Why Mr Wolfs works, according to the society behind their Tuesday night

The chances are that at some point in the first year, Mr Wolfs was suddenly made apparent to you, and Tuesday nights there became routine. The universal love for the venue sustains its 8 pm queues each week, and has done so for two years. JazzFunkSoul soc, who organise their open jams each week, are uniquely witness to this rise in popularity – which is why we sat down to ask them more about the students and the music of Mr Wolfs. 

For the love of jazz 

Maybe what’s so special about Mr Wolfs is that the night begins with jazz sets.

Crucially, says VP Will, “The jam is there for people who want to play, not to listen”  

JFS mentions that whilst the committee make up the house band, who play as a part of each set, the open jam allows for up to thirty students to join them throughout the night, who often reach out via the society’s Instagram. It’s very likely then that each week the onstage faces are familiar – and fan-girling is, of course, much more gratifying when up close and personal. 

In terms of the listening experience, though, it’s no surprise that Bristol students would want to hear more jazz; we are, as the cliché goes, pretty taste-ambitious – and Mr Wolfs feels tasteful. JFS’s President, Sam, also mentioned the growing love of jazz amongst young people in the UK, particularly in the last decade, pointing towards the likes of Raye, or Olivia Dean. Think of these as gateway drugs, in mainstream territory, but with roots in jazz.

There are, of course, venues in Bristol for more committed fans of the genre, but the fact that Mr Wolfs is so popular speaks to everybody’s need for this kind of sound (specifically for that time in the week when your nervous system rejects UK garage). 

Though each of the jazz sets typically has to pay respects to at least one “Valerie” or “Isn’t She Lovely” to keep the crowd happy, this is no bad thing.

The vinyl DJ effect 

Vinyl sets are fun to watch on reels, but Mr Wolfs resident DJ mixes Jamiroquai much better. JFS tell us that the resident DJ upstairs, mainly mixing disco, is an inevitable crowd favourite. He’s happily carried by the Diana Ross/Bees Gees/Donna Summer mix, convincing us that the 70s are indisputably back. 

Paying particular homage to upstairs, I’d be surprised to hear of another venue that fits a similarly perfect amount of people. It seems as though this speaks to the kind of night everyone has begun to chase, after too many nights wasted in clubbing crowd crushes. 

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Queuing to get back up is a bit of a farce though, and the bouncer knows it.

The Tuesday night slot  

Speaking to JFS about Mr Wolfs steady 8 pm queues, it felt pertinent to ask if there was a point in time that solidified the popularity of their Tuesday night. Whilst those of us whose university journey began this year or last won’t remember a time before Triangle Tuesdays, Sam pointed out that, before it closed down in 2024, people would go to Gravity each week. This means that for the year in between, there was an easy vacancy for Mr Wolfs to fill. 

Both committee members remember their shock that year, the first time the queue outside was noticeably “huge”. 

There’s something kind of sweet and communal in getting somewhere so early, and sacrificing pres to do so.

Mr Wolfs strikes a balance

When discussing whether or not Mr Wolfs exists on the same plane as the Triangle, VP Will astutely suggested that the crowd at Mr Wolfs accounts for a kind of ‘grey area’ between those that are loyal to Daisy’s, and those who are chasing the “Love Inn vibe”. The fact that it offers a student night, with the prospect of free entry (though it feels ridiculously early), explains why it attracts both kinds of customers – and why venues like Strange Brew, who play similar music, have been relegated to nicher territory. 

“Strange Brew, in theory, should be a cool place” – Will

Live music and lower prices can also be found elsewhere, and though Mr Wolfs is a favourite, that’s not to say that a student night can’t happen, in the same way, elsewhere. JFS recently brought a free-entry night of funk+sax+decks at Canteen, for example. 

Put simply, Mr Wolfs feels like it’s good for the soul, a breath of fresh air for when clubbing has felt like 80% queueing, and 20% larp. Music and dance have been, for centuries, considered twin flames in a healthy society; it’s important that after a night out we feel reminded of this. It’s easy to forget that Bristol is a city with its own musical history, and that it offers more in terms of genre and independent spirit than we might think to take advantage of. 

And hopefully, with the night’s ticket sales going straight to JFS (as they let us know), we’ll be seeing more of them than just on Tuesdays.