The Best Music Venues in Liverpool, UK

Seel Street is one of the coolest streets in the UK for bars and venues, and Arts Club definitely continues the theme. Arts Club is a versatile venue which caters for established touring bands and those about to break through across its multiple rooms. There’s also a rather impressive kitchen serving some of the best gourmet eats that Liverpool has to offer.

What may look like a cool pizza bar from the outside is actually home to a small venue for the alt-rock and punk side of the music spectrum. Maguires Pizza Bar has a menu which caters for all tastes, with particularly strong vegan options! So pop on down and fill up on pizza before moshing away out back.

A proud pioneer of new music, The Jacaranda is a stalwart in Liverpool’s rich musical history. It’s said that John Lennon and co. would rehearse at the venue opened by Allan Williams, The Beatles’ first booking agent/manager, in their early days, forming a vital part of what would be a clearly illustrious future. Downstairs you can catch the next big thing, while upstairs there’s a record shop where you can listen to the records while you kick back and relax with a beer. With all of this, plus a free jukebox and regular open mic sessions, it’s definitely a place you’ll want to check out.

The team behind the popular haunt The Kazimer, which closed its doors in 2016, presents Invisible Wind Factory, a versatile arts space on Regent Road. The warehouse venue in the North Docks area is able to facilitate up to 1,200 people at their contemporary events, with the likes of spoken word, poetry and anything from world music gigs to trendy indie and garage-rock festivals scheduled.

This place needs no introduction. It’s the most famous club in the world and the birthplace of The Beatles. Though it’s an incredibly popular tourist attraction, The Cavern still hosts a plethora of live bands, both local and touring, to adoring crowds. Tip: try the Cavern Ale!

Another one of Seel Street’s wonderful venues is Heebie Jeebies, with its recently opened basement venue EBGBS. Here you’ll find some of the best indie tunes blasting out over three floors, with live music from up-and-coming bands on the courtyard out back. A must visit for anyone in the city.

Liverpool’s stunning Philharmonic Hall is a 1790-capacity classical and modern music venue. This Grade II listed building was originally destroyed in a fire in 1933, was rebuilt by 1939, and is now home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and the symphony orchestra. The Hall plays host to approximately 250 shows a year – around 60 of these classical events – with the rest consisting of other musical genres, comedy and film.

The Olympia sits on West Darby Road, and hosts an eclectic array of music, comedy and sports events. Here you’ll be able to catch bands as they bridge the gap between Academy and arena size venues. The stunning Olympia hall is one of Liverpool’s biggest venues for events, and although there are not too many concerts on here, it’s definitely one of the best venues in the city.

An 11,000 capacity arena conveniently situated on Albert Docks, and it’s here where you’ll be able to catch some of the world’s biggest stars. When you’re checking out bands at some of the smaller venues, it might be hard to imagine that the very same acts will one day go on to play at the Echo Arena, but that’s exactly what some have done, such as the Arctic Monkeys.