The Bunker

Bunker is one of Bristol’s newest night clubs. Originally called Versa, with a different layout, it has now been taken over and regenerated as Bunker night club.
Like it’s neighbour club Lizard Lounge, Bunker is an underground night club. It is open most nights of the week, and generally there is a queue outside — it’s almost as though they like to keep you queuing to attract other people’s attention and make them think «hey, that looks like a popular place!» However, it does fill up throughout the night and becomes very busy.
This club is geared towards a student market, and offers cheap drinks all night and entry for only a fiver! It also offers novelty drinks such as ‘fish bowls’, and has it’s own brand of beer called ‘bunker beer’ which you can buy for a pound — but I’d like to add that apparently this is not a good shout, and tastes pretty bad!
Whenever I have been here I have had an enjoyable night, and the music tends to be mainly mainstream chart — which is good if you’re a fan. The only bad point I would make is that sometimes they let too many people in, and it can take a good while to be served at the bar — but apart from this it’s a good little club that promises a cheap night out!

Ah Bunker. Not so long ago I mocked you when you were called ‘Versa’, A word that my dictionary has no definition for. It is much easier to define Bunker. Fortunately there is no fear of artillery strikes, but Bunker is quite literally ‘Monday night’ for Bristol’s trendiest/​most attractive/​coolest students. The night is called ‘Bed’ with reason. Expect no slumber, but the sort of antics that should normally be confined to a bedroom. The music policy is excellent with the resident DJ Jambo spinning an awesome mix of commercial dnb/​dubstep/​pop/​electro/​rnb in the main room while Room 2 plays host to an enormous variety of performers. Need examples? Well in recent weeks it has been turned into a pumping techno den and a grime/​uk garage moshpit courtesy of Oxide and Neutrino. Make sure your batteries are fully charged as the awesome fun of Bunker’s Monday nights lasts until the wee hours. Just make sure you don’t bring along any chippy friends with a distaste for queuing. The Eastern-​European bouncers will flirt with your girlfriend. Any objections and you’ll discover what the pavement smells like.

The once oh-​so-​grimy Versa, Bunker has rejuvenated itself and found a few new rooms. I heard about versa when it was a pool hall, my brother got beaten up by the bouncers naturally the impression I got was not a very good one. Last year I helped promote a night there, which never kicked off. Its problem was that it was always too empty.
So naturally when I heard that it had changed hands and had been altered I was keen to see what had been done they had opened the doors and made it bigger, but they had also started working with some decent promoters. As a result the club is now very popular, and has played host to some big names this year including Calvin Harris. It is a good night out that I thoroughly recommend.

You’ve seen the McDonald’s advert, ‘£1 is still £1′. At Bunker you can get drinks from as little as £1, making your money go a long way. I came here for my 22^nd and had a great time. I was told that Monday night was not a good night for Bunker, but because I had never been before, I was adamant that we were going there for my birthday. We were in the queue for about 40 minutes, which was apparently quite good for Bunker, so get there early. The smaller room played great beats — no lyrics or singing, just heavy beats. The larger room was where I had most fun — difficult to explain the music but it was sort of r ‘n’ b dance, but the cheesy kind. Expect lashings of Usher and Beyonce.

I am literally torn in half with The Bunker. One one side, its cheap and cheerful and always promises a decent night out without breaking the bank. On the other side I have been severely let down in the past. I will explain…
Situated near Clifton Triangle and Park Street, The Bunker nightclub is open 6 nights a week with drinks starting from £1, popular DJ’s, 3 rooms and a very large smoking garden. The queuing can be quite ridiculous so make sure you do not get there to late.
Music ranges from chart music to dance and drum and bass with a raised seating area and large dance floor. The toilets are fairly small so expect a queue.
On one particular night, they had let in far too many people on the venues legal capacity resulting in a ‘power cut’, which then the venue turned very much into ‘a war bunker’ with emergency lighting and scared people. Magically all the staff swiftly disappeared and there was literally no-​one to tell us what was happening. Everyone started to pile towards the stairs to leave and no joke I was almost crushed to death and £5 out of pocket from the entrance fee. I was not happy!

GReat DJ’s and great drinks prices. Friendly staff and not a chav in sight! Thoroughly recomend

Recently opened, Bunker’s marketing strategy seems to be pull people in with super cheap drinks deals, and with prices starting at a quid I’m sold. With prices like that it’s unsurprising that this is a bit of a student haunt, at least on the night I went along anyway.
The Bristol uni hordes manage to fill up the three rooms and garden out the back, creating a proper buzz on a Friday night. They also make a long queue, which combined with the five pounds asked for some nights makes this place slightly less attractive that it otherwise would be. That the only criticism I can think of is because this place is popular should tell you that you won’t be disappointed by a night out at Bunker.