Top things to do in Bristol — week of 13 April

Bristol is back in form. The weather has turned just enough that the Old Crown garden is open, the boat has a proper booking, and Strange Brew has dug up an old garage record I have been hoping someone would play in public for years.

If you want the calendar straight, the Bristol this-week page has every one of these listed already.

Monday: a pint in the Old Crown garden

It has been open for a fortnight and I am still smug about it. Decent beer, the chips are great, the garden is a small miracle for a Monday in April. Bring a jumper, the wind picks up at 7.

Tuesday: Strange Brew listening session

Same routine, same room, same eight quid. Album front to back, the lights are down, no one talks. This week it is a UK garage record I have not heard in twelve years and I am being deliberately cagey about which one. Show up.

Wednesday: free networking at Pithay

Bristol startup Wednesday is at Pithay again. Free, beer fridge, three short talks, the Q&A actually moves. Two of the speakers this week have raised proper money in the last six months so the room will skew investor-curious. Worth showing up if you are building something.

Thursday: comedy at the Wardrobe

The Wardrobe Theatre is doing a Thursday new act night for £8. Six comics, one MC, the room is small enough that the bad bits sting and the good bits land twice as hard. The 9pm show is the one to book.

Friday: Thekla, the bass night

This is the one. The boat has a Friday line-up that is the strongest it has been since the New Year set — three rooms aboard, the main on the upper deck, and the line-up runs deep enough that the small hours are the best hours. £14 advance, doors at 11, last entry at 1am.

A practical note — the gangway gets slippery if it is wet. Wear shoes that mean it. The cloakroom is now £2.

Saturday: The Lanes vinyl swap, then a long evening

The Lanes is hosting a Saturday afternoon vinyl swap — bring ten records, take home five better ones, free entry, doughnuts on the side. After, the Crown is doing a Saturday roast extension and the Bristol Beer Factory tap room is open till midnight.

If you have the legs left, Lakota is doing a smaller Saturday — only two rooms — and the line-up is one I would describe as quietly excellent rather than loud about it. £12 on the door.

Sunday: Strange Brew session, then a roast

Strange Brew Sunday afternoon listening session is the move again. £6, two hours, a record I will pretend not to know. After, walk to the Old Crown for a roast having earned it. Lamb is still the call.

The Old Crown roast booking is now opening 14 days out instead of 7, so it is neccessary to plan ahead. Worth it.

A small reminder that the Bristol clubs filter is honestly the most useful thing for weekend planning, especially for the smaller rooms that do not have great websites.

Friday at Thekla and Tuesday at Strange Brew are the two I would not move. Wednesday at Pithay if you are building something. Sunday is the slow one. Mental that the Old Crown garden has only been open a fortnight, feels like the whole city has been waiting for it.