Live Music entertainment in Europe
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A
Szimpla
This distressed-looking, very unflashy place remains one of the most popular drinking venues south of VI Liszt Ferenc tér, with live music Tuesday to Thursday evenings.
reviewed
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B
Sala el Sol
This opened in 1979, just in time for la movida, and quickly established itself as a leading stage for all the icons of the era, such as Nacha Pop and Alaska y los Pegamoides. La movida may have faded into history, but it lives on at El Sol, where the music rocks and rolls and usually resurrects the ’70s and ’80s while soul and funk also get a run. It’s a terrific venue and opening times vary – most concerts start around 11pm but can be as ‘early’ as 10pm. Check the website (which also allows you to book online) for upcoming acts.
reviewed
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C
Botanic Inn
The ‘Bot’ is the second pillar of Malone Rd’s unholy trinity of student pubs, along with the ‘Eg’ and the ‘Welly Park’ (Wellington Park). The latter has sadly been renovated into airport-departure-lounge anonymity, but the Bot is still a wild place, with dancing in the upstairs Top of the Bot club Wednesday to Saturday (people queue down the street to get in), live acoustic music in the Back Bar on Monday and Wednesday, and big-screen sport when there’s a match on.
reviewed
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D
Yorckschlösschen
This knick-knack-laden watering hole has plied an all-ages, all comers crowd of jazz and blues lovers with tunes and booze for over a century. There's live music on Wednesday and weekends, pub grub till 1am, a pool table out back and a garden in summer.
reviewed
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E
Celtic Cross
If Víking beer isn’t doing it for you, head for a pint of Guinness at Celtic Cross. It is done up like a funeral parlour and features bands in the basement at weekends.
reviewed
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F
Caffè Librarium Nostrum
A modish Castello bar with panoramic seating on top of Cagliari’s medieval ramparts. Occasional live music jacks up the atmosphere in the brick-lined interior.
reviewed
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G
Tetería El Harén
A large teahouse that rambles over several floors with lots of private nooks. Live music Thursday to Saturday evenings.
reviewed
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Che Guevara
Has dancing or live music in a fun saloon-club with 1950s pin-ups and a commie-Cuba theme.
reviewed
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H
Copenhagen Opera House
This state-of-the-art opera house features two stages, the Main Stage and a smaller venue, Takkeløftet. The repertoire runs the gamut from classic to contemporary opera, as well as the odd curve ball like a performance by Elvis Costello or something from the Jazz Festival. Productions usually sell out way in advance but any unsold tickets are offered at half-price at the Opera House box office from 6pm on the night of the performance. Alternatively, many come just to eat in the panoramic Franco-Danish restaurant or the ground-floor cafe, or to explore the building on a guided tour. The tours run Saturdays and Sundays at 9.30am and 4.30pm (100kr).
reviewed
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I
Darüşşifa
The Darüşşifa or Bimarhane was built as a mental hospital by Ilduş Hatun, wife of the İlkhanid Sultan Olcaytu, in 1309 and may have been the first place to try to treat mental disorders with music.
The İlkhans were the successors to Ghengis Khan's Mongols, who had defeated the Anatolian Seljuks. Their architecture reflects motifs borrowed from many conquered peoples and the building is based on the plan of a Seljuk medrese. Today the building is often used for exhibitions, concerts and events.
reviewed
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J
Café Amsterdam
At the time of writing, Reykjavík was reeling with shock as one of the city's oldest venues went bankrupt and a second pronounced that it no longer wanted to stage live bands! But the Reykjavík scene is robust and strangely organic, and other venues are already beginning to emerge.
Café Amsterdam has been around for aeons, but it now seems to be evolving as the new place to catch up-and-coming bands, and there are frequent live performances at various bars, pubs and clubs, including Nelly's, Sirkus and NASA.
reviewed
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K
Barış Türkü Cafe & Disco
The Barış was the flavour of the month when we visited, and it's easy to see why. Housed in a historic mansion, this atmosphere-laden café-bar-disco-restaurant has a happening buzz and is a magnet for students of both sexes who come here to flirt, gossip, puff a nargileh, dance and listen to live bands (three times a week). If hunger beckons after swigging more than a few glasses of Efes in the basement, you can order an excellent yayla kebap (kebap with yoghurt) to restore balance to the brain.
reviewed
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L
La Boca del Lobo
Known for offering mostly rock and alternative concerts, La Boca del Lobo (The Wolf’s Mouth) is as dark as its name suggests and has broadened its horizons to include just about anything – roots, reggae, jazz, soul, ska, flamenco, funk and fusion. Amid all the variety are some mainstays – Wednesdays at 11pm is set aside for a roots and groove jam session, while Sunday nights are dedicated to soul music. Concerts start between 9.30pm and 11pm (check the website) most nights, and DJs take over until closing time.
