O2 Academy

The Bristol (currently sponsored by O2) academy has always been a love/​hate thing for me. Musically they have some great nights there, however there is a distinct lack of atmosphere which has left me feeling that I’ve never been to a ‘great’ gig there. Countless ‘good’ gigs but never a ‘great’ gig. To be honest, if you love a particular band thats playing, then the night should at the very least be ‘good’ by default.
However the layout is a real problem, it often boils down to whether you want to be crushed and rattled about in the main ‘dancefloor’ area (for lack of a bitter term) or fenced outside the area feeling like an excluded spectator.
The alternatives include standing on the main dance area but to the side to avoid both the crushes and any adequate view of the stage or anyone on it, OR, standing on the stairs like some sort of stair dweller.
It’s never felt right for me, and I have always been left feeling a little disappointed after each gig there. It was only when visiting gigs in other cities that I realise how sort changed Bristol was in terms of music venues.
The fleece, The thekla and The lousiana are all great music venues, and its always great to watch bands at any of these but sadly its the venue that brings the bigger acts that is so terrible.
Please, please please, find a better venue to use as the Bristol Academy.

All the 02 academy venues as rods the UK are top notch night clubs to see live music, with great sound, balcony views, and friendly staff !

This is a great live music venue. If you’re a fan of small, intimate gigs, then this place is it. No chairs, no snobbery– this is a place to get rocking.
There is a back bar away from the stage in another area, where you can chat with mates and get a drink before entering the main hall bit, where there are two other bars! One at the back of the main hall, which is obvious upon entering; and the other quite well hidden under the stairs. There is one upper level that provides some standing space to see better the live acts.
Most recently, i watched La Roux play here, which was awesome. The vibes here are great, and you really get quite a close up of the artist you’re here to see, even if you’re stuck at the back or upstairs, which is what I want when I go for a gig. Way better compared to those huge venues where you’re so far away from the stage that you might as well be watching the gig on TV.
Every Friday from 10pm-​3pm, there is an indie night, which is usually overpopulated by the student crowd, but is a good alternative for a night out’s music compared to the typical pop spinners. Great for a jive and some headbanging here and there.
A really good live venue– catch a gig here if you haven’t yet already!

Time for me to get nostalgic again. The Academy, with its sticky walls and ever BO tinged air, will always of going to my first few gigs (I think my very first was Hundred Reasons, for those that have heard of them). Not to much has changed since then. You’ll still get a good natured crowd queuing up an hour or so before the doors open for a gig — keep this in mind if want to get a place on the bar at the front. There will still be a scrum at the bar with prices that have climbed enough over the years to remain horrendously overpriced.
Ramshackle, a long-​standing night on Fridays, is the appropriate way to experience the Academy. Here very excited goths and emos will drink too much vodka and jump around to whatever the latest indy hit is. You’ll know you’ve had a good night if you’ve got some of that vodka spilt down your front and your ears are ringing to All American Rejects, or whatever it is that the kids are listening to these days (I secretly want to be an old man…).

Having spent most of my life living in London I associated the 02 Academy name (formerly the Carling Academy) with huge stadium-​like spaces like Brixton or Islington. So when I planned to make a visit to see Noah and the Whale at the 02 Academy Bristol I arrived extra early to allow for budging-​to-​the-​front time.
But — no need! This intimate venue sent my memory straight back to my youth, being so close to the band you can touch them, with music so loud your ears ache at the end. Even though, for no reason at all, I’ve been put off by the 02 brand slowly attempting global domination it does allow them to bring in the big names to Bristol: Dizzee Rascal, Fun Lovin’ Criminals and La Roux to name a few.
Sadly the small nature of the place leads in inevitable pushing, shoving and body touching so be prepared. I once spent a rather unpleasant night in a hub of big tall sweaty men at a Black Keys gig, all them wearing leather jackets. All of them men you’d rather not be that close to.