KOAN Sound are part of the 100+ line up across the city during the FightBack Bristol Festival. They play Trinity 14 Feb & 16 Feb (sold out)

Trinity joins 14 other venues this February (4-18 Feb) for Fightback Bristol – a new campaign headed by the Music Venue Trust that encourages audiences to visit their local grassroots music venue and promote the Bristol’s emerging and existing musical talent.

“These venues are the backbone of the live music scene in Bristol, providing spaces where artists can take their first steps, develop and grow. Fightback Bristol provides an opportunity to showcase the fantastic range of artists and venues that Bristol enjoys, celebrating the history of our music scene and supporting its future." Gary Prosser, Music Venue Trust

Events at Trinity during the festival include:

7 Feb Slum Village

9 Feb – Krank94

14 Feb – KOAN Sound

Plus more to be announced.

We will be selling Fightback Lager , Music Venues Trust’s new project to raise money to help grassroots venues throughout the country, providing venues with an affordable beer that financially helps the whole sector. Find out more about Fightback Bristol and other events across the city here.

Sunkern Circus perform to crowds to open up our Festival of Light photo @ Khali Ackford

Young people from our Making Tracks project performed at our Annual Festival of Light and, they were great.

Making Tracks is our collaborative music making project with ACE and Basement– giving young people the opportunity to learn new skills in music creation. Trinity offers 121 and small group music sessions alongside industry workshops and opportunities to perform at Trinity events.

Xyzelle, Sealvia and Chantaleaze - students from project partners ACE performed first to a packed room. Photo Khali Ackford

Xyzelle, Sealvia and Chantaleaze from project partners ACE (Aspiration, Creation, Elevation) performed two songs, followed by Trinity student Louis Stone who performed his original songs using both his acoustic and electric guitars.

Great to welcome Trinity student Louis Stone who played tracks he is working on as part of Making Tracks. Photo Khali Ackford

Playing to an energetic and supportive crowd the students performed cracking sets and roused the crowds ready for local dub DJ Dutchie and the ever fantastic Bristol Reggae Orchestra – well done to them.

Dub DJ Dutchie gets the crowd ready for Bristol Reggae Orchestra photo @Khali Ackford

Bit of a squeeze for Bristol Reggae Orchestra on the stage in the main hall! @Khali Ackford

Onj's firework display was a treat for all the family. Photo @ Khali Ackford

This year we welcome over 800 people through the gates who came to watch the aerial performances, the fantastic firework display from Onj, a very warm bonfire from Woodsy, and the live music in our main hall.

Thanks to everyone that makes the event happen, from staff; to volunteers; to artists; to traders and of course all of you who attended.

The Festival of Light is a free event supported in part by public donations. This year we raised over £1100 in donations meaning that we can continue to run events like The Festival of Light so everyone can enjoy.

Music student plays at the Garden Part at Trinty

Young musicians from Trinity, Basement Studios & Aspiration Creation Elevation (ACE@Docklands) set to take the stage at this years St Paul’s Carnival.

Performing on the Unity Stage, hosted by ACE, young musicians will be given a chance to shine in this years Carnival – performing alongside some of Bristol’s most popular artists. On these experience Cherelle Grant, Music Tutor at ACE said, "these talented young people have been working hard each week to create, prepare, and rehearse songs for St Pauls Carnival. Making Tracks has provided a focused environment, with skilled tutors to help them set objectives that will see them elevate their creativity and confidence."

The young people are supported by the Making Tracks project – a two year collaborative project between Trinity, Basement and ACE. Making Tracks offers young people the chance to take part in a wide range of life changing music making activities alongside 121 and group tutoring young people benefit from mentoring, peer learning and joint-project activity.

Catch the performances through out the day at the Unity Stage at St Paul’s Carnival, Bristol Saturday July 8.

Crowd throwing the Trinity T's 2017 Photo credit Khali Ackford

This year's Garden Party is on Sunday 13 May, we have a packed schedule of family-friendly activities and workshops running alongside a fantastic mix of local artists and bands.

Throughout the day we have lots of family and kids activities. From learning circus skills with Invisible youth to making a traditional Japanese puppet in the Bunraku Puppetry Workshop. Don't forget to head to the main hall and take part in a drumming workshop.

This year's main stage highlights include some of the most exciting music coming from Bristol & the South West right now. Headliner, Om Unit brings his unique take on sound-system culture, inspired by hip-hop, dubstep, ambient, jungle and footwork. Big party vibes coming from heavyweight live performance, UK Bass scene leader and lyricist Gardna whose taking the stage with DJ and producer, Kreed.

Bristol musician Sam Neal plays at garden party 2017 Photo credit @ Jessica Bartolini

We’re welcoming back Baraka, featuring musicians from Ghana, Senegal, Dominica, Trinidad and Southern Ireland to bring a sound influenced by Calypso baselines, Blues Harmonica, Soca with Balafon and Flute. Sam Neal who is just one of the talents we have seen grow from our Youth Music Scheme, will be performing songs from his up coming EP. It makes us very proud to see him doing so well. Nice one Sam.  Head to our main hall during the afternoon and catch  some of the young people attending music sessons at Trinity, Basement Studio and ACE.

