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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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“I received plenty of comments saying it was far too soon to ‘go solo’,” Geese frontman Cameron Winter told NME last year while reflecting on how people initially reacted to his decision to branch out on his own. “Most likely because a lot of folks assume that ‘solo albums’ only happen once a band has passed its peak and that they usually feel like uninspired cash grabs.”
Honestly, everyone is trying to earn a living however they can these days, yet no one expected a Geese side project to generate any real financial payoff in 2024. “Just so you know,” he went on, “my solo album is different: because barely anyone knows my band, I am young and comfortable living with my parents and I have the freedom to follow any ideas that interest me.”
Brooklyn indie followers and former NME cover stars Geese were gaining real momentum when their second album ‘3D Country’ mixed cowboy psychedelia with a jazzy, art-punk energy that had already captured the attention of many UK 6 Music dads back in 2023, but who could have predicted what came next? Geese have become one of the most talked-about bands of 2025 and are expected to dominate multiple end-of-year lists with the ambitious and full-range rock of ‘Getting Killed’. Yet the moment that set the stage for this rise was Winter’s Lou Reed-inspired debut solo record ‘Heavy Metal’.
A handful of late-night US television appearances and a spot on Jools Holland acted as a welcoming doorway for the world to see what this 23-year-old can do far beyond what many twice or three times his age are capable of. Now the sold-out Roundhouse audience made up of indie teens, art school regulars, fans who traveled across Europe and seasoned listeners reacts with a collective breath as a slight opening in the stage curtain reveals the silhouette of Winter seated at a piano. First comes a spark of excitement, then a sudden hush.
There is no flashy social media moment, no chatter overriding the music and almost no sea of raised phones. There is a sincerity to how the night unfolds. The Geese singer barely turns toward the audience. “Turn around!” someone calls out from the balcony at one stage. “Is this not enough for you all?” Winter teases back. For some, maybe it was more than enough. At least four people appear to faint around the warm and crowded Roundhouse while the room stands in absolute focus as Winter moves through the dreamlike storytelling of ‘Try As I May’, the emotional swirl of ‘The Rolling Stones’, the bright lift of ‘Love Takes Miles’ and the sermon-like stomp of ‘Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)’. When he reaches the intense and spiritually charged ‘$0’, even the most skeptical hipster might be convinced that “I’m not kidding, God is actually real”. In that moment, it feels as though we all understand.
The entire performance can be summed up in how ‘Drinking Age’ unfolds. It starts softly with a gentle touch on the keys before erupting into a thunderous attack on the Steinway that could echo into next year, followed by a long, open cry aimed toward the sky. Winter somehow manages to blend something minimal with something enormous, something grounded with something cosmic, a delicate approach that hits with staggering force as he reaches toward ideas of existence, heaven, hell and everything surrounding them.
Winter could recite the phone book and still leave a crowd stunned. He carries the spirit of a post-punk Rufus Wainwright you can play alongside The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, a Gen Z Tom Waits for listeners exhausted by TikTok overload, a new Nick Cave who arrives at exactly the moment he is needed. His voice feels older than his years yet perfectly suited to express the concerns and emotions of his own generation.
We will continue praising Geese endlessly because they deserve it. They are an extraordinary burst of musical creativity that goes far beyond what their lineup would ever imply, and along with Fontaines D.C., they are poised to become one of the decade’s essential bands. Still, tonight offers something quieter and more intimate. Cameron Winter stands completely on his own power, talent and magnetism, proving himself a rising force who can hold an entire room with only his voice, a piano and an entire future waiting for him.
‘Try as I May’
‘Emperor XIII in Shades’
‘The Rolling Stones’
‘Love Takes Miles’
‘Drinking Age’
‘Serious World’
‘Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)’
‘If You Turn Back Now’
‘Vines’
‘Nina + Field of Cops’
‘$0’
‘Take It With You’
‘Cancer of the Skull’
