Pannonica ★ 4.5
€€TalensacConcert nights from 20:30, varies by show
Pannonica has been the jazz and improvised music stage of Nantes since autumn 1994, a small room that leans hard on discovery and emerging players.
Tip: Sets usually start at 20:30; tickets go through the venue's own box office rather than the door.
La Bouche d'Air ★ 4.3
€€TalensacConcert nights from 20:30; box office Tue-Fri 14:00-18:00
La Bouche d'Air programmes contemporary French chanson at the Salle Paul Fort in the Talensac quarter of Nantes, seated shows most weeks of the season.
Tip: The box office shuts for summer from 10 July and reopens on 1 September, so book around the break.
Le Ferrailleur ★ 4.4
€€Île de NantesTue 16:00-00:00; Wed-Thu 16:00-02:00; Fri-Sun 16:00-04:00; closed Mon
Le Ferrailleur puts concerts on the Loire quays at the Hangar à Bananes in Nantes, then turns into a dance floor for its Nuits Blanches until 04:00.
Tip: The summer concerts sauvages on the terrace are free and start around 19:00, before the ticketed room opens.
Le Zygobar ★ 4.0
€OlivettesTue-Sat 18:00-02:00; closed Sun-Mon
Le Zygobar is the small live room of the Olivettes quarter in Nantes, with blues and soul gigs and open jam sessions against a beer-led bar list.
Tip: Gigs are usually free and the room is tiny, so arrive early on jam nights if you want to sit.
La Guinguette du Belvédère ★ 4.2
€€Île de NantesApr-Sep season: Mon-Fri 12:00-00:00; Sat-Sun 15:00-00:00; closed Oct-Mar
La Guinguette du Belvédère sits on the roof of the Terrasses du Port in Nantes, an open-air bar looking straight down the Loire from the Île de Nantes.
Tip: The season runs April to September only, and the kitchen changes its three plates and two desserts every week.
Prohibition ★ 3.9
€€BouffayTue-Thu 22:00-03:30; Fri-Sat 21:00-03:30; closed Sun-Mon
Prohibition hides a New York bootleg-era cellar under the Bouffay streets of Nantes, cocktails and beer with DJ sets running through until 03:30.
Tip: Doors are late even by Nantes standards, 22:00 midweek and 21:00 at the weekend, and the music starts at 23:00.