Reading · medium venue · Verified open

Purple Turtle

Reading's iconic late-licence music bar of 30+ years — live music weekly plus a basement club.

About 250 standing, full house backline. Rock, Indie, Punk.

Nearby venues

Richfield Avenue The Face Bar The Retreat

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Updated 12 November 2026

At a glance

Checked 4 Jun 2026

At a glance, Purple Turtle in City Centre, Reading is summed up below. It books rock, indie and punk acts. There is a full backline on stage.

250

Standing
capacity

approx. · medium room

In detail

Live music	Varies
TodayClosed	12:00–03:30Opens in 4h 24m 23s
Backline	Full house kit
Books	Rock · Indie · Punk

01 — Inside the room

4 photos

4 photos show the inside of Purple Turtle, from the stage to the bar. It books rock, indie and punk acts. Tap any photo to open it at full size.

Photos: Google

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02 — The details

Before you book

Everything you need to know

Before you book Purple Turtle, here are its size, live nights, genres and website. It books rock, indie and punk acts. Members can vote to bring this venue onto GigXchange.

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The facts

Capacity	about 250 standing
Live nights	Contact venue
Curfew	–
Sound limiter	–
Genres	RockIndiePunk
Website	purpleturtlebar.com

The check

Status	Verified open
Last checked	4 Jun 2026

03 — Find Purple Turtle

City Centre

Getting there

Purple Turtle is at 9 Gun Street, City Centre, Reading, RG1 2JR. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 32 rooms in our Reading venue directory.

9 Gun Street,
City Centre, Reading RG1 2JR

Directions Open in maps

The nearest station is Reading (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away.

Reading venues Open mics Music scene

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04 — Booking

Want to play here?

Purple Turtle for artists: Purple Turtle has not joined GigXchange yet, so acts vote here to bring it on - to hire the venue for a private event, choose Private hire.

The open micEvery Monday20:00 · Free entry

Booking email and phone	Locked
Fee range per act	Locked
How far ahead to book	Locked
Payment terms	Locked

Rate calculatorWhat should you charge here?Live UK rates by role, city and venue size.

Purple Turtle has rooms for hire, with enquiries made direct on the venue's own website - to play a gig at Purple Turtle, choose Booking information.

Indoor private space	Available on Mondays and Tuesdays
Heated outdoor private space	Available seven days a week, subject to existing bookings
Good for	work parties, society socials, festive get-togethers
Included	Christmas drinks packages (drinks-only) for groups of 10 or 20
Worth knowing	Indoor space Mondays and Tuesdays only, seating not guaranteed with drinks packages, no food served, 18+ with valid photo ID.

Enquire on their website Checked November 2026 from Purple Turtle’s own website

05 — Opening times

Open 7 of 7

Purple Turtle publishes its opening times for 7 of the 7 days. These are the venue's own opening hours, not the gig start times. Check the venue's own website before travelling on a bank holiday.

Mon	12:00–03:00
Tue	12:00–03:00
Wed	12:00–03:00
Thu	12:00–03:00
FriToday	12:00–03:30
Sat	12:00–03:30
Sun	12:00–03:00

06 — What's on stage

6 provided

Purple Turtle has a full backline on stage for visiting acts. The list below shows the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about. Played here and the kit was different? Tell us and we will update it.

PA system	Provided
Drum kit	Provided
Guitar amp	Provided
Bass amp	Provided
Keys / keyboard	Bring your own
3 vocal mics	Provided
In-house engineer	Provided

07 — About

City Centre, Reading

About Purple Turtle

This is the background on Purple Turtle, from the venue and its listings. It books rock, indie and punk acts. The notes below sum up what the venue and its listings say.

Purple Turtle is a grassroots music venue in City Centre, Reading with a standing capacity of about 250. It books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative, Electronic.

Listing notes

The ‌‌‍Purple Turtle at 9 Gun Street, Reading (RG1 2JR) is a Reading institution — a late-licence bar and live-music venue trading for over three decades (first opening in 1990, moving to Gun Street in 1997). It runs live music every week, hosts BBC Introducing in Berkshire and the Berkshire Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM), and keeps an underground basement for club nights, open until 3am Sun–Thu and 3:30am Fri/Sat. A full-backline room with an in-house engineer and a long-standing home for the town's grassroots and emerging acts.

Played here before?One tap

Was the backline right?

It keeps this page true for the next act through the door.

