Bristol Academy 2

I’ve been to a few carling academies now. They are all pretty basic venues. If you dont want luxury or comfort then you’ll be fine!

When I saw that The Bluetones were playing the Bristol Academy (which had recently turned from the Carling Academy to the O2 Academy) I was a little surprised. This is one of, if not the, biggest venues in Bristol and here we had a band of, let’s be fair, has-​beens. Indie posters who had a substantial following back in the late 90s but who had failed to impress with some of their more recent offerings in the Noughties. And I’m not saying this to diss them as I actually adore The Bluetones but I would have thought they’d have been better off at the Thekla (which they did end up playing the next time they visited Bristol). Anyway, the point is, they weren’t playing the main bit, but the upstairs Academy 2, which until then, I had no idea existed. It was somewhat depressing for me walking past the main stage up the stairs to what amounted to little more than a bar to see one of my much loved teenage bands, just imagine how it felt for them! I reckon the Academy should stick to bigger gigs and leave the smaller crowds to the other venues as this Academy 2 bit was really quite rubbish. Too dark, oblong and full of lairy idiots.

Horrible, horrible venue. I have never been here when its a night club I go (begrudgingly) to see bands here and I hate the place. Sadly there are not many other places for bands to play in Bristol.
Don’t stand still too long or you’ll stick to the floor. The stairs leading to the top bar are carpeted. Who in their right mind puts carpet in a nightclub?! I avoid the stairs as they have a very strong smell of sick! The sound quality is ok and if you get in early you can usually find somewhere to stand with a decent view.

i’v been to a few gigs here, its eveything u’d expect from a regular carling academy, carlings, dirty, on gig nights lots of underage emo kids.
bristol academy dose get some quality acts in tho and thats when its defo worth a punt if just for the moshing!

This venue is rubbish! Been twice now. The drinks are a rip off (It’s Bristol not London!), the sound quality is average and split on some many levels that the view from the top is rubbish!

Good venue and can be a good night out. Also can get very busy and difficult to get drinks. Has a wide range of music depending on night.

Really good venue this, with a very decent sound system. The venue always holds a vast range of acts from international touring bands to smaller independent acts to club nights with awesome DJs. Drinks are above average prices, but I guess that’s what you expect in a venue like this. Always a good atmosphere, and extra rooms to get away from the noise if you need to.

This is Bristol biggest indoor music venue and hosts most of the medium to big bands out on tour, old and new like Supergrass.
There are also clubnights which are quite good and play a variety of good music from the Beatles to the Beastie Boys. Carling is pretty cheap there on club nights.

This music venue is over around 4 levels. Its not great for short people as pretty much everywhere you go is full and you can’t see over anyone from anywhere.
The TV screens on the higher levels are normally distorted and not great quality.
Most venues should really look to the Brixton Academy for inspiration, with its sloped flooring to allow everyone to see.

I’ve been to the Academy a few times to see bands I like who rarely perform in Bristol. The sound and lights are decent, but visuals are only good if you: are standing in front, bag a place at a railing, are allowed to stand on the stairs. There isn’t much in the way of seating.
It’s not a bad place to see bands, but I wish it was a bit more like the Brixton Academy or the Forum in London.
I’ve only been there to see live music and not club nights so I can’t comment on them.

There are some great bands and artists that appear at the Academy. Many that are certainly worth the visit.
Although the acts, in my opinion, are the only reason to visit. The place is a bit of a mess, the carpets are always sticky and it can stink.
But they do pull great artisits though so I’ll block my nose and continue to see great bands there.

The Academy is a large club/​music venue in Bristol City Centre. There’s an Indie/​Alternative night called Ramshackle every Friday where some good tunes are played. On other nights they have gigs. I have seen some good bands here in the past, including Suede and Gomez