Plymouth has always had a long history of live music, offering a variety of live music events ranging from small pub, cafe and bar based gigs to big touring acts and festivals such as ‘MTV Crashes’ and ‘The Summer Sessions’ on Plymouth Hoe.
Looking for a place to perform in Plymouth? Check out our top venue recommendations below.
1) The Junction
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A venue with a capacity of approximately 270 people, The Junction has been part of Plymouth’s live music scene for decades and has grown in popularity offering a wider range of musical acts compared to its earlier days of mostly rock and metal. Reggae, Indie and Folk bands also play at this venue.
The Junction offers great opportunities for new bands and music artists to perform and showcase their material, supporting more recognised local acts as well as touring acts such as Phil Campbell (the guitarist from Motorhead).
2) The Underground
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A 170-capacity venue featuring a 7k in-house PA, The Underground is renowned for its punk rock vibe. The venue caters for more alternative rock, punk and heavy metal bands and is not far from the Junction situated on Mutley Plain. An area of Plymouth near North Hill and the University of Plymouth.
3) Plymouth Pavilions
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Opened in 1991 with a capacity of 2500, Plymouth Pavilions hosts touring shows from music to full-on theatrical performances and comedy. The venue also hosts regular comedy acts and guest speakers, and puts on an event called ‘Pavilions Presents’ (originally named ‘Pavilions Introduces’ back in 2018), showcasing the best talent from the region supporting touring and emerging local acts.
4) The Depo
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Located on the corner end of Union Street, The Depo opened in 2021 and offers a good platform for DJ’s, MC’s and bands to perform as well as having its own music studios based at the venue as well. It has an approximate capacity of 200 people with touring acts such as the Bob Marley Tribute performing there this year, and themed nights throughout the week such as ‘Indie Tuesdays’.
5) The Barbican Theatre and B-Bar
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Situated in the historical part of the city known as ‘The Barbican’, the theatre and smaller B-Bar host a variety of live music events ranging from open mic nights to touring and local artists. The theatre also put on workshops for songwriting and music production as part of their ‘Sound Rebels’ programme.
6) The Blues Bar and Grill
Located in the heart of the Barbican area of the city, The Blues Bar and Grill has recently held a competition for the city’s best singer, which Access Creative College students entered. The venue also holds open mic and jam nights.
7) The Market Hall Dome in Devonport
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Across the city is this installation of a 360-degree immersive dome with spatial immersive audio, projection mapping and interactive installations. The Market Hall Dome is one of the only few full 360-degree domes in Europe and offers a range of live music and immersive experiences throughout the year.
8) The Roundabout
Situated in the heart of the city and just up from Charles Cross roundabout, next to Drake Circus shopping centre is The Roundabout Pub, which houses events upstairs by promoter POGO events. Expect lively bands and music with a twist that gets people dancing.
9) Annabel’s Cabaret Nightclub
With live music every Friday and Saturday night, Annabel’s Cabaret showcases bands from a variety of genres from Funk, Reggae Disco, Blues and Indie. Bands perform in the Cabaret part of the club and there is always a lively appreciative audience.
10) The Leadworks
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A community venue based in Stonehouse with two floors for live music. The Leadworks hosts open mic nights and start-up gigs downstairs for local bands and promoters, and upstairs hosts larger events for album launches for touring and local bands. During the day, the venue also runs songwriting and mindfulness workshops for the local community.
11) Cosmic Kitchen
An award-winning vegan restaurant by day, and a bar by night. The Cosmic Kitchen, located right next to Access Creative College Plymouth, hosts regular DJ’s performing some of the city’s best dance music. Live bands have also graced the stage performing House, Trance and more.
12) The Thistle Park Tavern
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A venue situated not far from the Vue cinema and Prime skatepark, The Thistle Park Tavern hosts regular live music events mainly for rock, metal punk and some pop acts. The majority being covers based but some original too. The Tavern has a loyal clientele and has been putting on live music for decades.
13) The House at Plymouth University
An amazing space situated on the Plymouth University campus, The House is a seven million pound art centre with a capacity of 200. The venue has started to put on more live music events as of late, and the team at Plymouth Culture are keen to expand on this and make use of the facility more.
14) Livewire Youth Music Project
Based in Saltash, the Livewire Youth Music Project is a charity aimed to help young people and musicians in the local area. The project is run by Andy Rance and has an amazing set of facilities, including a live music venue with a state-of-the-art Allen and Heath digital mixing desk and Array PA system. Upstairs, the project has its own studio and is supported by professional musicians such as Pete Townshend from The Who.
Outdoor Spaces
The Hoe, Central Park and Home Park Stadium
The Hoe often hosts live music events such as ‘MTV Crashes’, Armed Forces Day which has a big live music stage, and now ‘The Summer Sessions’ with music performers such as Sting performing in the city. Home Park, the stadium of Plymouth Argyle FC, recently hosted Muse. And Central Park is home to many events during the summer including acts like Simply Red.
With so much culture on our doorstep, Access Creative College (ACC) is the best place in Plymouth to study music. To find out more about what we can offer you, visit us at our next open day. Secure your place now over on our events page.