Things To Do / Sponsored

20 things to do in Bristol this week, January 29-February 4 2024

By Miles Arnold  Thursday Jan 25, 2024

Monday: Improv drop-in, Bristol Improv Theatre
Kick the week off by brushing up your off the dome, improvised comedy techniques, led by the masters of the craft at Clifton’s Bristol Improv Theatre. The session is open to all levels of experience within the improv space, but some familiarity of the practice will make it easier for you to enter the proceedings.

Theatre Jam, Bristol Improv Theatre – photo: Lee Pullen

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Monday: The olllam, Bristol Beacon
With a name aptly deriving from the old Irish for a grand master of a skill, the olllam is a transatlantic collective of formidable talent, marrying virtuosity, Irish tradition, and Detroit’s post-rock psyche-sensibility. Their compositions are lush cyclical trance-like melodies, co-written by Belfast uilleann piper/whistle player John McSherry and his US protégé Tyler Duncan, set to the intricate, often complex, rhythms of master-drummer Michael Shimmin, underpinned by the phenomenal bass-playing genius of Joe Dart. Their 2012 eponymous debut album is now considered a cult classic, winning the 2012 Indie Acoustic Music Award for Best Instrumental Album. Over the years the olllam live collective has featured various additional master musicians and collaborators, including Dart’s Vulfpeck bandmates Theo Katzman and Woody Goss.

The olllam – photo: Bristol Beacon

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Monday-Thursday: All Of Us Strangers, Watershed
Adam (Andrew Scott) is a screenwriter living in London. He strikes up an uneasy acquaintance with his mysterious neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal), which edges towards something more intimate.

Tuesday: Noah Guthrie, The Louisiana
The Americana themed bar/music venue welcomes the equally (if not more) Americana themed singer-songwriter into their walls, delivering his signature blend of country and rock that just absolutely stinks of the wide open plains of the US.

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Tuesday: Preview: American Fiction, Watershed
Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut is both a wicked satire about the commodification of marginalised voices and a portrait of an artist forced to re-examine his integrity. The screening will be followed by an open discussion with the audience hosted by Anthony Andrews from We Are Parable and Gary Thompson from Cables and Cameras. American Fiction opens on Fri 2 Feb.

Wednesday: Join in folk session, Hare on The Hill
A collaborative folk session at the cosy bar nestled on the corner of the steep streets behind Armada house behind Stokes Croft. Whether you’ve got an instrument to bring, fancy testing your pipes, shaking a leg or just relaxing and enjoying the music, all are encouraged to get involved in their own way.

Hare on the hill jazz jam session – photo: Hare on the Hill

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Now-February 10: Macbeth, Bristol Old Vic
English Touring Theatre’s Macbeth is a visceral, claustrophobic, and intoxicating show, which speaks to a world we find ourselves living in now. “Dagger-sharp… this is Succession meets Fleabag” (★★★★ The Times). Tickets are limited, with bench seating in the Pit recently released. Don’t miss it.

Macbeth – photo: Bristol Old Vic

Thursday: Buffoon comedy with Frank Foucalt, The Boardroom
The St Nicks arty tavern hosts its ever popular regular comedy night, this time bringing along comic Frank Foucalt into their walls. It should be said that Foucalt is no longer a comedian, but an incredibly serious, non joking musician… unless?

Friday: SI 2024 exhibitions launch, Spike Island
This Friday evening sees the preview night of two exhibitions at the gallery on the river, ‘Fix Your Face’ by Olu Ogunnaike and ‘Five Acts’ by Young In Hong. There will be food, drinks, and live contemporary interpretations of the exhibitions being previewed.

Spike Island is celebrating the opening of their first two exhibitions of the year – photo: Dan Weill

Friday-February 11: Bristol Light Festival
Bristol Light Festival is a free to attend annual event that fills our city with light and colour, showcasing Bristol as the vibrant, playful and creative city that we know and love.

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Saturday: This is the Kit, Bristol Beacon
This Is The Kit is the musical project of Kate Stables, one which has carried Stables from Winchester to Bristol to Paris (where she’s lived for the last 15 years), and across tours and festivals around the world, not to mention a prestigious Ivor Novello nomination. Following the release of acclaimed latest album ‘Careful Of Your Keepers’, the band will perform in Beacon Hall for what will be their biggest Bristol show to date. Limited availability remains – don’t miss out on this special moment! Support comes from Gina Birch (The Raincoats) and Dominie Hooper.

