Sheffield's Monday-night free open mic at 79 Fitzwilliam Street, S1 4JP — Arctic Monkeys' old haunt, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
Venue at a glanceThe Washington · Sheffield
c. 150
Capacity
standingmedium
Varies
Live music
flexibleper week
–
Start time
doorsnightly
Full
Backline
on stagegear
Indie
Books
originals+3 more
Verified
Directory status
openGX directory
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Last updated: 4 June 2026
The Washington — Quick Facts
Sheffield's Monday-night free open mic at 79 Fitzwilliam Street, S1 4JP — Arctic Monkeys' old haunt, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
Equipment and backline available at this venue. We verify and update this section regularly.
PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
3 vocal mics
In-house engineer
About The Washington
The Washington is a grassroots music venue in City Centre, Sheffield with a standing capacity of approximately 150. 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.
The Washington books Indie, Rock, Alternative, Punk acts. Both original music and covers are welcome. This listing is part of the Sheffield venue directory.
The Washington is a music-led corner pub on the edge of Sheffield's Devonshire Quarter at 79 Fitzwilliam Street (S1 4JP). It has hosted sweaty side-room gigs since the 1970s and is woven into the city's musical mythology — a notorious haunt of The Human League and Pulp (Pulp drummer Nick Banks even did a stint as landlord), and long associated with the Arctic Monkeys' early scene. With a late licence running to 3am, the room puts on live bands from the Sheffield circuit plus resident DJs Wednesday to Saturday. Roughly 150 capacity, full backline and an in-house engineer make it a genuine grassroots stage for originals and covers. Contact info@thewashington.pub or 0114 276 1960.
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Find The Washington
79 Fitzwilliam Street, City Centre, Sheffield, S1 4JP
What should you charge for a gig here? Check live UK rates by role, city and venue size. Based on 3,798 verified rate observations.
The Washington isn’t in the Sheffield top 10 yet — these are the front-runners of its 32 ranked rooms,
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Common Questions
Seven things people ask about booking The Washington.
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 Sheffield venues and filter by backline.
The Washington books Indie, Rock, Alternative, Punk. Both original music and covers are welcome. Browse artist profiles by genre on GigXchange.
Sign up free on GigXchange to view The Washington’s booking contact, fee range, and submission process. Most grassroots venues accept email submissions with a link to your music or EPK. Check current UK fee benchmarks before quoting.
The Washington has a standing capacity of approximately 150, classed as a medium venue. See all Sheffield venues for size comparisons.
Yes — The Washington hosts open mic nights. Check the listing for day, time, and signup details on the Sheffield Open Mic Finder.
79 Fitzwilliam Street, City Centre, Sheffield, S1 4JP. See the map below for directions. Browse more Sheffield venues nearby.
Fee ranges are available to signed-up artists on GigXchange. Grassroots venue fees in Sheffield 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.
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