The Rumsey Wells is a back-room music pub on St Andrews Street in central Norwich (NR2 4AF), with a capacity of around 100. It's best known for its Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM), held on the first Thursday of the month, where electronic-music makers bring laptops, synths, drum machines, loop stations, groove boxes, samplers, modular rigs and decks to perform up to 20-minute slots of original work spanning dance, ambient, techno, electropop, glitch, chiptune, hip hop and more — sign-up on the night. Open Mon–Fri noon–midnight, Sat noon–1am and Sun 2–9pm, it's a welcoming, original-music-first room and a distinctive corner of the Norwich grass-roots scene.
City Centre · Every Thursday · Free
The Rumsey Wells Open Mic
Norwich's Thursday-night free open mic at 8 St Andrews Street, NR2 4AF — back-room music pub, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
Open mic at a glance The Rumsey Wells · Norwich
Thursday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
20 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Run a Norwich open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
The Rumsey Wells Open Mic — Quick Facts
Norwich's Thursday-night free open mic at 8 St Andrews Street, NR2 4AF — back-room music pub, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
✓ Verified activeLast verified
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayThursday
Start20:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length20 min
EntryFree · 18+
Capacityc. 100 standing
Performer typesMusic
Sound engineerIn-house, included
View on map
Where
The Rumsey Wells8 St Andrews Street
City Centre
Norwich NR2 4AF
City Centre, Norwich — 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 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.
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About The Rumsey Wells
About This Open Mic
Every Thursday in City Centre, Norwich
Kicks off at 20:00, sign-up from 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
20-minute slots
Full backline on stage
Part of the Norwich open mic directory
The Night
The Rumsey Wells ("Pie, Beer, Music") is a characterful Norwich pub on St Andrews Street, and its monthly Electronic Music Open Mic Night — billed as 'Norfolk' editions — is a genuinely distinctive Thursday session for original electronic music. Bring your own kit (laptops, synths, drum machines, loop stations, samplers, modular, decks — all welcome) and plug into the house PA; it's a listening room for dance, ambient, techno, glitch, chiptune and everything between. Sign up from 7:30pm on the night, music from 8pm, slots up to 20 minutes on a first-come, first-served basis. You're welcome just to come and listen too.
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 Rumsey Wells’s Thursday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
20:00Kick-off
23:00Last songs
00:00Venue closes
Every Thursday 20-min slots Free entry
Find The Rumsey Wells
8 St Andrews Street, City Centre, Norwich NR2 4AF
Planning Your Thursday 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 Norwich live music scene.
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Try the Rate CalculatorCommon Questions
Seven things people ask before turning up at Norwich's The Rumsey Wells open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Norwich 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.
20 minutes per act — typically 5 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Norwich mics are free; browse the list.
Yes — full bands welcome and the backline is set up for it.
8 St Andrews Street, City Centre, Norwich NR2 4AF.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Norwich regulars across the Norwich open mic scene. Norwich open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
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