I went into LEISURE’s sold-out Bristol show at Thekla convinced it would be a fairly chilled affair—R&B-funk sounds that would provide a gentle glide into the weekend. What I got was the exact opposite—pure, unfiltered energy that transformed the entire room. Jackson Homer, a Midlands-based producer...

Even if you haven’t heard their music, anyone wired into the alt scene and drawn to heavier sounds has likely crossed paths with the name Native James. Their debut EP, Confessions of a Sinner is gaining momentum, thanks to its kaleidoscopic mix of grime, punk, hip-hop, metal, and everything in between. The...

Anna von Hausswolff has always seemed like an artist best suited to the darker months. But arriving in Bristol in January—the city slick with rain, the sky stuck in a permanent grey—her music feels less like a booking and more like a public service.  At Thekla, the improbably intimate, boat-shaped venue...