We’ve got a great selection of stalls from Bristol makers, including women and men’s clothing stall Ashanti Empress , art work by Cosmic Soul Collective and cruelty free feather jewellery from Phat Feathers.

Volunteering: Trinity's Garden Party relies on volunteers to ensure that the 3k people who come every year have a great time (and, are is are also kept safe). We have a variety of stewarding roles and shifts across the day. If you fancy meeting new people, gaining new skills and getting 2 free gig tickets, then head over here to find out how to offer your time and sign up.

This year we are going to be shaking our buckets hard and asking everyone for a donation of £3 (or what you can afford). We recently launched the Trinity Conservation Campaign to raise the vital funds needed to repair historic damage to the building. Your donations will go directlytowards our campaign, ensuring we secure Trinity’s past, present & future.

Full line up:

Om Unit

Gardna x Kreed

Sunun

Baraka

The Brackish

Soma

Baast

Rhain

Sam Neal

Youth Music Showcase

Help us secure Trinity's past, present & future

Jabu x Neek x Manonmars plays at Young Echo Album Launch, photo credit Khali Ackford

Trinity is known for it’s boundry pushing music events, so it is really exciting to be able to bring you a programme of live music & club nights inspired by the musical heritage of the building. This year you'll see established and new artists both local and national who are all about pushing new ideas in music.

We’ve partnered with established promoters to bring you underground music that we know you are going to love. First up we had Bristol collective Young Echo who took over Fyfe Hall for their album launch back in February. Followed by Dubstep artist and promoter Pinch’s club night Subloaded celebrating the 100th release on his Tectonic label.

In May Trinity & Teaching in Dub will bring you Grime & Dubstep collective Bandulu Records with a massive line up ft Commodo, Rizla Teef, Kahn & Neek, Boofy, Hi5ghost. Plus the next generation of producers coming through, Drone, Lucy, Sir Hiss, Bengal Sound, with the big bad SGT Pokes on mic duties.  With more exciting artists coming in the Autumn (keep your eyes peeled for updates).

If you like high energy new reggae music with a heavy dub twist, definitely grab tickets to see Resonators on 19th May. This is going be a get up and dance vibe all night.

It is really important to Trinity that we showcase Bristol talent as much as we can in our in house music programme so we are pleased Resonators will be supported by Bristol artists, Roots Factory featuring YT (worked with the likes of Mungos Hifi and Solo Banton) plus Papa Steve and his mighty Downbeat Melody Soundsystem and Numesa.

Tickets: Bandulu / Resonators

We’ll be announcing more gigs. To know first sign up to our mailing list.

Collective Bandulu head to Trinity x Teachings in Dub presents in May phot credit Khali Ackford

Student writes lyrics during a youth music session

“The Trinity Centre has a proven track record of helping young people channel their energy into music, young people who may have struggled to find their way in school and have a raw musical talent but no way of developing this. We’re delighted to be partnering with Basement Studios and ACE for this important youth music project.” Emma Harvey, Trinity’s Centre Director

We are really excited to announce that we have join forces with Basement Studio at The Station and ACE at Docklands Youth Centre to provide life-changing music-making experiences for young people in Bristol.

Funded by Youth Music, Making Tracks is a two year collaborative partnership that offers young people from the inner city communities of Easton, Lawrence Hill and Ashley and Central Bristol to take their first steps into their music making journey. Young people can take part in music-making sessions, workshops and showcase events and will have access to 1-2-1 support and performance opportunities - to take the next steps in their own music-making journey.

Young people will have the chance to take part in a range of activities: tailored 121 and small group music making sessions mentoring, peer learning and joint-project activity showcase events and performances live-learning Q&As with artists & industry professionals.

Are you an aspiring musician wanting to get involved ? Would you like to refer a young person? Find out more here or email davet@3ca.org.uk.

Peaches, however, took that crown. She blew my socks off. And her own.

The costumes (Dancing vaginas - every show needs them. Who knew?) - or, at times, lack of them! - were eye popping.

The crowd were a sea of ecstatic faces, wowed by Peaches’ utter lack of inhibition which was, of course, infectious.

Strangers became dancing partners as we funked the night away; her growling, encompassing, electro punk sound and attitude forcing us all to let it all go. So we did.

This was a night to remember: one for the grand-kids; one for sweet dreams; a unifying spectacle of a night.

Thank you, Peaches, please keep f**king that pain away.

Would you like to write a review of a Trinity gig? Get in touch to find out more!

The World On One Street

Music line-up

- 47SOUL
- Batch Gueye Band
- The Scribes
- Linda B & The Tornados
- Sasha Steppa b2b Bliss Zion
- Area Boys

Click here for more information about our programme

Headlining the event we have 47 Soul bringing us eclectic sounds of Arabic dabke, incorporating street music of Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. We're looking for musicians representative of the local community so get in touch if you are interested in performing!

