5 Acts To Watch At Bristol’s Ritual Union This Saturday
A stacked, city-spanning snapshot of Bristol’s underground, where future headliners collide with hometown chaos and left-field discoveries across four intimate stages.
Split across four stages, upstairs/downstairs in Bristol’s iconic Exchange, Strange Brew and Rough Trade, Bristol’s Ritual Union festival returns with the aim to create memories that few can rival. Last year saw Mandrake Handshake, Paige Kennedy, My First Time, Gurriers, Keg and Getdown Services – now exploding into the stratosphere after supporting Viagra Boys at Ally Pally – all play in venues where you can say “I saw these guys before they got big”.
Past festivals have given fans golden opportunities to see Mary in the Junkyard, The New Eves, Porridge Radio, Mermaid Chunky, and Katy J Pearson. It’s very much a highlight of Bristol’s underground calendar.
Girl in the Year Above
Girl in the Year Above are the band of the moment! The art-rock group recently just featured on Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, covering Massive Attack’s Teardrop, for a crucial scene in the recent Netflix movie, and that gives you a clue of their style: it’s not brash, it’s not abrasive – it’s meticulous – folk country that kind of gives off a fusion of Lankum and The Last Dinner Party, drenched in sweeping gothic excess. Already tipped to support the likes of the Kooks in the summer this is your last chance to catch Girl in the Year Above at a venue this small – Strange Brew will be packed out for them long before they arrive. They fuse Irish and Cornish mythology together to create a sweeping aura that makes Mama, My Heart is Achin’ feel completely and utterly unique.
Knives
Heavy outfit Knives I’ve seen a couple of times this year already, supporting chest. As (“secret guest”) at the Lanes to ring in 2026 and then again supporting The Callous Daoboys at Underworld in London. Their music is electric, pulsating and lively, guided by frontman Jay Schottlander. Expect a pit – and a big one! They’re hometown heroes and this is very much a hometown gig, returning to Ritual Union for the first time since 2024. They’re a post punk/hardcore band that tap into jazzier elements with a Maruja-esque twang to them if they had embraced the hardcore show head on. Put it simply, if Knives are playing in Bristol and you’re not there? What are you doing?
JJ Bull
What if LCD Soundystem was like, really into Chris Wood? There’s your pitch for Athletic Podcast Host turned artist JJ Bull, set to hit a wave of tastemaker festivals like Left of the Dial this year. His music taps into niche football references – John McGinn and dinosaurs, Dennis Bergkamp never getting on planes, and Adriano’s shot power. If these are your thing? You’ll love JJ Bull’s maverick style.
Lemonsuckr
If you want to have a dance and a good time, Brighton band Lemonsuckr are the band to go for. Guy Ferris, Oscar Post, Matt Saunders and Ollie Thomas are unafraid to all get stuck in and start a pit – lively, energetic – and easily, the next big thing that’s been quietly bubbling up under the radar. They capture the same essence of Adult DVD and Deadletter and My First Time and by the time Dead Disco starts you’ll be long humming away.
ANOTHER COUNTRY $$$$
ANOTHER COUNTRY $$$$ have already had their customary taste-making approved Brixton Windmill slot. They’re experimental electronics from Manchester, with a unique surrealist sound to them. Expect mathcore, expect IDM, expect experimental rock. They’re fluid, free-flowing, never afraid to push boundaries and echo hopecore breaks with post-dance collages. Cursed Frame, Tether, and their EP Body Farm, is electric, a real success and a great warm-up for those looking for the techno-thrills of the afterparty that is Ninajirachi.