Three Shows, One Hot Summer: July at Full Volume
/Oh, what a busy summer we’ve had! Three huge shows back‑to‑back — Bristol Sounds, Bristol Pride, and Bristol Harbour festival— made July both fantastic and brutal with this summer’s heat. These events are our signature portfolio at King Sound, and we couldn’t be more grateful to our clients for their ongoing loyalty and trust. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what made each event so cool this year:
1. BRISTOL SOUNDS (25–29 June)
Held once again at the stunning Lloyds Amphitheatre on Bristol’s Harbourside, this year marked the 11th edition of Bristol Sounds.
This is their official promo capturing the spirit and scale of the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYF97jf7QCI
And here’s a couple of our owns video capturing the great atmosphere! We’re very proud of providing top class audio, crew and stage management for this amazing event — massive thanks to the team and partners who made it happen:
Supergrass kicked us off on June 25 with a rip‑roaring performance of their full debut album I Should Coco, celebrating its 30th anniversary — a nostalgic treat for indie‑rock fans.
Kaiser Chiefs, true festival veterans, brought high-energy classics like I Predict A Riot and Ruby with their unmistakable stage charisma.
Texas and The Fratellis drew strong crowds mid‑week and Saturday respectively, delivering sing-alongs and electric guitar moments that lit up the Harbourside.
Olly Murs closed out on Sunday with an upbeat, feel-good pop set — boosted by support from Lucy Spraggan— leaving everyone dancing and smiling.
The mix of iconic headliners, from 90s indie with Supergrass and Fratellis to pop charisma with Olly Murs, truly catered to all tastes. The Harbourside venue, combined with well‑organised logistics — dedicated wristbands, staggered door times, and accessible transport — made it a seamless experience. Food trucks, vibrant support acts, and that unmistakable Bristol energy sealed the vibe!
2. PRIDE 2025 (12 July)
Pride remains one of the true highlights of the summer for King Sound.
What sets it apart year after year is its vibrant, inclusive atmosphere — colourful stages, drag performances, and immersive art installations all come together to create a joyful celebration of diversity and unity. Add to that a dynamic mix of live music, Circus and of course Cabaret performances, and a crowd that radiates belonging and liberation.
And of course, technical finesse is key: King Sound’s staging, lighting, and PA systems ensure every act — from headline names to emerging local talent — delivers a flawless performance. We provide full technical production for the event across five stages including our 15m Orbit stage for the main arena, our XXL trailer stage on the Cabaret an Alustage truss stage on New Music and another Stagemobil LR stage on the dance area. We deployed L-Acoustics systems across all four outside stages with K2, Kara II and Kiva II all on duty. It’s a pretty big show these days with 38,000 through the gate and one in, one out queuing to access the 25,000 capacity site most of the day.!
This year, crazy July temperatures made rigging a real challenge and we resorted to some early starts and the odd overnight shift to get everything set in time. We are on-site for 10 days for this one day show and our hard working crews really earned their money showing some super human skills to counter mother nature’s efforts to cook us all. In the end Pride day went without a hitch and this inclusive, celibrationary, quirky and very ‘Bristol’ event lived up to reputation of being a true highlight of the year.
3. BRISTOL HARBOUR FESTIVAL (18-20 July)
Our third flagship show this summer, Harbourfest, once again transformed the waterfront into a buzzing festival arena — a tradition we've proudly continued for 26 years. We now are the sole technical supplier for the event with six areas benefitting from our sound, staging and lighting production.
Highlights included:
Eclectic line-up spanning folk, rock, electronic, and world-music acts — something fresh for every audience segment.
Waterfront atmosphere with food vendors, craft stalls, and interactive zones giving the event a carnival-like, family-friendly charm.
Seamless transitions between stages thanks to King Sound’s staging efficiency, which kept things flowing without the usual bottlenecks.
Despite the intense July heat, feedback was overwhelmingly positive — great atmosphere, smooth logistics, and performances that felt fresh and well-curated.
Summing up:
July felt like a marathon — packed, hot, and exhilarating. But with our trademark attention to detail, smart scheduling helped manage the heat and energy levels, technical excellence delivered crisp sound and seamless transitions, and engaging production turned each show into an unforgettable experience for both clients and audiences.
All of this was made possible by our incredible crew and, above all, by the continued partnership and confidence of our clients. Here’s to many more summers like this one — though maybe a little cooler next time!
Need pro audio, staging, lighting or festival support? King Sound Reinforcement are one of the few companies around with the capabilities to help. We specialise in being a ‘one stop shop’ for multi stage events — with a vast array of equipment to call on, our own transport fleet and decades of experience. We’ve proven time and time again we can do it!
Get in touch: kingsr.com – or drop us a line via Instagram @kingsoundreinforcement.
