Thekla

I used to frequent this place back in the 90’s when it was drum and bass nights and underground music events. It was cool then, gets hot of course but it is a great night out. Today there are some great live music acts down there and recently I just popped in randomly to find an amazing singer/​guitarist there with his band and I kid you not he was very skilled. I say that as I am a music obsessive so quite critical I guess but neverhtheless these guys ROCKED the roof off.

Not been to thekla in years, and it hasnt changed much since the refurb. booze prices are ok in comparison to other places. Staff seemed nice.
Reasons for low stars, the soundsystem was both quiet and so muffled on vocals that I couldnt get into the music or hear any of the lyrics of almost all the acts, and at a live /​club venue thats the biggest tick box failed, especially at a hiphop night.
Wont be going back in a hurry.

If you want a change to the drum and bass, electronic, chart topping generic tunes — head to Thekla. 90’s nights, pop/​punk nights, what more could you ask for!
Last time I checked, Thursday night ‘pressure’ is more rock, punk tunes, but definitely not too grunge for normal people. Friday night is a bit more electro (haven’t been yet so I won’t comment.) And Saturday night, my favourite, Pop Confessional — the 90’s classics where you aren’t ashamed to let loose to Madonna, because everyone else is. Dress how you want, as long as it’s not too smart. You’ll enjoy your night, it’s always my favourite place to go for New Year, never any idiots looking to start a fight for the fun of it, accidentally fall into someone, you’ll be fine — this isn’t Syndicate.

May well be the best club in Bristol IMO. Equally versatile for food and drink, raving or rocking there is music for pretty much all palates here. The surroundings of the venue offer some of the best views in Bristol and as others here have said the novelty of the dance floor being underwater never quite goes away. Particularly noteworthy is the 51′ 27 club night, serving up a medley of underground music for all tastes; basically everything from grime through to 90s house.

I love this boat, the sound is good and people are really friendly. This venue is really cool and not very expensive. Go there if you’re fed up with all electronic club of Bristol.

The Thekla is probably the most successful live music venue of its size in Bristol. With room for over 400 people and offering two stages on different levels there’s plenty of scope to stage different types of events here. Being an adapted boat there’s also a really quirky look and feel to the place. When you first go there it seems labyrinthine, (I got lost several times before I figured it all out). Since discovering it, when I first moved to Bristol, I have been a regular ever since. Featuring bands like The Bays, and local heroes such as Turbowolf and hosting some fantastic after show parties as well as being one of the most used venues during the various city based music festivals (e.g. Venn Festival) there’s a lot to like about this converted boat in the centre of town.
It’s easy to get to, and has loads of free parking out front. The views are amazing, and there’s plenty of restaurants within a 150 yards. Great!

Ladies, I don’t want to sound like your mother but please wear sensible shoes if you go to this floating nightclub. One of Bristol’s most iconic clubs, Thekla is a converted boat that sits on the harbour behind Queens Square.
Split over two levels, there are to main staircase that get you were you want to go and once the drink starts flowing, those steps can get slippery. On several occasions I’ve seen slightly intoxicated girls go head over high heels while sashaying down the stairs.
Aside from precarious footwear and wet stairs, I love this club and live music venue. The owners have kept to the nautical feel inside the venue as there are plenty of exposed pipes and panels and the novelty factor is great if you have any friends visiting.
Most popular in my student days, I still frequent this place for gigs and the odd Saturday night out — normally an electronica night. The drink prices are quite cheap but if you go to Gorilla Audio on a Monday there are lots of cheap deals and often free shots for the first 50 people aboard. The possibility for nautical puns in endless and the atmosphere is always great, especially on the top deck where it’s a little quieter.

As one of Bristol’s more tasteful places to party, The Thekla is probably the club (along, perhaps, with Motion) I would recommend to a visitor if I hadn’t been filled in on their musical tastes.
The reason for this is Thekla’s broad musical selection, which diverges slightly from the mainstream… but not too far. One of the better clubs in Bristol for indie music, it mixes things up with house, dnb, hiphop and some good student nights.
Alongside the clubnights is a concert programme packed with acts from all across the musical spectrum, but which are normally relatively good. They tend to occupy the ideal middle ground of being famous enough for you to know who they are, without being so famous that you lose out on atmosphere drowning in a massive crowd.
Food during the day is apparently pretty decent and the bar is relatively well-​stocked, especially with spirits.
There’s also the novelty of a club on a boat, which never fails to please. The smoking area boasts some pretty pleasant views and offers a welcome breathing space for when things get a little too hot and sweaty inside.

