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Bristol · medium venue · Verified open

The Thunderbolt

Independent music and arts venue on Bath Road with a 4k PA rig

150 standing · verified Oct 2026, house PA. Blues, Post-Rock - originals welcome.

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At a glance

Checked 31 Oct 2026

At a glance, The Thunderbolt in Totterdown, Bristol is summed up below. It books blues and post-rock acts. There is an in-house PA. The figures below set out its size, live nights, kit and genres.

150
Standing
capacity
verified · medium room
In detail
Live musicVaries
BacklinePA provided
BooksBlues · Post-Rock

01 — Inside the room

4 photos

4 photos show the inside of The Thunderbolt, from the stage to the bar. It books blues and post-rock acts. Tap any photo to open it at full size.

Photos: Google
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02 — The details

Before you book

Everything you need to know

Before you book The Thunderbolt, here are its size, live nights, genres and website. It books blues and post-rock acts. Members can vote to bring this venue onto GigXchange.

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The facts
Capacity150 standing · verified Oct 2026
Live nightsContact venue
Curfew–
Sound limiter–
Outdoor stageNo
OriginalsYes
Genres
BluesPost-Rock
Websitethethunderbolt.net
The check
StatusVerified open
Last checked31 Oct 2026
Checked againstVenue website

03 — Find The Thunderbolt

Totterdown

Getting there

The Thunderbolt is at 124 Bath Road, Totterdown, Bristol, BS4 3ED. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 86 rooms in our Bristol venue directory.

124 Bath Road,
Totterdown, Bristol BS4 3ED

The nearest station is Bristol Temple Meads (rail station), about 15 minutes' walk away.

04 — Booking

Members only

Want to play here?

Nobody from The Thunderbolt is on GigXchange yet, so members vote to bring the venue on. It books blues and post-rock acts. Once the venue joins, members can send it booking requests in the app.

Booking email and phoneLocked
Fee range per actLocked
How far ahead to bookLocked
Payment termsLocked
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06 — What's on stage

1 provided · 6 TBC

The Thunderbolt has an in-house PA for visiting acts. The list below shows the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about. Played here and the kit was different? Tell us and we will update it.

PA systemProvided
Drum kitTBC
Guitar ampTBC
Bass ampTBC
Keys / keyboardTBC
Vocal micsTBC
In-house engineerTBC

07 — About

Totterdown, Bristol

About The Thunderbolt

This is the background on The Thunderbolt, from the venue and its listings. It books blues and post-rock acts. The notes below sum up what the venue and its listings say.

The Thunderbolt is a grassroots music venue in Totterdown, Bristol with a standing capacity of 150. It books Blues, Post-Rock; originals and covers are both welcome.

Listing notes

The ‌​‌​‍Thunderbolt is an independent music and arts venue on Bath Road. It is big enough to entertain 150 people with its 4k PA rig, yet keeps an intimate, friendly feel - "an eclectic mix of music, real ales, food and the arts". The calendar is busy, with several gigs a week from local and touring bands - late 2026 listings run from 30 October through mid-November. The bar sells local ales, ciders and wines.

Played here before?One tap
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08 — What's on

Next 2

There are 2 upcoming gigs listed at The Thunderbolt. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first. The Bristol gig directory lists what is on across the area tonight.

18Nov · WedLille Rode Live
19:30£6Indie Rock
5Dec · SatDusk Brothers
19:30Blues

09 — Bristol league

Next 30 days

The Bristol league ranks live music venues by the gigs listed over the next 30 days. It refreshes every night, so a busy month moves a room up.

#20
of 86
live rooms
Ranked by gigs on the calendar over the next 30 days, refreshed nightly.
01Electric Bristol 23 gigs
02Thekla 12 gigs
03Bristol Beacon 10 gigs
04The Fleece 8 gigs
05Exchange up1 5 gigs
06The Louisiana up1 5 gigs
07Prospect (Bristol) New 4 gigs
08The Full Moon And Attic Bar 4 gigs
09Trinity Arts Centre up1 4 gigs
10Bristol Strange Brew down5 3 gigs

Not seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. Create a page free or add your gigs - it ranks on the next nightly refresh.

