The ‘North London Tavern’ is dedicated to jazz every Sunday evening offering concerts for a small entry fee. This pub is among the most popular in the north London district. Not only offering beer and music, the ‘North London Tavern’ is also an excellent place to eat thanks to a substantial and sophisticated menu combining traditional local favourites with Mediterranean influences.
The ‘Lamb and flag’ is one of the oldest pub in Covent Garden and my absolute favourite, not only because I am crazy about the Covent Garden neighbourhood but because this tiny venue has a lot of character.
It is composed of two floors with a pretty outdoor garden. They specialize in traditional English dishes and the music scene is particularly interesting especially on Sunday when live jazz bands perform here.
On central Oxford Street, a real London institution for trends and entertainment, there is a small jazz club whose foundations date far back in time, well before the Second World War, when the club was even used as a bomb shelter.
From the photos hanging you can see that musicians as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Muddy Waters played here and it’s truly amazing and wonderful to see that despite the weight of history and prestige of the atmosphere, the club remains exceptionally laid-back and informal.
London saxophonists such as Pete King and Ronnie Scott have also founded a few jazz bars in the Soho area.
The ‘Ronnie Scott’s’ is now one of the most successful venues for the local live music scene in London, with a jazz program that ranges from classical to fusion (I am more of a classical jazz type myself)…
It’s a nice place, moderately trendy and almost always crowded, where you can eat, drink and dance.
The pub is known to be the centre of the social life in Britain, a meeting place of endless discussions on hot topics ranging from football to politics. A friend of mine introduced me to this place and I was absolutely astonished by the informal atmosphere and the friendliness of the place (not something to take for granted in London…) where you can feel like you are at your friends’ home.

In Dalston, an emerging neighbourhood in the suburbs of North London, many clubs have opened up in recent years as contemporary jazz (a new jazz adapted to more modern beats) is becoming more and more popular.
I recommend the Dalston area to fans of the genre and to those who want to discover the new London, a metropolis increasingly decentralized where it is not uncommon to find in the suburban areas spaces becoming breeding ground for innovation, creativity and sociability.
The ‘Big Chill bar’, whose name recalls the famous and eclectic ‘Big Chill music festival’ held every year in the UK, is a bar located along the pedestrian section of Brick Lane Street, full of shops and galleries. Many DJs organize RnB, Jazz, Reggae and Electronic music evenings here.
The ‘Southbank Centre’ has been celebrating for several years the ‘Friday Tonics’, a session of live music in which musical genres vary. The music usually adapts to the festival or the theme that is being celebrated. The ‘Southbank Centre’ is known for this activity and many others that are performed for free to give anyone the option to have a good night out.

Brixton is one of the must-visit neighbourhoods in terms of music scene and therefore pubs with live music cannot be missed in this area. Although there are many pubs and jazz bars in this area, there are also a few small bars with vintage decor, serving coffee rather than alcohol. Since they are considered cafés and not bars, they cannot charge an admission fee and they offer good live music for free.