As part of the event, there will also be a range of 'Get Active' workshops for people to get involved in, with themes including Sport & Fitness, Science & Nature and Art & Craft.

Plus, join in with our exciting World Record attempt for the World's Largest Samba Dance!

We're looking for people interested in having a stall at the event, in keeping with our theme 'The World On One Street'. Click here for more information about stalls.

We're looking for volunteers to help us deliver the event on the day, so why not register your interest and help us to make sure we deliver an event that the community can be proud of! Click here for more info about volunteering.

Damon Albarn is a master of smaller, independent, venues. His engaging style and warmth fills even the cosiest of venues, but you never get the feeling his ego or acoustic prowess will extend beyond the walls of this intimate, gothic, Bristol setting. This engagement did however extend into the consciousness of the audience that night, with everyone a riding high on a sense that the former Blur frontman will remember the evening as much as the punters as he blasted out Last Living Souls accompanied by his band, The Heavy Seas.

Next came the dedication of the Gorrilaz’s number Slow Country to Massive Attack which harked back to not only the venues status as the birthplace of the Bristol Sound, but also to alluring atmosphere that has drawn in the aforementioned trip-hop artists and The Prodigy amongst others. Securing these acts is a result of Trinity’s strong musical heritage, and the passion for the intimate, incognito, atmosphere that artists of the calibre of Damon Albarn obviously have.

His crowd pleasing encore involved an 8 strong gospel choir from East London, who supported 2 new songs; Mr Tembo and Heavy Seas of Love. But what got the crowd romping and jumping was a version of Gorillaz’s Clint Eastwood that featured Bristol-based paramedic K*Ners, who when he is not rescuing the sick, rescued the hip-hop sections of the song due to a last minute drop out of Damon’s preferred Snoop Dogg wannabe.

It was refreshing to see Albarn finish on the soporifically sombre - This is a Low, which was both the low note, and the high point, of this particular performance.

Review by John Barker, Trinity Trustee

Image by www.lifelivephotography.com

LA’s Banks ploughs a polished furrow in deeply personal themes delivered as powerful sultry vocals over often fervently moody electronica.

On this UK tour she has been joined by LuckyMe’s resident DJ and darling of Rinse FM and Radio One, Eclair Fifi, here ushering in the audience with a selection that mines the seam where r’n’b meets bleeding edge, post-dubstep production. It’s an at once accessible and thrilling alliance - and the perfect fanfare for a visiting artist that has leant so heavily on the production values of the UK’s taste-making underground.

Taking the stage to sinister scene-setter Before I Ever Met You, backlit and misted in dry ice, the slight American cuts a gothic silhouette as she sashays back and forth from the shadows.

On stage, Banks is flanked by two musicians, one at a drum kit, the other alternating between keys and guitar, augmenting the backing track. There is a synergy at play here, and with a lighting production that perfectly encapsulates the intensity of her sound, the show is at once intimate and powerful.

Following the haunting This Is What It Feels Like Now the more upbeat Change reveals a little of the true vocal power our host can wield. Then just when it seems the whole evening might be trotted out in the same vain she lets rip on Brain.

Perhaps because this is the first night of the tour, from this point we see a more relaxed and confident performance. We are treated to a debut airing and a little more in the way of conversation as the mood gradually lightens through Warm Water towards something of a soulful, even sunny, groove.

The dark and light of ‘Waiting Game’ brings the night full circle before our host announces her last of the evening is to be another 'world premier', a mild disappointment of crude r’n’b-informed pop, perhaps hinting at a more American aesthetic for the forthcoming album.

This would be a shame, for us in the UK at least, as it is through the unapologetic intelligence and atmospherics of her material to date that she stands a greater longevity in hearts and minds over here.

by Mark Edmundson

Tonight in Bristol their sound was deep and loud (especially in "Monkey" from The Great Destroyer). Steve Garrington's bass was almost cruel in its precision and resonance. Alan Sparhawk's guitars roared when they weren't whispering. He was in truculent communion with the universe, expressing his normal laconic wit in wordless gestures and physical moves. "For your boys in Dubai…" was his shrugged opening line, introducing the unsettling "Plastic Cup" from the new album. He is a very handsome man.

Mimi Parker sang her songs and harmonies as beautifully as only she can, repressing something that wasn't being said by giving nothing away. Sixteen songs and two encores were presented – and they were all magnificent. The Trinity audience were reverentially silent (and the last words of the last song "I Hear Goodnight" were whispered – but every bit as audible as the shrugs)

The new album "The Invisible Way" was threaded through some of the best know classics like "Canada" and "Walk Into The Sea". The new songs maintained the high quality and intensity that Low's admirers expect. Trinity's audience were spellbound throughout .

Hibronix, a project of David Blumberg, formerly of Yuck, opened the evening with three big pieces of slurred and slowed Sparklehorse-like drone , supported on two by sidemen Sparhawk and Garrington. ("my backing band", he quipped) . What a very good night it was.

Sam Saunders