OPEN BARS (5)
Mercury Lounge
🇺🇸New York, United States
A small club (250 capacity) in the Lower East Side. Mercury Lounge is known for breaking new bands since the 1990s in an intimate, no-frills environment. It was a linchpin of the early 2000s NYC rock revival.
Union Transfer
🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States
Union Transfer is celebrated for its excellent acoustics, spacious layout, and indie vibe, making it a premier spot for indie rock, alternative, and punk acts. It's beloved by both touring bands and local fans for providing a top-tier concert experience in a converted rail transfer station.
Manchester Bar (Gòtic)
🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain
Tribute bar to Manchester's indie/post-punk scene; cassette-lamp décor.
PSYCHO Rock & Roll Club
🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain
Intimate bar/club with live gigs and DJ sets spanning rock, punk, garage and post-punk.
The Fighting Cocks
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
A rock 'n' roll bar and venue described as small in size but big in attitude. Proudly independent. A haven for the inked, the pierced and the damned. Has a rich musical history dating back to the 1930s (jazz, then rock 'n' roll jam sessions). Features a best jukebox ever, old school arcades, and pool. Offers a huge selection of draft and bottled beers, lavish cocktails, seductive real ales, troublesome shooters and the nuttiest drinks deals in town.
CLOSED BARS (13)
Eric's
🇬🇧Liverpool, United Kingdom
Ex'n'Pop
🇩🇪Berlin, Germany
Schöneberg living-room bar where Nick Cave, Einstürzende Neubauten & local post-punk bands jammed inches from the beer taps.
Le Phonographique
🇬🇧Leeds, United Kingdom
The Banshee
🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom
Rafters
🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom
Khyber Pass Pub
🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States
The Khyber became a landmark for the city's indie and alternative scenes in the 2000s, revered for its eclectic booking and dive-bar authenticity before closing in 2013.
The Warehouse
🇬🇧Liverpool, United Kingdom
Tier 3
🇺🇸New York, United States
Often overshadowed by Mudd Club and CBGB, Tier 3 (TR3) was critical for No Wave and post-punk. Founded by Hilary Jaeger, it was smaller and more intimate, prioritizing musicians over the "scene."
CBGB
🇺🇸New York, United States
Situated at 315 Bowery in Manhattan's Lower East Side, CBGB stands as perhaps the most paradoxically influential venue in music history. Opened on December 10, 1973, by Hilly Kristal, the club's name was an acronym for "Country, Bluegrass, Blues," the styles Kristal originally intended to showcase. Yet, the venue became the undisputed "ground zero" for American punk and new wave. The physical space was essential to its legacy—a narrow, deep tunnel-like room with walls layered in decades of flyers, graffiti, and grime. Kristal's management philosophy was revolutionary: bands could play, but they had to perform original music. This rule birthed a scene of unparalleled creativity.
Gossips
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
Gossips (formerly Billys) was a basement club at 69 Dean Street known for its influential goth nights, most famously The Batcave, which opened in July 1982. The Batcave was the "birthplace of the Southern English goth subculture". It featured a dark, cobweb-strewn decor, a coffin-shaped entrance, and played new wave, glam rock, and then increasingly gothic rock. The club operated seven nights a week with different subcultures each night.
Mudd Club
🇺🇸New York, United States
A hip underground nightclub in Tribeca. Mudd Club operated 1978–1983 and became a nexus for the late '70s downtown art/punk scene. Known for its eclectic crowd (artists, musicians, models) and cutting-edge music (post-punk, No Wave, etc.), the Mudd Club offered an edgier alternative to the uptown Studio 54 scene.
Rock-Ola
🇪🇸Madrid, Spain
Epicentre of "La Movida"; hosted The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen and local heroes.
Club 88
🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States
An unpretentious, all-ages venue in a strip mall run by Wayne Mayotte, a retired engineer. Essential for punk and post-punk scene.