Rock DJ in Birmingham: A Real Subside Bar Setlist (From Sigur Rós to Slipknot Energy)
It’s been a while since I shared a proper Subside Bar setlist. As a rock DJ in Birmingham, I should probably be showing you what I offer.
Last Friday (23rd January 2026) was one of those nights where the room let me take a few left turns… and then rewarded me for it.
We started in properly weird/beautiful territory. Built tension. Got shouty. Got sleazy. Drifted into ska-punk chaos. Ended up in full “why are we all yelling the words to this?” metal mode. Then finished with a little electronic fuzz to melt the edges off.
If you’re looking for a rock DJ in Birmingham, this is the kind of musical journey I’m talking about.
Not just “play the obvious bangers.”
But building something.
What a Rock DJ in Birmingham Actually Does
Anyone can hit play on “Mr Brightside” and call it a night.
The craft is in:
- knowing when the room is ready for Gojira
- knowing when Paramore hits harder than Slipknot
- knowing when you can throw in Sigur Rós at the start of a club set and not lose the floor
- and knowing when to pivot back to something communal before it drifts too niche
Subside Bar is one of Birmingham’s best-loved rock and metal venues. It’s not a wedding. It’s not a corporate party.
It’s a mixed alt crowd — students, lifers, metalheads, indie kids, people who just wandered in and stayed because the energy felt right.
If you can hold that room, you can read a room anywhere.
“But Can You Play Gojira at a Wedding?”
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: it depends how and when.
This is where people misunderstand what a rock and metal wedding DJ actually does.
If you and your partner love Gojira, Bring Me The Horizon, Architects, Korn, Paramore, Dream Theater… that’s brilliant. That’s your identity.
But your auntie might not be ready for Bleeding Through at 8:15pm.
So it becomes about:
- sequencing
- energy pacing
- using familiar anchors
- choosing the right track from the right band
- building trust with the floor before going heavier
That’s the difference between “a DJ who plays rock” and a rock DJ in Birmingham who actually understands alternative crowds.
Subside nights like this are my lab.
Weddings are where I tailor it.
From Subside to Weddings
When couples book me as an alternative or rock wedding DJ, they’re usually worried about one thing:
“We want our music… but we don’t want to empty the dancefloor.”
The solution isn’t watering it down.
It’s structure.
A night might look like:
- Indie/alt singalongs early
- 2000s emo/pop-punk peak
- Metalcore burst for the people who want it
- Big communal anthems
- A heavy 20-minute run late on
- Something euphoric to close
That’s why I like sharing these Subside setlists.
They show range.
They show restraint.
They show I’m not scared of going heavy — but I’m also not reckless with it.
The Full Setlist
Here’s the full journey from last Friday at Subside:
Sigur Rós – Untitled #8 (Popplagið)
Sea Power – Remember Me
Gojira – Flying Whales
Baroness – Take My Bones Away
RedHook – Turn Up the Stereotype
Ash – Like A God (Extended Version)
King Adora – Bionic
MeMe Detroit – Roaring at the Preachers
Sonic Youth – Sugar Kane
The Smashing Pumpkins – The End Is The Beginning Is The End
Muse – Hyper Music
Placebo – The Bitter End
Skunk Anansie – Cheap Honesty
The Black Keys – Lonely Boy
Spanish Love Songs – Kick
Coheed And Cambria – Shoulders
Trivium – Anthem (We are the Fire)
Architects – Dead Butterflies
Bring Me The Horizon – DArkSide
Boston Manor – Foxglove
KennyHoopla & Travis Barker – estella//
Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
The Band CAMINO – Daphne Blue
Neck Deep – In Bloom
Angels & Airwaves – Everything’s Magic
The Cure – Why Can’t I Be You
Rancid – Time Bomb
Mustard Plug – Beer
King Prawn – Propaganda
System Of A Down – Kill Rock ’N Roll
Hoobastank – Crawling In The Dark
Spineshank – New Disease
PhaseOne & Polaris – Icarus
Artio – Sertraline
Hot Milk – Candy Coated Lie$
Cassyette – Friends In Low Places
Metallica – Until It Sleeps
Ozzy Osbourne – Hellraiser
Dream Theater – Constant Motion
Deep Purple – Highway Star
Pierce The Veil – So Far So Fake
Stand Atlantic – switchblade
Brand New – The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Paramore – Emergency
The Used – The Taste of Ink
South Arcade – HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER
Mandroid Echostar – Matoax
Silly Fools – จิ๊จ๊ะ (Ji Ja)
Biffy Clyro – Mountains
Feeder – Just A Day
OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe (If I Die)
The Heavy – How You Like Me Now
Volbeat – Sad Man’s Tongue
Tremonti – Leave It Alone
Creed – One Last Breath
Bush – The Chemicals Between Us
Return to Dust – Bored
Nova Twins – Antagonist
Sumo Cyco – UNTIL TODAY
Paramore – Crushcrushcrush
Avenged Sevenfold – Gunslinger
Bring Me The Horizon – Ludens
Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache
Bleeding Through – Love Lost in a Hail of Gun Fire
All That Remains – This Calling
Korn – Blind
Mudvayne – Dig
Kittie – Brackish
Skin Flowers – Endymion
Alice in Chains – Bleed The Freak
Infected Mushroom – Fields of Grey (feat. Sasha Grey)
Pendulum – Propane Nightmares