This is The Kit – photo: Bristol Beacon

Saturday: no_one 5th birthday: Djrum, Coco Bryce, Ikonika ++, Trinity Centre
Having started in 2019 in Bristol, no_one has been consistently putting on a regular stream of incredibly well curated parties, at first in Bristol but now UK wide. They keep this run of form going as they celebrate turning half a decade old with a lineup that truly speaks for itself at the Old Market bass temple.

no_one 5th birthday poster – photo: no_one

Sunday: I See Art, Centrespace Gallery
The debut exhibition from Iain Carter at the independent community Leonard Lane gallery, showcasing a series of vibrant pattern making works created over the past five years when Carter was recovering from a serious injury.

I See Art at Centrespace Gallery – photo: Iain Carter/Headfirst

And coming soon…

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February 10: Sustainable Pop-Up Market February, Future Leap G Road
Join us for our Valentines pop-up market on February 10th, featuring a diverse range of talented sellers and their incredible products! Every market hosts a different selection of stallholders, and you can expect to find photography and art prints, eco-friendly beauty products, greener household alternatives, handsewn homewares and much more.

Valentines Market at Future Leap G Road – photo: Future Leap

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February 12-17: Black is the color of my voice, Bristol Old Vic
Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and featuring many of her most iconic songs performed live, Black is the Color of my Voice is “nothing short of sensational” (★★★★★ Broadway Baby). The show has toured the UK to standing ovations and played sell-out seasons worldwide.

Black is the colour of my voice – photo: Bristol Old Vic

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February 13: Exciting Science, Redgrave Theatre
This brand new, exciting and educational show will amaze & astound all ages from 4 years and upwards, as we put the ‘Exciting’ back into Science. With fun and fact filled experiments, watch in amazement as we recreate a volcanic eruption; turn a vacuum cleaner into a missile launcher or take aim at you with our smoke blaster!

Exciting Science – photo: Redgrave Theatre

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February 14: The Beatles: Love Songs, St George’s
The Bristol Ensemble celebrate Valentine’s Day with the ultimate Beatles special, featuring their best love songs in an hour-long concert that will give you a Valentines Night to remember! Immerse yourself in the magical atmosphere of St. George’s Bristol, bathed in the romantic glow of candlelight. It doesn’t get more romantic than this!

The Beatles by Candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble

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February 14: Comedy & reggae valentine’s special, Redgrave Theatre
The perfect event to celebrate valentines weekend with loved ones. An amazing night of stand up comedy & reggae music, with live band Ultimate 40 singing classic hits from Bob Marley, Freddie McGregor, Tarrus Riley, Jah Cure, Sanchez and more. Live comedy from Richard Blackwood and Annette Fagon.

Comedy & reggae special – photo: Redgrave Theatre

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February 27: The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Film and Live Orchestra, St. George’s
An epic experience that combines live orchestra with film! Watch the original Hunchback of Notre Dame film with live symphonic score from the Bristol Ensemble at St George’s Bristol.

Celebrating 100 years since the film was first released in September 1923. Flicker Alley restored and mastered this edition from a multi-tinted 16mm print struck in 1926 from the original camera negative.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame – photo: Bristol Ensemble

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March 9: Einaudi meets Richter by Candlelight, Trinity Henleaze URC
This will be a hypnotic evening of music performed by the Bristol Ensemble, featuring mesmerising works by Ludovico Einaudi, and Max Richter’s engagingly refreshing reimagining of Vivaldi’s ever-popular Four Seasons:

  • Einaudi Divenire; Primavera; Petricor; I Giorni; Full Moon
  • Max Richter: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Reimagined

Einaudi meets Richter by candlelight – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

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May 11: Blown Away, Trinity Henleaze URC

A great programme of music for wind instruments performed by players from the Bristol Ensemble:

  • Mozart Serenade for Wind in C minor K.388
  • Dvořák Serenade for Winds in D minor Op.44

We’ll hear the powerful and characterful C minor serenade by Mozart, a four movement work full of ingenuity, twists and turns. And also, Dvořák’s Serenade for Winds in D minor, unmistakably Czech, an homage to music-making in Czech palaces and stately homes.

Blown Away – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

Main photo: Dan Weill

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