Written by Skye Slatcher
Illustrated by Serena Fadil
Live Music Venue Wrapped (September – November 2025)
In the week that Spotify decided I have a listening age of 73 and that I am the 323rd top listener of Flyte globally, I have been reflecting on what has been an incredibly busy few months. But these are months that for me have been amazingly filled with music and arts. I think I have watched more live music in the last few months than in the rest of the years of my life combined. Since September, and if I am remembering the chaos of these past months correctly, I have enjoyed (to varying extents) live music at over 25 venues in London (and one more in Barcelona). All of that time is not included in Spotify’s analysis of my 59,378 listening minutes, so I have taken it upon myself to do my own live music venue wrapped for 1 September – 30 November 2025.
Ninety One Living Room
I’ve been here a couple of times now. I remember when I walked in for the first time I was so surprised that it does in fact look exactly like someone’s living room, despite that being in the name. It’s been pretty great every time. The crowd is usually very chill so for a relaxed evening out, this is ideal. They have really fun jazz performances most nights. I could live here.
Cafe OTO
This is easily one of the most memorable of the venues I’ve visited. The space itself is pretty unassuming – just a cafe that turns into a performance space in the evenings. What made my evening here so memorable was the music I saw. I’m not even sure I actually have the words to describe what it was that I watched – it was pitched to me as a jazz evening (‘twas not). It was certainly avant-garde. It consisted of a documentary and live performance of what I can only describe as people playing instruments incorrectly. It felt like it might fit into some part of a horror movie maybe. (I should also add here that this was booked without actually checking what the performance would be – wanted a surprise. I do this often.)
The audience consisted of an incredibly mixed bag of people. From 65+ year olds, to the most insufferable looking performative males you’ve ever laid eyes on, what surprised me was that they (for the most part) seemed really into it. Instead, I stood near the back trying not to laugh. I, unfortunately, did not manage to stay for the whole performance. It was, uh, not my cup of tea.
I do hope to go back to Cafe OTO though, and see if there is something else in their programme that floats my boat.
Colour Factory – Orii Jam
A must-visit for the Orii Community’s weekly jazz jam sessions on Mondays. The first half is for beginners or newcomers to the London music scene, with the latter half featuring more seasoned performers. It is so fun to see everyone (often having never performed together before) find their flow and give each other space to show off. The crowd is great and the performers get super into it, which makes everything more fun! If you’ve never been to a jam session before, this is definitely one to go to.
Southbank Centre – Purcell Room
The space itself was lovely – comfy seats, spacious, and great sound quality. And in a pretty significant London venue. The event I saw was part of the London Jazz Festival and Kinkajous transformed the space into an impressive and captivating light show with artist Ke Peng. So fun.
Royal Albert Hall – Elgar Room
This is another great room, and I watched some pretty interesting jazz from up-and-coming artists on the London scene here. The room was, however, SO cold for like 45 mins in the middle. I’m talking Arctic temperatures. Dress warm when visiting.
Pizza Express Jazz Club
Pizza and Jazz. Need I say more?
Union Chapel
Once again, I knew nothing about the performance I would be watching here other than the names Sam Amidon and Thomas Bartlett. I loved the music here – an hour of Bartlett on the piano (impressively leaning down to sip his wine without stopping) and an hour and a half of Sam Amidon’s folk experiments, showcasing his projects delving into the history and modernisation of the genre. This place is also stunning. But the seats, my god, they are so uncomfortable. I was in dire need of a chiropractor after this.
O2 Brixton
Loyle Carner performed here in November and it was amazing. I loved that the whole standing area here is slanted, so you can still get a pretty decent view from the back. Loyle, as expected, attracted a pretty specific crowd. The architecture around the stage is unique (kind of out of place?) – it is based on Venice’s Rialto Bridge. A pretty standard concert space other than that.
O2 Kentish Town
I watched my very favourite band, Flyte, here. I went by myself, was front row, and had the most amazing time. The sound quality was so good – especially when they sang a capella. Again, this is a pretty bog-standard music venue though, so not much else to add.
Drumsheds
Best sound system of the venues I’ve visited. I saw DJ Snake here. Loved it. The crowd was a lot of 30-40 year old men, which for some reason I wasn’t really expecting. The visuals on the screens behind the stage are unreal. The staff and security team were all great. Unsurprisingly the toilet situation was pretty gross – that’s my only complaint.
Alexandra Palace
Another famous venue but one you should definitely visit before you leave London or graduate from LSE. My best piece of advice is to plan your route to avoid having to climb the hill – you’ll be grateful you did. I got here pretty late and managed to be right at the front in the middle with an amazing view of Dom Dolla. One strange observation I had here was the completely uncoordinated dress code of the crowd. Most other places everyone is dressed relatively similarly. Here, it looked like everyone had come for different events.
Old Blue Last
A great Shoreditch pub with jazz downstairs and a range of live music upstairs. Downstairs is free, upstairs is ticketed (and so loud – too loud for me).
Old St Records
When I went, it was super quiet – the only other people there was a table of 5 in the opposite corner. Nonetheless, the band playing was great. I kind of felt like I was watching three maybe-20-something-year-old guys have fun in their flat.
Rough Trade
I finally went to Rough Trade (West) recently, to see Melanie Pain, from Nouvelle Vague. I had been wanting to go for a while and wasn’t disappointed. The West location is tiny, but that just meant that everyone in the crowd of 15 could enjoy a pretty good view. I’m not in any particular rush to go back, but if I find more free events there, I’ll be there.
Sofar Fringe – 23 Rivington, Bread and Butter, Shoreditch Town Hall
I won’t add too much here – but go and read my review of the event!
Ain’t Nothing But
Tucked away in Carnaby, this place has been a fixture of the London music scene since 1993. It is the city’s “home of the blues”. It gets busy quite quickly, so keep that in mind when visiting. When I went, I was kind of hypnotised by the man on the harmonica – I can’t remember his name but he was super cool.
Covent Garden Christmas Lights Switch On
I have decided this counts for the purposes of my reflections. I will always bend the rules to accommodate Christmas. I love Christmas. This year’s show in the heart of Theatreland included performances from the casts of The Lion King, Hercules, and Cabaret, as well as some festive tunes by a London gospel choir. I loved it. Yay Christmas!
NT’s Loft
The space itself here is pretty unassuming but when they set the lights to red and you see the overground go past in the background, it becomes the coolest place ever. Their Jazz Wednesdays feature some great musicians from the London scene – the guitarist I saw had done some Tiny Desk concerts. Great drinks and pizza too.
The Distillers, Hammersmith
Every last Tuesday of the month, they host a free jazz jam event. Anyone can sign up on the board to perform two songs. When I arrived I had just missed someone playing the steel-pan, so I think I’ll have to go back to enjoy that a different time.
The Haggerston
The Sunday jazz nights here are legendary. They have become a go-to hotspot for jazz lovers in Dalston. Expect a lively crowd and a lot of energy. The saxophonist might just be the coolest person in London. He accessorised his outfit with sunglasses and Crocs, which could only be pulled off with a certain level of snazziness.
River Cafe, Putney
I watched Flyte, my favourite band, here. It was a small gig they did for about 30 people. £5 a ticket. I had such an amazing time. Listening to them play for about an hour in this tiny cafe was kind of life-changing. I wish more artists would do this.
I seem to end all of my Flipside articles with some message or lesson I’ve taken from my conversation with the interviewee. I’m not sure I have a clear one from this, other than maybe: how lucky we are to live in a city SO FULL of music!
