Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 21:20:00

Down a flight of steps off Frogmore Street, in a former cellar in the centre of Bristol, Basement 45 lays claim to being the oldest nightclub in the city. Once known as the Mandrake, the venue has been platforming underground music for decades and retains a stripped-back, subterranean character defined by exposed brick walls and low, ambient lighting. The club spreads across two main rooms with a capacity of around 280, plus smaller spaces such as the Den and the Bijou that can be hired separately. Two distinct sound systems, by L'Acoustics and Turbosound, drive a music policy rooted firmly in bass culture, taking in drum and bass, dubstep, house, UK funky, garage and more. Open most nights of the week, typically from around ten in the evening until the early hours, the venue operates both as a club in its own right and as a hireable space for promoters and private events. Its intimate scale keeps audiences close to the DJs and has helped it host a long list of notable names in underground electronic music. That mix of history, raw atmosphere and a serious sound setup has made Basement 45 a cornerstone of Bristol's celebrated bass scene. It is strictly an over-18s venue, popular with students and the wider clubbing crowd, and is also home to occasional comedy and community events that broaden its programme. The club offers wheelchair access, though it does not have an accessible toilet, and sits within easy reach of several nearby car parks and the College Green bus routes. By keeping its focus on authentic underground culture, Basement 45 has remained a long-running fixture of clubbing in the city centre. Its line-ups have spanned the breadth of UK electronic music, and the venue has long been associated with the genres that helped define Bristol's wider reputation for bass-heavy sound. The smaller hireable rooms make it equally suited to intimate private events and large promoter-led club nights, helping it stay busy across the week rather than only at weekends.