VEGA on Enghavevej runs Copenhagen's reference mid-size concert programme in a 1956 functionalist hall by architect Vilhelm Lauritzen, with Store VEGA for major tours, Lille VEGA at 500 capacity and Ideal Bar Live.
Tip: Three rooms run different bills the same night; check which room your ticket names. Lille VEGA becomes Natklub after the show on weekends.
Address: Enghavevej 40, 1674 København V, Copenhagen
Pumpehuset has run since 1989 in a former 19th-century water pump station off Studiestræde, with a 600-capacity main hall upstairs, a 400-capacity Sort Sal downstairs and the Byhaven beer-garden bar.
Tip: Two stages run different bills the same night; ticket names the room. Byhaven beer garden opens through the summer with free entry.
Mojo on Løngangstræde has booked live blues, soul, rock and zydeco every night of the week since 1981, with one of the few European stages running music 365 days a year and a small basement room.
Tip: Live music every single night from around 21:30; cash easier than card. Sit close, the room is small enough that every seat hears the kit.
La Fontaine has run on Kompagnistræde since 1959 as Denmark's oldest jazz club, with a 100-seat basement room that programmes nightly jam sessions and trios alongside a smoke-stained ground-floor bar.
Tip: Jam sessions from 21:00 Wednesday to Sunday; arrive before 22:00 for seats. Cash door, small cover on named bookings.
Jazzhus Montmartre reopened in 2010 on Store Regnegade at the original 1959 address, where Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Stan Getz held residencies; the 85-seat room runs world-class jazz Thursday to Saturday.
Tip: Seating is unreserved; doors 19:00 for the 20:00 set. The Friends of Montmartre membership pays for itself across two visits.
Nimb Roof sits on the top of the Moorish Nimb Hotel inside Tivoli, with 1,300 square metres of terrace looking across the gardens and the rooftops, an outdoor plunge pool, a pool bar and a lounge.
Tip: Open mid-May through the warm months; external guests book the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening slots. Reserve well ahead.
Hotel Danmark's seventh-floor rooftop bar opens to non-guests through the warm months with 360-degree views of City Hall, Tivoli and the National Museum, Scandinavian minimalist design and a short cocktail list.
Tip: Free entry for non-guests, but capacity is small; arrive before 19:00 on warm evenings. No food served, drinks only.