Bristol Beacon listings: February & March 2022

This month, Bristol Beacon brings us an extraordinary abundance of entertainment across Bristol and Bath. From melodic afropop, through cathartic pop and rock and lively jazz and contemporary folk, to dramatic orchestral performances and everything in-between.

At Bristol Beacon itself, The Tonic Sessions return to the foyer with Emily Breeze and Beth Rowley and 'Bristol Beacon Presents' returns to familiar venues across the region such as Rough Trade, Bath Forum and the Redgrave Theatre, but also popping up in more unusual locations.

Unmissable events in the next few months include the return of the London Symphony Orchestra, Nubiyan Twist and Transatlantic Sessions to name but a few.  

Highlights include..

Rock and Pop:  AroojAftab, Redgrave Theatre, Thursday 3rd February, 8:00pm, £17.44 incl. booking fee

The Brooklyn-based, Pakistani-born artist, Arooj Aftab, has a magnetic voice with graceful, crystalline vocals which soar amongst intricate instrumentation that draws from jazz, Hindustani classical, and folk influences. Nominated for Best New Artist at the postponed 2022 Grammys, the latest release from Aftab, ‘Vulture Prince’, offers a poignant meditation on loss, which she will showcase for the first time in Bristol at the Redgrave Theatre.  

Exhibition: Make Space for Rising, Bristol Beacon Foyer, Thursday 10th February, 8:00pm

Rising Arts Agency are taking over Bristol Beacon on Thursday 10th February and celebrating young local talent and sharing in the joy of live performance in a warm and welcoming space. There will be dance, poetry, live music and visual artists exhibiting their work throughout the space. Featuring performances from the Rising Arts Agency community, including dancer Ade Sowemimo and singers Manoel Akure and Amber-Ruth Watson as well as a late-night set from DJ Adibah. More performers to be announced soon.

This event forms part of #MakeSpaceForMusic, a campaign introducing Bristol Beacon’s re-brand which was developed in collaboration with Rising Arts Agency.

Rock and Pop: Lucy Gooch, Arnolfini, Friday 11th February, 8:00pm, £10.90 incl. booking fee

Experimental Bristol based artist Lucy Gooch crafts sublime, soaring soundscapes. Her music “joins the atmospheric quality of ambient music with the structure of choral composition and the seeming effortlessness of pop” (Pitchfork). With this she offers a sound world imbued with delicate mysticism, her harmonic compositions abounding in ethereal vocals, celestial synths and nimble production.

Rock and Pop: Transatlantic Sessions, Bath Forum, Saturday 12th February, 8:00pm, £21.80-£32.70 incl. booking fee

Transatlantic Sessions will take place at the Bath Forum on 12th February, bringing together folk traditions from Ireland, Scotland and the USA, with its all-star cast of singers, songwriters and instrumentalists. This multinational folk supergroup will make for a truly collaborative, unifying musical experience. Legendary Irish musician, Paul Brady, whose work straddles folk and pop, makes a welcome return, having first appeared in one of the show’s early TV versions. Brady will be joined by US multi-instrumentalist and singer Dirk Powell, a revered exponent of Appalachian and Cajun traditions.

Also joining the guestlist of singers is multi-Grammy winner and US roots musician Sarah Jarosz, Scottish singer Siobhan Miller, whose ever-expanding repertoire encompasses traditional, contemporary and original songs, and Haitian-American musician Leyla McCalla, who has featured in the Carolina Chocolate Drops and has won major acclaim for her earthy, elegant and soulful music.

Performing new bespoke arrangements of their own and others’ material, in a mix of solo and ensemble sets, the singers will be accompanied by a team of leading instrumental maestros from both sides of the pond. This will be presented under the seasoned musical direction of Shetland fiddle legend Aly Bain, accordion legend Phil Cunningham and dobro genius Jerry Douglas, the line-up includes John Doyle, Daniel Kimbro, Michael McGoldrick, Russ Barenberg, John McCusker, Donald Shaw and James Mackintosh.

Rock and Pop: Nubiyan Twist, Marble Factory, Tuesday 15th February, 7:30pm, £18.53 incl. booking fee

Led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Tom Excell, the nine-strong London-based collective of musicians offer a combined powerhouse of talent and musicianship. Nubiyan Twist will present a hybrid of jazz and UK soul for the audience at The Marble Factory in February. Earlier this year they released their acclaimed new album ‘Freedom Fables’, and the record continues the group’s collaborative essence featuring guest appearances from the likes of Ego Ella May, K.O.G. and Cherise. 

Jazz: The Tonic Sessions: Beth Rowley, Bristol Beacon Foyer, Thursday 17th February, 7.30pm, £5.00 - £10.00 incl. booking fee

Presented by the Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival and Bristol Beacon. Beth Rowley is “a songwriter of striking power, her jazz-informed approach resonates with a raw sense of emotional feeling” (Clash). With a career spanning two decades, she’s performed with Angelo Badalamenti of Twin Peaks renown, at the BBC Electric Proms with Burt Bacharach and has regularly toured as a guest vocalist with Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Rowley’s raw, emotive songwriting encapsulates lilting blues and dusky Americana alongside gospel influences and resonant, soulful jazz inflections.

