Bangers on a budget: These are London’s best affordable live music venues

Between Ticketmaster wars, widespread shutdowns of indie venues and buy-outs of those that survive, live music is more expensive than ever.

Although gigs at once-affordable venues can cost as much as an arena concert would have cost less than a decade ago, London is still one of the best places to discover up-and-coming artists without breaking the bank if you know where to look.

To save you the trouble, here’s a list of some of our favourite spots.

1. The Dublin Castle £5 to £15

Known as the birthplace of Madness and a career-starter for many other bands including Blur, The Libertines, Supergrass and Coldplay, Camden’s The Dublin Castle is one of the most legendary names in London’s music scene. If you’d visited a few decades ago, you might have found Amy Winehouse or Suggs behind the bar pouring pints. Celebrity bartenders are unlikely these days, but the venue is still a big supporter of the local music scene, hosting live music almost every day of the week, often with four or five artists in the same night. 

2. OMEARA: £10 to £20

Lucia and the Best Boys at OMEARA; OMEARA’s vaulted ceiling

Founded by Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett, OMEARA’s hardwood stage was christened by The Pretenders in 2016 and has gone on to host a slew of now-huge names including Jorja Smith, Sam Fender, Wet Leg and Declan Mckenna.

It’s also a favourite spot for intimate shows by already-huge artists including Skepta, Beck, and even Kylie Minogue. The vaulted ceiling and chandeliers create an unbeatable atmosphere, made even better by the knowledge that your ticket cost less than a couple of pints.

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3. The Forge at The Lower Third: Free

The only thing better than a cheap gig is a free gig.

Head to Denmark Street, just around the corner from TCR, to find The Lower Third: A quirky cocktail bar with two live music spaces. The Forge is the more intimate of the two, tucked at the back of the upper floor. Almost all of the gigs played there are free, and it often hosts open mic nights run by local organisations such as LoudLDN, a collective of female and non-binary artists in London, making it the perfect place to discover some new talent. The basement houses a bigger but equally cool performance space with ticket prices generally ranging from £10 to £20. 

4. Colours Hoxton: £10 to £20

Some of the best up-and-coming artists from a huge range of genres can be found under the colour-changing, circus tent-like ceiling at Colours Hoxton. A self proclaimed “forward-thinking, multifaceted venue deeply rooted in culture”, their stage has been graced by now-huge acts including Florence + The Machine, Daniel Caesar and Foals.

They even have a karaoke room in case you get inspired to make some live music of your own, but no promises it’ll give you the same career path as Florence.

5. The Lexington: £6 to £12

Hannah Jadagu at The Lexington

Around the corner from Angel station is The Lexington, a Victorian pub serving craft beers with live music on the upper floor. For a room above a pub, it’s an impressive setup: Deceptively large with proper lighting and even a disco ball. There’s another bar up there too, so there’s no need to head back down to the pub for another drink.

Tickets generally range from £6 to £12 with occasional bigger acts costing slightly more.

6. The Old Blue Last: Free to £15

Local artists at The Old Blue Last

One of the biggest names in London’s 2000s indie scene, this Shoreditch boozer helped kickstart the careers of several massive names including Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, Wolf Alice and IDLES.

These days, it’s one of the best spots in central for cheap, or often free, live music, as well as DJ sets, club nights, and a weekly pub quiz. They also host weekly trad sessions on Thursdays, Latin jazz on Fridays, and jazz on Sundays, all with free entry.

Just be careful if you venture there alone as apparently it’s haunted by Shakespeare’s ghost.

7. The George Tavern: £4 to £15

The stage and bar at The George Tavern

You might be familiar with The George from its “Save the George Tavern” t-shirts, worn by several of its celebrity supporters including Kate Moss and Ian McKellen. It would take far too much time to list the threats that this historical east-end pub has faced from developers in recent years, but thankfully for the local music scene, it’s still standing.

Historical is an understatement: Samuel Pepys, Geoffrey Chaucer and even Charles Dickens mentioned The George in their writings. Nowadays, it’s best known for nurturing local talent with regular gigs by a huge variety of artists, usually for less than a tenner.