The Spice of Life is a historic Soho pub at 6 Moor Street, on the corner of Cambridge Circus, with a rich musical heritage stretching back decades and a guest list that's included Bob Dylan and the Sex Pistols. Its beating heart is the Backstage Cellar Bar — a renowned basement music room holding up to 100 standing, with a state-of-the-art sound system — long celebrated as one of the best little music venues in London. The programme runs live gigs across jazz, blues, acoustic and more, plus a weekly comedy night, and the pub has recently added 12 boutique hotel rooms above. A genuine Soho institution welcoming originals and covers.
Soho · Every Monday · Free
Spice of Life Open Mic
Soho's Monday-night free jazz/folk open mic at 6 Moor Street, W1D 5NA — full backline including upright piano, in-house engineer, 10-minute slots.
Open mic at a glance Spice of Life · London
Monday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
10 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Run a London open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
Spice of Life Open Mic — Quick Facts
Soho's Monday-night free jazz/folk open mic at 6 Moor Street, W1D 5NA — full backline including upright piano, in-house engineer, 10-minute slots.
✓ Verified activeLast verified
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayMonday
Start19:00
Sign-up18:30 walk-in
Slot length10 min
EntryFree · 18+
Capacityc. 80 standing
Performer typesMusic · Jazz
Sound engineerIn-house, included
View on map
Where
Spice of Life6 Moor Street
Soho
London W1D 5NA
Soho, 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, Jazz 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 Spice of Life
About This Open Mic
Every Monday in Soho, London
Kicks off at 19:00, sign-up from 18:30
Free entry for performers and audience
10-minute slots
Full backline on stage
Part of the London open mic directory
The Night
The Spice of Life sits 30 seconds from Cambridge Circus and has run a downstairs music programme for 25+ years — jazz heritage, folk Mondays, the occasional songwriter showcase. The Monday open mic is one of the few central-London mics with a real upright piano and a working drum kit.
Format is 180 minutes with 18 short slots at 10 minutes each. Good for songwriters with two or three songs to test — less good for full-band setups (the room is tight).
Sign-up process
Sign-up sheet at the downstairs bar at 7:30pm. No advance booking — first come, first on. The full slate usually fills by 8pm.
Getting there
6 Moor Street, W1D 5NA. 1 minute from Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly) and 4 minutes from Tottenham Court Road (Elizabeth Line). Pretty much any central bus stops within 5 minutes.
The venue
Upstairs pub, downstairs music room. 18+ strictly. Music room capacity is c. 80, low ceilings, intimate. Pub food until 9pm; full bar.
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 Spice of Life’s Monday night runs.
18:30Sign-up
19:00Kick-off
23:00Last songs
23:30Venue closes
Every Monday 10-min slots Free entry
Find Spice of Life
6 Moor Street, Soho, London W1D 5NA
Planning Your Monday Night
Arrive by 18:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until 23:00. 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 Spice of Life open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 18:30. 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.
10 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.
6 Moor Street, Soho, London W1D 5NA.
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?