Scaler

Scaler are a four-piece from Bristol, previously known as SCALPING before changing their name in 2023. The band is Isaac Jones on drums, James Rushforth on bass guitar, Nick Berthoud on guitar and Alex Hill on electronics, alongside visual artist Jason Baker, and they built their sound over years of live shows before putting out any recorded music. For the last five years, SCALER have been writing, recording and performing music together, trying to answer the question that guides their work; "How can a band bridge the gap between live guitar music and live electronic music?" Starting in 2017, the band played live for two years, almost exclusively in Bristol, before releasing any music.

That fusion is really the whole point of a Scaler set: real drums, bass and guitar driving what sounds like a techno DJ set. Bristol quartet SCALER are in many respects a rock group, but they approach their concerts like nightclub overlords, designing their sets like extended trance pieces. They released debut album Void in 2022, followed in 2023 by the name change and the Daniel Avery-produced single Loam, and they've since signed to Bristol label Black Acre – home to Commodo, Sully and Karen Nyame KG – for 2025's second album Endlessly, which was a.k.a. Alex Hill, Isaac Jones, James Rushforth and Nick Berthoud, alongside visual artist Jason Baker, and marked their debut for Bristol's revered Black Acre, a longtime champion of genre-defying electronic music.

Along the way they've picked up remixes and collaborators from across the techno and electronic world, working with Mogwai, Hodge and object blue on remixes, alongside guest turns from DÆMON and Grove on record, and festival slots including Boomtown, Green Man, End Of The Road, ADE and Nuits Sonores. They're regulars on the Brighton and UK alternative circuit too, having played Mutations Festival before and returning for the 2026 edition alongside acts like Fat Dog, Squid and Lip Critic – expect a loud, physical set that sits somewhere between a gig and a club night.