My Dad has been going here for years and tries to go to as many gigs as possible…read more The selecton of artists that come to this venue is amazing, usually before they become big like Ed Sheeran, The Decemberists and Rodrigo y Gabriela. I recently saw the HoneyHoney bad that have been touring with Joe Buggs and it was a brilliant night. Not the best looking venue but certainly the best atmosphere

If not the best venue in Bristol, certainly the most civilised. Over the years they've managed to…read moreput on some absolutely amazing acts, either at the start of their careers (Iron and Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, The Decembrists), or more mature artists who rarely tour but when they do venture out want to appear before their fans in a small, intimate venue with immaculate sound (J D Souther, Buddy Miller) and comfortable surroundings. Nice, friendly, helpful people, all ages welcome and reasonably priced drinks as well. Utterly fantastic.

When I first saw the sign for The Henleaze Society walking down Henleaze Road (it's just by the…read morepetrol station) my mind conjured similar images as those when I think of Neighbourhood Watch! Credit where credit is due however, The Henleaze Society seem to be made out of people who love where they live and want to keep it nice! They run all the usual anti-grafitti and yellow line campaigns hoping to give power to the Henleaze people. Membership for a whole year as a mere £2.50 per household, and you'll receive as newsletter as well as a notch on your good conscious list! They are also worth contacting if you are trying to find out about Henleaze's history.

Aces Bar, formerly Avon Combined Services Club, is part of a dying breed, the last of its kind,…read moreespecially in this part of town: The working men's club, with proper locals & regulars and decor untouched since 1974. Obviously this bar is open to the public now, but it has that real old style social club feel to it. You feel like you're a private member of some group or another just by ordering a pint. I love it here; it reminds me of the clubs you used to go to when you were growing up, like your local football or rugby club. But what Aces Bar has managed to do so well is make the transition from local Social Club to actual music venue with good DJ's a cool crowd. The bar is still sufficiently dodgy, as to be expected. But this is the type of atmosphere and experience that you can't get anywhere else. It's a fantastic thing that Aces hasn't been torn down, gutted and replaced with a tacky, soulless, pointless gastropub that people only go to pose in and talk about how much they enjoyed last night's X Factor and how good Simon Cowell's farts probably smell. The last time I walked in the DJ was sat at a table with the rest of the punters, with the biggest box of records open in front of him, probably only a tenth of his collection, but still more than he needed to bring along for one night. That's cool. But check out the Go Go Children nights on Saturdays, amazing Northern Soul.

It takes a bit of a walk round the back of Bedmo to get here, and it may just be a hall with a bar…read morein it, but I really like this as a live music venue. The stage is small and mere inches off the floor and open on two sides, so there is enough space to get a good view around it. The sound is pretty good as well. The name doesn't mean it is all fiddlers here - although I did see a cracking gig by Seth Lakeman here! - and I have seen lots of local bands here. Staff are friendly and the bouncers cheery and, because you wouldn't come here just for a drink, the clientele are all here for the music.

I'm sad I was not more of a fan of Fiddlers as its nice to have a local club to go it but this…read moreplace feels more like a community centre than a club. I came here to see the Zen Hussies play, there wasn't much room for the band to play and there was less room in the small space in front. I get quite claustrophobic when I feel hemmed in, so I stayed in the side bar which meant the acoustics were awful. You'd barely know the place was here if you weren't looking for it. The entrance is tucked on the far side of the building on opposite side of the road to Windmill Hill City Farm. A little bit expensive for what it is. There are better venues, sadly not on the South side of the city though.

Bristol University is infamous for having a quite posh student body. Not sure how true this is but…read moreit certainly seems the case when you go to Lizard Lounge. Lots of Jack Wills on display and many refined accents to be heard. Not quite sure why the great and the good of Bristol's students choose this place as their hang out. Yes, it is in desirable Clifton, but its small, crowded and just not that nice. You can queue up and spend lots of money at a lot better places just a stones throw away. You may well see a few bottles of champagne being opened here and probably a fair few cocktails. It's all quite rah, to use a Bristol phrase, and very cheesy. Most definitely not my cup of tea, but there's certainly a type that likes it. Go to Lizard Lounge to spend some time amongst Bristol well spoken students and sip some bubbly in a bit of a hole of a setting.

My first one star review is reserved for a truly horrendous place…read more I am easily pleased: I like good music, a moderate to good choice of drinks, I don't even care what a place looks like, I don't usually even mind if the staff are nice to me, so hopefully you'll know when I say I dislike a place there is a pretty good reason why. I have nothing against people who choose to project the image that they (their parents) have lots of money, even when they don't, or that they think having money is the most important thing in the world. I don't mind peroxide blondes who are too posh to wash and don't know their arse from their elbow, and have a very suspicious tan considering it's the middle of November (?). I don't mind guys being so impressed by themselves for playing rugby that they look forward to taking their shirts off and trying to fight you. Oh wait...yes I do. This 'club' epitomises everything I hate about the bar industry in Bristol. It is not acceptable to take people's money and offer them this experience in return. The music is literally so bad, don't be surprised if you find yourself trying to dance to Agadoo. The bar serves some strange brand of watery vodka I have never heard of and men in the men's toilet urinate in the sink because they can't be bothered to queue for a urinal. The urinals also get blocked so you are wading in the over flow. Don't forget you paid for this privilege. A close friend of mine actually watched a girl vomit on the floor and continue to kiss the guy she was dry humping against a wall. It is a truly soulless experience. If you hate music, and culture, hate yourself and literally expect nothing from your night out, this is the place for you. You see I don't know how much of this is the fault of the Lizard Lounge itself. You see all they've done is open some grotty looking club (think gypsy wedding/social club) and sell dirt cheap vodka (except at weekends) and play terrible music but yet they seem to make money and attract patrons. So who are the fools. But the lizard lounge does service a purpose; it keeps a good number of people away from the better places in town.

Excellent Live Entertainment every Saturday and Sunday…read moreSnooker ,Darts,Skittles,Bingo ,Quiz Nights