This nightclub is something a bit different from your standard club — and it’s location is a boat! It is located down on the waterfront, and there are several really nice bars near by which you can have a few drinks at before hand — I would recommend the apple if you haven’t tried it out before!
Thekla classes itself as an alternative nightclub, and puts on a variety of different nights. Gorilla Audio, which is partnered with UWE university, takes place every Monday night and is geared towards a more studenty audience. On this night there are many drink deals, making it good if you are on a budget!
This little hotspot is also known as a local gig location — many independent bands on tour play a gig here, because its something a bit different that has an authentic feel. It is great for gigs because it provides a relatively intimate venue — and the acoustics are not bad at all! I went to see a band called Frightened Rabbit here, and it was a brilliant experience! Check
for upcoming gigs at this venue if you are interested!
The bar/​club itself has an upstairs and a downstairs — and as you can imagine, being on a boat makes it all the more appealing in the summer months! Definitely worth checking out!

The Thekla is a club Bristol should be really proud of. It’s not only my favourite in this city but the best I’ve ever been to. It certainly served me and my friends well throughout our university days, no matter what the occasion; end of term, end of exams, or just on a Friday night, we could usually be found somewhere on the deck of this old boat.
The fact that it’s a club on a boat is a novelty that never really wears off and suits Bristol’s harbour town traditions. It’s also tough to find clubs that work so well as both a live music venue and a club. You can have two completely different nights out all under one roof.
It’s the best makeover of an old location I have witnessed. It went from a grimy, dark, underground club to a beautiful, cool, great place to be on a night out.
Although I saw my favourite band (Camera Obscura) here I think it’s their club nights that keep bringing me back. You will not find newer or cooler DJs anywhere else than here at the weekends.
They have a great selection of rum and I’ve been known to enjoy a tipple from time to time. The DJ in the upstairs bar will always chat to you about music and does take requests (as long as they tie in with his set of course). They play the best funk & soul in this bar and as you enjoy some great music you can sit in one of the booths and look out of the river. Perfect.
Apparently they even do food in the daytime!

Thekla always offers something new and different to other clubs in Bristol which play the same playlist over and over again, and think they are being quirky by playing chart electro. Thekla is different, it plays music found nowhere in the charts. Soudns refreshing but this also drags in a lot of music snobs, making the night a little less enjoyable. However, nothing beats dancing on a boat! The stage is quite large and there are 2 floors and a few bars to keep you happy.

Now that big names have been drawn to play their gigs in the O2’s of our land it is always refreshing to see somewhere that is not a branded arena and remains untouched by the claws of corporate branding. Other than that Thekla obviously has another claim to fame, it is a nightclub on a boat, and a pretty big one at that. It is nice to find somewhere that can host everyone from Sandi Thom to Audio Bullys, and still open to serve food in the day.
P. S. If you are able to, try and get round to the other side of the harbour to have a look at the Banksy that is painted at water level on the side of the boat.

This is the stuff legends are made of — the famous Bristol gig venue boat. There’s hardly a band that plays the dimly lit venue without marvelling at the fact they are effectively underwater. The bare metal walls are a godsend during sell out gigs — there’s nothing worse than being sweltering hot in a room full of sweaty, smelly folk during a gig. It shouldn’t happen at the Thekla. Recent gigs include Band of Skulls, Ash, Noah and the Whale, Frightened Rabbit, Yeasayer and The Alarm. But it’s not just gigs, this is a good place to grab a late night bevy and have a dance at one of the clubnights, including Pressure on a Thursday night which sees some wicked DJs spinning decent indie tunes to a less wicked crowd of Skins-​type students. And if you go to the gig beforehand it gets you free entry to the clubnights. And they’ve got ginger beer on tap. Result.

