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.

With Bristol’s Simple Things Festival coming up this Saturday, here are our picks, from jazz to experimental and everywhere in between

Now in its 11th year, Simple Things is consistently one of Bristol’s most exciting day festivals, boasting a lineup of experimental talent from genres far and wide. After a week of standalone gigs from Moin(4th November), John Maus (5th November), Authechre (6th November) and Daniel Avery (7th November), Saturday brings a full day and night of music, across multiple venues including Bristol Beacon, Strange Brew, Rough Trade, Bristol Megascreen, Sportsmans, and The Christmas Steps.

Here are a few of our picks from all over the world to help you whittle down the lineup:

Nala Sinephro

London-based Belgian-Carribean jazz artist Nala Sinephro is listed as the ‘very special guest’ for Simple Things 2025 and for good reason. Her sound crosses over the many arms of the London jazz scene, from avant-garde jazz to ambient soundscapes to synthy electronic experimentation, showcased beautifully in her 2024 album ‘Endlessness’.

Most recently, you might have heard Sinephro’s music on the score of Benny Safdie’s ‘The Smashing Machine’. Whatever form Nala Sinephro’s set might morph itself into on Saturday, we will be right there.

Lover’s Skit

We first discovered Lover’s Skit a few weeks ago at Cardiff’s Sŵn Festival and, after experiencing their live set, we were immediately hooked. The Stockholm-via-London duo of Nathalia Aránguiz and producer Ove Jerndal make genre-blending dance music, as guitar-heavy as it is club-ready.

With their sound pulling from all sorts of influences (MINE. at one moment, LCD at the next), their live shows are equally unpredictable, and Aranguiz is one of the most energetic, confident and hypnotic frontwomen around.

Smerz

Moving from Sweden to Norway now, we have art pop duo Smerz. On the excellent ‘Big City Life,’ Smerz crafted one of the most special albums of the year; from the distorted stomp of ‘But I do’ to the instant classic sound of ‘You got time and I got money,’ Smerz’s sound is hard to pin down but incredibly addictive. It’s dreamy, seductive and refreshingly stripped back and we can’t wait to see how this translates on the stage.

DITZ

DITZ have long been favorites at CLUNK and, with the release of new album ‘Never Exhale’ Earlier this year, they didn’t let us down. The album is paranoid, jittery and tense, blending noise rock, post punk and everything in between into an anxious ball of chaos. Having supported IDLES and extensively toured themselves, DITZ They are well practiced, and will deliver the noise that you’ll surely need to get you through the festival day.

Read our interview with DITZ here.

Iglooghost

The strangest name on our list is arguably the most exciting. Another act that is very difficult to describe, iglooghost blends bass, hip-hop, drum and bass, industrial and a whole variety of experimental genres into an other-worldly soup of sound, most recently showcased on new EP ‘Bronze Claw Iso’.

We’re most excited to see iglooghost live just to see how on Earth he translates the chaos of his recorded material to the decks and we highly suggest you join us to find out.