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    The Cooler

    2.8 (12 reviews)
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    Charlene L.

    The Cooler is quite an unassuming live gig venue; when you pass it you don't really hear it scream out at you as a place in town to catch pretty good gigs. But it is! I would say that the majority of the gigs they put on here are rock/metal ones. Which is funny for when they have cheesy student nights as well; sometimes directly after a heavy rock gig. I was at a heavy metal night here last night, and it was pretty good. Sticky floors, a small but dedicated crowd, and good music. The drinks here though, are quite pricey, but perhaps that is just Park Street prices. Most gigs I've been to here draw quite a small crowd; never more than about 60 people, which makes me think that they should do abit more to really draw the crowds in, because they have a great little venue here that would be even better if there were bigger crowds at their gigs to up the anti.

    taken from website

    A nightclub on Park Street for the skinny jeans brigade, and by that I mean those dedicated followers of anti-fashion who think the Kings of Leon have sold out and gone commercial. As you can probably guess, this place is geared almost exclusively towards indie types who are simply too cool for skool, or in the case of The Cooler, dancing. If you're not a long haired hipster then you might feel slightly out of place as you enter this club, but you'll probably also notice how boring the place is as most of the clientele are so concerned with posing in their over priced rags that the atmosphere feels a little stale. Quite a small nightclub where the price of the drinks matches the price of the your painted on jeans.

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    The Bunker - Photo from Bunker website

    The Bunker

    3.9(9 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    £

    Recently opened, Bunker's marketing strategy seems to be pull people in with super cheap drinks…read moredeals, and with prices starting at a quid I'm sold. With prices like that it's unsurprising that this is a bit of a student haunt, at least on the night I went along anyway. The Bristol uni hordes manage to fill up the three rooms and garden out the back, creating a proper buzz on a Friday night. They also make a long queue, which combined with the five pounds asked for some nights makes this place slightly less attractive that it otherwise would be. That the only criticism I can think of is because this place is popular should tell you that you won't be disappointed by a night out at Bunker.

    I am literally torn in half with The Bunker. One one side, its cheap and cheerful and always…read morepromises a decent night out without breaking the bank. On the other side I have been severely let down in the past. I will explain...... Situated near Clifton Triangle and Park Street, The Bunker nightclub is open 6 nights a week with drinks starting from £1, popular DJ's, 3 rooms and a very large smoking garden. The queuing can be quite ridiculous so make sure you do not get there to late. Music ranges from chart music to dance and drum and bass with a raised seating area and large dance floor. The toilets are fairly small so expect a queue. On one particular night, they had let in far too many people on the venues legal capacity resulting in a 'power cut', which then the venue turned very much into 'a war bunker' with emergency lighting and scared people. Magically all the staff swiftly disappeared and there was literally no-one to tell us what was happening. Everyone started to pile towards the stairs to leave and no joke I was almost crushed to death and £5 out of pocket from the entrance fee. I was not happy!

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    The Bunker
    The Bunker

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    OMG Bristol

    OMG Bristol

    4.0(4 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    £

    Podiums. Poles. Posers. Pop. Everything you expect from a gay night out, it's pretty standard…read morereally. What to say? Well, there is a cloakroom, thank the Heavens, because it's super useful to have somewhere to dump your outerwear when it's minus five degrees outside and you've been lugging your thickest coat around with you all night. So yes...dump the coat and it's time to dance. And dance you will, with the DJ busting out some real floor-fillers from the cheesiest chart hits to red hot recent releases. One good thing is that there are places you can actually TALK when you're not dancing. There are a couple of seated areas, and spaces where the music is just a wee bit quieter, but enough that you can hear people, well, if they shout loud enough. This is nice, I find it really limiting when clubs don't have anywhere where you can do anything other than dance. A girl needs a break, you know? The bar is rather well-stocked and the staff are efficient: never had to queue too long to get served which can be such a relief. I can't remember the exact pricing, but I think it was pretty similar to other places in the area. The toilets unfortunately let the place down a little bit. There are only two toilets in the ladies, which is a bad start anyway, but even worse when one of them is out of order. Cue: queue. They're also pretty miserable...decorated in black from ceiling to the floor with poor lighting so that you can barely see yourself in the mirror. In addition, it's freezing in there. Pretty sure I could see my breath. Oh and there was no toilet roll, boooo. Aside from that though, I did actually have a really fun night. When I go back to Bristol I'd quite like to try somewhere else, but I could easily be persuaded to come back to omg.

    If you're in Bristol then you MUST go to omg!!…read more I have had the best nights of my life going to this place! and haven't spent an arm and a leg either!! Drinks are so cheap its unreal! Wednesdays are a good night out as its their student night! Its free entry and £1.50 drinks! Fridays and Saturdays are always busy! their bar is so big you barley ever Queue for drinks. Their sound systems is just amazing! If you love base then Omg is the right place for you! They have unisex toilets that have about 8 cubicles and also a separate men and woman's toilets! So again, You barley have to Queue! Omg also has so many funky booths around the club to sit in with Friends, which is always good. 10/10 club! would deffo recommend you to go!