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This page - and this ranking - is yours.
What you get
01Edit your profile and photos
02Set your fee range
03Receive artist enquiries
04Update backline and capacity
Claim this venue Free account · no card · 30 seconds
Live music on stage: a band under the lights
Totterdown · Medium

The Thunderbolt

Independent music and arts venue on Bath Road with a 4k PA rig

Venue at a glance The Thunderbolt · Bristol
150
Capacity
standingmedium
Varies
Live music
flexibleper week
–
Start time
doorsnightly
PA
Backline
PAgear
Blues
Books
originals+1 more
Verified
Directory status
openVenue website
Run The Thunderbolt? Claim your page free — keep specs current

Last updated: 31 October 2026

The Thunderbolt — Quick Facts

The Thunderbolt capacity: 150 standing - verified from the venue's website, Oct 2026. Independent music and arts venue on Bath Road with a 4k PA rig

✓ Verified openLast verified
SizeMediumvenue150 standing
Live musicVariesnight to nightNights vary - check the listings
BacklinePAPA providedThe Thunderbolt provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.
BooksBlues+1 moreOriginals and covers
Capacity 150 standing A verified figure - its source and date are under the section heading.

By size, The Thunderbolt is the joint 24th largest of the 41 venues we list in and around Bristol with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: Document Bristol (about 150), Hamilton House (about 150) and The Croft (about 140).

The Thunderbolt's listed capacity is 150 standing - a medium room on the scale we use for every venue. Around Bristol, the middle-sized room we list holds about 200 - The Thunderbolt is well below that. Rooms of roughly 150 to 500 usually book acts that can bring a crowd of their own - a local headliner, or the support slot on a touring bill - and promoters run many of these nights.

Outdoor stageNo
OriginalsYes
Directory statusVerified open
This pageNot yet claimed

Booking Information

Member votes 0 votes to get The Thunderbolt on GigXchange GigXchange doesn't publish venue phone numbers or emails - every vote tells the venue artists want to book it here.
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What’s on in Bristol this week — or see what’s on across the UK.

What's on Stage

The Thunderbolt has an in-house PA for visiting acts. The list below shows the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about. Played here and the kit was different? Tell us and we will update it.

PA system
Drum kit · TBC
Guitar amp · TBC
Bass amp · TBC
Keys / keyboard · TBC
Vocal mics · TBC
In-house engineer · TBC

About The Thunderbolt

The Thunderbolt is a grassroots music venue in Totterdown, Bristol with a standing capacity of 150. The Thunderbolt provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue.

The Thunderbolt books Blues, Post-Rock acts. Both original music and covers are welcome. This listing is part of the Bristol venue directory.

Listing notes

The ‌​‌​‍Thunderbolt is an independent music and arts venue on Bath Road. It is big enough to entertain 150 people with its 4k PA rig, yet keeps an intimate, friendly feel - "an eclectic mix of music, real ales, food and the arts". The calendar is busy, with several gigs a week from local and touring bands - late 2026 listings run from 30 October through mid-November. The bar sells local ales, ciders and wines.

By size, The Thunderbolt is the joint 24th largest of the 41 venues we list in and around Bristol with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: Document Bristol (about 150), Hamilton House (about 150) and The Croft (about 140).

Coming up at The Thunderbolt: Lille Rode Live and Dusk Brothers — every listed date is in the What’s On rail below.

Playing The Thunderbolt: what to know

There are no fixed live nights listed for The Thunderbolt - the gigs in the rail below show when it actually runs shows. It lists blues among the genres it books. Originals and covers are both welcome. There is a PA listed - ask what else is on stage before you load in. The Thunderbolt hasn't joined GigXchange yet; vote to bring it on, and in the meantime keep a short EPK and a live clip ready - it is what most venues ask for first. More rooms, open mics and what they pay: getting gigs in Bristol.

Have you played here? Was the backline info accurate? One tap, no sign-up required.

Find The Thunderbolt

The Thunderbolt is at 124 Bath Road, Totterdown, Bristol, BS4 3ED. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 86 rooms in our Bristol venue directory.

Address124 Bath Road
AreaTotterdown, Bristol
PostcodeBS4 3ED
Getting there

The nearest station is Bristol Temple Meads (rail station), about 15 minutes' walk away. You'll find The Thunderbolt in Totterdown, Bristol; BS4 3ED is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. We list 1 other venue in Totterdown, so a night out here can take in more than one room. Check the start time before you set off, and see what else is on in Bristol this week, or book a Bristol band for a night of your own.

Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).

The Bristol League

The Thunderbolt is #20 of 86 Bristol venues for live music — ranked by gigs on the calendar over the next 30 days, refreshed nightly. Only gigs in the GigXchange directory count.

  1. #1 – Electric Bristol 23 gigs
  2. #2 – Thekla 12 gigs
  3. #3 – Bristol Beacon 10 gigs
  4. #4 – The Fleece 8 gigs
  5. #5 ▲1 Exchange 5 gigs
  6. #6 ▲1 The Louisiana 5 gigs
  7. #7 NEW Prospect (Bristol) 4 gigs
  8. #8 – The Full Moon And Attic Bar 4 gigs
  9. #9 ▲1 Trinity Arts Centre 4 gigs
  10. #10 ▼5 Bristol Strange Brew 3 gigs

Run this room? This page, and this ranking, is yours to take over.

Claim This Venue

Not seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. If your room has no page here yet, create one free and it joins the directory. If it is already listed, add your gigs and it will rank on the next nightly refresh.

Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table tracks the UK's busiest grassroots stages week on week, the Pint Index prices a gig ticket in pints city by city, and UK market statistics covers what live music pays. All of it is built from the same directory this page lives in.

Common Questions

These are the 9 questions people ask most about booking and visiting The Thunderbolt. Each answer uses the details already shown on this page. Can't see your question? Send it to us with a correction.

10 — Small print9 answersCommon questions

These are the 9 questions people ask most about booking and visiting The Thunderbolt. Each answer uses the details already shown on this page. Can't see your question? Send it to us with a correction.

The Thunderbolt provides a PA system — check the rest with the venue. For venues with gear listed, see the Bristol venue directory.
The Thunderbolt books Blues, Post-Rock. Both original music and covers are welcome. Browse artist profiles by genre on GigXchange.
Sign up free on GigXchange to see the booking details The Thunderbolt has shared — contact, fee range and how to submit, where listed. Most grassroots venues accept email submissions with a link to your music or EPK. Check current UK fee benchmarks before quoting.
The Thunderbolt has a standing capacity of 150, from the venue's website (checked Oct 2026), a medium venue. See all Bristol venues for size comparisons. By size, The Thunderbolt is the joint 24th largest of the 41 venues we list in and around Bristol with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: Document Bristol (about 150), Hamilton House (about 150) and The Croft (about 140).
Open mic information is not currently listed for The Thunderbolt. Browse the Bristol Open Mic Finder for nearby open mics.
124 Bath Road, Totterdown, Bristol, BS4 3ED. See the map below for directions. Browse more Bristol venues nearby.
Fee ranges are available to signed-up artists on GigXchange. Grassroots venue fees in Bristol vary by event type, band size, and whether the deal is a flat fee or door split. The GigXchange Rate Calculator shows current UK percentiles.
The nearest station is Bristol Temple Meads (rail station), about 15 minutes' walk away. For sat-nav and taxis, the postcode is BS4 3ED. (Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport, Open Government Licence.)
GigXchange doesn't publish venue phone numbers or emails. The Thunderbolt hasn't claimed its page yet — vote to bring it on, or claim it free if you run it.
From the GigXchange directory

Venues Near The Thunderbolt

16 other venues are close to The Thunderbolt in Bristol. Each one has its own page with its size, kit and live nights. Use them to plan a night out or a run of local gigs.

11 — Keep up with Bristol

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12 — More Bristol venues

All ›

We list 86 grassroots music venues in Bristol. Or search the full UK directory by town, size or genre. Every listing shows capacity, kit and live nights where we have them.

More rooms near The Thunderbolt: Zed Alley, Barrelhouse, Basement 45, Bristol Beacon, Bristol Strange Brew, Cafe Kino, Cat & Wheel, Chepstow Club, Crofters Rights, Cube Cinema, Document Bristol, Electric Bristol, The Fleece, Exchange, The Louisiana, Prospect (Bristol) and The Full Moon And Attic Bar.

Bristol has 86 rooms in the UK grassroots venue directory - why we built it, and what the data shows.

Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table, the Pint Index and UK market statistics - all built from the same directory.

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