Emerging from the fertile ground of Bristol’s ever-evolving music scene, Kurbside Villain are a blistering alternative rock four-piece who cut their teeth during lockdown. They roared onto the radar in 2022 with their debut EP Beat Me Up, a record that announced their arrival with a gut-punch blend of emotional depth and visceral force — songs that demand you feel as much as move. Frontman Barney (vocals/piano), James (guitar), Thirza (bass), and Wilber (drums) each bring a distinct dynamism to a band swiftly establishing itself as one of Bristol’s most compelling live prospects.
Fueled by snarling guitar riffs, sticky hooks, and Barney’s arresting vocals, Kurbside Villain’s sound has already carved a jagged niche within the UK indie rock circuit. Subsequent singles like “GHOST” and “Break Me” have only sharpened their profile, swelling a fanbase hungry for more of their anthemic, rough-edged energy.
Onstage is where Kurbside Villain truly come alive. Since summer 2022, they’ve been igniting venues nationwide with sets drenched in sweat and adrenaline, their synergy impossible to fake. Each year, their story finds its heart at KURBSIDEMANIA — a celebration of their roots and restless drive.
This year, we caught up with the band at Kurbsidemania 3, staged not at Madison Square Garden but at Bristol’s equally storied The Exchange. On the hottest day of the year so far — and with another villain (the rap kind) pulling a surprise set at Thekla down the road — Kurbside Villain still packed the place out. Enough to put The Exchange’s famously ice-cold air conditioning (the best on the Bristol circuit, for our money) to the ultimate test.
They made their entrance with all the swagger of Ric Flair — albeit swapping Rolexes and stretch limos for beach balls and bubble guns. A playful tease of the chaos to come.
Then, with a seismic boom, they launched into “GHOST.” It was a thunderous opening salvo, the song ricocheting off walls, ceiling, and floor in a glorious cacophony. Gritty, riotous, and dripping with sweat, it was everything Kurbside Villain represent distilled into three ferocious minutes.
“Die Young” was next, the track that first made us sit up and take notice. Evoking the ragged punk ethos of the early ‘80s, it crackled with combustible energy — scuzzy riffs clashing with pummelling drums in a headrush of reckless abandon. Barney’s vocals snarled and soared with desperate conviction, channeling that eternal punk rallying cry: live fast, burn bright, damn the consequences.
Just when the set seemed locked in full throttle, they threw a curveball: Britney’s “Toxic,” reimagined through the snarling Kurbside lens. It shouldn’t have worked — but it absolutely did, sending the crowd into delirious motion. Beach balls soared, nodding heads gave way to flailing limbs.
Mid-set, “Running” from their debut EP offered a chance to catch breath, anchoring the chaos before a tantalising glimpse of the future arrived in the form of an untitled new track (our vote’s on calling it “The Owl Song,” for reasons best left to the night).
Closing out was “Static,” the band’s very first single — a reminder that from day one, Kurbside Villain have been churning out earworms with emotional punch. It’s a track that encapsulates everything they do best: big melodies, raw urgency, and lyrics that bite. A potent signpost of a band destined to leave deeper marks on the UK alt-rock map.
And that, to borrow a phrase, is the bottom line — because The Bristol Gig Guide says so.
@thebristolnomad / @bristolnomad_gigphotography
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Chief, the one that bugs the team for team for their reviews and images. Creator and founder of The Bristol Gig Guide. Can usually be found swamped in admin or getting cramp kneeling at the front of a gig.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Videography work, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Republica, circa 1996.
First gig shot: Hands Off Gretel, at The Louisiana!
Dream gig: Huge metalhead and my ultimate dream gig would be shooting my heroes Slipknot at a huge stadium gig, or as festival headliners. And to experience shooting a headline tour outside the UK
