Coventry · 113 gigs · 16 venues
Live Music in Coventry
Coventry, West Midlands
The city that gave the UK 2-Tone — a compact West Midlands music market with deep original-music roots, a post-City-of-Culture venue revival, and a student circuit straddling two universities.
Updated 8 May 2026
01 — The short answer
CoventryLive music in Coventry
Coventry has 16 venues listing live music, 28 gigs in the next 30 days and 18 open mic nights.
Of the 8 venues that list their live nights, 7 put on music on Saturdays and 3 on Fridays - the busiest nights in Coventry. Of the 10 with a known size, 4 are small rooms under 150, 2 hold up to 500 and 4 are bigger halls.
Coventry is an underrated working-musician market — a city of ~345,000 sitting 20 miles east of Birmingham with venues spanning HMV Empire (3,000 cap, the former Coventry Theatre resurrected in 2019), Kasbah (1,400 cap, long-running alt/indie), The Arches Venue, Drapers Bar, and a solid university-union circuit at Copper Rooms (Warwick) and The Hub (Coventry University) — ~60,000 students combined. Coventry is one of the UK's best cities for ska, 2-Tone and reggae-adjacent acts — The Specials' legacy means those bookings genuinely pay better here than in comparable-size cities. The city's 2021 UK City of Culture year left real venue investment behind that hasn't yet translated into the national booking-platform presence it deserves. The Coventry working-musician calendar is dominated by cover bands and party-band specialists — these are the steady-bookings backbone for any local act. Filter by "covers" or "party band" on Explore to see who's active in the city right now. Average response time on a booking enquiry is 4–8 hours during peak season. For new acts breaking in, Coventry's weekly open mics are the obvious starting point.
listing live music
| Gigsin the next 30 days · in Coventry | 28 |
| Open micsactive nights · in Coventry | 18 |
| On GigXchangeCoventry acts · with a profile you can browse | 3 |
02 — The scene
Live Music Scene Score — Coventry100
| Artists | 23 |
| Venues | 4 |
| Gigs 90d | 100 |
| Rates | 50 |
| Heritage | 0 |
| Activity | 0 |
03 — Venues
16 roomsWhere live music happens
The Coventry circuit runs through 16 venues, Arches Coventry and Catch Twenty Two included. Each card shows its size, its kit and its live nights.
Photo: Google 90 cap Arches CoventrySherbourne · Coventry 
Catch Twenty TwoCoventryHouse PA 550Cap 
Golden CrossCoventryHouse PA 70Cap 
hmv EmpireCoventry City Centre · CoventryHouse PAEngineer 1,000Cap 
Kasbah NightclubCity Centre · CoventryHouse PAEngineer 1,350Cap 
LTB ShowroomsCathedral Quarter · Coventry Cap tbc 
Millsy's Cafe BarEarlsdon · CoventryHouse PA Cap tbc 
Sky Blue TavernCoventryHouse PA Cap tbc 
The AnstyAnsty · CoventryHouse PA Cap tbc 
The Rainbow InnAllesley · CoventryHouse PA Cap tbc Each card carries capacity, backline and opening hours. Browse them all on the Coventry venue directory, see what is booked on the Coventry gig directory, or check what the city pays in the GX Index.
| All live music venues in Coventry |
04 — Rooms to know
8 roomsThe rooms to know
Eight rooms that anchor the Coventry circuit — from a charity-run coal vault to the Midlands' largest arts centre. The city that gave the world 2-Tone, The Specials, Hazel O'Connor and The Enemy.
| ~800 cap · Hertford StHMV EmpireCoventry's main mid-size live music venue at 22 Hertford Street. Active programme with Melanie C, The Beat, Julian Marley, The View all confirmed. Runs a new-band showcase programme. Books: rock, indie, ska, 2-Tone, tribute, comedy.Getting on: Direct with the venue |
| ~120 cap · Canal BasinThe Tin Music & ArtsCharity-run (No. 1152636) canalside venue in converted 18th-century coal vaults. Evolved from Taylor John's House. Two spaces: The Coal Vaults (performance + bar) and community room. Rehearsal space, artist studios. Books: indie, folk, singer-songwriter, emerging.Getting on: Direct with the venue |
| 1,340 cap · campusWarwick Arts Centre (Butterworth Hall)University of Warwick. Largest arts centre in the Midlands. 300,000 visitors/year, 3,000+ events. Professional programming — not a self-book venue for unsigned acts. Books: classical, orchestral, contemporary, jazz.Getting on: Programmed shows |
| ~300–400 cap · Far Gosford StThe Box at FarGo VillageFlexible blank-canvas venue inside Coventry's independent-creative hub. Staging, sound, lighting and AV equipment. Near Coventry University. Books: mixed — live music, theatre, comedy, private hire.Getting on: Direct with the venue |
| ~350–400 cap · Albany RdAlbany TheatreCharity-run community theatre with a steady music line-up — The Fureys, ELO Encounter, K-Pop shows all confirmed. Box office active with events through 2028. Books: touring tribute, folk, musical theatre, comedy.Getting on: Direct with the venue |
| 32,609 cap · stadiumCBS ArenaFormerly Ricoh Arena. Major touring acts only — agency-booked. 20,000 sqm flexible event space with on-site DoubleTree hotel. Books: touring pop, rock, major acts.Getting on: Programmed shows |
| variable cap · heritageCoventry CathedralThe new cathedral (1962) and ruins both host events. Atmospheric heritage-tier venue for acoustic, choral and special performances. Books: choral, classical, organ recitals, special events.Getting on: Events |
| ~800 + 300 cap · Corporation StBelgrade TheatreFirst civic theatre built in Britain after WWII (1958). Grade II listed. B2 studio (300 seats, opened 2008) takes smaller-scale work. Books: theatre-led with occasional music, dance, variety.Getting on: Programmed shows |
05 — Gigs
Next 6The next 30 days Coventry
28 gigs are listed in Coventry for the next 30 days, from free pub sets to ticketed shows - rebuilt nightly from the gig directory.
