13 live music worth the night across United Kingdom, editor-ranked. All United Kingdom guides.
Ronnie Scott's ★ 4.8 · London
Soho · 47 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4HT
The Frith Street basement opened by tenorist Ronnie Scott in 1959 is the central canon of British jazz, with two sittings a night and the late show that real heads come for.
Tip: Book the late show, the room thins out and the playing loosens. Standing bar tickets are the cheapest way in if you do not need a table.
The Jazz Bar ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 1a Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1HR
The basement of an 1860s Chambers Street building has been the city's most reliable seven-nights-a-week jazz, blues and funk room since musician Bill Kyle opened it.
Tip: The late set at 23:30 is when the room loosens up, get there for the early jazz at 20:00 to grab a banquette seat.
Sandy Bell's ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 25 Forrest Road, Edinburgh EH1 2QH
The Forrest Road pub has been the headquarters of the Edinburgh folk session for sixty years, nightly informal sessions in a tiny room with no stage and no microphones.
Tip: Stand at the back if you want to sing along, the players take the front banquette and rotate tunes without a setlist.
Cafe OTO ★ 4.7 · London
Dalston · 18-22 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL
The Ashwin Street room programmed by Hamish Dunbar and Keiko Yamamoto is the central venue in Europe for experimental and improvised music, and the calendar is the single best test of what is current.
Tip: Members get advance ticket access, the Eddie Prevost and Arto Lindsay weeks sell out fast.
The Voodoo Rooms ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
New Town · 19a West Register Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AA
The opulent first-floor Ballroom above the Cafe Royal off West Register Street is one of the city's most beautiful live rooms, with album launches, cabaret and jazz nightly.
Tip: The Speakeasy side bar is the spot for cocktails before a show, and the Ballroom acoustics reward standing centre rather than the side balconies.
Vortex Jazz Club ★ 4.6 · London
Dalston · 11 Gillett Square, Dalston, London N16 8AZ
The Gillett Square upstairs room is where London's improvised and contemporary jazz programmes when it wants to be honest about what it sounds like, with a regular Tomorrow's Warriors slot for the next generation.
Tip: Book direct, the room is small and an in-demand quartet sells out in days. The downstairs cafe is the warm-up.
Roundhouse ★ 4.6 · London
Camden · Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London NW1 8EH
The Victorian railway engine shed converted in 1964 is Camden's circular theatre with a programme that runs from Glen Hansard and Rilo Kiley to the Roundhouse Comedy Festival in August.
Tip: The standing pit is the only place to be for a guitar band, the upper circle has obstructed views from the back rows.
PizzaExpress Jazz Club ★ 4.5 · London
Soho · 10 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 3RW
The Dean Street basement opened by Peter Boizot in 1969 sits under a working pizzeria and runs a quietly serious nightly programme that has hosted Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Kurt Elling at room scale.
Tip: The pizza is fine, the room is the point, ask for a table on the front banquettes for sightlines to the piano.
The 100 Club ★ 4.5 · London
Fitzrovia · 100 Oxford Street, Fitzrovia, London W1D 1LL
The Oxford Street basement that hosted the 1976 Punk Festival is the longest continuously running music venue in London and still books across genres from punk through Northern Soul.
Tip: There are no bad sightlines, the stage is at floor level. Get a drink before the headline, the bar queues 12 deep on a sold-out night.
O2 Academy Brixton ★ 4.4 · London
Brixton · 211 Stockwell Road, Brixton, London SW9 9SL
The 1929 art deco theatre on Stockwell Road reopened in April 2024 with 77 new safety conditions after the December 2022 crush, and it remains the most resonant mid-size touring room in the country.
Tip: The raked floor gives sightlines from anywhere, but front-of-stage on a sold-out night is a serious push, take a balcony seat for comfort.
KOKO ★ 4.4 · London
Camden · 1a Camden High Street, Camden, London NW1 7RE
The 1900 Camden Hippodrome reopened in 2022 after a fire and a top-to-bottom rebuild, and is now a five-floor venue with a theatre, a members club and a domed roof terrace.
Tip: The Saturday DISKOKO electronic night is the way to see the rebuilt room without paying touring-show prices.
Bannerman's ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 212 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1NQ
The catacomb pub on Cowgate is Edinburgh's home of live rock seven nights a week, vaulted rooms with flagstone floors and flags hung from the stone ceilings.
Tip: Get to the back stone vault for the loudest mix, and the front bar stays open after the gig room closes if you want a slower pint.
Whistle Binkies ★ 4.2 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 4-6 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1LL
The reclaimed South Bridge vaults run live bands every night until 03:00, free before midnight Friday and Saturday, the canonical Cowgate-area late-night gig stop.
Tip: Up to six acts on a Friday or Saturday, the late slot from 01:00 is when the room tightens, arrive after 23:00 to skip the early covers.