GIG ARCHIVE: #215 - Paint By Numbers 04/07/2026

PAINT BY NUMBERS
Thekla, Bristol - 4th July 2026

What better way is there to spend a beautiful July day than by the water with lots of brilliant live music? And when I say by the water, I actually mean on it.

Paint By Numbers is the baby sister of the better-known Dot To Dot Festival, the multi-venue day-long bash beloved of residents (and visitors) of Bristol and Nottingham. Thirteen bands across two stages aboard Bristol's Thekla, the boat that's become one of the most famous venues in the country - and all for a paltry 15 quid.

As is the way with these things, a little bit of planning is necessary. MrsRobster and I had earmarked four bands we definitely wanted to take in, anything else was a bonus.

We arrived during the second half of openers Better Heaven's set, but decided to get ourselves a drink in the downstairs bar and wait for the next band, Manchester's amazing The Slow Country. This lot are fast becoming our favourite new band, and this was our third time seeing them, the second this year. Once again, they didn't disappoint, really lighting up the place with their anthemic alt folk. The Slow Country is a band you really need to see before they get too big.

Heading up to the Top Deck, we caught Georgian, another Manchester-based outfit who, according to their bio, "wrangle ‘60s pop, country, folk, shoegaze, and further-flung traditional styles into tales navigating harsh emotional environments." Sadly, they just weren't as interesting as that sounds. But while their live shows need some work, I do recommend you check out their 'Crackled Grounds' EP as it is rather good.

Next up, a post-punk quartet from London who make a terrific noise. The Youth Play not only have some good songs, but they have some really good sounds too. LOUD sounds. Any questions about why a Mexican flag was hanging on the singer's mic stand on the eve of England's World Cup game against the Latino hosts were soon answered.

"I'm from Mexico, I'm not taking the piss. My bandmates are probably going to kill me though..."

He's very much forgiven, The Youth Play were a wonderful discovery I shall be investigating further.

MrsRobster had looked a few bands up prior to the day and decided that a band describing themselves as "poetry-punk" sounded right up her street. So we ascended back up to the Top Deck to catch Kez from Derby. And what a treat they were too. Certainly not the youngest band of the day, or at least in terms of its members, but they really fit into the current alternative music landscape. Fiery, confrontational and, as music like this should be, tinged with humour amongst the angst, Kez became another band we knew we had to keep an eye on. In spite of the dearth of material the band has put out, there is new stuff on the way we're told, so keep a look out.

Watching bands for 8 hours straight without a break is quite hard work at our ages. Well, my age, anyway, so we took a break at this point to get some grub.

On returning to the Thekla, we caught Hunny Buzz, one of many homegrown Bristolian talents doing the rounds. They went over pretty well, even if they didn't really set me alight like other acts on the day had. Still, it seems they have fans and friends in high places, as members of the event's headlining act Coach Party were stood next to us and were clearly enjoying themselves.

Back up on the Top Deck were The Sick Man Of Europe, a band who do seem to get a lot of press, but who did absolutely nowt for MrsRobster and myself. After giving them 10 minutes, we wondered outside to get some fresh air. From there we witnessed a group of about 20 people running and doing aerobics out in the open by the opposite side of the river, and a yellow and blue boat crammed with tourists that looked like it was made by Ikea...

The award for the loudest band of the day goes to Mould, a trio from Bristol who were top of my list of bands to check out. They were brutally loud and great fun. Their set consisted mainly of songs from their debut album 'Hoping As A Coping Mechanism' which was due to be released just a couple weeks later. But despite the fact I didn't know many of the songs, Mould probably just won out as best band of the day for me. I'm going to be deaf for days, mind...

Throughout all of this however, the one thing I was utterly delighted with was seeing local gig-going legend Big Jeff right down the front for pretty much every set. If you've not heard of Jeff, Google him. He's a remarkable guy who just a few years ago was clinging to life after his house caught fire. He's been back on the scene again for a little while now, such is his resilience, but it was great to see him lapping this event up with such excitement and verve.

Rounding the proceedings off were Coach Party, a band I saw a few years back. I had a few things to say back then, and maybe that tainted my view of them somewhat, but while they did play a very decent set, I just had trouble connecting with them in the same way I did with other bands on the bill. That said, I did get to chat with Jess and Steph at the merch stand after and they were lovely, so maybe it's a me problem. Yeah, pretty sure it's a me problem.

Coach Party finished off with a kick-ass run through of Girls!, inviting other bands from the day, and some audience members up onto the rather cosy-sized stage to jump around with them for the finale.

Overall, while we didn't catch all 13 bands on the bill, we can't argue that we didn't get our money's worth. £15 for all that? Total bargain, right? There's another Paint By Numbers in December so that'll be something to look forward to. I can't help thinking they should distinguish it by giving it a different name to fit the theme of Bristol music fests though. Maybe something like, I dunno, Spot The Difference?

 

Really terrible photography by TheRobster. Dammit, I need a better camera...

 

No videos from the event yet, hopefully there will be soon. In the meantime, here's some other recent live clips from some of our faves: