London’s Best Live Music Venues

The UK is steeped in musical history, from The Beatles, to Bowie and beyond. But whatever takes your fancy, London is one of the world’s most vibrant stages for music – it’s no wonder millions flock to the city each year. The city also has some of the most intriguing venues in the country. This guide highlights three of the best venues to visit, regardless of your musical tastes.

Union Chapel (Islington, N1 2XD)

Union Chapel Londons Best Live Music Venues

Primarily functioning as a place of worship, the Union Chapel is located just south of Highbury Corner, Islington, and is one of the local area’s most striking and important buildings. In recent years, however, the venue has become a spectacular musical venue, boasting high ceiling and stunning acoustics – ideal for musical concerts.

Recently playing host to intimate acoustic sets from the likes of Florence and the Machine and (the late) Amy Winehouse, the Union Chapel will be high on any music lover’s ‘must-see venue’ list. You can expect to hear anything from choir music to jazz, pop or soul from a variety of well-known contemporary artists.

Plastic People (Shoreditch, EC2A 3QE)

Plastic People Londons Best Live Music Venues

Quietly tucked away beside a Chinese take-away restaurant, it would be very easy to pass Plastic People by unnoticed. This underground club is still one of the hidden gems of the trendy East London scene.

Catering for the cutting edge of contemporary musical taste, Plastic People has developed into one of the key venues for a cross-section of emerging electronic, dub and house music.

Previous guests have included electronic music producer Four Tet (alongside Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke), up and coming star SBTRKT, Julio Bashmore and house guru Theo Parrish.

Ronnie Scott’s (Soho, W1D 4HT)

Ronnie Scotts Londons Best Live Music Venues
Jazz at Ronnie Scott’s.
For jazz lovers, the legendary Ronnie Scott’s club in vibrant Soho is one of the city’s musical delights.

Originally opened by saxophonist Ronnie Scott in 1959, the club was at the forefront of promoting live performances from popular American jazz musicians of that time. Previous guests have included greats such as Wynton Marsalis, David Sanborn, Kenny Garrett and Billy Cobham.

Located on Frith Street, the intimate 250 capacity venue is a classy spot in which to sit back and sip cocktails into the early hours.

This guest post was written by Scott Wood from London based luxury rentals business http://www.onefinestay.com.