE’s Hub Radio. The connection doesn’t make it exclusive to UWE students, though – University of Bristol freshers are just as welcome. Every Monday you can expect to hear indie, pop and hip hop, plus the Hub Radio DJs themselves on the top deck (the Thekla is a boat, doncha know). Get down before 10 to escape the door charge. Facebook group

That’s not all – the Thekla is also debuting its newest student night Wobble, which will be bringing you the best in dubstep, drum and bass and “generally wobbly beats” every Tuesday night. Facebook group

 

For more information on freshers’ week at the Thelka, click here

 

BrisFest

Between 23^rd and 25^th SeptemberBristol’s newest and most up-and-coming festival, ‘BrisFest’, will be transforming the centre with a mixture of music, comedy, street theatre, circus and art. Tickets are a bargain: entry to the festival starts at £8 and the boat parties is as little as £6, so if you’re new to the city there’s no excuse not to get down there and experience some local culture! You can read the Student Channel’s preview of the festival here for more information.

 Propaganda @ Syndicate

You’ve probably heard of Propaganda before – massively popular in almost every student city, it’s the UK’s number one Indie night. Already a fan? Well “Props” was born in Bristol, and it’s easily the city’s biggest club night. You’d be a fool to miss the first one of term, on Wednesday 21^st September. Get there early to avoid missing out. Facebook group

 Smash the Lanes @ The Lanes

 

Intriguingly described as “cheap drinks, good music and cheap bowling for all”, Smash the Lanes is possibly the first ever student night to feature a bowling alley. Entry is free and drinks deals abound, so if a blend of funk, hip hop, dubstep, drum and bass, house and disco sounds appealing this might just be for you.

 

Written by Lucy, Bristol

 

Bristol’s nightlife… by genre

Coming to a new city as a fresher, it can be easy to get sucked into a never-ending series of cheese nights… and hey, if the Spice Girls and Westlife are your thing, that’s ok. But if you’ve got a love for another, less mainstream kind of music, don’t give up!Bristol has plenty to offer: you just need to know where to look. Read on for an overview of the nightlife in your new city, conveniently arranged by genre…

Pop Confessional

Pop/chart/cheese

What with being a student city and all, pop and cheese are two genres you’re definitely not going to be short on. Pretty much every major club has at a student night where they play chart music or golden oldies, along with all the associated drinks deals. These nights are so widespread that you really don’t need help finding them, but a few of the most popular are Pop Confessional (the Thekla), Phat Friday (Panache) and Hanky Panky (Syndicate).

             

                                     

                                                                 

Indie

There are several good, regular Indie nights on, including the incredibly popular Propaganda (at Syndicate), which unites young locals and students every Wednesday. Similar and similarly successful regulars include Ramshackle (o2 Academy) and Pressure (the Thekla). If live bands are more your bag, you’re in luck: there’s heaps going on Indie-wise almost every night in various venues. Check out Headfirst Bristol for what’s coming up in the next few weeks.

Hip-hop

In all honesty, Bristol is surprisingly quiet on the hip-hop front. There aren’t any particularly hip-hop focused clubs and the city is seriously lacking in dedicated nights. With the introduction of the new In:Motion nights at Motion, however, there are some reasonably well-known artists coming to Bristol soon: check out their website for line-ups and prices.

Motion Nightclub

Drum and Bass and Jungle

Fed rather than diminished by the rise of dubstep, drum and bass is still hugely popular in Bristol. There aren’t many solely “drum and bass” nights, though – instead most clubs seem to mix it up with similar genres (such as breaks, dubstep and jungle) a couple of nights a week. Having said that, Native hosts Run every Tuesday (discounts for NUS holders) and Hospitality – the nationwide drum and bass night – comes to Bristol every month for a huge blowout: see here for up-to-date listings.

Jungle is harder to find on a weekly basis, instead offered closer to monthly (if that) at various clubs by certain specialist promoters. Champion Sound (Lakota) and Jungle Syndicate are well-established in the city, and often host big names such as Congo Natty, Top Cat, Aphrodite and Nicky Blackmarket.

Champion Sound at Lakota

The Croft

Dubstep

Dubstep is everywhere in Bristol, which can make it hard to separate the very good from the truly awful. The Croft, Thekla, Dojo’s and Basement 45 (amongst others) run semi-regular dubstep nights including the hugely popular Dubloaded, and bigger clubs Motion and Lakota host the biggest names in the genre (especially those from Bristol such as Pinch, Joker and Peverelist), though on a less regular basis.
 

 

House and techno

Bristol isn’t particularly known for its house or techno scene, but things have taken off a bit recently. Fruity Antics is a long-standing favourite amongst locals, with Timbuk2 and Dojo’s also hosting the occasional dedicated night. Once again, the new In:Motion nights are the place to look: if you’re not sure where to begin check out the Futureboogie one with Bristol-born Julio Bashmore in November.

Futureboogie

Written by Lucy, Bristol.

The Banksy Tour of Bristol

Possibly Bristol’s coolest export (along with Massive Attack and Portishead), Banksy’s darkly political stencils have catapulted  him to a level of stardom previously unheard of for a graffiti artist. His art is peppered all over Bristol, from Clifton all the way down to Eastville, conveniently spread out in what is more or less a straight line. Thus the Banksy Tour was born.

Different websites offer different routes, some stretching all the way out to the most faded, little-known sketches on the outskirts of the city. However, being students, the majority of us don’t have access to a car. With this in mind I’ve drawn up a more compact version, showcasing the most central (and most famous) of Banksy’s work.

 

 

 

 

 

1. We start with the ‘Mild Mild West’ piece on Stokes Croft, a fitting place to begin a tour of Bristolian culture. The mural features a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at the police, and has probably been here for around nine or ten years. In 2009 it was restored after being vandalised with red paint.

2. Next, head down Jamaica Street to the BRI and children’s hospital. Standing uphill and looking back in the direction you came from, you can see the stencil: a sniper preparing to fire, with a boy standing behind him about to pop a paper bag.

3. We’re getting into student territory now, so chances are you’ll be seeing this one on a regular basis. On the side of a sexual health clinic on Frogmore Street(at the bottom of Park Street) is a picture of a man hanging naked from a window, while his lover’s husband looks out.

4. Moving down to Bristol harbour, this stencil is best viewed from the other side of the water. The image of the grim reaper in a boat, painted onto the side of The Thekla, is said to be based on a 19^th century drawing named ‘The Silent Highway Man’.

 

If this tiny snippet of Banksy’s work has captured your interest, why not tackle the full tour? You can find a handy map of every single piece of Banksy graffiti in Bristol here.

Written by Lucy, Bristol.