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    OMG Bristol
    OMG Bristol

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    Basement 45

    Basement 45

    3.8(10 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    £££

    This brand new club (opened February 2009) should be scoring a perfect 5 out of 5 as a club and it…read moreis surprising what lets it down... Let's start where it is great : 1. The owners are really passionate about music and clubbing. 2. It is in the town centre but tucked away near the Hatchett and opposite the Queenshilling so the out-of-towner crawls can't find it. 3. It has friendly door staff. 4. It is small and like a cave. This is a very good thing - superclubs are tedious. There are two rooms plus a bar with plenty of seats, and the main room has a separate bar as well. 5. The bar staff in the main room dance. This means they like working there. 6. The crowd is friendly and sometimes this is used as a late night drinking spot by the gay crowd at the Queenshilling which makes it friendlier still. 7. They get a wide range of music and some of the hottest talent. This sometimes includes techno - proper techno. Not 'we'll say it's techno but it's actually hard trance' techno. Techno. So what's the problem? It's the sound system. It's fantastic, crisp and clear and loud. Too loud. There are moments near the end of the night as the volume is pushed a little where your teeth rattle and you can feel your brain pushing against the side of your head. Everyone leaves the dance floor and stand in the corridor waiting for it to change tune to something with less bass and goes back on again yet the owners/sound system guys just don't get the hint. So a small thing which hopefully can change. Check it out but be prepared for the bass!

    This club has a certain 'laissez faire' quality to it. Small, dark and cavernous it's the sort of…read moreplace where anything goes once you're in. I've been to a few different nights here, and they've all been pretty good. If you're into house and electro, I'd recommend you sample Duvez Vous, a regular night hosted by the club, which tends to attract a good crowd of party people. And if you're a bit of a dirty stop-out, you'll be pleased to know that Basement 45 is blessed with a late license, meaning that parties such as Duvez Vous go on until 8am. My only criticism of this club is that the sound system tends to be a little bit on the quiet side (you can just about hold a conversation on the dance floor without having to raise your voice - that ain't right!) But if you're looking for a place to go and let your hair down, without fear of judgement or compulsory dress codes, Basement 45 is definitely worth a trip.

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    Basement 45
    Basement 45
    Basement 45

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    Dojo

    Dojo

    3.3(12 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    ££

    This club pretty much sums up Bristol: slightly grubby with a big underground scene, rough around…read morethe edges and occasionally full of posh kids (or Chuffnuts as they are known here). Classically you have to end your night in Dojo's. They usually open at around 5 am, just as you're getting thrown out of the club you've been in all night, and stay open until the sun is up and you have to walk home with that look of guilt and shame on your face. It's pretty great to have a club like this in Bristol, they are everywhere in London; day raves etc. But here you are usually lucky if you can spank the planks past about 5 or 6 am, if that is your sort of thing. The best thing about Dojo's is the garden/terrace; you can sit there chatting nonsense to the strangest bunch of people you are ever likely to meet until the sun comes up. You get such an odd mix of characters, from Bristol's 'underground' scene to posh students and young professionals. But this has never been a problem and you can always guarantee to make a strange new best friend at some point in the night. I have had some strange nights in terms of music in this club. I never want to get stuck listening to 'minimal' trance ever again! One noise every 30 seconds is not music! It's just slow torture.

    Dojo's nightclub is fast becoming more popular among those students who have had enough of…read moreSyndicate and Oceana, and who are looking for Bristol's famous underground clubs. I personally would say to those people steer clear of Dojos. I visited on a Friday night at it cost a whopping £6 to get in. Now to some, £6 might not be much to get into a club on a weekend night. However, I can't see how Dojo's can be called a club. It literally has the floor space of your living room. The only difference is that you can hardly see anything apart from a red glow from some cheap lighting and some very dodgy toilets. The clientele is also a bit, er different. If you are looking to spot some of the Skins cast then this is the place to go. No joke, I actually witnessed Effy snort some (coughs) white powder on the bar. The staff didn't blink an eyelid.

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    Dojo
    Dojo
    Dojo

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    O2 Academy - photo from www.02academybristol.co.uk

    O2 Academy

    2.9(40 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    £££

    This is a great live music venue. If you're a fan of small, intimate gigs, then this place is it…read more No chairs, no snobbery- this is a place to get rocking. There is a back bar away from the stage in another area, where you can chat with mates and get a drink before entering the main hall bit, where there are two other bars! One at the back of the main hall, which is obvious upon entering; and the other quite well hidden under the stairs. There is one upper level that provides some standing space to see better the live acts. Most recently, i watched La Roux play here, which was awesome. The vibes here are great, and you really get quite a close up of the artist you're here to see, even if you're stuck at the back or upstairs, which is what I want when I go for a gig. Way better compared to those huge venues where you're so far away from the stage that you might as well be watching the gig on TV. Every Friday from 10pm-3pm, there is an indie night, which is usually overpopulated by the student crowd, but is a good alternative for a night out's music compared to the typical pop spinners. Great for a jive and some headbanging here and there. A really good live venue- catch a gig here if you haven't yet already!

