Birmingham named UK's second-biggest pub music scene - see the 20 best for live music

New research from music licensing and copyright company PRS For Music and the British Beer And Pub Association (BBPA) found the 2021 Unesco City Of Music beat out the likes of Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool when it came to possessing pubs which regularly host live music events.

The rest of the top five, which was taken from PRS registered venues between 2020 and 2024, was made up of Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol and Brighton – with the four cities producing acts such as Lambrini Girls, Idles, Sleaford Mods, and Peace in recent years.

In London, the city’s south east – which is home to Brixton’s Windmill scene that has produced acts such as The Last Dinner Party, Black Midi and Black Country, New Road in recent times – topped the list, having more pubs hosting gigs than the entire cities of Newcastle, Glasgow and Leicester.

The London area with the second largest number of pubs hosting live music was found to be west London.

Research also found that 78% of people are more likely to visit a pub if it hosts live music, while 73% said live music would make them stay in a venue for longer.

In the Midlands, Birmingham (2nd) and Nottingham (3rd) remained strongholds for live music, while Leicester (16th), further highlighted the region’s musical heritage as home to household names like Kasabian, Black Sabbath and Jake Bugg.

See the top 20 list below:

The top 20 list is set out in full below:

1. Belfast
2. Birmingham
3. Nottingham
4. Bristol
5. Brighton
6. Sheffield
7. Edinburgh
8. Exeter
9. Manchester
10. Portsmouth
11. Liverpool
12. South East London
13. Newcastle upon Tyne
14. West London
15. Glasgow
16. Leicester
17. Plymouth
18. Southampton
19. Gloucester
20. Tunbridge Wells

Birmingham was also recently named the 7th best city for live music in Europe, with an overall gig city score of 70.53/100.

Andrea Czapary Martin, chief executive of PRS For Music, said: “Live music holds a special place in the UK’s cultural landscape and the pub gig, unique to the UK, is a crucial part of that ecosystem. Pubs have long been a vital space for launching and nurturing new talent while bringing people together through the power of performance.

“Just think of the countless songwriting and performing careers that have started in local pubs – from Sam Fender and Idles, to Maisie Peters and Sam Tompkins, the list goes on.

“Join us in celebrating this inaugural initiative highlighting the significant cultural and economic contributions of live music in pubs, preserving British culture for future generations.”