Ally Venable Tears the Roof Off Exchange Bristol
Ally Venable, Exchange Bristol, Wednesday 16th September
On this particular Wednesday, it felt like every blues fan in Bristol and beyond had turned up early and brought a friend. The stage was surrounded before the lights had even gone down, and by the time the room was bathed in smoky blue light, a perfect match for the music about to grace the stage, the room was packed out.
First up was Canadian blues rock guitarist Garret T. Willie, who wasted no time. Classic American rock and roll, delivered by a band running like a well-oiled machine. He opened with a joke about the size of the room. Well, Garrett, you’re not in Kansas anymore; welcome to the UK. The Exchange, like most of our community venues, has many plus points, but a stadium capacity is not one of them.
The best moments were the unplanned ones. The drummer launched into the wrong intro, and the band ribbed him for it with the kind of warmth that only comes from a lot of hours spent together in a van. Garret jokingly roared “HURRY UP,” whilst guitarist Blake shrugged “drummers, man,” and the whole room laughed along. Then came the classic tour moment: “Happy to be here in Bristol. This is Bristol, right?” It was, and Bristol made sure he knew it.
His take on “Sin City” rolled in on a big, bouncy drum intro, pure cruising down the highway stuff. The song is an AC/DC nod to Angus Young, the guitarist who first got Willie playing at age 6. Someone should tell him the real Sin City of the UK is Bristol, and he was standing right in the middle of it. A snapped guitar string slowed things for a moment, but without losing any of the energy, simply giving him the chance to introduce Brett on drums, Blake on bass and Adam on rhythm, before he made up for lost time by sending the crowd off with an incredible solo. On his first ever run of UK dates, and with a stage presence that far surpasses his 26 years, he left plenty of new fans behind.
Photography: Emma Painter
Words by: Rhiannon Ellen
Then the Texan took the stage, and the room’s temperature changed.
Ally Venable is touring her sixth studio album, Money & Power, released on Ruf Records in 2025. She opened with “Unbreakable” before heading into “Brown Liquor,” which she introduced as a song about drinking, “which I know y’all like to do out here.” Nobody in that room was in a position to argue.
“Are y’all ready for me to play the blues tonight?” she asked before “Steamroller,” and from there it was clear she doesn’t simply play this music, she disappears into it. For an artist so young, her connection to the blues is striking. She played in a trance, and the whole room could feel the music coming through her and that guitar. At points it felt as though each person there was alone in the room with her. At others, as though she was alone in it herself.
“Texas Louisiana” came with a request to “show some big love,” and Venable spoke with real pride about her roots and about the song being a childhood dream come true. The studio version is a duet with Buddy Guy, which is about as good as childhood dreams get.
After “Broken & Blue,” she asked if Bristol was ready to get down and funky. Bristol was, and said so in unison.
“BRISTOL, ARE YOU READY?” she shouted, and “Stopper Back Papa” hit with sharp, technical, precise vocals. Then she slid straight into Parliament’s “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker),” and the room lost the ability to form words; while the roof stayed on, it did so only just about.
“Feel That Sting” was when the perfectionism loosened into a proper rock-and-roll growl. Her range is ridiculous, and it translates from the studio to the stage without losing a thing. This is the vocal prowess of a complete powerhouse.
Between songs she was just as good company. She talked about how Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix shaped her, about writing these songs in her bedroom, and about now getting to see the world because of them. She clearly adores her band, and she has stage presence without ever overdoing the charm. Maybe this is what they call Southern charm. Hearing her talk to the crowd was almost as much fun as hearing her play.
She closed with “Tribute To SRV,” a fitting end given everything she’d shared about her influences. And she was far too smart to squeeze off that tiny stage for a fake encore. She played, thanked the room, and let the music do the talking.
Rock N Load caught up with Venable after the show and raised something hard to miss: the heavily male crowd. For a blues gig, that’s hardly a surprise, and it’s something she’s clearly thought about too. She told Rock N Load she’s putting together a group for women blues fans and Ally Venable fans, a space for them to connect, get excited about going to gigs together, and feel like the audience belongs to them as well.
So while she’s undoubtedly a big star for the blokes at the front, she’s very clearly doing this for the women too, and that’s a brilliant thing to see from an artist at her level. She was also thrilled to be in Bristol, and buzzing to see out the rest of her UK tour.
Rock N Load has caught plenty of big names live lately, but this one landed differently. Raw talent, seriously honed skill, and clear respect for the people who came to see her. Probably the most skilful blues performance Bristol has seen in a while, which explains the packed room. She’d better come back; otherwise, Bristol really will be getting the blues.
Setlists
Ally Venable: Unbreakable / Brown Liquor / Steamroller (James Taylor cover) / Texas Louisiana / Broken & Blue / Stopper Back Papa / Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) (Parliament cover) / Feel That Sting / Tribute To SRV
Photography: Emma Painter
Words by: Rhiannon Ellen
