With the holidays just around the corner, you’d think festival season was long over. But Bristol had one last gem to offer, and it didn’t disappoint my time or my wallet..
The Simple Things Festival started out as a multi-venue music event in Bristol’s city centre and has steadily grown into a sprawling celebration of sound. The organizers now run club nights and standalone gigs throughout the year, all leading up to a flagship day festival on Nov. 8. This year, the action revolved around the Bristol Beacon, whose three performance spaces—Beacon Hall, Lantern Hall, and the Weston Stage—were supported by nearby venues including Zed Alley, Rough Trade, The Lanes, Strange Brew, Sportsmans, and the Bristol Megascreen (formerly the IMAX).
Despite the more left-field, exploratory roster of acts booked, Bristolians young and old came out in full force, once again proving the city’s insatiable appetite for live music and creativity. We even lucked out with a day of warm sunshine, which is worrying climate-wise, sure, but convenient for a day fest.
Enveloping Beginnings
We began in Lantern Hall with Disiniblud, the collaborative project between Rachika Nayar and Nina Keith. Their self-titled debut has been a constant on my speakers, but nothing prepared me for the immersive power of their live show. The hall was pitch black, with only a backlight catching the tangle of cables and looping gear that powered their enveloping soundscapes. The performance felt transcendent—part dream, part data stream—and I could have stayed there all afternoon. It was a shame they weren’t scheduled later in the day; their music belongs to the night.
Pub Chaos and Local Noise
Sportsmans might be 200 years old, but it now hosts some of Bristol’s scrappiest live sets.
The venue has true retro sports-bar charm. Think faded chalkboards, sticky floors, and pool tables shoved aside to make space for amps. Into that chaos came MOULD, local favorites and a hefty punk power trio blending post-hardcore intensity with lo-fi melody. Within minutes, the room was packed, and the volume was punishing.
The takeaway was clear: if you wanted to catch a band here, you had to arrive early. If you wanted to keep your hearing, you needed to stand a few steps back. A sharp, bracing set, it was the perfect jolt to start the day.
Student Energy and ’90s Revival
Over at The Lanes, the free-entry policy had pulled in a sea of students, and the room was buzzing. Nobody’s Dad, a young local act leaning heavily into a ’90s alt-rock revival, took full advantage. Despite their age, they played with impressive tightness, especially the guitarist and drummer, who were locked in from the first note. Their thick wall of fuzz occasionally tipped into full Smashing Pumpkins territory, with that unmistakable Billy Corgan crunch slicing through the mix.
Folk, Humor, and Heart
Beacon Hall welcomed Rich(ard) Dawson, the Northumbrian experimental folk artist and one of the UK’s great oddball storytellers. The refurbished space suited him perfectly: soaring acoustics paired with songs about gardening (“Polytunnel”) and holiday dread (“Boxing Day Sales”). Hearing the first real roar of the day for a man who looks like your mate’s dad was oddly heartwarming. His humor, virtuosity, and sheer presence had the room completely wrapped.
Surf, Psych, and Sunshine
TEKE::TEKE set the Bridgehouse Stage ablaze, their kaleidoscopic mix of surf rock, psych, and Japanese influences filling every corner of the Beacon’s multi-floor foyer. Crowds peered down from four levels above, making the performance feel like a party suspended in midair.
Frontwoman Maya Kuroki commanded the stage with theatrical gestures and wide-eyed charisma, while guitarist Sei Nakauchi Pelletier unleashed blistering, reverb-drenched lead lines that ricocheted through the space. The band’s energy was unstoppable, their joy infectious. They were a burst of color and chaos, and leaving their set felt like stepping out of a carnival.
Off Notes and Quick Recoveries
The Orielles arrived with a bang, one of the day’s most anticipated acts whose genre-hopping art-indie sound often dazzles on record. Unfortunately, their set was plagued by sound issues and delays. Starting 20 minutes late, the band struggled to hear one another. Singer/bassist Esmé Hand-Halford looked mildly annoyed, while guitarist Henry Carlyle Wade rocked out on a completely different vibe. It felt like each member was in their own world rather than performing as a unit. Their songs remain compelling, and we can give them the benefit of the doubt that a rushed setup and dodgy mix were to blame.
DITZ, thankfully, arrived to set things straight. The Brighton band’s mix of post-punk and hardcore unleashed instant chaos: circle pits, walls of death, and a heaving crowd losing it in unison. Frontperson Cal Francis stalked the stage with casual menace, alternating between guttural roars and wide grins as the band tore through a ferocious set. The drumming was thunderous, the playing razor-tight despite their delayed start — they simply got on with it and dominated. They smashed Beacon Hall like it was their birthright, earning every ounce of applause.
Strange Visions
What does experimental electronica look like on an IMAX-sized screen? At the Bristol Megascreen, BABii made it wildly clear. Y2K-smeared visuals splashed across the giant backdrop while the front of the room erupted into a spontaneous rave. Others lounged toward the back, blissed out and clearly enjoying other forms of enhancement. It was strange, exhilarating, and pure Bristol.
Simple Reflections
By evening, the festival had captured everything that makes Bristol’s music scene special: adventurous, communal, and delightfully unconcerned with convention. The Beacon served as a stunning, well-run home base, and aside from a few late starts, the day flowed seamlessly.
The Simple Things Festival featured a brilliantly curated lineup and a citywide celebration of sound. Add a sun-drenched Saturday in November that felt like a reward for surviving the year, and it was hard to argue. The best musical day fest of 2025? Absolutely.