The best live music bars in Brighton

The Brunswick is one of Brighton and Hove's most active grassroots venues, with two professionally equipped live spaces hosting gigs most nights of the week. Programming covers independent music, comedy, and arts events, often running simultaneously across rooms. There's a large main bar, a beer garden that's popular in warmer months, and a restaurant serving standard pub food including roasts. Outside of gigs, the venue is also used for private hire, while two escape rooms upstairs add another reason people end up spending longer here than planned.

Located in the railway arches next to Brighton Station, Green Door Store is a dedicated grassroots venue known for live gigs and club nights rather than casual pub sessions. The industrial-style space hosts touring bands, local promoters, and themed dance nights, with programming most weeks of the year. Accessibility and inclusivity are built into its approach, reflected in frequent free or low-cost events. There's a bar inside, but music is the clear focus.

Brighton's live music scene thrives on small, independently run bars as much as dedicated venues. Places like The Rossi Bar play a key role, offering regular gigs, compact rooms, and a focus on emerging artists and promoters. Often centrally located and easy to access, these bars are built around live performance rather than occasional events. This guide highlights reliable spots where music is part of the weekly schedule, making them useful starting points for catching new acts across the city.

The Hope & Ruin is a central Brighton pub that doubles as a busy grassroots music venue, hosting live bands, club nights, and alternative events throughout the week. The performance space is small and intimate, with gigs often running late into the evening. It also hosts quizzes and themed nights when live music isn't on. Food comes from Beelzebab, a long-running vegan street food operation parked outside.

The Folklore Rooms is an upstairs venue above The Quadrant, operating as a dedicated live music room rather than a traditional bar. Gigs are ticketed and tend to feature emerging artists, independent promoters and touring acts passing through Brighton. The setup is simple, prioritising sound quality and sightlines over décor. With limited capacity, shows are tightly focused and tend to sell out in advance. It's one of the city's most reliable places to see new artists in a purpose-built small venue.

The Lion & Lobster is a long-standing pub spread across three floors, combining a traditional bar with a more formal dining room and a small rooftop terrace. Live music here is occasional rather than nightly, with regular jazz sessions and Irish traditional music nights forming the core of its programme. Food is cooked on-site, with Sunday roasts and steak nights drawing steady crowds.

Tucked away in The Lanes, The Mesmerist is a bar that regularly mixes live music and DJ nights into its weekly schedule. The décor is deliberately retro, and the space includes both indoor seating and a small outdoor area. Music spans a range of genres depending on the night, from live bands to vinyl-focused DJ sets. There's a kitchen on site with rotating food residents, making it ideal for an evening that combines eating, drinking, and music without moving venues.

The Freemasons is a Hove pub with a regular calendar of events, including open mic nights and live music sessions. It's a full-service pub first and foremost, with a wide drinks list covering craft beer, cocktails, wine, and spirits. Food is provided by Bunny, who specialises in South African street food like bunny chow. Large screens show live sport most days, which can sometimes overlap with music nights.

Dead Wax Social is a North Laine bar built around music, with a high-quality sound system and walls lined with vinyl. Live gigs and DJ nights run often, often skewing towards alternative and independent genres. The bar stays open late, making it a popular stop after shows elsewhere. During the day, the space operates as a co-working venue, which keeps the layout functional rather than theatrical. Music remains central to its identity, even when no one's on stage.

Fiddler's Elbow is an Irish pub close to The Lanes that combines live music with sport and traditional pub service. Music nights are frequent and varied, ranging from acoustic sets to fuller band performances, often alongside televised sport earlier in the evening. The drinks menu focuses on stout and beer, with Guinness a clear priority. It's a simple setup where live music fits naturally into the pub environment rather than taking over the space entirely.

Patterns operates as a bar, live venue, and late-night club, with music running from daytime DJ sets through to full club nights downstairs. The upstairs space includes a seafront terrace, while the basement hosts live bands and electronic acts. Programming covers DJs, touring artists, and local promoters, with a stronger nightlife focus than most pub venues. It's also available for private hire, but music remains the main draw, particularly later in the evening.

Concorde 2 is one of Brighton's biggest dedicated live music venues, with a capacity of around 600. Located on the seafront in Kemptown, it hosts established touring acts, club nights, and larger-scale events that outgrow pub-sized spaces. The venue is Grade II listed but fitted with modern sound and lighting. Unlike bars with occasional gigs, this is a purpose-built space where music is the sole focus, making it more comparable to a small concert hall than a bar.

Voya is a small restaurant and bar in North Laine that treats music as part of the experience rather than a background extra. Food is brasserie-style and seasonal, with a clear emphasis on local suppliers, while the drinks list covers cocktails, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic options. Music comes from resident DJs rather than live bands, with carefully curated sets that stay at listening level rather than pushing into club territory. The space is small, so it works best for shorter visits or planned evenings rather than large groups.

The Bootlegger is a central Brighton cocktail bar with a curated weekly programme built around live music and events. Fridays are dedicated to live bands, usually covering jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll, while other nights feature swing-focused programming, including Lindy Hop classes followed by DJs or bands. Sundays host a free-entry country blues jam, open to both musicians and spectators. Seating is mostly booths and tables, so events feel organised rather than spontaneous, and music runs alongside normal bar service.