Itchy City guide to Bristol. Food, drink, film, music, stage, events, shopping, offers and competitions within Bristol, Great Britain.

If the more popular side of alternative music is your thing, you won't be short of things to do in Bristol. There are plenty of places playing the tunes you know and love with a thriving atmosphere to suit. On an equally awesome note, these nights tend to go hand in hand with cheap drinks, so you shouldn't leave with a substantially lighter wallet either.

There are a few spots in Bristol in which you could begin your Indie rock night. The best place to begin is The White Hart, located at the top of Park Street. It's a 'Scream' pub, so it's fairly cheap, but unlike The Commercial Rooms, another popular starter, there's music played to get you going.

Another nice place to start, which is a little more expensive, is The Woods, also at the top of Park Street. It has an extensive Whiskey selection to choose from, lovely wooden furniture and has also been known to play good albums all the way through which is a refreshing change from the one-song-per-artist rule you get from most pubs and clubs.

Where you continue to pursue your Indie fix really depends upon the night of the week. Wednesday is Propaganda, an Indie night now appearing in a few spots around the UK including London and Leeds. In Bristol, Propaganda is based in The Syndicate club, on Nelson Street in the town centre next to H&M. It's a fun and cheap night with an indie room and rock room just incase you get bored of either.

Thursday is Sink Ships at Timbuk2, which is located around the St. Nick's market area. It's a fantastic night with 3 or 4 different rooms playing Indie, Punk, Hip Hop and more. It's a weird layout, which feels like you're walking into the depths of some kind of secret underground cave.

You'll have to make the tough decision between that and Pressure at Thekla though. Pressure is the 2 for 1 drinks Indie night and the Thekla is also an awesome floating venue, arguably the best place for gigs in Bristol. We'd lean towards the better music and the less crowded, but nevertheless busy, Sink Ships. It's just a bit better.

Friday is Ramshackle at the O2. It's very similar to Propaganda with an Indie room, smaller Rock room, cheap drinks and consistently lively atmosphere, it goes on 'til late and never fails to attract a huge amount of people.

If you're not in Bristol for a Weds, Thurs or Fri then you aren't totally out of luck! There's still a few things you can check out. Pop Confessional at the Thekla is a popular Saturday night endeavor playing a couple of Indie tunes. If not there, then head down to Mr. Wolf's, a tiny club on the edge of St. Nick's market, which somehow offers an excellent night of music until 4am despite its limited space.

Tom McElveen