NWOBHM

Cart and Horses

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Famously known as "The Birthplace of Iron Maiden". A traditional East End pub transformed into a shrine for Iron Maiden fans, with photos, posters, and memorabilia. It has a dedicated rock bar and museum space, including a replica of the original stage. The main bar area serves drinks and food, remaining accessible even when the basement venue hosts ticketed gigs. The band's December 21, 1976 show with new guitarist Dave Murray is legendary.

Rafters

🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom

The Ruskin Arms

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Marquee Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The British equivalent of the Fillmore—a space that did not just host bands but defined entire eras of music. Originally opened in 1958 as a jazz club at 165 Oxford Street, its move to 90 Wardour Street in Soho in 1964 placed it at the physical and cultural center of "Swinging London." The Marquee is where British rock was forged, from the R&B boom through psychedelia to punk and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

The Bandwagon (Heavy Metal Soundhouse)

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Bandwagon was unique—not a live venue in the traditional sense, but a "Heavy Rock Disco" run by DJ Neal Kay. Kay built a massive PA system—The Soundhouse—and blasted demo tapes of unsigned bands.

The Wapentake

🇬🇧Sheffield, United Kingdom

The quintessential NWOBHM dive bar in the Steel City. Small, dark, with infamously low ceilings and a sticky floor that could literally anchor patrons to the spot.

The Crown Inn

🇬🇧Birmingham, United Kingdom

Known as "The Cradle of Heavy Metal," this historic venue housed Henry's Blueshouse upstairs where the "Birmingham sound" coalesced from industrial noise and blues rock. Grade II listed status in 2025.