If you’re a fan of post-punk and / or Bristol music you really need to get to know the music of Maximum Joy, if you haven’t already. Sounding as fresh as they did when they formed, mixing punk, dub, funk, free jazz, Afrobeat and hip-hop with wild improvisation, seminal post-punk band Maximum Joy rose up from the fertile Bristol music scene of the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Lu.Re is a London-based producer, DJ and vocalist who began producing during lockdown and has already established a fanbase and a great deal of support from others in the field, including Radio 1extra’s DJ Target. Her debut EP, Ruminate, is set to drop on May 26. A classically trained viola player, Lu.Re interweaves spiralling breakbeats and thick, bendy basslines with viola and vocals, and she mixed and produced the entire EP in her London flat.

Meet Selbor, a London-based Andalusian artist, whose self-titled debut album came out on 1st April on AWAL. Selbor pushes synth pop boundaries in his very own way, exploring the duality of hedonism and introspection, and merging electronic infused pop with his flamenco roots.

Glasgow alt-rockers The Wife Guys of Reddit are on the up and up, fuelled by musical experimentation and a keen sense of the absurd. Originally formed as a duo by Arion Xenos and Niamh MacPhail, The Wife Guys have since been joined by Angus Fernie on keyboards and synths and Elise Atkinson on drums. Their latest single, Pig Fat, is raucous and thoroughly enjoyable, all murky bass and scratchy riffs, with a nicely surreal, rough-edged DIY video to match.

Meet Hembree - the sunniest, dreamiest sound to come from over The Atlantic in quite some time. The Kansas City-based indie rockers’ second album was released in February and finds the quintet pushing their established sound—first glimpsed on 2019’s debut House on Fire—to new, colourful zeniths.

London’s Nic Nell, better known as Casually Here, has been carving out experimental electronic soundscapes for over a decade. Described as a ‘multidisciplinary artist, composer, sound designer and record producer with a background in art and mathematics’, Casually Here has just released his second solo album, Possible Worlds, on his own Algebra label.

Meet REX, a queer Bristol-based DJ taking the local underground dance scene and making it theirs. After completing Saffron’s Mix Nights course in late 2019, REX has not held back in quickly becoming one of Bristol's most exciting DJs, blending everything from Grime and Dubstep to UK Funky and breaks.

It’s no secret that Bristol has a buzzing arts and culture scene, whether you’re into all-night raves, contemporary art, ballet or mosh pits. So it’s fantastic news that the Gig Buddies scheme has come to Bristol via the Exchange. Gig Buddies is a program for adults with autism, learning disabilities or neurodivergences of any kind. The scheme matches volunteers and participants in a “buddy” scheme, allowing them to get out and enjoy gigs and live music at venues across the city, with the security of their buddy by their side.