"The Bell has always been a key part of Bath's live music scene, often giving musicians their first break and always providing music that is vibrant, diverse and free."
- Peter Gabriel
The Bell has free live music three to four times a week (Monday, every other Tuesday and Wednesday from 9pm and Sunday lunchtimes from 1pm) ranging from jazz to blues to folk to roots to some things we are not sure what to call.
Live at The Bell Inn, September 2024
For DJ listings plus Back Bar events check out our What's On page
Start times: Sunday 1pm | Monday Tuesday and Wednesday 9pm
Sat 28th September
RSVP
Live your own Bollywood Spectacular for the evening with one of the country's finest exponents of one of the world's great party sounds. Irresistible for dancing and generally lightening your mood.
Sun 29th September
Pasha Finn & The Ellipsis
The Bell has always been proud of the talent we have behind the bar, and Pasha here is another case of Walcot's got Talent, in a gentle and melodic folk style.
Mon 30th September
The Good Stuff
The last time we enjoyed this 9-vocalist-strong gospel & nu-soul ensemble, people said it was the best thing they'd heard in years. Tonight you get the chance to re-live that, or perhaps even better…
Wed 2nd Oct
William KZ & The Assistants
Hyperactive leader of Bethlehem Casuals in side project. A bit like the BCs and a bit not… Dancing psychedelia with a side order of social comment and a dash of utter madness.
Sun 6th Oct
Leon Hunt n-tet
Sneak preview of festival project from Bath's Baronet of the Banjo. May involve 4 banjos, or near-banjos. Or the plan might have changed since we made the booking. And this is probably their first gig. But we think not the last…
Mon 7th Oct
Rain of Animals
Presumably Cats & Dogs then? But not as unharmonious as that suggests. Collaboration between leading new-generation bluegrass/oldtime figures from Melbourne, Aus., and Dunkeld, Scotchland.
Tue 8th Oct
Ian Perry (replacing Kosta Burgess)
Ian Perry is best known to Bell regulars as an occasional improvising vocalist with World Government: as an acoustic guitarist & songwriter he has long been well respected by his peers, and is a great person to spend an evening with.
Wed 9th Oct
Amadou Diagne & Group Yakar (replacing Ya Freshness)
To make up for our communication breakdown the other week, Senegalese multi-instrumentalist & Bath resident Amadou Diagne & Group Yakar are confirmed to be playing. Scheduled group Ya Freshness suffered an internal communication breakdown of their own and are unavailable, we will reschedule when their album is out..
Sun 13th Oct
Lavinia Blackwall
Strong folk-rooted sound from renowned Trembling Bells vocaliser, though fans of the previous will be pleased that co-founder Alex Neilson is support on this tour. Still '70s flavoured but in a different way, and her voice remains sublime.
Mon 14th Oct
Bard Edrington V
The real deal. Born in Alabama, raised in Tennessee, works outside. Doc Watson live hooked him on oldtime music, then Mississippi John Hurt, fingerpicking blues, delta blues, hill country, and on and on. With Karina Wilson, fiddle.
Wed 16th Oct
The Sun KIngs
Summer isn't entirely over with this crew hitting town. Started as a pop/Cumbia crossover, but quickly became its own thing with strong original material and a very watchable multi-character front line. Have some evening sun.
Sun 20th Oct
Dr Zebo's Wheezy Club
Great musicianship and as the name indicates a little tongue in cheek. We know them from Electric Lobsters and a dozen other greal local combos. They're calling it folk/jazz, we're calling it a good time guaranteed.
Mon 21st Oct
Radio Banska
Would you listen to a station that played non stop gipsy swing and eastern folk? I sure would, and sounds like these guys found it too, such is the depth of their knowledge and feeling for those not-unrelated disciplines.
Tue 22nd Oct
Green Tree
Abbey & Rory from Old Baby Mackerel show us what they can do on their own when they cast the stylistic net a bit wider. Expect bluegrass, oldtime, folk, and surprises.
Wed 23rd Oct
Starlings
Bunch of birds, innit… Yes Nigel, but they do all happen to be favourite featured artists in some of our top bands here at The Bell. Strong groove players all, in this combination the funk is both deeper and more subtle.
Sat 26th Oct
Madalitso Band
Two guys from Malawi; that big thing they play is a home-made one-string babatone. That is probably all you really need to know, plus that this is a rapid return visit to The Bell because they are over playing at the big Womex World Music conference in Manchester. Top night in prospect.
Sun 27th Oct
Stompin' Dave Electric
Dorset blues phenomenon in yet another different configuration - this one's a duo - showing endless imagination and re-imagination as well as resilience.
Mon 28th Oct
Daniel Inzani & Band
We know Dan of old from Mandibles & Tezeta, now the rest are catching up, his eclectic new triple album - never doing things by halves, our Dan - getting great reviews nationally. Come buy one and rejoice in our collective prescience.
Wed 30th Oct
Subject A
One-Man creative movement and coolest chap in Swindon Erin Bardwell brings his Specials-flavoured research project down to Walcot for the night. As Dr Dammers himself proved, there is always more to be done with a ska rhythm.