    Time for me to get nostalgic again. The Academy, with its sticky walls and ever BO tinged air, will…read morealways of going to my first few gigs (I think my very first was Hundred Reasons, for those that have heard of them). Not to much has changed since then. You'll still get a good natured crowd queuing up an hour or so before the doors open for a gig - keep this in mind if want to get a place on the bar at the front. There will still be a scrum at the bar with prices that have climbed enough over the years to remain horrendously overpriced. Ramshackle, a long-standing night on Fridays, is the appropriate way to experience the Academy. Here very excited goths and emos will drink too much vodka and jump around to whatever the latest indy hit is. You'll know you've had a good night if you've got some of that vodka spilt down your front and your ears are ringing to All American Rejects, or whatever it is that the kids are listening to these days (I secretly want to be an old man...).

    Photos
    O2 Academy
    O2 Academy - From www.o2academybristol.co.uk

    From www.o2academybristol.co.uk

    O2 Academy

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    The Hatchet Inn

    The Hatchet Inn

    3.5(33 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    ££

    THEY NEED TO UPDATE THEIR WEBSITE!! No food served as of APRIL 2019. I am giving them 2 stars…read morebecause having the wrong information on their website made our group of 4 massively HANGRY (you know, when you are Hungry + Angry?). I had stopped by the Hatchet Inn as part of our Blackbeard To Banksy -Ultimate Bristol Walking Tour, and beguiled by our Guide's story of it being the oldest pub in Bristol as well as the legend of Blackbeard and its original door being made of human skin, after a day of walking around Bristol, even tho' this pub was a good 15 mins away from our location, we walked back to it to get dinner..only to discover that they no longer served food! We'd gone to their website and it still listed a menu, and when I told the Bartendars that, they responded, yeah, that the website needed to be updated!!! Not a happy camper.... Yelp 159/ 2019

    The 'atchet (or Hat Sh*t as it is also known, as of this weekend) is the only 'proper' music pub…read moreleft in Btown, since the Chavs came and bought all the decent pubs and turned them into Chinese Karaoke bars and R 'n' b style lounges. The horror. Basically this pub used to be the perfect before and after spot for anyone watching a gig at the Carling Academy (sorry, O2 Arena or Music Bowl...whatever the hell it is now), but really The Hatchet is so much more. I even saw Badly Drawn Boy do an acoustic set here after a show. Beautiful. Don't expect anyone to smile at you here; it's not that type of crowd. Just keep your head down, tell yourself you're cool enough to be in there, enjoy the music, get your pint of Guinness and sit at a table in the corner somewhere - oh and try not to make eye contact with the skinhead with the skeleton tattoo, you'll know who I mean. At least that's what I do. Seriously great pub though. Check out the DJ every weekend, if you really want to hear great music. Expect at least three Rage tunes a night, The Deftones, The Cure, The Cult...actually I'm going to stop listing bands. They just play the best music in town. Got it? Good.

    Photos
    The Hatchet Inn - Taken from their website

    Taken from their website

    The Hatchet Inn
    The Hatchet Inn

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    Ramshackle - From Ramshackle website

    Ramshackle

    2.5(4 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    £

    This weekly Friday night indie dance behemoth continues to pack in a curious mixture of students,…read morescenesters, beer boys, emos and a slightly confused looking minority who lack the imagaination/cash to source a better alternative. And money is certainly a motivator here as (somewhat shockingly for the Academy) the booze is puke-inducingly cheap; around £2 a pint with various shot promotions. The huge dancefloor positiviely heaves with a curious blend including a great many who can't actually be bothered to dance (?!) and others who are never happier than when punching someone in the face. It's an okay night if you're in a big group and there's nothing else on, though it only really comes into its own when they showcase up and coming bands (The Cribs, The Fratellis and Little Boots have all played live for free in the past).

    Ramshackle is an alternative club night which takes place on a Friday at the o2, and it's…read moreespecially geared towards the younger audience around 18-24ish. I personally am not a fan of this night - I have been here once and felt a bit out of place. I got the feeling that you had to be of a certain look and style to fit in here - and not just anything goes. Everyone in the 'scene' dressed pretty indie and grungy (youths and student will get this term!), and the music wasn't really up my street. On a plus side, drinks prices were pretty good - think student prices - and if you have an NUS card then you get money off entry. If you really fancy trying somewhere different then by all means give it a go - but I won't be going back.

    Photos
    Ramshackle - From Ramshackle website

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    From Ramshackle website

    The Cooler - danceclubs - Updated May 2026

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