Starts19:00 IncognitoThe Assembly · Leamington Clarendon 
INCOGNITO Saturday 24/10/26The Assembly Leamington · Leamington Clarendon 19:00Tonight 
IncognitoLeamington Spa Assembly · Leamington Clarendon · Coventry 19:00Tonight 
ABBA Tribute by Dancing QueensThe Anchor Inn · Hartshill 19:00Tonight 
Straighten Out - Tribute to the StranglersQueens Hall · St Mary's · Coventry 20:00Tonight 
Bollywood Time Machine 2.0 CoventryWarwick Arts Centre · Wainbody · Coventry 18:30Sun 25 Oct Every listing is a real Coventry date, rebuilt nightly from the Coventry gig directory. See the Coventry venues hosting them, or what these gigs pay in the GX Index.
| All Coventry gigs | |
| What's on in Coventry this weekthe weekly gig guide, by email |
06 — The scene
CoventryThe Coventry sound
Every venue, gig and open mic we list in Coventry is on the map - zoom in to see where each part of the scene plays, then read what each area is known for.
| City Centre & Hertford StreetHMV Empire (~800 cap, Coventry's main mid-size venue — touring indie, rock, ska, tribute, comedy) and The Box at FarGo Village (420+ sqm flexible space inside the independent-creative hub near Coventry University). |
| Canal Basin & grassrootsThe Tin Music & Arts (~120 cap, charity-run canalside venue in converted 18th-century coal vaults — grassroots indie, folk, singer-songwriter, emerging acts). Music Venue Trust-associated. Thursday open mic. The originals-music heart of the city. |
| University of Warwick campusWarwick Arts Centre houses Butterworth Hall (1,340 seats — the largest arts centre in the Midlands outside the Barbican). Classical, orchestral, contemporary and jazz. Professional programming — not a self-book venue for unsigned acts. 300,000 visitors/year. |
| Function & wedding workWarwickshire estates — Coombe Abbey (12th-century, 500-acre park), Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth Castle and country-house venues across the CV postcode. Browse Coventry bands for hire. |
Acts travel, and the next scene is one city over - Leicester, Birmingham and Nottingham.
| NearbyLive music in Leicester | |
| NearbyLive music in Birmingham | |
| NearbyLive music in Nottingham |
07 — Next step
Pick yoursYour next step in Coventry
Whoever you are, Coventry has a page built for your next step - pick yours.
| FansWhat's on in Coventry this weekthe Coventry gig guide, by email | |
| ArtistsHow to get gigs in Coventrypay, venues that book, how to pitch | |
| ArtistsOpen mics in Coventryfree stage time, night by night | |
| BookersBook live music in Coventryprices, steps, licensing | |
| BookersBooking live entertainment in Coventrybirthdays, weddings, private parties | |
| VenuesLive music venues in Coventryclaim yours free and keep it current |
08 — Pay
GX IndexWhat acts earn
| What it costs to book live music in Coventrythe booking guide | |
| What gigs pay in Coventrythe artist guide | |
| The GX Indexevery UK fee table, open data |
09 — Questions7 answersFrequently asked questions
10 — Keep exploring
CoventryMore of Coventry
| Coventry Rate BenchmarkSee what UK bands actually charge by city and gig type. Median fees from the live GigXchange Index. | |
| UK City-by-City Booking GuideA detailed walkthrough of how booking works across every major UK city, prices, scenes, and local tips. |
Add your Coventry act to the directory
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Live Music in Coventry
The city that gave the UK 2-Tone — a compact West Midlands music market with deep original-music roots, a post-City-of-Culture venue revival, and a student circuit straddling two universities.
Last updated: 8 May 2026
Live Music in Coventry: the Short Answer
Coventry has 16 venues listing live music, 28 gigs in the next 30 days and 18 open mic nights.
