The multi-venue festival returns to Bristol on 8 November.
Today (30 April), Bristol’s Simple Things has announced its first wave of artists for this year.
Set to return for its 11th edition on Saturday 8 November, the festival will once again take place across multiple venues in the city. As well as utilising every available inch of Bristol Beacon’s gig spaces, shows will take place at Strange Brew, The Sportsmans, Rough Trade, The Christmas Steps, and Bristol Megascreen (formerly The Bristol IMAX).
Alongside Team Love, we’ve partnered with the festival again this year to curate and produce an expansive programme that pools the best in contemporary music culture.
Headlining Bristol Beacon’s main room will be post-punk innovators Dry Cleaning, fronted by Florence Shaw.
Other highlilghts on the line-up include TV On The Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe, experimentalists These New Puritans, Drain Gang member Mechatok, A/V specialist Iglooghost, London rapper Jawnino, and Norwegian duo Smerz. Also set to play are The Orielles, Factory Floor, Rich(ard) Dawson, Joshua Idehen and The Social Singing Choir, Ceephax Acid Crew, Lucy Gooch, Mystery Tiime, Malibu, Rachika Nayar, and more.
Simple things will also present two showcases this year – one from Ugandan label and festival Nyege Nyege Tapes, and one selected by six-time World Snooker Champion, now turned analogue enthusiast, DJ and Bristol resident, Steve Davis.
Matthew Aitken, Programmer at Bristol Beacon, said: “Simple Things has always been about pushing things forward – championing artists who aren’t afraid to experiment and challenge the status quo. For 2025, we’ve curated a line-up that captures the energy, innovation and raw creativity that make modern music so exciting right now. It’s a celebration of boundary-breakers and future icons, all set against the backdrop of the city that helped inspire it.”
More names, an after-party, a Sunday closing show and further gigs in the lead-up to Simple Things’ main day will be announced soon.
Tickets are available via the Simple Things website here.
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