Let’s start with a confession: we’re not a random pile of speakers in a van. (There is a van. There’s always a van. But there’s more to us than that.)
DJ Kit Bristol is proudly in partnership with AF Live, and that changes what your money buys.
Wait, the AF Live?
Yep. Bristol’s own AF Live started with one small PA system in 1995 and has since grown into a company providing essential services to festivals, clubs and events. Back when Funktion One was taking the sound system world by storm, they became the main distributor for the South West, which is a very fancy way of saying they’ve been the go-to for local clubs and promoters for a very long time. addtoeventaddtoevent
Here’s some of the stuff they’ve been up to:
Glastonbury’s Dragonfly. At Glastonbury 2024, Arcadia Spectacular unveiled the Dragonfly stage, a giant metal insect built from a former navy helicopter. Arcadia’s rental partner on the project was AF Live, who supplied a wireless mic and in-ear monitoring setup for the MC (Sennheiser’s write-up). In 2025 it came back bigger, with AF Live providing Sennheiser’s new Spectera wireless system inside an 80m-diameter, 360-degree Arcadia soundfield. Installation magazine called it arguably the ultimate live AV experience, and the production won Festival Production of the Year at the UK Festival Awards 2025. Sennheiser also covered the 2025 Spectera rollout. Sennheiser helps Arcadia host breath-taking performances during Glastonbury 2024 +3
Boomtown Fair. Way back at the 2013 festival, Bristol-based AF Live supplied the L-Acoustics Kara PA for the Lion’s Den stage, the biggest of Boomtown’s themed venues, as covered by Live Design. By AF Live’s own account, they formed a partnership with Boomtown and went on to handle full technical production management (see their supplier profile). livedesignonline
Tokyo World. The same profile says AF Live debuted their VOLKANO stage at Tokyo World in 2015 and added the MUTINY stage in 2016. Bristol 24/7’s 2016 review praised the quality of the soundsystems and described a volcano stage that actually spat lava, next to a high-rise stage. As you do. addtoevent
So when we say “serious kit,” we’re not being modest. We’re being the opposite of modest, but we’ve got receipts.
So what’s that got to do with your 80-capacity back room?
Everything. Our partnership with AF Live means DJ Kit Bristol can tap into that same level of equipment and know-how, scaled down to suit your event, at a fraction of the price. Your community launch night, your “it’s only a small gig, but we want it to sound incredible” gig, or your first-ever warehouse party can have festival-grade expertise behind it. No festival-sized invoice. No festival-sized ego.
Why we started this
We’re all from Bristol. We’ve worked, danced, gigged and stood at the back of rooms in this city, and we kept noticing the same thing: smaller venues and independent event producers got a rough deal. You either paid big-production prices for a service that treated you like a rounding error, or you made do with kit held together by gaffer tape and optimism.
So we made DJ Kit Bristol to give those venues and promoters the attention they deserve. Your event matters just as much to you as a stadium show does to a stadium, and we treat it that way.
Big partners, small team
Here’s the honest bit. AF Live may work on enormous, helicopter-shaped, lava-spitting productions, but we’re a small, friendly crew, running on the same tight margins as every other independent event team in the city. We know what a budget looks like when every pound is accounted for, because ours looks the same. We won’t upsell you a rig the size of a small cathedral. We’ll work out what your night actually needs, and make it sound and look brilliant.
We don’t take ourselves too seriously (the sound, though? Deadly serious)
You’ll notice we’re a bit cheeky. We’ll make a bad joke at soundcheck. We’ll absolutely tell you if your “quick one-mic setup” has quietly become a nine-piece band.
But when it comes to sound and lighting, the jokes stop. Clean sound, sorted lighting, kit that works, and people who know exactly what to do when something doesn’t. You get friendly faces up front and proper expertise behind them.
So, what next?
If you run a venue, promote nights, organise events, or have a big idea and a small budget, get in touch. Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll tell you honestly what you need (and what you don’t).
Bristol’s got a brilliant scene. Let’s make it sound as good as it deserves.
DJ Kit Bristol: serious kit, serious expertise, not-so-serious attitude.