Best live music venues in London
London plays live every night of the week. The city stretches from sticky-floored grassroots rooms where new bands cut their teeth to grand concert halls and converted chapels with the acoustics to match. The venues worth knowing are the ones with a packed calendar, because a full bill is what keeps a scene moving and gives you a reason to turn up on a random Tuesday.
The venues below are ordered by how active they are, counted from the live music events each has coming up. It is a measure of activity, not a ranking of sound systems or sightlines, so the rooms near the top are simply the ones with the most gigs you can go to in person.
25 places ranked right now
- Cadogan Hall SW1X 9DQ 202 upcoming events
- Eventim Apollo W6 9QH 156 upcoming events
- Electric Ballroom NW1 8QP 153 upcoming events
- Jazz Cafe NW1 7PG 120 upcoming events
- Union Chapel N1 2UN 110 upcoming events
- The Bedford SW12 9HD 104 upcoming events
- Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club W1D 4HT 96 upcoming events
- PizzaExpress Live Soho W1D 3RW 93 upcoming events
- 100 Club W1D 1LL 80 upcoming events
- Boisdale of Canary Wharf E14 4QT 78 upcoming events
- The Lexington N1 9JB 78 upcoming events
- The Underworld NW1 0NE 74 upcoming events
- The Garage N5 1RD 64 upcoming events
- EartH Theatre N16 8BH 61 upcoming events
- The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch EC2A 3AR 58 upcoming events
- Blackheath Halls SE13 6LF 56 upcoming events
- Roundhouse NW1 8EH 56 upcoming events
- Ram Jam Records KT2 5EE 55 upcoming events
- O2 Academy Islington N1 0PS 54 upcoming events
- The Fox and Firkin SE13 6JZ 54 upcoming events
- The Fighting Cocks KT1 1EU 52 upcoming events
- 229 London W1W 5PN 46 upcoming events
- Royal Albert Hall SW7 2AP 44 upcoming events
- Indigo at The O2 SE10 0ES 43 upcoming events
- The O2 arena SE10 0DX 42 upcoming events
More best of London and hubs
Frequently asked questions
How are these ranked?
They are ordered by the number of upcoming live music events each venue has listed. The ranking shows how active a place is rather than a review score, so a venue near the top is one with a lot of gigs on in the days ahead.
Are these events in person?
Yes. OnlyHere only lists events you can physically attend in London, so every gig here is one you go to in person, never a stream or an online session.
How many best live music venues in london are ranked right now?
There are 25 places ranked on this page right now. It updates daily.