OPEN BARS (9)
Bowery Ballroom
New York, United States
A mid-size music venue (capacity ~575) in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Opened in 1998, the Bowery Ballroom quickly became one of NYC's premier venues for rock and indie acts, prized for its excellent acoustics and elegant 1920s building.
The Devonshire Arms
London, United Kingdom
Affectionately known as "The Dev," it is Camden Town's devoted home to the musical underground and one of London's leading goth and metal venues. Features a mock-Tudor façade and a buzzy and dark interior. It's described as a goth pub with serious attitude and a haven for goths and metalheads. A place where lovers of rock, goth, punk, and metal congregate.
The World's End
London, United Kingdom
A world-famous pub and a North London landmark, reflecting the eclectic nature of Camden itself. Located just south of Camden Town tube station. Boasts two bars and a mezzanine balcony seating area. The central area is designed to reflect the open marketplace that once inhabited the location. The pub itself is a large, atmospheric space for drinkers, separate from The Underworld music venue located beneath it.
Mercury Lounge
New York, United States
A small club (250 capacity) in the Lower East Side. Mercury Lounge is known for breaking new bands since the 1990s in an intimate, no-frills environment. It was a linchpin of the early 2000s NYC rock revival.
Irving Plaza
New York, United States
A historic ballroom-style venue with capacity of ~1,200. Irving Plaza has served many identities: a 1940s ballroom, a Polish community center, and from the late '70s onward, a crucial rock concert hall. Known for hosting diverse genres – punk, new wave, metal, alternative, pop – over different eras.
Hope and Anchor
London, United Kingdom
A historic pub in Upper Street with a basement music room that was crucial in the 1970s pub rock and punk scenes. A Grade II listed building. A historic pub atmosphere upstairs, with a recently refurbished basement live music venue featuring a new PA, enlarged stage, and lighting rig. The upstairs pub functions as a traditional pub, while the basement is a dedicated 80-capacity live music venue.
The Black Heart
London, United Kingdom
The Black Heart is a renowned rock and metal pub in Camden, often described as a "heavy metal hotspot". Nestled in a lamplit, brick-walled back alley near Camden Town Tube Station, it is about a fifteen-minute walk from King's Cross St. Pancras. The interior is decked out in exquisite all-goth attire; its walls painted black and smattered vibrantly with music artwork, fairy lights sparkling in the dimness, unisex bathroom stalls plastered with band stickers and extremely entertaining graffiti. The downstairs bar is a bustling social hub for metalheads and night-creatures from all walks of life, offering craft beers, shots (including the 'Lucky Sod' Irish liqueur), cocktails, and mocktails.
Blondies
London, United Kingdom
An excellent rock'n'roll dive bar with live music founded by Australian sisters Verity, Sharmaine, and Rochelle Cox. A down-and-dirty Mecca for music-lovers with delightfully wonky furnishings reflecting a DIY spirit. Known for insane music and a cultural hub for good vibes, great drinks, and even better company.
The Fighting Cocks
London, United Kingdom
A rock 'n' roll bar and venue described as small in size but big in attitude. Proudly independent. A haven for the inked, the pierced and the damned. Has a rich musical history dating back to the 1930s (jazz, then rock 'n' roll jam sessions). Features a best jukebox ever, old school arcades, and pool. Offers a huge selection of draft and bottled beers, lavish cocktails, seductive real ales, troublesome shooters and the nuttiest drinks deals in town.
CLOSED BARS (10)
The Intrepid Fox
London, United Kingdom
A historic pub with roots dating back to 1784, named after statesman Charles James Fox. Originally at 97-99 Wardour Street, it became a prominent goth and heavy metal venue by the 1970s. Known for its distinctive dark, goth-rock aesthetic, featuring black-painted interiors, a mock graveyard, and other macabre decorations. It was a key meeting point for the goth and metal scenes. After closure in 2006, it reopened at 15 St. Giles High Street (2007-2014) before final closure.
The Falcon
London, United Kingdom
An influential pub and music venue, particularly during the 1990s. A hub for London's Britpop and Shoegaze scenes, also important for the "Camden Lurch" indie bands.
The Rock Garden
London, United Kingdom
CBGB
New York, United States
The most famous punk rock club in the world. Located at 315 Bowery in the East Village, CBGB (Country, BlueGrass & Blues) ironically became the epicenter of punk and New Wave in the 1970s. A dim, grungy bar with infamous bathrooms, CBGB nurtured bands like the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Television, and many more. Its policy of featuring only bands with original music (no covers) gave countless innovators a start.
Cathay de Grande
Los Angeles, United States
A subterranean punk/New Wave club that operated in the 1980s beneath a Chinese restaurant in Hollywood. The Cathay de Grande was a hotbed for the early hardcore punk scene and the burgeoning alternative rock movement in L.A. Its mix of musical styles and notorious reputation (it was in a sketchy basement) made it both beloved and infamous.
Club Lingerie
Los Angeles, United States
A hip nightclub and live venue on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, active primarily in the 1980s. Club Lingerie was known for an eclectic booking policy – hosting rock, punk, funk, rap, and more. In the '80s music scene, it was a place where up-and-coming local bands and even national acts would play more intimate showcases, and it doubled as a trendy dance club on off-nights.
Madame Wong's
Los Angeles, United States
Chinese-restaurant-turned-rock bar that booked The Police, Oingo Boingo and The Go-Go's before they hit arenas.
The Clarendon Hotel
London, United Kingdom
A large old pub/hotel complex in Hammersmith that became a legendary music venue. The Clarendon's upstairs Ballroom and downstairs Broadway bar were home to pivotal alternative music events from the late 1970s through 1988. Most famous as the host venue for Klub Foot, the epicenter of London's psychobilly scene throughout the 1980s.
Al's Bar
Los Angeles, United States
A fabled punk dive bar located in the Arts District of downtown L.A. in the American Hotel. Opened in the late 1970s, Al's Bar became the longest-running punk venue on the West Coast, known for its gritty atmosphere and nurturing of the underground art-punk scene.
Bull & Gate
London, United Kingdom
A Grade II listed pub with a long history as a music venue, particularly from the 1980s until 2013. Hosted a wide range of indie, rock, and alternative acts in its backroom venue, run by promoters like Jon Beast (Timebox/Hype!) and later Club Fandango.