08 — What's on

Open mic

The regular night at Purple Turtle on GigXchange is its open mic. Venues often post their next nights on their own website first. The Reading gig directory lists what is on across the area tonight.

Open mic, every Monday - 20:00 · Free entry. More nights out in the wider Reading gig directory.

Reading gigs Open mics Next 4 weeks

09 — Reading league

Next 30 days

The Reading league ranks live music venues by the gigs listed over the next 30 days. It refreshes every night, so a busy month moves a room up.

#14

of 32
live rooms

Ranked by gigs on the calendar over the next 30 days, refreshed nightly.

01	Bier Keller	10 gigs
02	Pangbourne Working Mens Club up2	1 gig
03	SUB89 down1	1 gig
04	ACE Space Newbury up2	0 gigs
05	Corn Exchange down2	0 gigs
06	Englefield House up1	0 gigs
07	London Road Campus up1	0 gigs
08	Mates Rates Comedy Club up1	0 gigs
09	McCafferty's Bar up1	0 gigs
10	Oakford Social Club New	0 gigs

Not seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. Create a page free or add your gigs - it ranks on the next nightly refresh.

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This page - and this ranking - is yours.

What you get

01	Edit your profile and photos
02	Set your fee range
03	Receive artist enquiries
04	Update backline and capacity

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Live music on stage: a band under the lights

City Centre · Medium

Purple Turtle

Q: What genres does Purple Turtle book?

Purple Turtle books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative, Electronic. Browse artist profiles by genre on GigXchange.

Q: What is the capacity of Purple Turtle?

Purple Turtle has a listed standing capacity of about 250, a medium venue. Check the figure with the venue before you book. See all Reading venues for size comparisons. By size, Purple Turtle is the 4th largest of the 14 venues we list in and around Reading with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: South Street Arts Centre (about 210), Shaw House (about 200) and The Face Bar (about 150).

Reading's iconic late-licence music bar of 30+ years — live music weekly plus a basement club.

c. 250
Capacity: Varies
Live music: 12:00
Open today: Full
Backline: Rock
Books: Verified
Directory status

Nearby venues Richfield Avenue The Face Bar The Retreat Oakford Social Club All Reading ›

People are already finding this page. Here is what they came for — and how to take it over.

Capacity, backline and PA
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Opening times

7 of 7 days listed

Mon 12:00–03:00
Tue 12:00–03:00
Wed 12:00–03:00
Thu 12:00–03:00
FriToday 12:00–03:30
Sat 12:00–03:30
Sun 12:00–03:00

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Gigs at this venue ride the What's On rail below — here's the wider picture

Reading's live gigs, sorted by date
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Run Purple Turtle? Claim your page free — keep specs current

Last updated: 12 November 2026

Purple Turtle — Quick Facts

Purple Turtle capacity: about 250 standing. Reading's iconic late-licence music bar of 30+ years — live music weekly plus a basement club. Here are the key facts on Purple Turtle at a glance.

Venue status Last verified 04 Jun 2026

How sure we are

Verified open

Checked against the venue’s own listing View Purple Turtle open mic nights →

Capacity 250 standing A listed figure, not yet verified - check it with the venue before you book.

By size, Purple Turtle is the 4th largest of the 14 venues we list in and around Reading with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: South Street Arts Centre (about 210), Shaw House (about 200) and The Face Bar (about 150).

With room for about 250 standing, Purple Turtle is a medium room by our directory's sizes. The typical Reading room we list holds about 150, so this one is on the larger side. Mid-size rooms usually want proof you can draw - a local headline show or a support slot on a touring bill is the common way in, and promoters run many of the nights. The figure is listed, not yet verified, so check it with the venue before you plan around it.

Today12:00–03:30Opens in 4h 24m 23s

Directory statusVerified open

This pageNot yet claimed

Websitepurpleturtlebar.com

SizeMediumvenueAbout 250 standing

Live musicVariesnight to nightNights vary - check the listings

BacklineFullon stagePurple Turtle provides a PA system, 3 vocal mics, a drum kit, a guitar amp, a bass amp and an in-house sound engineer; bring your own keys.

BooksRock+4 moreGenres listed by the venue

Opening times

Purple Turtle this week

Mon 12:00–03:00

Tue 12:00–03:00

Wed 12:00–03:00

Thu 12:00–03:00

Fri· today 12:00–03:30

Sat 12:00–03:30

Sun 12:00–03:00

Purple Turtle for artists: Purple Turtle has not joined GigXchange yet, so acts vote here to bring it on - to hire the venue for a private event, choose Private hire.

