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If any one word could be used to define Bristol’s music communities, it would be ‘diversity’. From its demographic makeup to its cultural exports, the South West city is consistently open to new ideas and possibilities. Simple Things encapsulates this milieu. One of the UK’s most forward-thinking festivals, its lineups are never anything short of dazzlingly imaginative.
The 2024 edition sees Simple Things celebrating its tenth year, following a four-year break. It feels like a key chapter in the resurgence of Bristol’s live music scene following the pandemic. Times remain tough, but the last few years have seen numerous success stories, from the emergence of independent radio stations to the Bristol Beacon venue’s name being changed in order to remove its previous association with 17th century slave trader Edward Colston.
Over 10 stages spread across the city – think: a similar and equally exciting set up to The Great Escape – Simple Things offers a full day of genre-transcending brilliance. First up is Manchester’s Nina Cobham, who packs out Rough Trade. The bilingual singer-songwriter is fast becoming a major new name in UK pop and in this intimate setting, accompanied by deft guitarist Rory, it’s easy to see why so many have fallen in love with her gorgeous voice and the acute melancholy of her songs.
Across the road in Strange Brew, New York’s L’Rain makes for a mesmerising gear shift. The experimental artist’s jazz and post-rock fusion is as colourful as the venue’s rainbow interior; the type of music you feel you could submerge yourself into. Over in SWX, meanwhile, Antony Szmierek makes for a fun, if slightly less engrossing watch. His upbeat and engaging stage presence is consistently excellent, but the absence of a live drummer means the sound feels a little thin.
A theme across the day soon emerges. For all the disparate styles on the bill, almost all tap into Bristol’s storied dance music history. As a giddy example; seminal indie heroes Les Savy Fav’s set on Bristol Beacon’s main stage is basically a party, full of joyous grooves and wild antics courtesy of frontman Tim Harrington.
This trend continues throughout several heavier sets. O.’s intense jazz crossover whips Rough Trade into a trance, while Gilla Band’s industrial post-punk makes for a gripping follow-up. The SWX crowd goes wild for the Irish band’s abrasive textures, who push-pit throughout a propulsive and hypnotic hour.
As night descends, things get increasingly more frenzied. In the charming pub Sportsman’s, Gurriers’ riotous art-punk threatens to collapse the venue’s bouncy floor. The young Dublin band set the whole room dancing in what proves to be a commanding highlight of the day.
Later in the evening come two performances of exhilarating grandeur. First, Flowdan delivers a short, potent set in the Beacon’s Lantern Hall. The east London artist made history this month as the first UK MC to win a Grammy award, and his dextrous bars further prove that he remains one of the country’s most magnetic performers. Domino signees Fat Dog close proceedings, playing in the Beacon’s foyer. The five-piece’s rave-rock sets the crowd alight, eventually becoming so feverish and out of control that security have to step in.
This slickly organised event shows how varied and vibrant a day festival can be in 2024. Simple Things is a creative testament to Bristol’s cultural scene, allowing gig-goers to uncover dozens of gems, no matter their shape or form.
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For Good Neighbours, everything started when they found their rhythm on social media. The project of songwriters Oli Fox and Scott Verill – who have previously released spritely indie-pop under various monikers – has maintained momentum on TikTok this year, via a lengthy roll-out of demos and behind-the-scenes footage. It’s a savvy, if slightly fatiguing tactic: the duo teased debut single ‘Home’ in dozens of videos, tagging each clip with general statements like ‘POV: you’ve found your roadtrip soundtrack’ or encouraging listeners to indulge in a main character moment.
It’s perhaps no surprise then that the loudest audience ovation is reserved for when Fox makes mention of the platform tonight (April 24). “Some of you may know us from TikTok,” he says knowingly. “And we took a bit of time to release an actual song.” The band are self-confessed super fans of Bleachers, and their blueprint is clear: big, washed-out, atmospheric tunes with lyrics about life-changing friendships that could find a place in Spotify’s Gen Z-targeted Lorem playlist.
This seamlessness is not lost on stage. When played live, ‘Home’, recent single ‘Keep It Up’ and a handful of unreleased tracks slide and swirl into a bright, easy-going pop haze. Beyond giving the former some extra gusto, replete with a multicoloured light display, there’s little to differentiate some of the newer material: Fox’s delivers ‘Ripple’ with a high-pitched cadence, occasionally straining to be heard atop a three-piece backing band.
With a silver chain lightly bouncing atop his graphic t-shirt as he wiggles around, Fox is an affable performer – and it would perhaps be churlish to put Good Neighbours down for the cheerfully uncomplicated mood that their melodies inspire. The energy in the room is very much ‘good times, all the time’, with music that you could call warm and familiar, buoyed by some big-chorus magic (a Grouplove redux, even).
Fox and Verill’s vision translates best during a more freewheeling ‘Daisies’, during which they rip into guitar solos and leap about joyously. It sparks the question: with a little more grit and wonkiness, could Good Neighbours, like their peers Royel Otis, make the leap to festival stages? Having successfully made an impact in an oversaturated online space, there’s enough here to suggest that they’ll soon take the next step.
