Live & Kicking: A guide to Edinburgh's gig venues

Edinburgh has long been seen as the underdog in Scotland when it comes to its live music scene, especially when pitted against our pals in the west, and it’s hard to fight back with Glasgow recognised as a UNESCO City of Music. However, Edinburgh really does have a lot to offer in terms of its gig spaces. To give you a better idea of what to expect, let us talk you through the capital’s hot spots, from small sweatboxes to large concert halls.

Small: 60-200 cap
It would be rude not to begin proceedings with Sneaky Pete’s. Located smack bang in the City Centre’s buzzing Cowgate, this intimate 100 or so capacity space has been serving lovers of new music since 2008, picking up multiple accolades along the way, including the Grassroots Music Venue: Spirit of the Scene award in the 2019 Music Week Awards, alongside appearing in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs in the World list in 2021. Take that, Glasgow! Sneaky’s is a great spot for catching artists before they become massive, with Young Fathers, Future Islands and Self Esteem amongst the impressive roll call of artists who have played in the past.

Other small grassroots venues to seek out in the city include Voodoo Rooms, The Jazz Bar, Legends, Bannermans, Banshee Labyrinth, Leith Depot, Leith FAB Cricket Club, and Lost In Leith.

Medium: 250-600 cap
In the Southside of the city, Summerhall is an all-year-round multi-roomed arts venue. A former veterinary school, the venue houses a brewery, a distillery, multiple artists' studios, the excellent Royal Dick bar, and two spaces dedicated to live music – the 450 capacity Dissection Room, and 150 capacity Old Lab. Sometimes you’ll even catch shows in their grand Main Hall, or smaller seated Anatomy Room. While you won’t find many live gigs there this August, during the other 11 months of the year they have a dedicated music programme hosting touring artists on the rise as well as local ones to watch. Dry Cleaning, Aldous Harding, Tune-Yards, The Chats, and Kathryn Joseph have all passed through its walls.

You’ll find a handful of other excellent mid-sized venues in the City Centre too, with The Mash House, Cabaret Voltaire, The Bongo Club, The Caves, and La Belle Angele all within walking distance of each other along a stretch of the Cowgate.

Sneaky Pete's. Image: Eilis Garvey.

Large: 800+ cap
If you head to the city’s West End, you’ll find the gorgeous domed Usher Hall standing proud halfway up Lothian Road. Sandwiched between two theatres, the Usher Hall is a versatile space used frequently for classical concerts as well as for more contemporary gigs. With a max capacity of 2200, shows can be all seated, or a mix of seating and standing. Over the years, artists like The Flaming Lips, Bon Iver, The xx, Mitski, Angel Olsen, Underworld, Paramore and Mogwai have graced its stage.

Other big guns across the city include The Liquid Room, The Queen’s Hall, Assembly Rooms and O2 Academy Edinburgh, while in the summer months you’ll often catch even bigger shows at locations like Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Gardens, The Royal Highland Centre and Murrayfield Stadium.

Glasgow
As we said at the top of this roundup, Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music, so if someone you’re desperate to see live isn’t playing Edinburgh, you can get to Glasgow Queen Street Station by train in around 50 minutes from Waverley. Then, pick between smaller venues like The Hug & Pint, Broadcast, Nice N Sleazy, The Rum Shack, King Tut's, Stereo, Mono and The Glad Cafe, or larger spaces like SWG3, O2 Academy Glasgow, SEC Armadillo, OVO Hydro or the world famous Barrowland Ballroom.