Simple Things Festival 2025
Multiple Venues, Bristol
4th-8th November 2025
Photography by Anna Hatfield (anna.h_photos)
George Ward
Freelance journalist and online editor for CLUNK. Can be found out and about in Bristol, finding cheap records or having a pint on King Street.
Charva Pinfold
Bristol based music journalist currently writing an article a week for a year. Follow me on Instagram @charva_writes_stuff.
Once again, Simple Things delivers Bristol’s most unique and diverse lineup of the year, with experimental music flooding the city’s venues
Bristol’s Simple Things Festival is known for its meticulously curated lineups, consisting of the most exciting experimental voices from the UK and beyond. A refreshing shake up from countless repetitive festival lineups, it’s always the perfect opportunity to find something out of your comfort zone rather than a band you’ve seen five times already.
Before the main multi-venue festival on Saturday, Simple Things puts on a week of standalone gigs throughout the city and we were lucky enough to catch two of these. On Thursday, legendary electronic duo Autechre took over The Prospect Building, delivering a mind-bending, glitchy and completely original set in complete darkness. Although the fire exit lights did inevitably (and understandably) take you out of the full dark experience, the music itself was enough to block out any distractions, pushing the Prospect’s soundsystem and the audience to their limits, with a relentless mix of electronic genres, from free-form experimental sections to four-to-the-floor techno.
On Friday, we headed to the Bristol Beacon for the powerful double bill of Scaler and Daniel Avery. Bristol’s Scaler have been such a satisfying act to watch grow over the last few years, from their last-minute headline replacement at last year’s festival to their collaborations with Avery himself to their most recent album ‘Endlessly,’ they’re consistently one of the most exciting live bands around. Unsurprisingly, they were the perfect opening for Averywith their blend of guitars and electronics sounding insanely heavy at The Beacon, accompanied by impressive visuals, combining projection with lasers in a hypnotic dance.
Daniel Avery played a live set, using live drums, bass and guitar to bring his new album tracks to life. Although it was interesting to see how his sound would translate with live instruments, they often didn’t hit quite as hard, and the true highlight came when he was left to perform solo midway through, rattling through a live set of techno and house, accompanied by similarly hypnotic visuals. Avery is a true performer and unlike some producers, he doesn’t hide his personality, instead standing, arms outstretched, soaking in the atmosphere.
On Saturday, we headed to the Sportsman’s to catch Bristol’s own MOLD. Far from easing us in, MOLD’s set was brutal, with their punk sound immediately waking every hungover head up. Despite having such an early slot, the set was one of the most high energy of the day and, despite the pub being crammed to its limit, it was the perfect start to the festival day.
After catching The Shania Twainsaw Massacre at The Lanes, we headed to the Beacon Hall for a complete change of pace. Nala Sinephro was listed as Simple Things’ very special guest and, after catching her live, it’s not difficult to see why. The huge concert hall was silent, with Sinephro beginning her set playing solo harp, before gliding over to a synthesiser.
The atmosphere was heavenly, with other band members patiently drifting in to the soundscape, only after several minutes; you only realized a new texture had arrived after it was already there, due to the impossibly careful arrangement and refreshing slowness of the performance. Though a risky addition sandwiched in between noisier punk and experimental acts, Nala Sinephro’s set stood out as one of the most special moments of the day.
In the very same space, only a short while after, were DITZ. Following the release of their most recent album ‘Never Exhale,’ we were excited to see the foreboding, anxious post punk come to life on stage and, despite the room surely being a daunting undertaking, the band did not disappoint. Frontperson Cal was one of the most electrified performers of the day, at points nonchalantly sat on an amp, at others launching themselves into the pit. With huge riffs and full confidence in their sound, DITZ know how to stand out from an overpacked scene.
After, we crammed ourselves into Rough Trade to catch Adult DVD, one of the buzziest names on the lineup. On the surface a seemingly standard indie rock band, Adult DVD creep up on you; when you think you know where a song is going, they will suddenly break into an LCD Soundsystem type synth jam, bringing so much energy and groove to their sound. Once they’re on a roll, you won’t be able to leave one of their gigs, sucked into their playful performances and completely understanding why everyone won’t shut up about them.
After catching the beautifully warm and poetic hip-hop of Joshua Idehen, we headed to the Lantern Hall, where Jadu Heart took to the stage. They entered quietly, shrouded in smoke and darkness launching into ‘You’re Dead’a track as equally ominous as the band’s surroundings. ‘I Shimmer‘came next, filling the darkness with bright keys and thudding guitars. In the smoke from the stage and vivid blue lights partially lighting the stage, there was an added intensity to each chord change, as if the band were laying bare the emotive weight behind the song and the feeling of letting go of that weight, shimmering as you do so.
‘I’m a Kid‘, Jadu Heart‘s most popular song, came around halfway through their set, cleverly placed to wash away some of the emotive tracks before. Live, it’s a song that was seemingly built for the grandeur of Lantern Hall, as it melds elements of late noughties and early teens indie rock with pop sensibilities. You could feel the audience’s enjoyment at singing back the chorus, ‘I’m a…KID!’.
For the third time in one day (for others, probably the fourth or fifth), the atmosphere in the huge Beacon Hall was completely transformed yet again. The Bug was closing out the main-stage and, flanked by MC’s and longtime collaborators Flowdan, Warrior Queen, Manga Saint Hilaire, Logan and Magugu, the producer delivered the hugest finale you could ask for.
Red lights shone through an almost impenetrable wall of smoke as The Bug and co powered through their set, blending dubstep, grime, hip-hop and ragga into the biggest party of the night. Each member seamlessly slipped into their spot at center stage, allowing each voice to have its moment, flowing together effortlessly, each and every one masters of their game.
A last minute boogie at Ceephax Acid Crew brought the night to a close, filling the Bridgehouse stage (Bristol Beacon’s lobby) with acid house goodness. It’s difficult to think of a more varied festival, with the lineup jumping from ambient jazz to industrial post punk to dreamy indie pop in a matter of minutes. Simple Things Festival 2025 was a true achievement and the perfect proof that putting time and thought into curating a unique, risky lineup, will pay off in the end.
Photography by Anna Hatfield (anna.h_photos)
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