Festivals are great and all, but there’s just something about singing along with a crowd of strangers in a sweaty, sticky-floored venue. From opulent former theatres to tiny jazz clubs and grimy basements, the UK is home to some excellent spots to see live music. These are places where subcultures are born and legends come to be, where lifetime memories are made and where musical history plays out right in front of you. And at a time when many grassroots venues are threatened by closure, it’s well worth reminding ourselves every once in a while of just how brilliant they are. 

We like to think of ourselves as experts here at Time Out, but who really knows our music venues better than the people who have been up there on stage, night in, night out, singing and stage-diving and striding on for encores? We went to dozens of British acts – all of whom have had the pleasure of playing live for more than a decade – and asked them to choose one music venue which they think is the absolute best. Then we combined their views with knowledge from our editorial team to come up with a definitive ranking. The result? A spectacular snapshot of the rich and varied musical landscape in the UK today.  

These are venues that are authentic, that are committed to promoting properly good music and emerging acts, venues that have energetic crowds and excellent sound quality. There are huge production-heavy concert halls, tiny stages hidden under record stores and even some places we didn’t even know existed before now. They’re all special in their own, unique way – and they’ve (of course) seen their fair share of mosh pits. 

So let’s get started, shall we? From Stirling to Cardiff, London to a tiny, tiny town in West Yorkshire, here are the best music venues in the UK – chosen by artists who have played almost all of them.

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