UK · 140 cities · 11 regions
Live music in every UK city - local bands, venues, rates and open mics.
Local rates tracked · median fees live · open-mic listings, for every city we cover.
Popular citiesUpdated 12 November 2026
140 city guides, 26 major hubs and 11 regions - the numbers behind the guides, from the same live lists the rest of this page reads.
cities
| Major hubs | 26 |
| Local towns | 114 |
| UK regions | 11 |
| Venues | 3,395 |
| Open mics | 1,516 |
Pick your city to read its live music guide. GigXchange has 140 city guides across 11 UK regions, each one covering where gigs happen, the rooms to know, the regular nights and what local acts earn.
Tap a city on the map to open its guide, or switch to By Region for the full list. The map marks 26 major hubs; the other 114 guides cover the towns around them.
26 major hubs · every city in 01
Every guide is filed under one of 11 UK regions - East of England has the most, with 29. Search a city, county or region, or pick a letter, to jump straight to the one you want.
From London's saturated venue circuit to Glasgow's rock heritage, Cardiff's grass-roots scene and Manchester's indie corridor — GigXchange covers live music across 11 UK regions: London, South East, East of England, South West, East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber, North East, North West, Scotland and Wales & Northern Ireland. Each city guide below covers its scene - the rooms to know, the big nights, the areas, what acts earn and how it compares to its neighbours. Pick a region, or search for a city.
01 · London2 cities
02 · South East28 cities
03 · East of England29 cities
04 · South West12 cities
05 · East Midlands6 cities
06 · West Midlands11 cities
07 · Yorkshire & Humber14 cities
08 · North East6 cities
09 · North West15 cities
10 · Scotland10 cities
London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds have the most gigs; Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff pay the most for weddings; Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol and Liverpool are the grassroots strongholds - three notes from 140 guides.
| Premium ratesTop-paying citiesEdinburgh, Glasgow, and Cardiff top the UK league for wedding-band fees — Scotland's castle-venue circuit and Wales' strong function market drive premium rates. See median fees on the GigXchange Index. |
| High volumeBiggest gig economiesLondon, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds have the highest gig volume — dense venue networks and year-round demand across pubs, clubs, weddings, and corporate events. |
| Indie heritageGrassroots strongholdsSheffield, Nottingham, Bristol, and Liverpool punch above their weight — deep indie heritage and loyal local audiences that fill rooms on weeknights. |
Want what is on this week rather than the city list? See what's on across the UK - live music by city, updated daily.
Short answers to what people ask about the 140 city guides - what each one covers, how a guide differs from the gig directory, and where to look when your town has no guide yet.
Need listings rather than a scene guide? The gig directory lists upcoming gigs by date, the venue directory lists the rooms, the open mic finder lists open stages and the GX Index shows what acts are paid.
| Performer ProfilesBrowse and compare UK artists, bands and DJs by city and genre. | |
| Free ToolsRate calculator, setlist builder and booking contract generator. | |
| The GigXchange BlogGuides, rate reports and scene deep-dives for UK artists and venues. | |
| Join GigXchange free |
Your town is probably inside a nearby guide - start with the nearest city on the map. We add guides where people search for them (140 so far), and every town we list is in the gig directory.
Each new city gets its own booking guide, rate data and genre breakdown within days.
UK Live Music by City
Browse live music across 140+ UK cities in 11 regions — local bands, venues, agents and promoters, with rate benchmarks and open-mic listings for each. Every city where GIGXCHANGE connects artists and venues directly.
Find live music in your city
Browse 140 UK city guides, or join free in two minutes.
Jump to a city
140 UK cities — gigs, venues and open mics in one place.
Open mic finder
1,516 open mic listings by city.
Booking guides
How to get gigs, book a band and hire for events — city by city.
Last updated: 12 November 2026
Find live music in your UK city
Pick your city to read its live music guide. GigXchange has 140 city guides across 11 UK regions, each one covering where gigs happen, the rooms to know, the regular nights and what local acts earn.
- 140+
- Cities
- 11
- Regions
- Tracked
- Local rates
- Live
- Median fees
- 1,516
- Open mic listings
Top-paying cities
Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Cardiff top the UK league for wedding-band fees — Scotland's castle-venue circuit and Wales' strong function market drive premium rates. See median fees on the GigXchange Index.
Biggest gig economies
London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds have the highest gig volume — dense venue networks and year-round demand across pubs, clubs, weddings, and corporate events.
Grassroots strongholds
Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol, and Liverpool punch above their weight — deep indie heritage and loyal local audiences that fill rooms on weeknights.
Want what is on this week rather than the city list? See what’s on across the UK — live music by city, updated daily.
Browse by City
Tap a city on the map to open its guide, or switch to By Region for the full list. The map marks 26 major hubs; the other 114 guides cover the towns around them.
All Major UK Cities 140 cities
South East
East of England
South West
East Midlands
West Midlands
Yorkshire & Humber
North West
All UK Cities
Every guide is filed under one of 11 UK regions - East of England has the most, with 29. Search a city, county or region, or pick a letter, to jump straight to the one you want.
From London's saturated venue circuit to Glasgow's rock heritage, Cardiff's grass-roots scene and Manchester's indie corridor — GigXchange covers live music across 11 UK regions: London, South East, East of England, South West, East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber, North East, North West, Scotland and Wales & Northern Ireland. Each city guide below covers its scene - the rooms to know, the big nights, the areas, what acts earn and how it compares to its neighbours. Pick a region, or search for a city.
Common Questions
Short answers to what people ask about the 140 city guides - what each one covers, how a guide differs from the gig directory, and where to look when your town has no guide yet.
Explore More
Need listings rather than a scene guide? The gig directory lists upcoming gigs by date, the venue directory lists the rooms, the open mic finder lists open stages and the GX Index shows what acts are paid.
Can't see your city?
Your town is probably inside a nearby guide - start with the nearest city on the map. We add guides where people search for them (140 so far), and every town we list is in the gig directory.