Member votes 0 votes to get Purple Turtle on GigXchange GigXchange doesn't publish venue phone numbers or emails - every vote tells the venue artists want to book it here.

Want to play here?Sign up free to vote →

Purple Turtle hasn’t claimed its page yet, so nobody from the venue is on GigXchange to message. Vote to bring it on - free account, no card, 30 seconds.

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Spotted something wrong?

Closed, changed capacity, different backline? Let us know. We review corrections within 7 days.

Purple Turtle has rooms for hire, with enquiries made direct on the venue's own website - to play a gig at Purple Turtle, choose Booking information.

Private hire Spaces for hire Purple Turtle has rooms you can hire. Indoor space Mondays and Tuesdays only, seating not guaranteed with drinks packages, no food served, 18+ with valid photo ID. Enquire on their website →

Indoor private space

Available on Mondays and Tuesdays

Heated outdoor private space

Available seven days a week, subject to existing bookings

Good for

work parties, society socials, festive get-togethers

Included

Christmas drinks packages (drinks-only) for groups of 10 or 20

Worth knowing

Indoor space Mondays and Tuesdays only, seating not guaranteed with drinks packages, no food served, 18+ with valid photo ID.

Checked November 2026 from Purple Turtle’s own website. Prices and dates come from the venue.

What’s on in Reading this week — or see what’s on across the UK.

Inside Purple Turtle

Purple Turtle has a full backline on stage for visiting acts. The room holds about 250. Below: the PA, drums, amps and mics we know about and what we know about the room.

PA systemProvided

Drum kitProvided

Guitar ampProvided

Bass ampProvided

Keys / keyboardBring your own

3 vocal micsProvided

In-house engineerProvided

About Purple Turtle

Purple Turtle is a grassroots music venue in City Centre, Reading with a standing capacity of about 250. Full backline is on stage including drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, PA and vocal mics, plus an in-house sound engineer — so you can travel light.

Purple Turtle books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative, Electronic acts. This listing is part of the Reading venue directory.

Listing notes

What to know

There are no fixed live nights listed for Purple Turtle - the gigs in the rail below show when it actually runs shows. Its listed genres start with rock. With full backline listed, you need little more than your instrument, pedals and breakables. Purple Turtle hasn't joined GigXchange yet; vote to bring it on, and in the meantime keep a short EPK and a live clip ready - it is what most venues ask for first.

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Have you played here? Was the backline info accurate? One tap, no sign-up required.

Find Purple Turtle

Purple Turtle is at 9 Gun Street, City Centre, Reading, RG1 2JR. The map below opens step-by-step directions in Google Maps. It is one of 32 rooms in our Reading venue directory.

Address9 Gun Street

AreaCity Centre, Reading

PostcodeRG1 2JR

DirectionsOpen in Google Maps →

Getting there

The nearest station is Reading (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away. You'll find Purple Turtle in City Centre, Reading; RG1 2JR is the postcode for sat-nav and ride apps. We list 3 other venues in City Centre, so a night out here can take in more than one room. Check the start time before you set off, and see what else is on in Reading this week, or find a band in Reading if you book the music.

The Reading League

Purple Turtle is #14 of 32 Reading venues for live music — ranked by gigs on the calendar over the next 30 days, refreshed nightly. Only gigs in the GigXchange directory count.

# Move Venue Gigs
#1 – Bier Keller 10 gigs
#2 ▲2 Pangbourne Working Mens Club 1 gig
#3 ▼1 SUB89 1 gig
#4 ▲2 ACE Space Newbury 0 gigs
#5 ▼2 Corn Exchange 0 gigs
#6 ▲1 Englefield House 0 gigs
#7 ▲1 London Road Campus 0 gigs
#8 ▲1 Mates Rates Comedy Club 0 gigs
#9 ▲1 McCafferty's Bar 0 gigs
#10 NEW Oakford Social Club 0 gigs

Run this room? This page, and this ranking, is yours to take over.

Claim This Venue

Not seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days. If your room has no page here yet, create one free and it joins the directory. If it is already listed, add your gigs and it will rank on the next nightly refresh.

Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table tracks the UK's busiest grassroots stages week on week, the Pint Index prices a gig ticket in pints city by city, and UK market statistics covers what live music pays. All of it is built from the same directory this page lives in.

Common Questions

These are the 10 questions people ask most about booking and visiting Purple Turtle. Each answer uses the details already shown on this page. Can't see your question? Send it to us with a correction.

What equipment does Purple Turtle provide?

Full backline: drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, PA and vocal mics. In-house sound engineer included. Bring your own instrument and pedals. Looking for other venues with full backline? Browse Reading venues and filter by backline.

What genres does Purple Turtle book?

Purple Turtle books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative, Electronic. Browse artist profiles by genre on GigXchange.

How do I book a gig at Purple Turtle?

Sign up free on GigXchange to see the booking details Purple Turtle has shared — contact, fee range and how to submit, where listed. Most grassroots venues accept email submissions with a link to your music or EPK. Check current UK fee benchmarks before quoting.

What is the capacity of Purple Turtle?

Purple Turtle has a listed standing capacity of about 250, a medium venue. Check the figure with the venue before you book. See all Reading venues for size comparisons. By size, Purple Turtle is the 4th largest of the 14 venues we list in and around Reading with a standing capacity. Similar-size rooms: South Street Arts Centre (about 210), Shaw House (about 200) and The Face Bar (about 150).

Does Purple Turtle have open mic nights?

Yes — Purple Turtle hosts an open mic. Day, time and signup details are on its open mic listing.

Where is Purple Turtle?

9 Gun Street, City Centre, Reading, RG1 2JR. See the map below for directions. Browse more Reading venues nearby.

What are typical fees at Purple Turtle?

Fee ranges are available to signed-up artists on GigXchange. Grassroots venue fees in Reading vary by event type, band size, and whether the deal is a flat fee or door split. The GigXchange Rate Calculator shows current UK percentiles.

Can you hire Purple Turtle for a private event?

Purple Turtle has rooms you can hire. Indoor space Mondays and Tuesdays only, seating not guaranteed with drinks packages, no food served, 18+ with valid photo ID. Spaces: Indoor private space, Heated outdoor private space. Used for work parties, society socials, festive get-togethers. Ask Purple Turtle about hire on its own website (details checked November 2026).

What's the nearest station to Purple Turtle?

The nearest station is Reading (rail station), about 10 minutes' walk away. For sat-nav and taxis, the postcode is RG1 2JR. (Station data: NaPTAN, Department for Transport, Open Government Licence.)

How do I contact Purple Turtle?

GigXchange doesn't publish venue phone numbers or emails. Purple Turtle hasn't claimed its page yet — vote to bring it on, or claim it free if you run it.

Venues Near Purple Turtle

16 other venues are close to Purple Turtle in Reading. Each one has its own page with its size, kit and live nights. Use them to plan a night out or a run of local gigs.

More live music venues: Richfield Avenue, The Face Bar, The Retreat and 9 more - each with its own page of size, kit and nights where we have them.

From the Reading venue directory

11 — Keep up with Reading

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See what’s on in Reading over the next four weeks →

Purple Turtle in brief. Purple Turtle is a mid-sized room (150 to 499) in Reading that books rock, indie and punk. It also hosts an open mic (every Monday). Rooms nearby include Richfield Avenue, The Face Bar and The Retreat; the Reading venue directory has the rest.

Booking or playing in Reading? 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.

12 — More Reading venues

All ›

We list 32 grassroots music venues in Reading. Or search the full UK directory by town, size or genre. Every listing shows capacity, kit and live nights where we have them.

South Street Arts Centre

South Street Arts Centre

More rooms near Purple Turtle: Shaw House, Spill, SUB89, Temple Island Meadows, The Butler, The Castle Tap, The Club Bar and Lounge, The Fisherman's Cottage, The Great Hall, University Of Reading, The Lyndhurst, The New Inn, Bier Keller and Pangbourne Working Mens Club.

Reading venues All UK venues

Reading has 32 rooms in the UK grassroots venue directory - why we built it, and what the data shows.

Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table, the Pint Index and UK market statistics - all built from the same directory.

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Purple Turtle

Purple Turtle — Quick Facts

Purple Turtle this week

Inside Purple Turtle

Find Purple Turtle

What's On at Purple Turtle

The Reading League

Common Questions

Venues Near Purple Turtle

Keep up with Reading

Help keep grassroots venues open in Reading

More Reading venues