Live Music entertainment in Italy
-
A
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
-
B
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
-
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
-
C
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
-
D
Terrazzamare
All the style you’d expect from an Italian beach club, with bronzed regulars in enormous glasses sprawled on lipstick red designer club chairs well past sunset and matched pairs of pale Biennale-goers making out behind art installations. With open cabanas on a raised platform, dance scenes on the sand below and occasional DJ duels, the Terazza earns its claim to fame as a ‘theatre-bar’.
reviewed
-
E
La Casa del Jazz
In the middle of a 2500-sq-m park in the southern suburbs, the Casa del Jazz (House of Jazz) is housed in a three-storey 1920s villa that belonged to a Mafia boss. When he was caught, the Comune di Roma (Rome Council) converted it into a jazz-tastic complex, including a 150-seat auditorium, rehearsal rooms, café and restaurant, and it hosts regular shows by international jazz stars.
reviewed
-
F
Rolling Stone
Belle and Sebastian, Artic Monkeys, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and local bands you never heard of (but should) play Milan's leading rock venue. Patrons have been known to shower bands with adoration and contempt by spraying them with beer from the bar above the stage, but nowadays management keeps a look out for amp-destroying rabble-rousers (you know who you are).
reviewed
-
G
Le Trottoir
Party at your house - at least that's how it looks inside this former toll house, with art on the stairway, funky frescos and the inevitable cluster of artists attempting to discuss video art over the joyous din of a swinging ska band. That's right: that dinky raised platform is a stage, showcasing local alternative bands that get the whole place gyrating.
reviewed
-
H
Alexanderplatz
The daddy of all jazz clubs in a city that loves jazz, Alexanderplatz attracts some huge international names. You’ll need to book a table if you want dinner, and the music starts around 10pm. From July to September, the club moves outside to the grounds of Villa Celimontana for an enchanting, under-the-stars jazz festival.
reviewed
-
I
Palapartenope
Located in suburban Fuorigrotta, west of central Naples, the architecturally uninspiring Palapartenope is the biggest indoor concert venue in town. A 6000-plus seating capacity sets the scene for big-name Italian and international acts, which have included everyone from local crooner Pino Daniele to vintage icons Lou Reed and Spandau Ballet.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Laboratorio Occupato Morion
When not busy staging alternative art biennales or environmental protests to the Mose project, this counter-culture social centre throws one hell of a dance party, with performances by bands from around the Veneto. Events are announced on the blog (in Italian) and, in situationist fashion, with wheat-paste posters thrown up around town.
reviewed
-
K
Bar La Precchia
If you fancy a late-night drink or want to be in the right place for crowd gazing during passeggiata (evening stroll), Bar La Precchia is a local favourite. It has an enormous menu of drinks, from café frappe and fruit milkshakes to cocktails and wine. In summer it's open until 03:00 and often has live music.
reviewed
-
L
Stadio San Paolo
A temple to the cult of football, this massive stadium played host to the notorious 1990 World Cup semi-final between Italy and Argentina during which Diego Maradona was jeered after asking Napoli football fans to cheer for Argentina. Pride aside, the stadium also hosts occasional pop concerts by big-name Italian acts.
reviewed
-
Leoncavallo
Begun in the red-or-dead ‘70s, and proving to be one of the most resilient of the centri sociali (anarcho-socialist cultural organisations), Leoncavallo hosts electronic evenings and live gigs that attract large, alternative crowds. Check the website for details (just in case the bulldozers got there first).
reviewed
-
M
Makasar
For a touch of tea-infused tranquillity pre or post Vatican, Makasar is ideal. It’s an ochre-walled haven, with a Japanese vibe, featuring little wicker seats and tables, some beautiful teapots, lavish cookery books to browse, and a massive menu of teas with names like silvery fancy and Brasile bop
reviewed
-
N
Locanda Atlantide
Come, tickle Rome’s grungy underbelly, and descend into this cavernous place, decked in retro junk, packed with attitude-free alternative crowds, and with an always entertaining programme of everything from experimental theatre to DJ-spun electro. It’s good to know that punk is not dead.
reviewed
-
O
Big Mama
To wallow in the Eternal City blues, there’s only one place to go – this cramped Trastevere basement, which also hosts jazz, funk, soul and R&B. There are weekly residencies from well-known Italian musicians and songwriters, and frequent concerts by international artists.
reviewed
-
P
Rocket
This cavelike venue hosts the odd live act along the lines of Glasgow’s Futureheads. DJ nights vary; just know that you won’t get the Eros Ramazzoti that’s on the decks elsewhere. The whole operation ups sticks to beachside Sestri Levante during the summer; check the website for details.
reviewed
-
Q
Surfer’s Den
Milan’s only surf club, with higgledy-piggledy longboards lining the walls, is admittedly a long way from the nearest break, but gets the idea of a good night out. In this case it’s excellent DJs, the odd live performance and people who like to stay up late and dance.
reviewed
-
Casa 139’
A small intimate space that features contemporary Italian songwriters as well as international acts. This is an ARCI club (Italian Recreative and Cultural Association) that requires a €13 membership, but non-Italians might be able to wangle their way in without one.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
R
Fonclea
Fonclea is a great little pub venue for live music, with bands playing anything from jazz to soul, funk to rockabilly, covers to African sounds (gigs start at 9pm). From June to August Fonclea moves outside – phone or check the website for the location.
reviewed
-
S
Bazeel
On the corner of centrally located Piazza Garibaldi, this bar draws a mixed clientele and is famous for its aperitivo spread. If you want to score one of the outdoor tables, get there a bit before 6pm. After 9pm there’s usually live music or a DJ.
reviewed
-
T
Gregory’s
If it were a tone of voice, it’d be husky: unwind in the downstairs bar then unwind some more on squashy sofas upstairs to some slinky live jazz, with quality local performers. Gregory’s is a popular hang-out for local musicians.
reviewed
-
U
Officina 99
No Philippe Starck lighting here, just an abandoned factory packed with hardcore lefties, punks and raw live acts ranging from radical Neapolitan rap to anti-Establishment reggae. Gigs are sporadic, so call ahead or check the website.
reviewed
-
V
Mutiny Republic
Artful clubbing awaits at this funky centro storico newie. A friendly, boho crowd kicks back on silky sofas, eye up cutting-edge art and get down to DJ-spun jazz, electro-soul and disco funk or to live acts with a world music edge.
reviewed
