Thekla

Seeing Life of Agony in the sweaty belly of Bristol's Thekla is always special, but this gig was on another level. The band focused on their classic first two albums, River Runs Red and Ugly, delivering exactly what the old-school fans wanted. Keith Caputo sounded incredible, bringing massive energy and passion to the vocals, while Joey Z's heavy, groove-laden riffs had the whole boat bouncing. Hearing absolute anthems like "Through and Through" "This Time" and "Lost at 22" in such an intimate space was electric. They didn't just play the classics; they brought them back to life with pure, raw power. It was an unforgettable, 5/5 night on the water that proved exactly why they are legends of the 90s scene.

Such an excellent night in an intimate venue by a singer who has been a hero of mine for 20 years and more. She has such a rich and sonorous voice and performed music from her entire catalogue. Beautiful songs from a beautiful soul who also shared her love of gardening! What an honour to be there in her presence in my own city!

On this occasion, the band were only a 3 piece sadly due to Mace not being able to turn up! However, that did not dampen the performance one bit! It was an absolute pleasure to witness Grey Daze' first ever UK show! Cris Hodges is a wonderful frontman and deserves his place within this band. Thekla is a small, but awesome venue, where you can see everything unfold no matter who you are there to see. Grey Daze deserve a lot more from the music world!!

Good to see 3 bands. Coach Party were great although some of the sound wasn't quite right with Steph's Mike not working right. A bit of Sax was good and finishing with Girls (a stage full) spot on. Lizzie Esau was also very good and I liked Hunnybuzz.

Final night of their UK tour. Phenomenal bluegrass and hiphop combo - great musicianship, lyrics, energy - one of the best gigs I've been to in a long time. Great to chat to after their set too. The support, Paul Armer & The Dawn Chorus, a UK bluegrass quarter were superb took, so great songs and musicianship, and Paul and Chris (banjo) were really lovely to chat to. Well looked after on the Thekla too, manageable for an ambulatory wheelchair user inc companion (9 steps to balcony with toilets on same level (none 'accessible'), merch and bar downstairs. The best view from the reserved seating in the balcony. Will definitely visit again.

Banging night. Not much chat but full on power. Was on the balcony got to say one of the better discipled mosh circles I've witnessed. Not sure how many drum sticks the drummer went through. Outside waiting for my mate. Every other group seemed to have one of those sticks

Amazing night. Great support so genuine. Wish that songs were written at the start of a relationship and inspired by their messy ending. Seen Prima Queen before they have grown so much. So tight and smooth but still banging out real passionate numbers. Only fault no long sleeves in XL

There are the nicest people on this planet so down to earth. I got a vip ticket I was so nervous to meet them the whole event was done so well. Sheppard were amazing on and off stage I really hope the Come bakx to the uk and Bristol again would highly recommend it to anyone

I loved seeing New Year’s Day for the first time but the acoustics in thekla are such that drums sound incredible but vocals do not and ash had a couple of mime sections that were really obvious and maybe would have been smoother in a larger arena. They were still a solid 9 out of 10

This is the 4th time that I've seen this Brilliant Rock Blues band . The first time was at a venue called The Bristol Bierkeller over 20 years ago (sadly closed down now) I then saw them on the Thekla Bristol with the same line up.Mark Feltham on blues harp is a virtuoso having won "Blues Player" of the year for the last 4 or 5 years consecutively. His rendition of "The L&N" is something to behold.I loved every track they played "Pack fair and Square" "Homework" and the brilliant rendition of "The L&N" (about a train) I'm looking forward to seeing them next year as the Thekla is one of my favourite venues.

A band that deserves a greater following than it has! My previous love of their albums and the band itself has been reinforced by the gig at The Thekla in Bristol, Aaron’s vocals were pitch perfect, the rest of the band were superb and they looked like they were all having fun. The venue was intimate and a great setting, perhaps the band should not go ‘mega’ as a large stadium would detract from their style of music :-) The best gig I have attended in many a year and the ticket pricing was a bargain. Job well done!

