Timbuk2

Absolutely wicked venue! Great music and such a good atmosphere and the drinks are cheap too! Always got good sets and it’s basically right in the centre of bristol. Love it! It’s underground, so it’s pretty dark but that’s what makes it more exciting! If you need to go outside you do have to leave the actual building and go on the street. It’s not huge but still a really god venue! Mainly drum and bass or hip hop nights it’s getting more techno and housey though! Definitely recommend it!

With an aesthetic somewhere between trendy house party and serial killer’s basement, the too-​cool-​for-​comfort décor of this underground club belies a surprisingly friendly atmosphere. Sure there are still the overpriced drinks, grimy bathrooms and cramped dancefloors that all fans of electronic music have come to expect as standard, but my visit here was refreshingly fun and attitude free. I went for a dub night which seems to be pretty much standard fare for this venue, and it was nice to see some patrons really getting into the music rather than standing around, bobbing their heads and looking as if they’re at a funeral. Both door and bar staff were friendly enough, while the clientele were mostly laid back and chatty. The only real problems here are the lack of a proper smoking area and the fact that you have to push through a heaving dance floor every time you need to visit the ladies’ room — not ideal.

Timbuk2 seems to have fallen somewhat from grace lately on the Bristol nightlife scene. I remember regularly catching sight of flyposters advertising decent nights with fairly big promoters (Penguin Dance particularly springs to mind), but it would seem that Motion and newer venues such as Basement 45 or Day and Night have stolen them away.
That’s not to say I don’t still have a special place in my heart for Timbuk2. Its underground caverns, military netting and wide-​eyed clientele were a source of real fascination during what I would consider my introduction to the more alternative end of Bristol’s nightlife.
Downsides are the tiny capacity, slightly overpriced tickets for what’s generally on offer and long bar queues, along with the fact that the soundsystem just doesn’t compare to some of Bristol’s more popular underground venues.
Keep an eye open though, I have faith in Timbuk2’s ability to claw its way back to the top.

This is an odd little cavernous nightclub with strange tunnel shaped rooms that is at the very least an interesting venue and something slightly different form the norm. That said once the novelty of the interior has warn off after about 5 minutes, the actual practicalities of it as a nightclub become apparent. The acoustics in this place are terrible and in some places the music really does sound muffled and inaudible. If you’re something of a music lover, then this may prove to be a little frustrating.
The music itself is your bog standard, run of the mill dance, techno and drum ‘n’ base variety and the atmosphere is usually quite lively in the main dance area. They also pride themselves on trying to get the best DJ’s so it has something of an aficionado crowd.
Getting a drink can be a bit of a nightmare at times as the bar area is quite small and the queue can be two or three people deep. This is a big negative for me as I like to drink.

Yet another basement venue in the centre of town, Timbuk2 mainly specialises in drum’n’bass, dub and hip hop nights. It’s quite a warren once you get down, with four rooms that lead through to each other. It usually works with one DJ playing in the room near the bar, and the main act taking the decks in the main room at the back.
It’s the kind of place where you can loose a lot of hours, in a good way. The bar, which has a bit of an odd feeling (due to the small size and metal bars that surround it — it can get very packed in here when it’s busy) is a bit expensive for my liking, but pretty much what you can expect in a club.
There’s yet another room that sides off the main room, which houses a couple of pool tables for added entertainment, though in my experience no-​ones ever been in a fit state to have a serious game of anything! It does the trick as a good Bristol club, and puts on some really good nights, so keep a look out.

A bit on the small side, this place does a good step in drum and base and dub step. All the noise gets soaked up by the cellar walls, though, so I’m sure the neighbours don’t mind too much. The cavern like basement its located in is what you’ll notice first when you come here, and it suits the sort of night that gets put on.
It’s pretty small, which is fortunate because it isn’t that much fun unless it’s full. Hot, with people moving energetically when it does get busy, you should have a good night here if you like a laid back crowd and a good dance.
Getting a drink can be a bit of a stress. I did give up one night; more than ten minutes didn’t seem like a worthwhile wait for a can of red stripe. It’s not much worse than at most other clubs though, and having two bars helps. Apparently the club pulls in some big undergrounds, though I’m not up on all this so I wont try and name drop. Timbuk2’s one of Bristols better nightclubs and a fun, dance filled night out.

An underground venue in a large basement in the middle of the city, Timbuk2 mainly specialises in breaks, house and techno. A popular venue which can get very busy, but it doesn’t really do it for me.
There’s no garden, so if you want to get out of the heat you have to sit in the street with the smokers, and the downstairs is a confusing maze of different rooms, none of which is big enough to generate a decent atmosphere. Bristol’s underground options may have dwindled over the years, but there are still better options than this.

The kind of night that you have in here could vary a fair bit depending on what music is being played that night. I guess the music policy doesn’t vary too much — it’s generally dance-​ish music, so as long as you like that you’re pretty safe going there.
The venue itself is quite cosy as it’s an underground venue with all the rooms shaped like individual tunnels. Whilst this is pleasant, it doesn’t do a lot for the acoustics, so be aware of this if you are a fussy music enthusiast!

I love the way this venue prides itself on always having top quality djs playing a variety of quality dance music. When you get down there it feels like a cave– very underground. But it also feels like you’re part of an exclusive club surrounded by like-​minded people. It is also bigger than it first appears and a good sized dance floor makes it a great place to go out in, according to me!

An underground cavern bursting with life and fresh events with something for everyone
Attracting some of the uk and the world’s most influential DJ’s and dance music labels as well as some excellent home grown talent.
Timbuk2 is a quirky venue that opens its doors to a brand of people who love their music. Also available to be hired as a venue for public events it will definitely be an excellent venue to host your night at!