The Admiral Drake is a friendly real-ale local at 8 Kingston Crescent in North End, Portsmouth — family, biker and dog friendly, with darts, pool and a strong live-music reputation. It hosts the long-running Alleycats Open Mic on the 2nd and last Sunday of each month, kicking off at 6:45pm. Alleycats has been going since 1997 and is built for first-timers and veterans alike: there's a fully featured PA with leads, and a house acoustic guitar if you need it, so you can turn up with just yourself. There's no pre-booking — get there early to get on the list — and each act gets three songs. Musicians, singers, poets and spoken-word performers are all welcome. It's a warm, supportive room that's a fixture of the Portsmouth grass-roots scene. Check The Admiral Drake's Facebook page to confirm the next Alleycats date before heading down.
Portsmouth · Every other Sunday · No fee listed
Southsea's sunday-night free open mic at The Admiral Drake — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7pm, 15-minute slots, all ages.
Kick-off 18:45, sign-up from 19:00. 15-minute slots. No fee listed.
Nearby open micsUpdated 13 November 2026
Sundays
| Night | Every other Sunday |
| Sign-up | 19:00 walk-in |
| Slot | 15 min |
| Entry | No fee listed · all ages |
| Backline | PA provided |
| Capacity | – |
| Performer types | Musicians · Poets · Spoken word artists |
| Status | Verified running |
| Last checked | 30 Sept 2026 |
| Checked against | Music directory |
North End, Portsmouth PO2 8DH
The nearest station is Portsmouth & Southsea (rail station), about 1 mile away - a taxi or bus is the easier last leg.
| PA system | Provided |
| Drum kit | TBC |
| Guitar amp | Provided |
| Bass amp | TBC |
| Keys / keyboard | TBC |
| Vocal mics | TBC |
| In-house engineer | TBC |
Alleycats Open Mic Night at The Admiral Drake (8 Kingston Crescent, North End) is a Portsmouth institution - Alleycats has been running since 1997 and the night is still going strong - on the second and last Sunday of each month, 6:45pm till 11pm. No pre-booking: just arrive early enough to get on the list, and no favouritism once you are on it. Each act gets three songs (occasionally more, never less), with a fully featured PA and leads provided and a house acoustic guitar if you need it. Musicians, singers, poets and spoken-word performers are all welcome. Free entry.
The Admiral Drake is a friendly real-ale local at 8 Kingston Crescent in North End, Portsmouth — family, biker and dog friendly, with darts, pool and a strong live-music reputation. It hosts the long-running Alleycats Open Mic on the 2nd and last Sunday of each month, kicking off at 6:45pm. Alleycats has been going since 1997 and is built for first-timers and veterans alike: there's a fully featured PA with leads, and a house acoustic guitar if you need it, so you can turn up with just yourself. There's no pre-booking — get there early to get on the list — and each act gets three songs. Musicians, singers, poets and spoken-word performers are all welcome. It's a warm, supportive room that's a fixture of the Portsmouth grass-roots scene. Check The Admiral Drake's Facebook page to confirm the next Alleycats date before heading down.
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The Admiral Drake Open Mic
Southsea's sunday-night free open mic at The Admiral Drake — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7pm, 15-minute slots, all ages.
- Sunday
- Open mic night
- Apr 2026
- Listed since
- 30 Sept
- Last verified
- No fee
- Entry
- 15 min
- Slot length
- Verified
- Listing status
Last updated: 13 November 2026
The Admiral Drake Open Mic — Quick Facts
The Admiral Drake Open Mic runs on Sundays (fortnightly) at The Admiral Drake in Portsmouth, starting at 18:45 with sign-up from 19:00. Below: when it runs, sign-up and slots, the stage kit and how to get there.
Music starts around 18:45, finishing about 23:00. It's walk-in sign-up, with the list opening at 19:00 - arrive early to get a slot. Slots run about 15 minutes - room for roughly 17 acts. A PA is listed; check what else is on stage before you bring a band.
What’s on in Portsmouth this week — or see what’s on across the UK.
About This Open Mic
Alleycats Open Mic Night at The Admiral Drake (8 Kingston Crescent, North End) is a Portsmouth institution - Alleycats has been running since 1997 and the night is still going strong - on the second and last Sunday of each month, 6:45pm till 11pm. No pre-booking: just arrive early enough to get on the list, and no favouritism once you are on it. Each act gets three songs (occasionally more, never less), with a fully featured PA and leads provided and a house acoustic guitar if you need it. Musicians, singers, poets and spoken-word performers are all welcome. Free entry.
What's on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
The Night at a Glance
How The Admiral Drake’s Sunday night runs.
Every other Sunday
North End, Portsmouth, PO2 8DH - the map is below.
The Admiral Drake provides a PA system and a guitar amp — check the rest with the venue.
Get there by 19:00 for a slot, have your instrument tuned before your turn and keep to about 15 minutes.
Find The Admiral Drake
8 Kingston Crescent, North End, Portsmouth PO2 8DH
The nearest station is Portsmouth & Southsea (rail station), about 1 mile away - a taxi or bus is the easier last leg. You'll find The Admiral Drake in North End, Portsmouth; PO2 8DH is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. Check the venue's website for parking and the nearest station.
The Three Tuns, The Jolly Sailor Southsea, The Barley Mow and The Loft
Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport (Open Government Licence).
Planning Your Sunday Night
Be there by 19:00 to put your name down. The open mic runs until about 23:00. The Admiral Drake provides a PA system and a guitar amp — check the rest with the venue.
How much should paid gigs pay you? Most open mic musicians are ready sooner than they think — try the Rate Calculator for live UK rates by role, city and venue size. Part of the Portsmouth live music scene.
Common Questions
9 things people ask before turning up at Portsmouth's The Admiral Drake open mic.
Venues Near The Admiral Drake
No other gigs are listed at The Admiral Drake in the GigXchange directory yet — these are the rooms around it, their size, kit and live nights.
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The Admiral Drake open mic in brief. The Admiral Drake open mic runs every other Sunday from 18:45 (no fee listed); sign-up opens 19:00 and slots run about 15 minutes. The Admiral Drake’s venue page has its kit and capacity if you want to come back with a full band. For another night this week, the open mics near Portsmouth are listed by day.
Booking or playing in Portsmouth? 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.
After paid gigs rather than open mics? See Portsmouth gigs or check the going rate.
More rooms near The Admiral Drake: Lord John Russell, O'Neill's Southsea, Pitt St Skatepark, Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth Irish Club, Portsmouth Rail Social Club, Rapscallions Port Solent, Rapscallions Southsea, Robin Hill Country Park, Royal British Legion Hayling and South Parade Pier.
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