Bar, Live Music entertainment in Europe
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Mosebacke Etablissement
This multifunction party palace is a thumping institution. August Strindberg once hung out here, the lofty terrace is a summer-night must, and the club nights are among the city’s best – don’t miss veteran Friday favourite Blacknuss, with its gospel/soul/R&B tunes. Theatre and cabaret also make the occasional splash, while regular live-music jams span from Aussie rock to Nordic indie pop.
reviewed
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B
Birdland
With Birdland, world-renowned jazz musician and local boy Joe Zawinul has created a top-notch bar for discerning jazz fans. The acoustics and ambience are excellent, but then again, with the entry price rarely dropping below €30, they should be. Acts have included The Temptations, Hot Chocolate and Earth, Wind & Fire; quality on most nights is pretty much a given. It's situated below the Hilton Vienna.
reviewed
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C
Södra Teatern
If it’s fiery flamenco, gypsy wedding tunes or Muslim stand-up comedy from London you’re after, chances are you’ll find it at this cultural hothouse, complete with lush La Scala–style theatre. Check the website for upcoming events, which range from live world music to erudite debates and the monthly exotica of club night .
reviewed
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D
Bogui Jazz
It’s always worth checking out what’s happening at Bogui Jazz, where it likes a big-band sound as much as it does intimate ensembles, whether big international names or well-established local groups. If you can’t decide between the many groups on offer, the Tuesday-night jam sessions (11pm to 3am) are a good way to get a feel for this terrific venue.
reviewed
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E
El Despertar
El Despertar is all about jazz down to its roots. Everything about this place harks back to the 1920s, with a commitment to old-style jazz and décor to match from its days as a meeting point for the barrio’s intelligentsia. There are live performances every Friday and Saturday, as well as most Thursdays and Sundays. Concerts start at 10.30pm.
reviewed
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F
Segundo Jazz
This well-regarded jazz venue focuses on up-and-coming local talents as well as a few international acts. It’s an agreeable, unpretentious place where the quality is always high and the atmosphere nice and laid-back. Tuesday is given over to jam sessions from 11pm, while other concerts start anywhere from 9pm to midnight.
reviewed
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G
Batalion
Batalion is a delightfully grungy bar with a basement music club offering anything from rock and jazz to punk and death metal performed by up-and-coming Czech bands (plus DJ-fronted dance parties on Friday and Saturday). Despite a location in the midst of the tourist hordes, it pulls in a young, mainly local crowd.
reviewed
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Munzur Cafe Bar
Seventeen years old and counting, this bar has arguably the best line-up of singers in the street and also hosts expert bağlama (lute) players. It brings in diverse customer groups trying to connect to the lyrics of the song. Refuse plates of fruits if not ordered; they’re not complimentary.
reviewed
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El Rincón del Arte Nuevo
With 29 years in the business, this small venue knows what its punters like and it serves up a nightly feast of singer-songwriters for an appreciative crowd. The acts are as diverse as the genre itself, with Melendi, Fran Postigo and Diego El Negro among the recent performers. Concerts start at 10pm.
reviewed
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J
El Buho Real
It looks like your average Madrid bar de copas, but El Buho Real (The Royal Owl) is all about acoustic music. It interprets the term pretty widely to include flamenco and singer-songwriter solo acts, and it’s been around long enough to have drawn a loyal following. Concerts start at 9.30pm.
reviewed
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K
Alem
The only joint on Nevizade’s meyhane row featuring live fasıl (on the 2nd floor), Alem offers a well-chosen set menu of mezes, meat and fish (of which they have a choice array daily). If you’re not keen on singing, stay downstairs and eyeball passers-by.
reviewed
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L
Jazz Bar
Jazz aficionados will love this place for its endless jazz soundtrack and private booths (at last, a bar that has gone for privacy rather than trying to cram too many people in) and there’s plenty of greenery to keep you cheerful.
reviewed
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Aurora
Aurora housed in what look like old construction-site offices. It has its own distinctive musical flavour (live or DJ-supplied), but on almost any given night of the week the atmosphere is lively and the beer cheap.
reviewed
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Diuna
Diuna housed in what look like old construction-site offices. It has its own distinctive musical flavour (live or DJ-supplied), but on almost any given night of the week the atmosphere is lively and the beer cheap.
reviewed
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Eylül
This place is popular with students and young İstanbullus wanting to listen to the musical strains of their Anatolian homeland. Until the music starts, you’d think you’ve walked into a Turkish rock bar.
reviewed
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Blue Note
Top-class jazz acts from around the world. Tickets by phone, online or at the door from 7.30pm. They also do a popular easy-listening Sunday brunch (€35 or €55 for two adults and two children).
reviewed
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Q
Kick
This outdoor café morphs into a disco with a DJ as the night wears on. It’s one of the most popular hang-outs for young people and there’s occasional live music on weekends.
reviewed
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R
Sunduk
Cosy grotto space with good food, a great atmosphere and the funkiest bathrooms in the city. There’s an R100 charge for the live music (mainly jazz), which is performed nightly after 8.30pm.
reviewed
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The Other Side
There’s live music most nights at this fun and funky bar as well as decent food (mains R200 to R500), but most people turn up to enjoy the seven beers on tap and other alcoholic libations.
reviewed
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T
La Tahona Nueva
There's a classy courtyard draped with bougainvillea at La Tahona, plus a cavernous bar area with a stage for regular live gigs ranging from flamenco to blues and jazz.
reviewed
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Maderfaker Funk Club
Dedicated to the black arts of funk, soul and blues, this narrow bar is laid-back cool. It rarely draws the crowds it deserves, but that makes it all the more mellow.
reviewed
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Café Galleri
The centre of Grimstad’s nightlife has DJs, jam sessions and a crowd that seems to spring from Grimstad’s woodwork on the most unlikely of nights.
reviewed
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Purple Haze
Every Wednesday the stage is thrown open for a jam session, whereas Thursday has invited musicians; jazz and blues bands sometimes work this pub for all ages.
reviewed
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Jazz Bar
This jazz stalwart has a more sophisticated scene with regular exhibitions, and live jazz once or twice a week at 10pm.
reviewed
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Buffalo Bar
A haven for cool kids about town, the laid-back Buffalo features retro furniture, tasty daytime food, life-affirming cocktails and cool tunes with DJ sets. Upstairs a roster of cutting-edge indie bands take to the stage.
reviewed