reviewed
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M
Borderline
Through the Tex-Mex entrance off Orange Yard and down into the basement you’ll find a packed, 275-capacity venue that really punches above its weight. Read the writing on the walls (literally, there’s a gig list) : Crowded House, REM, Blur, Counting Crows, PJ Harvey, Lenny Kravitz, Debbie Harry, plus many anonymous indie outfits, have all played here. The crowd’s equally diverse but full of music journos and talent-spotting record-company A&Rs.
reviewed
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N
Micca Club
At eclectic Micca, Pop Art and jelly-bright lighting fills ancient arched cellars, and the entertainment features burlesque, jazz, do-wop, glam rock and more, with loads of live gigs. There’s an admission fee if a gig’s on and at the weekend (€15). Register online for €5 discount. Aperitivo is from 7pm to 10pm from Thursday to Tuesday (€10; from 6pm Sundays), and there’s a vintage flea market on Sundays.
reviewed
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O
Lucerna Music Bar
Nostalgia reigns supreme at this atmospheric old theatre, now looking a little dog-eared, with anything from Beatles tribute bands to mainly Czech artists playing jazz, blues, pop, rock and more on midweek nights. But the most popular event – don’t ask us why – is the regular 1980s and ‘90s video party held every Friday and Saturday night, which pulls in huge crowds of young locals bopping along to Duran Duran and Gary Numan.
reviewed
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P
Maina
Maina is out there, geographically speaking. But that does not seem to stop hordes of music-lovers from showing up, feasting on modern, fusion fare and jamming to trendy tunes. Local bands and DJs are on the programme, and the music runs the gamut, including some styles we’ve never heard of (intelligent lounge? femme-punk?). But it’s a daring, innovative place, and the fact that it’s out in the docklands makes it all the edgier.
reviewed
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Q
Limelight
This combined pub and club, along with next-door venue the Spring & Airbrake (under the same management), is one of the city's top venues for live rock and indie music, having hosted bands such as Oasis, Franz Ferdinand, the Manic Street Preachers and the Kaiser Chiefs. It's also home to alternative club night Helter Skelter and Belfast's biggest student night, Shag.
reviewed
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Marina Club
Breezy gazebos and candles set the scene for summertime patio parties at the Marina Club, which isn’t actually on the waterfront; it’s near a canal and just down the road from Il Muretto. This club is a sprawling estate with multiple lounges, gardens, restaurants, occasional live music acts and weekend DJ sets that coax sun-bronzed crowds off their lounges. Entry is free but dress stylishly to pass bouncer scrutiny around midnight.
reviewed
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R
Chiodo Fisso
Singer-songwriter and local legend Andrea Ardia has converted the medieval vaults of this one-time wine cellar into a cosy gathering place for wine and song. He sings his own material and covers Italian classics from Fabrizio de Andrè to Francesco de Gregori - sometimes alone, sometimes with guests. If it's open, this offers a singular opportunity to bathe in Italian musical culture over a bottle of red. Opening times can be loose.
reviewed
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Graffiti
The place to go if you want to hear the latest Belarusian musicians or to see some live theatre is Graffiti. The underground club is small (get there early if you want in) and not conveniently located (best take a taxi), but the bands and the troupes are often on Lukashenko's shit-list, and this is the only venue in town where they get away with performing (at least most of the time). Bar snacks and beer are tasty and super cheap.
reviewed
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S
Babylon
This venue for live performances is a city institution. Its eclectic program often features big-name international music acts, particularly during the festival season. Most of the action occurs in the concert hall but it also runs an eponymous restaurant/lounge with a DJ spinning right behind the hall. Cover charges and performance times vary; book at Biletix or at the box office (open 10am to 6pm, longer on days of performance).
reviewed
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T
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
Serious aficionados of traditional music should make the trip here. The name (col -tas kyohl- thory erin) means ‘Fraternity of Traditional Musicians of Ireland’. Here you’ll find the best Irish music and dancing in Dublin, with some of the country’s top players. There are nightly shows, but the ‘craic is mighty’ at Friday night’s céilidh (group Irish dance).
reviewed
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U
Costello Café & Niteclub
Very cool. Has smooth-as-silk ambience wedded with an innovative mix of pop, rock and fusion in Warholesque surrounds. There’s live music every night of the week (except Sundays) at 9.30pm, with resident and visiting DJs keeping you on your feet until closing time from Thursday to Saturday. Even when there’s nothing happening, it’s a funky place that draws a sophisticated crowd which usually includes the odd local celebrity.
reviewed
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V
Rainbow
Somehow this rambling venue manages to be both counterculture and cosy at the same time. Battered bench tables and etched-glass windows lend the bar a traditional vibe, while a covered courtyard, an intimate garden and a roomy warehouse host everything from established artists and cutting edge DJs to up-and-coming bands – The Prodigy, Joss Stone and UB40 have all turned up here. It’s worn, warm, funky and a whole lot of fun.
reviewed