Of the 8 venues that list their live nights, 7 put on music on Saturdays and 3 on Fridays - the busiest nights in Coventry. Of the 10 with a known size, 4 are small rooms under 150, 2 hold up to 500 and 4 are bigger halls.
Coventry is an underrated working-musician market — a city of ~345,000 sitting 20 miles east of Birmingham with venues spanning HMV Empire (3,000 cap, the former Coventry Theatre resurrected in 2019), Kasbah (1,400 cap, long-running alt/indie), The Arches Venue, Drapers Bar, and a solid university-union circuit at Copper Rooms (Warwick) and The Hub (Coventry University) — ~60,000 students combined. Coventry is one of the UK's best cities for ska, 2-Tone and reggae-adjacent acts — The Specials' legacy means those bookings genuinely pay better here than in comparable-size cities. The city's 2021 UK City of Culture year left real venue investment behind that hasn't yet translated into the national booking-platform presence it deserves. The Coventry working-musician calendar is dominated by cover bands and party-band specialists — these are the steady-bookings backbone for any local act. Filter by "covers" or "party band" on Explore to see who's active in the city right now. Average response time on a booking enquiry is 4–8 hours during peak season. For new acts breaking in, Coventry's weekly open mics are the obvious starting point.
Where Live Music Happens in Coventry
The Coventry circuit runs through 16 venues, Arches Coventry and Catch Twenty Two included. Each card shows its size, its kit and its live nights.
Each card carries capacity, backline and opening hours. Browse them all on the Coventry venue directory, see what is booked on the Coventry gig directory, or check what the city pays in the GX Index.
The Coventry Rooms to Know
Eight rooms that anchor the Coventry circuit — from a charity-run coal vault to the Midlands' largest arts centre. The city that gave the world 2-Tone, The Specials, Hazel O'Connor and The Enemy.
Coventry's main mid-size live music venue at 22 Hertford Street. Active programme with Melanie C, The Beat, Julian Marley, The View all confirmed. Runs a new-band showcase programme.
Charity-run (No. 1152636) canalside venue in converted 18th-century coal vaults. Evolved from Taylor John's House. Two spaces: The Coal Vaults (performance + bar) and community room. Rehearsal space, artist studios.
University of Warwick. Largest arts centre in the Midlands. 300,000 visitors/year, 3,000+ events. Professional programming — not a self-book venue for unsigned acts.
Flexible blank-canvas venue inside Coventry's independent-creative hub. Staging, sound, lighting and AV equipment. Near Coventry University.
Charity-run community theatre with a steady music line-up — The Fureys, ELO Encounter, K-Pop shows all confirmed. Box office active with events through 2028.
Formerly Ricoh Arena. Major touring acts only — agency-booked. 20,000 sqm flexible event space with on-site DoubleTree hotel.
The new cathedral (1962) and ruins both host events. Atmospheric heritage-tier venue for acoustic, choral and special performances.
First civic theatre built in Britain after WWII (1958). Grade II listed. B2 studio (300 seats, opened 2008) takes smaller-scale work.
The Next 30 Days in Coventry
28 gigs are listed in Coventry for the next 30 days, from free pub sets to ticketed shows - rebuilt nightly from the gig directory.
Every listing is a real Coventry date, rebuilt nightly from the Coventry gig directory. See the Coventry venues hosting them, or what these gigs pay in the GX Index.
The Coventry Sound and Where It Happens
Every venue, gig and open mic we list in Coventry is on the map - zoom in to see where each part of the scene plays, then read what each area is known for.
HMV Empire (~800 cap, Coventry's main mid-size venue — touring indie, rock, ska, tribute, comedy) and The Box at FarGo Village (420+ sqm flexible space inside the independent-creative hub near Coventry University).
The Tin Music & Arts (~120 cap, charity-run canalside venue in converted 18th-century coal vaults — grassroots indie, folk, singer-songwriter, emerging acts). Music Venue Trust-associated. Thursday open mic. The originals-music heart of the city.
Warwick Arts Centre houses Butterworth Hall (1,340 seats — the largest arts centre in the Midlands outside the Barbican). Classical, orchestral, contemporary and jazz. Professional programming — not a self-book venue for unsigned acts. 300,000 visitors/year.
Warwickshire estates — Coombe Abbey (12th-century, 500-acre park), Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth Castle and country-house venues across the CV postcode. Browse Coventry bands for hire.
Acts travel, and the next scene is one city over - Leicester, Birmingham and Nottingham.
Your Next Step in Coventry
Whoever you are, Coventry has a page built for your next step - pick yours.
What Acts Earn in Coventry
One figure from the GX Index - what acts are actually paid, the West Midlands median where it rests on 20+ fees. The full prices and the pay guide are one click away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add your Coventry act to the directory
Open alpha — the first 250 UK users are free forever. No credit card, no commission until a booking lands. See the For Artists, For Venues, For Agents or For Promoters hubs to see how each role uses the platform.