If you are looking for an Ibiza themed night then this is not the place you are looking for. Thekla is a small venue that regularly has live Indie gigs, and a few Drum and Bass raves every now and again.
I visited when a friend of a friend was performing and I was pleasantly surprised. I especially liked the fact that it was on a boat (little things please little minds eh!). I personally found the downstairs a little claustrophobic, but that’s down to personal preference. I preferred spending my time upstairs on the deck where it can be quite peaceful. Drink prices are not bad and they have a huge selection of spirits and whiskys.
It does tend to get full of Freshers in the first few months of term just to warn you!

Can I just say the lack of ability in the bar staff has really annoyed me, so I want to take away a star. Upstairs and down, miserable, pouring one drink at a time and getting the service in the wrong order. Pay attention, and put a flippin smile on your face. I’ve done this myself in some of the busiest bars in the UK so I know what it takes. Only two of these self-​absorbed staff on a bar downstairs on a gig night = half an hour to get a drink. gRRRRRRR.

Like a lot of things, your appreciation of the Thekla will be largely determined by what kind of night out you enjoy. It’s pretty small and can get pretty sweaty when there’s a gig on downstairs, so if you don’t like live music or sweaty Indie types jumping all over you in a close confined space, then this probably isn’t for you.
Having said that, if that sounds like your idea of fun then it doesn’t get much better than the Thekla for live music in Bristol. The atmosphere is great and there are even balconies overlooking the dance floor and stage area for the more civilised.
There’s also an outside seated area you can enjoy without having to pay the cover charge (£5 last time I went) required if your are going down stairs to the main dance area. The drinks are reasonably priced, so if you simply want a quick drink before heading further into town you could always just knock a few back on the upper deck without even seeing the riff raff down stairs..

Described by the NME many years ago as «a floating toilet», the Thekla has thankfully had a few makeovers since and is now quite possibly the best club and gig venue in Bristol. The downstairs main room is fairly small and generates a great atmosphere, and there are also balconeys overlooking the dancefloor and stage, which are great for gigs.
Moving upstairs, there’s a decent bar which is open during day times and has a daily happy hour and food offers. On sunny days, though, you’re better off taking your pint/​burger out on the open air deck, which is heated, has plenty of seating and offers great views across the harbour.

A club on a boat! The Thekla (I don’t know if that’s the name of the boat as well as the club) is moored up in Bristol harbour with a few good nights and live music as well.
There’s no need to worry about sea sickness, the boat doesn’t sway or anything. Its over two floors (decks?) and has an outside area at the bow of the ship. The upstairs bar is open all week and the bottom opens for club nights (Socialism, electro-​indie on Saturdays is my favourite). Being on a boat, things are a bit crowded, but theres plenty of space on the bottom floor (in the bowls of the ship?) to dance. The staff (bouncers and bar staff) are friendly, and there’s always a good atmosphere. There’s no premium for floating whilst you drink, with the nights I’ve been too, priced around a fiver. A novelty that’s a good night out too.

I didnt go to Thekla on a night out, I’d spent my evening drinking on some other ship and ended up on Thekla because the other place stopped serving.
First impressions were good, I like the lay out etc. but it wasnt very busyas in me, my friends and about 5 other people on board (including the barman!)
Since leaving Bristol however, the name Thekla keeps coming up. Acts like Alice Russell, The Maccabees and Andrew Bird are lined up to play and Im desperate to go back!

The Thekla, once known as the Dirty Old Boat, is one of the best places in Bristol to see music. A wide range of acts play there, from electro and breaks DJs to experimental to indie to folk.
The bar upstairs is bright and serves burgers. The outside seating is usually packed with smokers but a nice place to spend a Summer evening. By three o’clock the main dance area (in the hull of the boat) can become as hot and sweaty as any of the best venues in the country.
Treat the bouncers with caution, they can be a bit over-​zealous sometimes.
Remember to check for loo paper in the toilet before you shut the door… it’s a particular problem here.
Also, check out the Thekla’s unusual history as Vivian Stanshall’s Old Profanity Showboat:
Not a lot of venues have this kind of history.
It’s a classic piece of Bristol.