I had the meet and greet tickets and it was amazing! It was the best gig I've ever been to thus far! I finally met Wednesday and he is the most lovely person ever. The gig was incredible! Every element of it was perfect! The lighting was really well done and I got some great shots as a consequence. The sound was good, the band were amazing, and they played all the classic songs! And all on a boat! It was a fantastic night from start to finish! I cant wait to see them again! My only gripe is that security was too slim on the floor, there were some large men crowd destroying (which should be banned btw) because it stops women, young people, older people, anyone with a bone disease (easy neck break), previous bone injury, and photographers from wanting to go to gigs. More security less injuries in the crowd next time please.

Eivor was, as ever, phenomenal live, along with her band. I'm not sure it was the best venue though. I haven't been to the Thekla for decades and while it's full of character and everything was well organised, it's basically a one-level rectangular space with quite a low stage and a gallery above. So if you're short, get there early as otherwise you won't be able to see much! Other than that, great night.

If you know them you’ll love them and know what to expect, and as usual a superb gig. Venue was unique and first time visited and apart from an overly officious door man insisting we go around the barrier when there was absolutely no one queuing, the venue is excellent and would go again.

Leanna did amazing and it was her first time in Bristol! She was so energetic and funny. As well as interacting amazingly with the fans and putting on a wonderful performance she also took time after the show to meet fans. An incredible experience! 💗

Amazing set. Shame it was only 6 songs. “Just give me six more songs!” The crowd- most of whom didn’t seem to know who they were, were really loving it. Great vibe, they definitely warned everyone up for the headliners. We were there for Haggard Cat though and they were awesome! Amazing venue too.

This was the final night of Boy & Bear’s 2024 European tour, and the fact that all five UK events sold out indicates that the men from down under may have underestimated their popularity and reputation here. They really should be playing bigger venues, and the cavernous hold of The Thekla really didn’t do justice to the clean sound of the band’s gentle, lyrical music. David Hosking has an extraordinary voice which beautifully expresses the of the band’s songs on recordings, but at times it was difficult to hear his words as the overall sound echoed off the walls. Nor was there room on the cramped stage for the five band members to be visible to all. Drummer Tim Hart was tucked away, stage right, behind a huge hanging amplifier, out of sight and a strange disembodied voice when he spoke. This allowed him to tell an amusing anecdote about how he blocked out a classmate in an old school photo, so maybe the universe was getting its own back on him tonight. The tour has been promoting the band’s eponymous 5th studio album, released in May last year, and many of the songs on tonight’s set list were drawn from that album, which I consider their most accomplished work to date. There were several requests from the audience for old favourites, which the band politely explained they couldn’t accommodate, but they did play a few classics from earlier albums and some old songs dusted down again. There was even a crowd-pleasing cover of Simple Minds’ “Don’t you forget about me”, although I felt this number showed up the limitations of the venue more than any other: it’s a stadium anthem, and felt diminished in the confines of The Thekla. Boy & Bear would make a great stadium or festival band. Their music would lift the spirits of any massed audience. Maybe someone needs to have a word with the Eavis family to invite the band to play Glastonbury … Finally, I must mention the support act, Boo Seeka, who got the party started with a rousing set of their electro-pop songs. While this isn’t really my genre of music, I must admit the duo engaged with the audience and got them dancing and singing along to some infectious rhythms. They later made some impromptu appearances in Boy & Bear’s set, joining in with some harmonies and generally having a blast. It was all part of the celebratory end-of-tour party atmosphere that pervaded the event. The Thekla may not have the best acoustics or facilities, but it is a great place for a party, and the 400 strong audience certainly had a hell of one tonight.

Cracking. Bit of a wet night and parking an adventure but well worth it. Got upstairs early. Support were good. Black Honey were amazing. Crowd down stairs were mental. Lead singer had them in the palm of her hand. Moshing to order stage diving. Rest of band sound was banging Would recommend to anyone

King Nun were a brilliant show. I would happily have seen them alone. But Reignwolf were something else... I cannot express in words how unbelievable this man and his drummer's concert was. He is a must-see performer and if he plays near you, do everything you can to go. I cannot recommend this enough. Another level of rock n roll. I'd give 6 stars if I could

Ferocious Dog plus the support acts were great bags of energy and interaction with the crowd. Unfortunately the sound quality was shocking. I know it's on a boat and the acoustics will never be perfect but it was very muffled and hard to hear clearlym