OPEN BARS (4)
First Avenue
🇺🇸Minneapolis, United States
First Avenue occupies a stunning Art Deco Greyhound bus depot built in 1937. Converted into a music venue (The Depot) in 1970, it features curved walls and terrazzo floors that give the room a unique, bright acoustic character.
St. Moritz Club
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
A long-standing basement club in Soho, described as the "ultimate Soho sheebeen," with decor largely unchanged since the 1960s. Known for its legendary club nights.
Harvard & Stone
🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States
Industrial, factory-style bar with a focus on American spirits and R&B/Rock. Features live bands nightly, often free admission. Creates a "neighborhood bar" feel with a grittier edge.
The Ealing Club
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
If there is a "Ground Zero" for British rock and blues, the historical consensus points to this basement opposite Ealing Broadway station. Opened in 1959 as a jazz venue, it became the focal point for the nascent British R&B scene in 1962 under Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies.
CLOSED BARS (7)
The Crawdaddy Club
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
Founded by impresario Giorgio Gomelsky, The Crawdaddy Club in Richmond was the first venue to fully capitalize on the R&B explosion. Named after Bo Diddley's "Doing the Craw-Daddy," a staple of the Stones' set.
The Lord Nelson
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
A key stop for bands like Dr. Feelgood and Geno Washington on the pub rock circuit. With its "shabby, magical cosiness," it was part of the Holloway Road rock corridor that included Joe Meek's studio.
The Paradise Theater
🇺🇸New York, United States
A "Wonder Theatre" built in 1929—an atmospheric masterpiece designed to look like an Italian garden under a starry sky. One of few major concert venues in the Bronx.
The Tally Ho
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
The Pub Rock era has a definitive start date: May 1971, at The Tally Ho in Kentish Town. The American country-rock band Eggs Over Easy convinced the landlord to break the venue's strict jazz-only policy on Monday nights.
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 Goldhawk Social Club
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
This working men's club in Shepherd's Bush was the home turf of The Who. The band's relationship was symbiotic; the audience was composed largely of local Mods—the very demographic Pete Townshend was writing for.
The Kensington
🇬🇧London, United Kingdom
Transitioning from jazz to rock in 1973, The Kensington hosted The Count Bishops and Eddie & the Hot Rods—bands that bridged the gap between R&B and Punk.