Live music in Soho beyond jazz: blues, open mics and basement gigs

Ask for live music in Soho and the answer tends to arrive in a double bass case. Fair enough, but there is more going on: a blues bar that has kept its doors open since 1993, a basement with free gigs midweek, and a rock and roll room that began life as a swing club. A note on geography: Soho proper runs up to Charing Cross Road, so two of these sit on its northern edge, and we say so.

Carnaby and Kingly: the blues bar

Ain't Nothin' But, 20 Kingly Street, is billed as London's original blues bar and has been going since 1993. Live music is the whole point, every night, and it describes itself as independent and grassroots. According to This Is Soho, weekday sets begin with acoustic acts from half six, and the main band comes on at nine. Its own profiles say it is 18 and over, walk-in only, with no reservations, so there is nothing to book and nothing to plan beyond turning up.

Go early evening if you want a seat and a quieter set, and stay for the band at nine. Order a beer and take a spot near the stage. The venue is also named in a 2026 open mic and jam guide from ICMP, though no night is given, so ask at the door before building a plan around it.

More details are on the This Is Soho listing.

On Soho's edge: a basement for free gigs and open mics

The Roxy, 3 to 5 Rathbone Place, calls itself a Soho bar and club, though it sits on the Fitzrovia side. Its own site says live music is free on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, seven until ten, with a mix of blues, funk, soul and jazz. That is the reason to go: an early evening of free music before the night proper starts.

It also runs Open Mic London on selected Thursdays, free to enter. Sign-up is at seven, first come first served, the first act is on at half seven, and the final act and winner are announced at half ten. The dates published on the Roxy's site run from September onwards, so check the live listings for the next one before you set out. Bring your songs and arrive at seven sharp if you want a slot. If you only want to listen, go for the free midweek music and take a spot near the front.

Just north of Oxford Circus: the Social

The Social, 5 Little Portland Street, opened in 1999 and was set up by a record company whose offshoots included a successful underground club night. Time Out describes a downstairs live room and 1970s-style upstairs booths. DesignMyNight puts the basement capacity at 150 and names Jack White, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and Beck among past acts, so you are seeing bands close up.

The basement also hosts literature events and screenings through promoters including White Rabbit Books, So Young, Communion and Rough Trade Books. On Fridays there is LOCALISM, a house and techno night with free entry until three in the morning, according to the venue's own site. Go for a gig downstairs, then take a booth upstairs. Check what is on that night, as the line-up changes.

See the Social's site for the current programme.

Oxford Street edge: the 100 Club

The 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street, has had live music since 24 October 1942, when it began as the Feldman Swing Club. It took its current name when the current owner's father took over in 1964. Wikipedia lists a capacity of 350 and notes its punk history, and that the Rolling Stones played a tribute show for Ian Stewart there on 23 February 1986. Roger Horton took over in 1992 and passed it to his son Jeffrey in 2001.

Songkick lists Dub Pistols and Rhoda Dakar on Friday 28 August. Pick a night by the act and go for the room itself: it is one for history lovers who still want a loud evening. More background on its Wikipedia page.

A pub with a cellar: the Spice of Life

The Spice of Life, 6 Moor Street, at the corner of Romilly Street, is the nearest thing here to a pub with music. It was first licensed in 1686 as the George, and the current building dates from 1898. CAMRA says it was famous in the 1960s and 70s for folk and then punk, and that live music runs most nights in the Backstage bar, with up to five McMullen cask ales on. The cellar is now jazz-led, so it sits at the edge of this guide, but the history is the draw: The Jazz Guide lists Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, the Sex Pistols and the Stranglers among those who played the cellar, formerly the Scots Hoose.

Order a cask ale and head downstairs. Check the current calendar for which nights are blues or open mic. See the CAMRA entry.

How to plan it

• Early evening, free: the Roxy on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
• Late and loud: Ain't Nothin' But, band on from nine.
• Friday after midnight: LOCALISM at the Social, free in until three.
• A bit of history: the 100 Club, then a pint at the Spice of Life.

Sunday hours vary, so check each venue before you go.