UK nightclubs and dance clubs offer a great mix of live music and trendy DJs. Whether you’re looking for cutting edge and indie, cutting edge or established acts, UK cities, with their large student populations, are full of great places for a wild night out. Some of the best nightclubs in the UK have been around for a while and established their fashion credentials decades ago. And new ones appear all the time. These are some of the best places to go to hear what’s happening on the UK music scene right now and shake your swag until the sun comes up.
The Academy Group – Throughout the UK
The Academy group operates large live music venues and a handful of smaller live music clubs in every major city in England. These are generally the “must do” places on major band tours. Most also have smaller performance spaces to showcase newer bands. Since 2009, they have been in partnership with O2 and the venues are now primarily called the O2 Academy. Click on the following links for contact information and concerts at:
- Birmingham – operating three separate locations.
- Bournmouth – A new addition to the group in an old music theater dating back to 1895.
- Bristol – two places
- Brixton, London
- Glasgow
- Islington, London
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- Newcastle
- Oxford
- Sheffield
- Shepherds Bush Empire.
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Birmingham: The Jamhouse
Jazz pianist Jools Holland has become something of an eclectic music entrepreneur. His evening music program on BBC television is noted for its lack of dogmatism. The latest rapper may appear alongside a great jazz saxophonist, disco diva, techno band, singer, poet, and superstar like Sting or Paul McCartney. The clubs in Holland offer the same great mix with dinner and drinks available as well. Dress code is casual yet elegant and the club targets over 21 people. Admission is often free or less than £ 10.
Essentials
- Address: St. Paul’s Square, Jewelery Quarter, Birmingham
- Phone +44 (0) 121 200 3030
- Website
Brighton: Concorde2
Live music and 18+ club nights on the seafront in cool Brighton. Everything from Martha and Vandellas to the latest Rock and New Wave.
Essentials
- Address: Madeira Shelter Hall, Madeira Drive, Brighton BN 2 1EN
- Phone +44 (0) 1273 67 33 11
- Website
Plan a visit to Brighton
Brighton: Comedy
This is a multi-arts venue that hosts top bands, club nights, cabaret, and comedy. There are several different shows, clubs or acts that take place most nights and a selection of bars to hang out. Comedy, live music, and cabaret nights often have tables and a dinner option. Advance reservations are essential, but except for the most popular acts and bands, you can generally purchase tickets earlier the same day.
Essentials
- Address: 44-47 Gardner Street, North Laine, Brighton BN1 1UN
- Telephone +44 (0) 1273 647100
- Website
Plan a visit to Brighton
Bristol: Thekla Social
Thekla is a boat that stops at Bristol’s Mud Docks. On board there is a bar and restaurant and live music every day until the evening. Come in at 10:30 and DJs will take over for some of Bristol’s best club nights. Popular, different, eclectic.
Essentials
- Address: The Grove, East Mud Dock, Bristol BS1 4RB
- Telephone +44 (0) 117 929 3301
- Website
Edimburgo: Henry’s Cellar Bar
Henry used to be a jazz club. It was renovated a bit a couple of years ago and is now one of Edinburgh’s best music venues for the hippest crowd, looking for the next big thing. Expect rock, punk, garage, indie, electro, blues, alternative, country, hip hop, folk, hardcore and what Henry calls “krautrock” – and, yes, jazz too. It is small, it really is a cellar bar, atmospheric and if you don’t like music there is a good bar right next door.
Essentials
- Registration address: 8 Morrison Street, Edinburgh West End
- Phone +44 (0) 131 228 9393
- Website
Edinburgh: The Jamhouse
Like its sister club in Birmingham, The Jam is a great place for an adult night out. An intimate music venue with an ‘unplugged’ feel. Music during dinner tends to be soloists, duos and trios in what the club refers to as “a more acoustic vein” and comes from a variety of genres. Around 10pm, the bands pick up the music and there are nightly DJs from Wednesday to Saturday. The atmosphere is relaxed and “feminine.”
Essentials
- Address: 5 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JE
- Telephone +44 (0) 131-226- 4380
- Website
Manchester: The Manchester Academy Group
Not affiliated with the Academy Group, the Manchester Academy and Club Academy headquarters are a group of live music presentation spaces on the University of Manchester campus. They include Manchester Academy 1 on Oxford Road, and Manchester Academy 2 and 3 in the Manchester University Student Union Building. Manchester Club Academy is also in the Student Union Building on Oxford Road.
The concerts are listed on the main Manchester Academy website. They tend towards the indie scene Manchester is known for, but can capture any interesting British and international act on tour: Lily Allen, Twisted Sister, Aimee Mann, Dirty Pretty Things. The Kaiser Chiefs, Meshuggah are among hundreds of acts that have been performed since the 1960s.
Manchester: the Ritz
The Ritz Manchester, on Whitworth Street, has been around since 1927 and continues to top the best bar lists. The crowd is young and the club offers a mix of club nights, theme nights, live concerts, and stage shows. Only students and under 25 nights are very popular. The club closed temporarily in May 2011 to undergo a major remodel. He is now part of the giant Academy group mentioned in the first item on this list, but he manages to maintain his independent vibe.
Essentials
- Address: Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5NQ
- Telephone: +44 (0) 161 236 4355
- Website
Newcastle: Florita’s Miami Bar and Tropical Garden
Pink flamingos in Newcastle-upon-Tyne? Florita, a self-described “Miami Wild Boy and International Socialite,” brings a touch of Miami’s South Beach to this northern city. Top DJs keep the action going on what some describe as the UK’s ‘sexiest dance floor’. There is a large outdoor garden and a VIP room where you can try to reserve a table in hopes of seeing Will.I.Am, JLS, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Fergie, and Rihanna, all of whom have performed by playing. in Newcastle.
- Essentials
- Address: Collingwood Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 1JF
- Telephone: +44 (0) 191 261 8271
- Website
