The George Tavern is a Grade II listed pub and independent live-music and arts venue at 373 Commercial Road, Stepney, East London (E1 0LA). The building's brickwork is some 700 years old and it appears in writing by Chaucer, Pepys and Dickens; artist Pauline Forster bought the derelict pub at auction in 2002 and reopened it as a venue, pub and performance space. It hosts curated live music almost every night on an intimate stage in the main bar, and has staged acts including The Magic Numbers, Kodaline, John Cooper Clarke, Nick Cave, Anna Calvi and The Last Dinner Party, alongside spoken word and arts events. A characterful c. 150-capacity East End room with full backline and an in-house engineer for booked shows.
Stepney · Every Tuesday · Free
The George Tavern Open Mic
Stepney's Tuesday-night free open mic at 373 Commercial Road, E1 0LA — Grade II listed venue, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
Open mic at a glance The George Tavern · London
Tuesday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
12 min
Slot length
Community
Listing status
Run a London open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
The George Tavern Open Mic — Quick Facts
Stepney's Tuesday-night free open mic at 373 Commercial Road, E1 0LA — Grade II listed venue, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
We need your help verifying thisWas this open mic on recently?10 seconds, no signup
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayTuesday
Start20:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length12 min
EntryFree · all ages
Capacityc. 200 standing
Performer typesMusic · Poetry
Sound engineerIn-house, included
View on map
Where
The George Tavern373 Commercial Road
Stepney
London E1 0LA
Stepney, London — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Highlights
Free entry for all
Full backline on stage
In-house sound engineer
Walk-in sign-up
Music, Poetry welcome
How do you rate this open mic?One tap, no sign-up required.
Spotted something wrong with this listing?Closed, moved night, different start time? Let us know and we'll re-verify within 48 hours.
What’s on in London this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About The George Tavern
About This Open Mic
Every Tuesday in Stepney, London
Kicks off at 20:00, sign-up from 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
12-minute slots
Full backline on stage
Part of the London open mic directory
The Night
The George Tavern is a Grade II listed pub that's fought off developers twice to keep running live music. The Tuesday open mic uses the main floor stage — same one The xx, Plan B and Amy Winehouse used early in their careers.
The format is 210 minutes, around 17 acts at 12 minutes. Crowd is typically 80-150 depending on the week, with a good mix of local songwriters, poets, and the occasional full band. Sound is clean — there's a proper engineer and the PA does the room without needing volume tricks.
Sign-up process
Sign-up sheet at the bar at 7:30pm. The first 15 are confirmed; the last 2-3 run only if earlier acts drop out. Walk-in only.
Getting there
373 Commercial Road, E1 0LA. 8 minutes from Limehouse DLR/Rail, 10 minutes from Shadwell DLR. Buses 5, 15, 115, 135 stop directly outside.
The venue
Single big room — bar at one end, stage at the other. Capacity c. 200, all standing. Full bar; pub food until 9pm. The vibe is grungy, warm, and very east-London — bring layers, the heating is unpredictable.
What's on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
PA + monitors
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
3 vocal mics
In-house engineer
The Night at a Glance
How The George Tavern’s Tuesday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
23:30Last songs
Every Tuesday 12-min slots Free entry
Find The George Tavern
373 Commercial Road, Stepney, London E1 0LA
Planning Your Tuesday Night
Arrive by 19:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until 23:30. Full backline is provided — just bring your instrument and pedals.
Part of the London live music scene.
What should you charge for paid gigs?Most open mic musicians are ready for paid work sooner than they think. Check live UK rates by role, city, and venue size.
Try the Rate CalculatorCommon Questions
Seven things people ask before turning up at London's The George Tavern open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other London open mic nights for alternatives.
Full backline: drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, vocal mics, plus an in-house sound engineer. Bring your own instrument and pedals.
12 minutes per act — typically 3 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most London mics are free; browse the list.
Yes — full bands welcome and the backline is set up for it.
373 Commercial Road, Stepney, London E1 0LA.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and London regulars across the London open mic scene. London open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
Keep up with London
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps grassroots rooms full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in London
—A UK venue stops hosting live music every 5 days — and turning up is what keeps a room open. Get a free weekly email of gigs in London. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.
See what’s on in London over the next four weeks →
Booking or playing in London? The GX Index publishes what UK gigs actually pay, by city, band size and venue type, and the GX Index reports set out the methodology and the sample behind every figure. Both are free to read and free to cite.
Keep exploring: the UK gig directory for what's coming up, the venue directory for rooms that book live music, the open mic finder for recurring stage time, and what's on across the UK this week. The blog covers pricing, contracts and getting booked, and about GigXchange explains who runs it and why. Something not right on this page? Tell us — or start on the home page.
Run an open mic in London?
Add yours to the directory free. 2-minute submission, verified within 48 hours. Reach 1,000+ London musicians.
Looking for paid gigs, not open mics?