Paper Dress Vintage is a vintage clothes boutique by day and a dedicated grassroots live-music venue by night, at 352a Mare Street, Hackney, east London (E8 1HR). Spread over two levels with a total capacity of around 180, it centres on an intimate upstairs live-music room, with seating, a bar and a large late-opening backyard downstairs. The venue programmes live music five nights a week plus weekend club nights, and is licensed until 3am on Saturdays and 2.30am on Fridays. Its stage has hosted early-career sets from the likes of Arlo Parks, Sam Fender, Tom Odell, Squid, Teleman and Public Service Broadcasting, cementing its status as a genuine breeding ground for new talent.
Hackney · Every Sunday · Free
Paper Dress Vintage Open Mic
Hackney's Sunday-night free open mic at 352a Mare Street, E8 1HR — vintage shop / music venue, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
Open mic at a glance Paper Dress Vintage · London
Sunday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
12 min
Slot length
Closed
Listing status
Run a London open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
Paper Dress Vintage Open Mic — Quick Facts
Hackney's Sunday-night free open mic at 352a Mare Street, E8 1HR — vintage shop / music venue, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
We’ve marked this as closedSeen it running recently?Checked · 10 seconds, no signup
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DaySunday
Start20:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length12 min
EntryFree · 18+
Capacityc. 120 standing
Performer typesMusic · Poetry
Sound engineerIn-house, included
View on map
Where
Paper Dress Vintage352a Mare Street
Hackney
London E8 1HR
Hackney, 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 Paper Dress Vintage
About This Open Mic
Every Sunday in Hackney, 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 long-running Noteworthy Open Mic that called Paper Dress Vintage home has now ended at this venue — the team played their final Sunday session here as a 'swan song', with the hosts hoping to relaunch at a new Hackney Central spot in future. Paper Dress Vintage is still a wonderful Hackney vintage shop that turns into a live-music bar by night, but the regular Sunday open mic is no longer running here. If you're chasing the Noteworthy night, follow @WeRNoteworthy for its next home.
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 Paper Dress Vintage’s Sunday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
23:00Last songs
18:00Venue closes
Every Sunday 12-min slots Free entry
Find Paper Dress Vintage
352a Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 1HR
Planning Your Sunday Night
Arrive by 19:30 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 Paper Dress Vintage 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.
352a Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 1HR.
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?