Rock and Pop: Bob Log III,  Exchange, Thursday 24th February, 8:00pm, £13.62 incl. booking fee

Arizona native Bob Log III's identity and history has long been shrouded in mystery but his unmissable and unforgettable performances are wild affairs. As if simultaneously playing steel guitar, kick drum and hi-hat wasn’t enough, Bob also likes to ride rubber dinghies across the heads of his audience.

Rock and Pop: Douglas Dare, Bristol Beacon, Friday 25th February, 7:00pm, £9.81 incl. booking fee

English songsmith Douglas Dare has established himself as a singer-songwriter with an enduring lyrical poise and elegant minimalist sound. Dare’s music speaks of his own experiences of universal themes like love, loss, and childhood. Perhaps most importantly, his music gives a voice and a sanctuary to anyone who’s ever felt unusual or out of place.

Rock and Pop: This Is The Kit, Komedia Bath, Wednesday 2nd March, 8:00pm, £21.80 incl. booking fee

The project of Kate Stables, since the release of their debut album ‘Krulle Bol’ in 2008 This Is The Kit have established themselves as a “star of contemporary folk” (The Guardian) with their rich, lilting sound and captivating storytelling.

Rock and Pop: Master Peace, Rough Trade, Wednesday 2nd March, 8:00pm, £10.90 incl. booking fee

Master Peace’s “genre-fluid and expansive sonic palette” (London in Stereo) fuses indie, rap, pop and R&B into a shimmering sound. Whilst each track from the South-London artist brings something new, his music is driven by distinct, malleable vocals alongside “sunshine-soaked indie melodies and irresistible pop hooks” (DIY).

Rock and Pop: Efterklang, St George's Bristol, Thursday 3rd March, 8:00pm, £20.17 incl. booking fee

Danish pop adventurers Efterklang consist of childhood friends Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen and Rasmus Stolberg. After five albums, they have become a true force of nature when taking to the stage to perform live, their concerts are as beautiful as they are raw and communal. On stage, the band create a genuine feeling of togetherness with the audience.

Folk: Breabach, Folk House, Sunday 6th March, 8:00pm, £19.08 incl. booking fee

Scottish quintet Breabach are at the forefront of Scotland’s abundant folk scene. The group delves into their traditional Gaelic roots and fuses this with a distinct contemporary folk vision. Their 2019 record ‘Frenzy of the Meeting’ won the BBC Scotland Traditional Music album award, adding to their extensive list of accolades and 2020 marked the group’s 15th anniversary.

Rock and Pop: Keeley Forsyth, Strange Brew, Thursday 10th March, 8:00pm £16.35 incl. booking fee

Keeley Forsyth’s compositions command a spectral and reverent awe. The actor, dancer, composer and singer’s “deeply melancholic brand of haunting, sparse folk is as intoxicating as it is unsettling” (Q Magazine). With her singular, evocative vocals at the core, Forsyth ushers the listener into raw, intimate soundscapes, as on her striking debut record ‘Debris’. Having made her name as an actor, the more recent, intuitive shift into focusing on and releasing her music was catalysed by connecting with pianist and composer Matthew Bourne.

Classical: London Symphony Orchestra, Bath Forum, Monday 14th March, 7:00pm, £10.00 - £55.00 incl. booking fee

Following their hugely successful visit to the South West in October, Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra make a triumphant return to Bath Forum with Bristol Beacon in March.

From Hannah Kendall’s 21st-century classic The Spark Catchers, through Dvořák’s playful homage to the New World, to Schumann’s most personal (some might say greatest) symphony, the show programme will take the audience on a fantastic emotional journey. Inspired by Lemn Sissay’s poem, the vigorous rhythms and soaring melodies of Kendall’s The Spark Catchers transport the audience into the lives of the women employed to catch stray sparks by London match manufacturers Bryant & May. Dvořák’s warm-hearted nostalgia for the New World is strongly felt in his American Suite, infused with a mix of American influences and Slavic tradition. Finally, despite being written at a difficult time of his life, the musical love-notes to his wife Clara that Schumann threaded throughout his Second Symphony give this work an emotional heart.

Rock and Pop: Amadou & Miriam and Blind Boys of Alabama, Bath Forum, Wednesday 16th March, 8:00pm, £23.98 - £29.43 incl. booking fee

Malian duo Amadou & Mariam are globally-renowned musical legends. For the past 40 years the Grammy-nominated couple has brought their vibrant “genre-breaking brand of Afro-pop and Malian blues” (City Nomads) to the world. Amongst their prolific musical collaborations is a fruitful partnership with long-standing “gospel harmony specialists” (The Guardian) the Blind Boys of Alabama. The two groups have played sold-out shows across Europe together as well as releasing two singles under the ongoing ‘Bamako To Birmingham’ collaboration which sees them craft a vibrant fusion of Afro-pop and African-American roots music.

Jazz: The Tonic Sessions: Emily Breeze, Bristol Beacon Foyer, Thursday 17th March, 7:00pm, £5.00 - £10.00 incl. booking fee

Emily Breeze delivers her alluring pop-noir with effortless glamour, dark humour and a twinkle in her eye. The Bristolian musician released her debut album ‘Rituals’ to resounding acclaim, encapsulating “the seedy kitchen sink romance of Pulp, the glamorous artful tragedy of Nick Cave” (God Is In the TV). With her husky vocals and evocative storytelling Breeze “is a bona fide star, her intense musical vision is a jaw dropping experience” (Louder Than War) and her irresistible charisma makes for a spellbinding live show.